From Gloster Street to Main Street

I'm not quite sure what James and Dev expected of Disneyland. In fact, I think they only agreed to come along on Friday because I was clearly excited to take them. Anyway, they had such a brilliant time, as I knew they would.

The place looked wonderful, with all its decorations for Christmas. There was snow on Snow White's castle, and had we stayed late enough, there was going to be snow falling in California Adventure.

The guys had two rides on this ...

... and even if I'd made myself as limp as a jellyfish, and told myself that whatever happened I would not die, I still wouldn't have the courage to get on this thing. It begins (below) with a rocket-like thrust that has to be powerful enough to blast the carts from stationary to the top of the near-vertical rise and the start of the ride.
There's a huge crest in the middle, as you can see behind the Mickey Mouse ears, and towards the end it does a 360-degree spin around Mickey's face that would probably leave me in a coma.
After all, it isn't called this for nothing ...
After a ride on this thing ...

... which hurtles groups of sixteen people up into near-space and then drops them, twice, the guys raced off for two tours on Space Mountain, while I sat sedately and had my lunch. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride impressed Dev so much that he kept on talking about how he wished he could be a kid again.
But I just loved the atmosphere, and, as the sun started to sink, all the lights ...


:: On Saturday, Will and a friend took James to see a Queens of the Stone Age concert at the campus of the University of California in San Diego, and Dev went out partying with another of Will's friends. I think they're loving it so far ... and there's so much more to come!

:: Dave called a half-hour ago to say Oregon had been hit by bad storms, and they'd slid off the road from Crater Lake in a blizzard and landed in a snow drift up to the car door handles. Fortunately, no-one was hurt and, with some help, they were able to dig the car out, undamaged, and get to a hotel for the night. But Lily said she'd had to tell poor snow-virgin David to calm down and put away the flares ... I think he's very, very glad to have his thermals and gloves.
Earlier he'd been raving to me about Portland, where he'd found an independent bookstore that took up a whole city block and was three storeys high. Lily always says Portland is her favourite American city so far. All I've seen of it is the interstate 5 freeway - I can't wait to explore.