There was no time to think about what had happened. There was only people coming up in a ride vehicle and emptying out on the other side after undoing their seat belts. Then there was us being ushered in, me in the middle, Dad and Mom on the edge with Rebecca and I marking the middle seats (Dad was on the right so I was close to him and Rebecca more to the left) and then us strapping in. The seat was tough and I could the metal clippers also. Above the line of fake safari jeeps we were in was a large man in a fez.... a character in the Indiana Jones series. Sallah is his name. He was portrayed on the screen in Egypt, saying that we were going to go into the temple of Mara and that Indi (Indiana Jones) was already down there. His Middle Eastern accent was funny. He blundered and said "Oh hello" a couple of times, tapped on the screen and made it squeeze and become fuzzy, and then he told us good luck and that we had to find the buried treasure or whatever like that. There was a click of the metal slates at the track holding the front up, and then they went down and we edged forward into the darkness. I gulped, hoping it wouldn't be too frightening and that if it was I was fastened securely in my seat. The strap could hold, right?
Either side started lifting up, first, right, then left, and vise versa. This was going to be a bumpy ride: literally. It gave the illusion, as my head bobbed up and down and there was sounds of the wheels churning, that we were in a bumpy cave. Sallah told us "amateur adventurers" to hold tight and that we were doing great, and also over all the noise and darkness and confusion I could hear him telling us that there was something coming up or we were almost through. We whizzed around corners, and I bumped shoulders with Mom and Dad as the vehicle went along the track. A couple of times we bobbed up and down as the path inclined, and then there was figurines of Egyptian mummies that showed red eyes. I thought I was indeed in the presence of a ghostly spectre and I bet some people trembled with fear at the sight, the only thing that kept me from sobbing and going to hold my Mommy's hand was the faith in knowing that it was just a programmed statue with red LED lights inside. It wasn't too scary yet, was it? We continued on the ride, and thereafter I sipped some water to keep myself hydrated, also keeping fingers and my hands touching my sunglasses, video camera, phone, and water so that all my valuables were in my possession. I'd collect them at the end and hopefully none of them went overboard.
The most exciting parts were still on the way. We rumbled over hearing war tribes and looking at the hyoligriphics, and then I felt the hair on my neck tinge as air whizzed past the back of my body and in front, out of little holes in the walls. I didn't see them but I could only suppose they were there. These were supposed to be spears being thrown at us, luckily missing their target but still giving me goosebumps as the boobie traps activated. Sallah on the television monitor in our row in the wood of the craft said it was a close one. I looked at the dark figures in front and beside me, fellow tourists who were also excited for this ride but still white knuckled. My heart was beating violently, as we went on and Sallah persuaded us we'd be okay and alright. The next minute we were on a straight patch of the track, as monkey noises and different types of sound effects boomed through wherever they were hidden. We churned and crunched and bumped and banged through the rough terrain, and then before I knew it we had gone under a white cob web, large and almost translusent, but as silver as a dew drop. I didn't feel any of it in my eyes or face however and I assume that a projector, hidden, somehow made the illusion take place. It was well done though, on DisneyLand's part.
I commented to Dad about that wonderous illusion, and Rebecca was giggling at her fright at it.
Next was an even greater chill.... As our cart rolled toward a small opening, a giant grey ball rolled to us, and my heart jumped as I realized this might be the end, a malfunction had made it hit us, I was going to die!
But they timed it perfectly, probably holding it back as the projection or real harmless ball came to us. As the vehicle screamed on it's tires and went backward, with Sallah's eyes wide open at the approaching sphere, we went through another opening and Indiana Jones hung onto a rope, unshaven face grey with dust and rocks. His fedora, brown leather jacket, and black boots were very visible even in the dim light. And then, even when I thought this current scare was exitement enough.... it happened.
We veered forward into an immense area of blackness, seemingly freefalling in the endless cave. We were punched left, then right, spinning around corners with numerous shows of agility, and my hat almost left my head as the bumpy ride almost took me out of my seat. Who could of thought that Disney could fabricate this entire deal and yet make it so believable that I'm thinking it's a real adventure? That were really in this temple and my life is truly in danger? It IS the place where dreams come true!
But after that somehow we found ourselves right back to the loading dock where the next bit of visitor's will make their way right on the one we were stationed on. Exiting to the right we walked down the hallway we had made our entrance upon, and this time around I got to look at all the stuff to see a little bit longer and slower. On the other side of the rope almost-adventurer's made their way down, and I informed them it was incredibly scary and that they'd have the ride of their lives. The latter of these was true, but I might of exagerated on how scary it was. Maybe their mad at me right now for making them believe that it was a terribly scary thrill ride, but hopefully they had a good time and weren't too anxious by all the talking I did about how terrible it was. Oops. Well, anyway, we made our way all the way by the river, retracing ourselves out of the temple, and then we got to the entrance with the safari people and out onto the road that was the maine of AdventureLand. What to do now? Rebecca despartley wanted to go on Splash Mountain, her favorite ride in DisneyLand, which was a little ways away in Frontier Land. However, it would have to wait we decided after passing the IJ shops and then finding ourselves in front of a massive tree.
This tree, was probably an oak, with nice green leaves, large boughs and sturdy trunk and branches. It was, like I said, very large, and probably fake giving it's size and the environment it was in. But that wasn't what made it odd. Another place in California has tons of bigger trees than even that. What made in unique was that below it's large roots, by the little river to the right, were wooden poles, hefty and maybe bamboo, and also a wooden staircase on it's left and right. I could, barely though because of the foliage, make out some platforms. This was, like the sign by it said and the hot dog stands and the shops just behind it with all of the people swirling around, Tarzan's Treehouse. Wait... I thought it was Swiss Family Robinson. You know like the book, not the animated disney movie Tarzan. Swiss Family Robinson is the one in DisneyWorld. So they must of changed this from SFR to a Tarzan theme, probably because they wanted a ride or exhibit that was more recent and kiddish. I'm kind of sad about this but at least they still have it at WORLD, and so maybe it'll be fun to see this other one. Rebecca and I asked Mom if we could make the trip up there, and of course they said no at first, as they had always done when at DisneyWorld when we tried to go up this thing. Julie or Lauren or Mom usually had to go, and when Julie and Lauren weren't there Mom would. But she'd always feel kind of bad about that because it was a long climb up there. But we'd go anyway.
The walkway, or stairs, was pretty easy to go up. Although sadly they had left out the part that I so much loved at DisneyWorld, which is the water bowls going up and down along the mill like spinning wood wheel. However, as we embarked up, Rebecca and I, we saw through the foliage and leaves the first room.Mom and Dad moved to where the exit was so they could see us when we came down. The first room, just a small alcove with a couple of books on each of the three corners, had large leatherbound hardbacks that had gold lettering. I squinted and focused my eyes upon the books, among them Darwin, Volitaire, and all the Greek, Roman, and Italian authors. This was probably Jane, Tarzan's wife's, study, as there was a desk in the middle. Throughout the entire treehouse there was going to be certain hands-on items, and in this room there were a couple on the panel but I didn't notice them until on later places. We continued going up, the wood not creaking or cracking although we stepped hard on it. The walkway wrapped around the strong artificial tree, and the immense plant was bearing all of it on it's boughs. Wow.
We crossed bridges over some ape piles where they made some music in the movie, but at the same time continued upward. Also as we curved around some stairs on the right side of the treehouse, our path beige and more beige, we saw a quiet little room of Jane in another alcove with great coat hangers and also pink sheets with a vanity mirror. Then from our perched state up there we saw several counters down on the ground level, and with them tubes and glasses of several different sorts, vials and plants, chemistry uses galore. It was very interesting and this had to be the Proffessor's lab, where he made all of his eccentric stuff like in the movie. We continued up a ladder onto a wooden platform with hut like leaves covering the roof, and in a small tattered room with tree poles and different things of that nature, books and mattresses and record players all destroyed and ransacked. At that moment with a snarl, hiss, roar, and all different things rolled into one, my heart jumped as I saw a jaguar, sprawled upon the table, claws thrashing and sound effects making the illusion all the more horrifying. The panels read, although Rebecca was constantly urging me on, that Jane showed Tarzan this room, the history of his parents and their awful death at the hands of this fierce cat. We passed on and went down some stairs, turning around and exiting onto hard ground after quite a few more alcoves.
Here, at the exit of a small cave, was a large strong rope, which kids were jumping on and pulling sounds down. It was attached to a bucket which with a pulley system poured down water and also made charming bell noises. Rebecca and I stayed around this hands-on section, where also a counter with glasses and vials were, and we could hit those with flat black musical uhhh.... hitters, if you will, making noises like those apes did in the movie. There was also a hollow tree stump you could look in from the base or the top, and see a slithering snake. I liked the cute hands on deal in Tarzan's Treehouse, but am still kind of ticked off that they decided to take the original Family Swiss Robinson out of it. We found Mom and Dad at the exit, told them all they missed, and then we cut through to go to New Orleans Square, and from there to maybe Frontier Land. Rebecca desperately wanted to go to Splash Mountain. So we went behind Tarzan's Treehouse and then transferred over some stone and balcony like buildings, with gates on the top levels and a city hall like building with circle rotunda and all. We passed by a few restaurants, small cafes with mock beingents and gumbo coming out of the buildings on padios. We never even stopped among the bay windows, brick formations and stirring designs, and went out of there into from cobblestone and lightpost to wood and sandish pavement. We were now in Frontier Land.
We were also on the oval end of it, past all the cowboy like buildings and on a wooden walkway right in front of a changing river. It couldn't of been fake, the water was dark and blue, churning with mallard ducks making their way all around, and also a few rafts attached to some posts and stuff farther down with a wooden building. Across the way was a wooden platform and buildings, with trees on a small crescent moon like island. The river was more like a silky spinning circle that didn't go in a straight ish line, just a circle of sorts. I saw a red and black, sharp at the ends, pirate ship, which I would later identify as the Sailing Ship Columbia, complete with masts, painted deck, cannons, and dressed crew. There was also a host of canoes, long with people with those hats with the tail at the end of them, that Davy Crockett wore. Tons of tourists strained at the oars, trying to manage to keep up with the guide at the bow of the crafts, and an assistant at the sterns. But none of this captivated me or held my glance as much as the last mode of transportation passed by as we walked left passing by food venues to splash mountain, a gliding, churning, pumping machine of envy and splendor as it once was on the river of the Mississippi.... the steamboat.
It was white, but the stories Mark Twain, one time a riverboat pilot, recounted in the book Life on the Mississippi told that the activities were anything but pure. Violent murders at the wheel, fires, and cussing words from the officers to their pupils made sure of the drama and excitement. Two black pipes at either end of the square like boat bumped out steam, and at the end a powerful wheel churned water, filled with wooden slates, powering the water and coal to steam to power the ship. Columns with air fillings of painted railings, numerous levels, and a slanted area at the bottom guaranteed it looked like a house with pipes on it, basically a square, put on the bottom of a real ship like base, with curving ends and angular form. It looked like a house on a ship, in a way, or a hotel as the nineteenth century pilots would like you to believe. Mark Twain had used these in his stories, was a pilot of these things, and in Missouri in his hometown we had tried to get on one of these. However, it was out of season and they weren't doing the rides on the real Mississippi with the real hometown of the most famous steamboat pilot of them all. But this was the next best thing, because the ride was called Mark Twain Riverboat, and I hadn't been on a steamboat before, and also wanted to see what it was like, and bring up memories from the great book detailed in. Splash Mountain had to come first though.
We continued left, and passed on our left a white and black roof mansion building, presumably the Haunted Mansion I went in and saw and thought not scary at all. To our right by the water was also a little building and some wooden poles which some rafts with a big oar in the middle connected to,like in Huckleberry Finn. Later I'd find out that actually it was called Huck's Raft Transportation, along with another attraction across the water, which I read on the map, called Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island. Who would of known they used this much of Mark Twain at DisneyLand? It made me feel very good.
And glad.
We passed a stone bridge that wrapped around where it ten turns left after snaking toward the water, and took sight of the very loved and famous Splash Mountain. There were green grassy slopes also filled with cracked and fissures, and also boulders and rocks all huddled around in different places at the base, by all the firm brown slanting terraces of dirt. A wooden dark brown log sat upright, turned over with some branches coming out and roots sticking to the grey stones, pouring water down the very long waterfall into a great pool. All around were briar thorns and some statues of bears and stuff before the railing. It was a little smaller than the one at DisneyWorld and was tinier at the long drop, but still Rebecca wanted to digest herself in this great ride yet again. Dad chose to not go on it... he didn't want to get the camera wet and himself too(plus he'd been on it before) and decided to take some pictures of us as we came down in the log with some wide angle camera action. We got in line, starting right in front of the actual ride, in a long row of tourists waiting for their turn to go down that fun waterfall. We got splashed as the people smashed into the water, and there were some vultures and Brer Bear that was on the wooden and metal railing that we looked and took pictures of on the way there.
There was a family, a short grey haired grandma with tattoos, along with a thirteen year old tan and black haired and another 13 year old girl looking kind of the same, with a brown haired little kid in a Mario shirt and a chubby buzz-cutted boy my age. We got their names, Jazmine, Cody, and... I forget the chubby kid's name.... we'll just call him Buzz I guess. We talked to them for a little bit, and the lady was kind of hard and bitter, but they were still a little engaging as we went along. We passed by, below a stone wall, a Splash Mountain and Critter Country gift shop, and then minute to slow minute itched along, passing the underground entrance to "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" with the Brer Fox in costume hugging kids and taking pictures. The grandma's family were at that and they screamed and talked to them. I was so bored, apart from talking of book series' to Jasmine and to Cody about Mario adventures, having no book or anything like that. All I had were the surroundings, just when our rope went around a wooden alcove, where wooden crates boomed out fiddle music and I looked at shovels and hoes on counters and wooden posts. There was a Fast Pass box, and I don't know how to describe what that is so please just look it up on Google or something. There was a wooden ramp that went all the way up to where tunnels on the third floor under a wooden track held up by wooden posts led to the next stages of the ride.
We talked to the Colorado people a little more as we boarded up the ramp, now above that little tool shed thing. The path's materials now shifted to sandstone and it became darker, cooler, as we looked above Winnie the Pooh and Brer Rabbit with all those kids saying yellow to Brer Fox.
So the story of Splash Mountain is basically just a few of the tales of "Song of the South" in ride form, and SOTS is actually inspired by Uncle Remus's stories that Harris heard from slaves. Song of the South never went out in DVD 'cause most people think it's racist, but I saw it on Youtube and it isn't at all. The black people in the film are just workers that are PAID and the people are really nice to them.
On little wooden slate boards were funny little parts of the book, like when he says in the beginning something like
'This tale ain't happened in my time, nor my grandfather's time, but when folks were good to critters and critters were good to folks, and Brer Rabbit inthe middle of it all'
(That's not exact but pretty close)
As we traveled down a little faster now we saw a lot more parts to the book, and we left light to go in the hallways, and eventually found ourselves at the loading place, which went downhill, out of the shadows where the water was. We went down among the wooden fences and saw the railings that separated us. A lot of uniformed kids were behind us, teenagers. Our acquaintances left in the log boat before us as the gates moved and those in got out on the left and those out got in on the right. It was about to come. I was a little frightened, not on any of the parts of the ride of course except for the end when you go down the big waterfall. All the other parts just consist of singing animals. There was a kid my age that I didn't get to talk to; he would of been nice to talk to, and looked pretty close to me actually. I really hoped that it wouldn't be that scary and would go over fast. The gates opened and we sat in the congested small log, placing all my items, including video camera, glasses and phone, in the middle and a place where they wouldn't get wet. Each person had one row and it was fake looking brown wood, Rebecca in front and Mom behind, teenagers at the bow. We chugged along into the dark waters.
I was reminded of all the warning signs of the squeezed and steep fifty foot drop and the briar patch in front... what do we do?
The ride was square. At first there were signs of keeping all body parts in the vehicle and staying in until your told to leave, with the trademark music in the background and told by a man with a country accent. We went up a little hill with rolling black thing, crates and barrels on our rights and left, and I saw a pirate ship mast too, and then I tried to remember if they did a big fall so early in the ride. I was wrong however, and it was just a small little turn as we slushed and sloshed in the water with fake brown and bumpy walls around me, also briar patches.There were cracks at the top of these walls with dirt coming in our broken path, probably where the grass is on the top. There were no singing robot animals yet so I guessed we weren't so far into the ride yet. I tried the urge to touch the water one time, and it was sloshing around in a frenzy when I did. It felt kind of brown and nasty, probably used over and over again on every ride, but whatever. We turned around a couple of times and even passed on our path the final waterfall, and saw a log go down it. It is so thin of a little track... I mean, dang it! A couple of times we had a few scares, like when we went up a track and then just kept going straight, no downward big time. Not for long...
There was a sign, along with a picnic basket and some cave stuff, that said Brer Bear. It was a little cottage with door and closed window. On our narrow path... was a small fence. It opened as soon as we were up by it. And then....
It happened. We zoomed down into the water, not straightly steep but a little bouncer which looped and splashed up enough spray to furnish a whale's blowhole unit. Rebecca and Mom laughed after the scary little teaser as we slid into a tunnel of those muddy slopes. There was another one identical right next by it. It suddenly got darker with little spot lights of green and a lot of birds. These birds on our right weren't just normal birds however.... they were dressed in little hats with bow ties and also many suits, selling produce with frogs with little hats on bobbing up and down and saying "How do you do" along to music and "Fine, how are you" repeated in the speakers. Brer Rabbit talked to a turtle as he stood in the Briar patch, naming that he had to go or something off into adventure. It was very happy and light paced, nice animals doing nice things. Then suddenly, as we went through a few more scenes of these animals along the water shaking hands in their hillbilly accents. There was a frog stretched out, tired, on an alligator, and then some more green marsh leaves coming down, before I then saw Brer Bear, fat in form, his legs tied up to the ceiling and Brer Fox, slim and in overalls and other old attire, telling him to get out to go get Brer Rabbit. I enjoyed the funny images.
And then.... the theme shifted dramatically. Suddenly there where was violent stroaks of opera singers warning away, and it became darker, with horrible laughing in the background. Brer Rabbit, wanted to be eaten by Brer Fox, was cornered and smashed and battered with a club. Then he was heard pleading for his life, in country accent, imploring for himself to be rescued and for Brer Fox to be reasonable. Large cranes, ladies in dresses, warned us on lily pads of the "laughing place" singing greatly but they must of gotten it confused because they inferred it was the vultures who wanted to eat the dead. They said Brer Fox was there. It got darker and darker and I remembered from before this was it. This was that time. Vultures to the left as we went up the rolling track with staircase on the right said "It's time for you to turn back.... if you could!" They laughed terribly as they talked of it being horrible. "We'll show you a laughing place!"
I heard the constant loud noise of rolling, and we went steepily up... there was the staircase. Could I jump out, and avoid the scary ending? Would I get in trouble or be rescued eventually or just keep seeing people coming through. Where would it lead? Would I even make it? In an alcove to the left was a shadow of the Fox and then also Brer Rabbit tied up over a steaming pot shouting no. We continued up, up, and then....
For a moment I saw everyone down there among the pavement and the benches, and further beyond the large pirate ship, with the stones in front on the dirt and all the world before me, but also the thin expanse with the rustling water coming down and the steep decline. A briar arch was beyond.
We quickly zoomed down, crashing against the water and my eyes wide open, my head arched forward. e hit all the white foam in earnest before going in the dark tunnel, light at the other side. It felt like I was going to be jerked out of my seat, but just like that it was over. We went into another path of upslanted dirt and then entered another cave. I jokingly told the teenageras, "And that wasn't even the BIG ONE!" to them who hadn't been on it before. The girls looked at me in terror, shocked, until Mom said I was just joking. Animals sung Zip-a-dee-do-da.This was after we had passed a waterfall and some barrels on a cart. They were all in farm clothes, moving and singing, on a glittering steamboat in their best attire. We turned left and then left them singing the glorious tune. An alligator was trying to eat Brer Rabbit. We then came out of the tunnel into some light, and saw the docking point. We bumped into the other log and thereafter exited on the left side, and went all the way out into all the corridors until we made it to a little counter where a T.V. monitor showed all the picture taking. You couldn't see Rebecca or my's face. But whatever. Walking out the other entrance in our a little damp clothes, I rubbed my eyes and we found Dad on his bench. What next?
I looked in that gift shop by the water. There wasn't much souvenir items in there. Dad and I sat on a bench and talked while Rebecca and Mom went into some restrooms across the street but not totally by the water next to the Winnie the Pooh ride. I could feel the water of the ride on me. Dad told me he wanted to do that Davie Crockett canoe thing, and I said okay that was fine with me, as Rebecca and I so far had been the only ones who really had gotten to choose to go on anything. A few minutes later found us across the street from the bench, all peed up, going down a ramp from a little ticket booth down to the water, where long and many rowed canoes set up on the dock, also with men in jackets of bear and rabbit and those squirrel heads. They also had moccasins and the whole 9 wilderness yards. Although Rebecca wasn't the most excited, it didn't matter. Mostly grandparents and toddlers took up the oars on either side, and I sat by Mom with Dad and Rebecca behind. There was a cynical sarcastic negative tour guide at the front and one at the end. They told us how to paddle and called us terrible, and sadly there was no history or anything they told us, just to quit spouting water in their faces.
We heaved in and out, heaving and hoeing, cutting into the water and then flopping up some h20.I sprayed Dad a couple of times. Holding onto the wooden oars, being passed by red pirate ships and white steamships, it got to be tiring. The guides were doing all the work and although it was fun to look at the cute little ducks around, it was a little crazy. However, there was an eagle on a branch we saw, an Indian on an overhanging rock on a horse, and several worshipping Indians by some teepees, plus a guy in a camp who had some tents. They were all fake stuff, but still stuff, and we heard the Indians muttering and the eagle kawwing. We went all the way around in the circle and therefore headed back, and the guide at the bow, not the muscular strong one in the stern, steadied and tied us up. It was so much work for something we could see in the comfort of a steamboat, but Dad probably picked it because he liked Davy Crockett and wanted to see what it was like to be in a canoe with so many people. Well, it was more work than fun but I'm happy if Dad was, and that's all that matters. We exited as I saw an employee named Drew, my name. We went on the stairs, put our oars back in the bucket with the others, and left.
We went over the bridge and struck right, entering Frontier Land. There were a few food venues, small little stands along the water, and hunger pains were arriving just now so I decided to stop and get a long dill pickle. Dad put it in his handkerchief and I ate it like a true Georgian. We also passed by those rafts coming to and fro, and on the opposite end of where the wire going across the water was Pirate Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island, which sounded adventurous and grand. There were barrels on it as we waited in the rope line to get on the raft. It was just like the raft that Huck Finn and Jim the slave had gotten on when they wanted to make it to the free part of the Mississippi so Jim could go up, get a job, and then pay the money for his other chillens to get out of servicedom. They go through many adventures in the book, and I won't tell you any of them.... read the greatly awesome book of friendship and right from wrong for yourself! It's a wonderful read. But anyway I was excited to get on Huckleberry's mode of transportation to get over to the island. What would the island be like? I had been to the one in DisneyWorld, and saw the barrels floating in the water even from this distance, also the ropes course, but was there more?
The lady in a pirate hat and man's attire shifting the water at the oar in the middle of the raft(logs glued together) motioned us to sit down. We sat down on some of the outside barrels as I made a mess of my pickle, getting the juice everywhere and not eating it correctly. Dad decided to finish it as I cleaned my hands. It was very interesting to travel in this uhhh...vehichle, if you will.We were transported to the island where some rough and tumble shacks, dark wooden buildings, awaited us. We hopped off as the lady tied the post up, and I asked her if she knew Jim the slave. I always ask characters who are really actors about their characters and characters that are in the same movie or book as them, trying to make them think on their feet or catch them off guard. It's mandatory for an actor or actress to know their character. Or else it will destroy the illusion of the acting actually reality and the fictitious scenario being truth. Just my personal opinion, and many other people probably. Alright very well so, we got off and collected our "valubles" and then got on the wooden platform. Most likely I would have a fun time here. I mean Tom Sawyer was a pretty fun guy.
I looked at the buildings, going around their square corners and thereafter looking through a door between two separate ones, or a walkway I guess it would be called. Past a railing to the left was an iron, screws and bolts and counters and tables, with blacksmith's tools galore. On the right was a little area with a lot of old tools and shovels and hoes. So this was the beginning of the island? Wasn't too interesting, but I guess it'd get better later on. There was another few chunks of buildings, even a small cabin with old bed and little desk, which was Pa Finn's house as in Huckleberry Finn, the book. Pa was a drunkard and so Huck left him and faked his own death and went off with Jim. He lived on an island that Huck with Tom had earlier dubbed Tom Sawyer's Pirate Island or something of the sort. Around this area, with a wooden rotating large wheel on the left, Mom sat on some benches, telling us to go explore, that I had a phone and if we got lost then Mom would come find us. I found that doubtful that it would happen however. Well, Rebecca and I, video camera and regular small camera in hand, embarked into the dirt trails with large boughs of trees making a narrow entrance, and green leaves of all different species populating the region, also birch, ash, pear, oak, pine, maple, and beech trees everywhere.
Our path took us right by the tree where the pirate's lair was, but funnily, we did not see it. We went along these mountain paths, me leading the way with the vague illustrated map, and Rebecca struggling to follow along. We went up and down along the dirt trails, and then saw a large yellow cave. It had a pirate ship lodged at the top, with a slick mountain like appearance on the cave. What to do now? We went up the wooden walkway, and stood on the pirate ship with it tipping on a hole with streams of light poured into dark chambers. There were poles to slide down, but the pirate ship was only like half of one, so it wasn't like we went in the captain's quarters or played pirates for very long at all. I mean, we didn't. Sorry I went weird for just a second. But anyway, our path around the little cave brought us in it, where we heard strange voices of like Injun Joe and other treasure hunters. Rebecca kept saying we should go back, and occasionally I did too, but more than that I wanted to press on and see this magical island for what it was made of. We went different ways as annoying and loud families piled in, also a couple of young adults. And then, it happened. I went one passage, the artificial walls with brown slick rock pouring in the narrow corridor, and Rebecca went another way. The worst part is it was in a cave, so there were dead ins, little holes with windows, and tight entry ways, and sheer path drops. I couldn't find her.
I called her name and tried to take sight of her, wishing I had a flashlight and wishing she had her phone. Eventually I just sat on this ledge and waited until she found me. If we both kept moving the odds of us finding each other were slim. I was underneath the bow of that ship that I had seen miraculously on the side of the cave top. I had thought that was really cool, and now was under where I had looked down on. I called Mom asking her if Rebecca was with her, and confirming that yes I had lost her, regrettably. But I left and then said that don't worry she'd soon see me and I'd see her in only a few moments. The prophecy was correct. I found her in a chamber and later we went out, her telling me that we had to leave and that I shouldn't of left her, that she was really scared in the cave alone. I told her I was sorry but she still was a little bitter and stand-off ish. As she should be, since I was her protector and had strayed off. Well, we left the awesomely interesting cave, with all of the fun passage ways and cool ship, and then walked further forward. Rebecca however did not want to do this, saying we needed to go back to where Mom and Dad were, because that was the direction the treehouse was in. I wanted to go to the big building the map talked about, and went that way. She turned around in disgrace, saying she'd find Mom herself.
I was rather alarmed at this, for I did not like separating with her after losing her the first time. However, I was extremely curious about what was here, so I continued going uphill and up the trail to the wooden building with four corners, triangle posts, on each corner. It said Fort Something, and I guess it might of been Benson or something like that. It had a MatchLock upon it and was locked so I guess that part of the island is under renovation or something like that, for I heard people in the fort, high walls and speared logs together in a building form. I ran as fast as I could with my video camera falling once, and glasses in my pocket with my hat almost coming off, and glided along like a gazelle as I jumped up and down upon the brown dirt. I caught up with Rebecca and caught my breath as we walked along to this lagoon area, funnily going again to the right of the treehouse. In this small bed of water was several planks and walkways, right by the big river deal outside. There was a net with a wooden bridge and crates over water, some barrels, and against the foliage a big rope ball where kids climbed in and on. Above was a wooden walkway. It was a fun little play house area for kids, but I told Rebecca we had no time because we needed to find Mom and Dad.
She pleaded and even though Mom called me to say it was time to leave and to return to the blacksmith area where they sat on a bench by some restrooms, I consented to Rebecca's wishes. I went over that barrel thing where they bobbed up and down and then also pulled a rope and a skeleton came out of the water that surrounded the place. It was amazing and I thought it extremely funny and scary. It was very cool though, the pirate dead person was. I grabbed Rebecca kind of like a parent does and told her I thought we needed to go on that drastically high walkway(it looked a little far down for someone to fall) to go back to the parents. We went up to the long hill leading to it, and climbed up little terraces of roots, before we held onto the rope handles and walked across slowly. I made a little adventure out of it too, just because of habit. Then we actually by accident ended up going forward again, tis time going on the path and turning right, because I thought that was where it was(in this time period I came to the conclusion I am a terrible map reader or navigator), the restrooms where Mom and Dad were. It just so happened that in the foliage and trees I made out a treehouse, with large outstretching boughs. The pirate's lair.
Now it was my turn to plead with her to just quickly go up and see the object of interest that's in Tom Sawyer, in the book where they become pirates and build a treehouse or shack or something. She said yes, but not too long, and we went around this pathway on the bottom where a wooden platform stood at the base of the tree going through it. It was a large fake oak. We went up some ladders to the top, where I peeked and saw the unthinkable, blood figures of hands and names, and some funny pirate stuff with a clear view of the blacksmith stuff and also the fort and all the other stuff on the island. The names were pirate ones, in different handwritten styles. Tom's was cursive, "Tom Sawyer, The Black Avenger of the Spanish Main." That made me chuckle, remembering how they pretended to be wonderfully mighty pirates in the book with big names and large egos. Joe, their friend, was, "The Terror of the Seas" in fairly good print. It wasn't as good a name's as Tom's, but then again he was the proud one of the group. Huck's was kinda simple and the least striking, "Huck the Red Handed." Sounds more like a caught bad guy than a bloody pirate with blood thirsting anger to a 21st century kid. He does get in trouble a lot so maybe it makes sense.
I went down and we had a few funny things to say to a guy there. Then we left. Where were Mom and Dad. We lost the trail a couple of more times and never ended up getting to the blacksmith's place. We were walking along this ledge and finally Mom saw us. Rebecca ran to her, glad to be done with this whole scary business of not finding our parents. We went back to the restrooms and made a speedy getaway to the raft with Dad, telling them of all the interesting stuff we saw and saying sorry we were so late. It was an outdoor maze there. Across the river, we walked right into Frontier Land, and I told of my wanting of getting in the steamboat and going around the river. Mom and Dad said yes that would be fun, but Rebecca complained on when we'd be in the Fantasy Land District, with all the princesses and girl stuff.
After this ride. By the dock a luxurious steamboat came up ahead. We boarded, where there was white deck, and we stayed in the bow of the ship on some movable chairs right by the front. The son shone right in front of us, however, and I put on sun screen as there was a little introduction about staying in the vessel as more people boarded and the people by the gate shut it off and there was a puff of steam or smoke coming out of the pipes. By the churn of the wheel thing at the back, we were off!
The narrator first talked of steamboats being the primary mode of transportation along rivers in the 1800's, and also that the rivers of America cultivated a lot of trade and wealth. It went along left, past Tom Sawyer's Island, and the most famous steamboat pilot being Samuel Clemens, who left being a pilot at the outbreak of the Civil War, when the Confederate's took the river and decommissioned all the pilots. Then he became the writer Mark Twain, which actually came from a river boat term which meant Safe Water, an omen for the struggling author. I nudged Mom and Dad in their chairs, cause I was a total Twain nut. Well, first we passed into the waters of the Mississipppi, as the country narrarator said, and we passed by on the right that little shed where somebody(they said a name but I forget it) hung out. The announcer spliced out some information on the Mississippi, how long it was, twisty, and it's tributaries, all that, in edition to the environment and what states it goes through. I won't name all this again so remember it. This happens for every river. I'll just say "went through the info" or something like that. At this time, although I loved the company of my parents, I wanted to explore.
I told Rebecca to come and we backed off and walked over under the second floor floor, even though I would later see signs saying to stay in your seats. We walked through several chairs, white, and we also passed by two ladders that went up. There was a walled off area, with no doors on each entrance, but with windows, and we walked in the open space where the doors would be. There were pictures, sketches, black and white negatives of film, also a bench going the full length of this cubicle. We didn't miss the announcer talking, oh no, and heard him saying all his interesting facts through the large speakers. We turned and saw the Indian and the wolf and eagle, and he talked about the Colorado and it's great wildlife along the river. Rebecca and I, giddy to see this second floor of the boat(I had never been on a boat with two floors before) looked up when there. Honestly, it was just another balcony place, more chairs, white columns with trim, just more of the same. Still though, it had been worth it. We looked over Mom and Dad as they took pictures. It felt like we could see everything, the pirate ship, Tom Sawyers, Splash Mountain, and even that bobsled icy mountain thing in the far distance. We turned a corner right as Indians made noises and chanted, and the narrator talked a little of the American Indianan nations.
There was even more ladder/staircases and a third level. Up these, steadily and slowly going up so we wouldn't fall, here was now a small glass cubicle with door where a man in attire had a window, radar, spinny chair, and several other stuff while in a white captain's uniform. He had an old wood fashioned steering wheel and steered it a lot. It was so cool to see the captain!
We passed into the Colorado, where more info was given, and there was talk about it going to the desert and all that. Then it did a emotional and very significant conclusion, and people slid onto the dock and filed out after the ride. It was rather short for a boat ride, and it wasn't that exciting, but oh well. We followed people down the staircases, got held up by slow people, and itched forward in the large crowd. On dry land again, we tried to find Mom and Dad. We went left into Frontier Land, trying to find them desperately. We found them in the crowd though.
"Can we go to Star Tours now Dad?" I asked, which was about Star Wars and all that.
He said sure, but Rebecca bleated about how I had picked almost everything we had done that day. I was sorry, but I usually picked fun things. Mom and Dad decided though all we'd do was go to Tomorrow Land first, not because they loved me more or anything, just because I wanted Dad to see Star Wars ride and he wanted to also, because after that then he was going out of the park to make the dogs go to the restroom. I was bummed I wouldn't see him for a while after, but oh well.
We got out of Frontier Land, full of Western looking saloons and wooden storefronts, then passed by that statue in Main Street Area. I looked at the smaller Castle than the Disney World one and then we were almost to Tomorrow Land. Was Star Tours going to be scary? Thrilling or terrifying? A rip off? And what of the rest of the day? What other surprises or excitement did Disney Land have in store? Only time would tell.
TO BE CONTINUED...(SEE "DISNEYLAND PART TWO" FOR FINAL PART)
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