In Disney’s California Adventure, there is a ride/game called Midway Mania, which features all of the folks from Toy Story. (I would like to point out here that I totally beat my hubby at that one, on our one time through, by 200 points.) While we were in line, we ran across this sign:

It…doesn’t translate well from American English to British English, does it? *gigglesnort*

Yes. That is Flynn’s Arcade. As you might imagine, this caused some smartphone research as we stood behind the barricade and stared. And what did we discover? Well, something called ElecTRONica.

Of course we had to go back at night to encounter this.

(Image by my hubby on his shiny new camera)
This should give you a general idea of the overall look of ElecTRONica. It was very squee-inducing.

You know what else was squee inducing?

(Another of my hubby’s images)

And it’s a real arcade! Want some proof?

That’s my hubby playing one of my favorite games. They had all three of my favorite games, it turned out – Galaxian, Galaga, and Space Invaders. (Yes, I’ve added a game console to my dream house.)

Even better?

(Another image by my hubby and his cool new camera.)

Tokens! That say Flynn’s Arcade! Eeep! Sooooo cool!

Sadly we didn’t have much time to look around, play games, and dance (they had a great DJ playing) as we had dinner reservations. All I can say is, if there were a Flynn’s Arcade near our place, we’d have no money.

(Don’t they look nice from the back? My Evil Twin is wearing the same tux as the 11th Doctor favors. Obviously he is a man of taste and refinement.)

After the wedding, we reversed course…then decided to test my vertigo thing by going on the huge Ferris Wheel.

I am frankly amazed that I didn’t drop my phone while trying to take this photo. For the record, the first time I went on this ride (on my honeymoon, no less), I (stupidly) tried one of the swinging gondolas. Yeah. I’m surprised that my husband didn’t lose his sense of hearing then and there. *shiver*

Sadly, I’ve got to keep this short, since I want to post while it’s still today, so, for your hint for tomorrow – Have you seen either of the TRON movies?

And now back to my holiday snaps. When last we we saw our intrepid travelers, they had arrived at their destination, and were off having fun.

I got to have Dole Whip THREE TIMES during this trip. And this is what it looked like standing in line for my favorite yummy thing the night we arrived. (For those of you who are curious why I love Dole Whip so much 1)I love pineapple juice 2) I love soft-serve 3) Dairy products (especially ice cream) do not love me. The sadness! *dramatic gesture* Now while this may be great for my waistline, it’s not so good for the happiness of me. Therefore: Dole Whip, complete with no dairy! Cue the choir of angels!)

What can I say about the new Star Tours that isn’t too spoilery? Um…Okay, how about this: It’s in 3D, and each of the three times I went on the ride…it was different! Give it a try if you can.

And here is the view of the Matterhorn, with its eerie glowing heart, taken from the Monorail platform. Do they still have climbers on it at any point these days? I didn’t see any while I was there, but that may have had something to do with the time of year. I did actually go on the ride at one point in the weekend, and it jerked me all around just as I remembered. Ow.

Tomorrow: The other reason I was in SoCal – My evil Twin’s Wedding!

After missing breakfast, we headed off into the cow-scented air to get some…breakfast.

The cloud-shapes were really interesting to watch as we traveled. As you can see, I attempted to get a photograph of them as documentary evidence.

Eventually, we stopped before the Grapevine (Lebec?) at the Iron Skillet. For the record, I’m pretty sure that our waitress was actually an elf, not that this had an effect on her waitressing in any way. She even had the tops of her ears covered with her hair. Truefax, my friends.

As we were on our way out, I spent some time window-shopping, while I waited for my hubby to buy a few things. (Are you in the market for candy cigarettes? The Iron Skillet has some…) Well, what do you think I saw in the window of the wee shop right there next to the Iron Skillet?

…A pop culture reference! Amusingly enough, they were displaying a nerf-type gun right under this. Less likely to shoot your eye out, I suppose.

We headed off again, and arrived at our destination at about 2pm. Conveniently, our room was already good to go. We dropped our stuff in the room, but did we take a moment to rest?

Nope.

(Part of the themeing for Haunted Mansion Holiday. My cameras aren’t too fond of the dark it turns out, but this came out okay.)
I will just note here that Pirates of the Caribbean was closed the entire time we were there, and leave you here.

Tomorrow: More artsy pictures of our first evening in D-land.

So, beginning where I must at the beginning…

We left for SoCal Thursday evening, a bit later than expected. At some point in the dark of the night, we stopped at a random Denny’s.

And that was about the point that we realized we needed to find someplace to spend the night. The first place we stopped was full up. The second place…sort of creeped us out. But the third place was just right (in time honored tradition.) They had space for two weary travelers at some point after 2am, and for a bonus it didn’t smell like cows on the inside. (It certainly did on the outside, though. I’m looking at you, Buttonwillow.) Our room was right next to the freeway…but that really wasn’t too different from home, so we managed to get a few hours of shut eye after a fashion. We ended up missing the “Continental Breakfast” the next morning, but that wasn’t too big a loss.

Tomorrow: The Trip Continues, complete with bonus pop culture reference!

This is one of the places we passed a bit further on. As you can see by the snow, it’s likely that we couldn’t pass that way even now. It’s fun to know that we managed to squeak by before the rainy/snowy season started.

Also? It was quite cold up there even then. Next time I’m bringing my gloves.

And that’s the end of our Reno trip. We got home at a bit after 11:30p.m. …And went to work the next day. Ugh.

This is my quick cell phone image of Topaz Lake.

…And this is Mono Lake from the Vista Point above it. The timing wasn’t right to actually stop and photograph the lake from closer up, so obviously I need to plan a photo safari vacation for next year and include a stop there.

That way we can stop and eat in Lee Vining again. We always end up at Nicely’s Restaurant. They offer a bunch of classics, tasty desserts, and inexpensive t-shirts and travel mugs. (I bought a travel mug this time.)

…And then we headed for the hills.

During our recent trip to Reno, I insisted that we walk across town and go to the museum. My husband didn’t know what to make of this, but he’s used to me by now. That and he knows about my car obsession. He needn’t have worried. He loves old cars. I think he took pictures of the whole place. I have no room to talk, as I did that last time. So, here are the two pics I took with my camera phone this time around.

This is a “street” they have set up inside. Now, if only they had a test track set up….

I still love this sign, so I took another picture of it. It’s well placed, too. The car behind it is all lovely and coppery.

Also? When we left, my hubby thanked me for bringing him. *strikes triumphant pose*