No Big Thunder In The Mountain For Awhile

MiceAge / MiceChat's Al Lutz is reporting that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is about to go down this fall for a lengthy refurbishment. How lengthy? According to Al, try the end of this year and most of the 2013 calendar year so the track can get replaced, a new loading platform built, and new interactive elements are added to the queue line.

I'm going to miss Thunder Mountain Railroad. Even though I think of it as a favorite of mine, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler, after years of going on, regressed from participating in the thrills of the "wildest ride in the wilderness" that Disney uses as a tagline for the ride. It has become one of the series of "messes with my head" rides for her. On our last visit to Disneyland I tried to sneak on over to ride the beast myself but but twice I got the "closed down right now - not sure when we'll open back up" spiel from a cast member. I should have been more diligent about trying to get on but in the back of your mind there is always the "maybe next time by" thought. What if there is no next time?

Disneyland Sticks a Fiddle Bow Up Its Nose

So there it is, the standout moment of any performance by Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, the moment when Billy gets a fiddle bow stuck up his nose. "I feel bad for the little kids who have to see something like this on their trip to Disneyland" or words to that effect Billy says as he tries to figure out how to get the bow out of his nose.

I've seen Billy Hill and the Hillbillies perform probably two dozen times at Frontierland's Golden Horseshoe over the years and the bow up the nose bit never gets old. Most of the shows are just a variation of each other (the exception being the "Christmas spectacular") with a slight change in song selection and each performance greatly dependent on audience reaction and participation. It's a lot of fun. And inside the small but wonderfully ornate Golden Horseshoe, Billy Hill feels at home, both the band playing and the audience watching, clapping hands and stomping feet.

So this summer Disney had grand plans of massive amounts of people hitting their Disneyland parks with the relaunch of Disney California Adventure, Cars Land, and the like. And it's true, the bustling crowd levels have had Disney people wearing big smiles on their faces. There was only one slight miscalculation apparently. Large crowds have been turning up on a daily basis at DCA and surprisingly, the park has been able to withstand high crowd volumes much easier than expected. The crowd levels over at Disneyland on the other hand, with only the re-opening of the Matterhorn to boast about, have been quite manageable for a change. Some have used the word "flat" to describe Disneyland crowd levels this summer. Disney had visions over overflowing guests at both parks so in preparation they made the decision to take the popular Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show and move it outdoors and into the cavernous, mostly unused, Fesival Arena where more people could be seated compared to the cramped quarters of The Golden Horseshoe. The only problem is, the people and fans of Billy didn't follow.

The foot traffic around the Festival Arena area is off the beaten path as they say. The only reason to go back there is if you plan to eat at the Big Thunder Bar-B-Que (where reservations are almost never necessary) or use that back pathway to get from Thunder Mountain Railroad to Fantasyland as a shortcut. (There is also a spot back there that is one of Disneyland's last remaining designated smoking areas). So here is where they stuck Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. Below, MiceChat took a picture of the common result:

Billy Hill & the Hillbillies perform to a sparse crowd at the Festival Arena
A MiceChat In The Parks Photo

Now that's sad. The spirited packed house of a Billy Hill performance inside The Golden Horseshoe is reduced to a shadow of what it normally is playing to small crowds in a large area. It's been such a disaster that Disney, in an effort to attract a crowd, any crowd, put up a hastily constructed pin trading stand. Hopefully when summer draws to a close, this incredibly bad decision, is forever filed away.

Does Disneyland Need A Petting Zoo?

Name Me - A Disney Parks Blog Photo

Disney Parks Blog posted a photo of its newest edition to its petting zoo located at Big Thunder Ranch in Disneyland's Frontierland. This weekend they are holding a contest to name the cute little critter. A petting zoo in Disneyland? What's that all about?

The Big Thunder petting zoo is hardly a must do on anyone's check-off list with a trip to Disneyland. Its small and the animals contained in the pen are primarily comprised of docile goats and sheep. But they are cute and exhibit a bit personality as they look for a quiet spot to chill out only to be pursued by children with little outstretched hands who want to touch them. Sometimes they get into a bit of  mischief but always under the careful watch of their Circle D Ranch handlers. Circle D Ranch is Disneyland's backstage location used for the care of all park animals.

My encounter with the animals is pretty much limited to when Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have a bit of wait to get into the Big Thunder Ranch Bar-B-Que (which is seldom a long wait). Of course, we don't actually go in the pen as it really is pretty much an activity geared to small children but its a very pleasant little diversion to watch the kids have fun with the animals and I kinda think down deep, the animals don't mind getting the attention as well.

Does Disneyland need a petting zoo? Of course not but it is one of those things that gives the park such a pleasant atmosphere - literally something for everyone. It brings a bit of joy and diversion to kids that are probably having the time of their lives. Chasing a goat just adds to the list.

Note: During Christmas, the petting zoo in converted into the Reindeer Round-up complete with Santa Claus. Reindeer - they're a bit larger than the goats.

More photos from the Big Thunder petting zoo (while waiting for lunch).

Disneyland Dining - Rancho del Zocalo

The flowering bougainvillea that laces over the trellis above the outdoor dining of the Rancho del Zocalo counter service restaurant is one of the most beautiful, stunning sites in Disneyland. Just gorgeous. If you are dining below with meal from Rancho del Zocalo then beauty may be the furthest thing from your mind.

Of all the dining places Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have frequented in Disneyland over the last couple of years, Rancho del Zocalo has been the most consistently disappointing. Disappointing to the point where we don't even bother to go there anymore. Now Mrs. DLT love Mexican food but what Rancho del Zocalo tries to pass off as true Mexican cuisine well, you'd probably get a better meal from Taco Bell.

At one time Rancho del Zocalo was a hybrid restaurant with one side serving Mexican dishes and the other side serving up Bar-B-Que which was actually pretty good in the days before Big Thunder Bar-B-Que. But even back in those days, the Mexican food was sub-par. Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have made 3 or 4 visits to Rancho del Zocalo over the last 10 to 12 years and our impression has always been the same - bad food, cheaply made, poorly made, and typically overpriced. We have dined on the carne asada & cheese enchiladas with the beef typically being overcooked (quite common in Disneyland's preparation of beef dishes of any kind), stringy, and tough while the cheese enchiladas were nothing more than supermarket shredded cheese wrapped in a tortilla and served with what tasted like a canned sauce. The chicken soft tacos were better but not by much. The typical rice and beans are served with the plates but these are nothing special in the least.

As mentioned in a post from earlier today, my sister ate at Rancho del Zocalo yesterday and had the chicken fajita tostada salad and said it was way to spicy to the point where she could not eat it and had to throw most of it away. Sad and a waste.

In my journeys about Disneyland through cyberspace, many Disneyland bloggers and forum posters say that if you go to Rancho del Zocalo, try the citrus grilled chicken which seems to get favorable reviews. The French Market in New Orleans Square serves up a version of citrus grilled chicken as well that Mrs. DLT and I have enjoyed and if Rancho's version is as good as that one the maybe it may be worth going back sometime. I said 'maybe'.

Rancho del Zocalo is a beautiful site for a restaurant. Open, airy, spacious, it's quite inviting to give it a try. We have and come to realize that beauty is only skin deep but lousy goes right to the core. Connected to Rancho del Zocalo is a little area known as Zocalo Park where certain times of the year thematic pieces celebrating Mexican heritage are put on display. Very nice, charming in fact, but the food, oh that bad food.

It should be noted that the Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill across the way in Disney California Adventure serves much the same menu as Rancho del Zocalo (with much the same results) with one very notable exception - Cocina Cucamonga serves a chicken tamales plate that is actually quite good. They also server beer over there which can sometimes make up for what the food may lack in quality and taste.

The Mark Twain Steamboat - A View From The Top

A ride on the Mark Twain Steamboat is one of my favorite things to do in Disneyland without a doubt.  During the course of one of our 5 or 6 day trips to Disneyland, I'll probably get on it 3 or 4 times to take a nice relaxing trip around the Rivers of America. A ride on the Mark Twain is a no stress ride. Most of the time you can just walk on and go, a chance to take in the lovely Disneyland vistas the boat ride has to offer while enjoying the quite familiar soundtrack that sounds like an old friend.

Disney Parks Blog this week offered a new YouTube video that shows off the classic ride with a view from its wheelhouse at the top of the boat.  I've added it to the bottom of this post. But seeing it got me to think - for as many times I have been on the Mark Twain in recent years, I just don't bother to go up on the second or third decks anymore.  It's probably been at least 5 years since I walked up the stairs to check out the views from a higher perspective.  I'm not quite sure why that is.  Lazy?  Maybe a little bit.  I think it probably just comes down to the bottom deck offers more opportunities for enjoying your trip from a seat.  As long as the sun isn't blazing hot and beating down on you, the movable chairs on the front of the bottom deck allow a nice spot from which to sight see.  The long benches near the engine compartment aren't bad either and they are completely shaded.  With a nice seat and a relaxing voyage, I don't even give the second or third decks much thought. Maybe its time to rethink that on my next trip.  Need to put that on my list.

I haven't posted too much about the Mark Twain in this blog to this point but it will most definitely stop by for repeat visits - just like an old friend.

Frontierland And A Circle Of Rocks

This is, more or less, a continuation of my post last month The Tiki Room Is Not An Excuse To Eat Ice Cream. Disneyland is more than a theme park of rides and attractions. It is also a collection of memories. Just inside the main entrance to Frontierland from the hub, on the left had side, is a flagpole. Around the flagpole, forming a planter box for a tree as well as the pole, is a circle of rocks. Though not very high, maybe a foot to eighteen inches, the rocks provide a place to sit some tired behinds once in awhile while waiting for someone to come out of the nearby Mercantile store or restrooms. In Disneyland, sometimes its the little things that provide the fondest memories and so while it really is just a circle of rocks, for me it is a very special piece of ground. Why else would someone take a picture of it it like the one shown above?

In 2002, a group of family members made the trip down to Disneyland, a five or six day trip as I recall. We stayed at the Grand Californian in a series of 3 adjoining rooms plus a fourth room on the same floor. It was all very nice. It is also the first and only trip I got to make to Disneyland with my older sister. She would pass away about 4 years later at far too young of an age. There should have been more trips. 

My sister was all about family. While it is difficult for groups to stay together in Disneyland because of different agendas (see my post on Traveling To Disneyland In Groups) my sister was all about family togetherness, something to keep in mind as we approach Thanksgiving. As much as possible she kept the family together on this trip, even to the point of treating a group of about 12 of us to lunch at the Blue Bayou and dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. She was kindhearted and generous to a fault. Our family has not been the same since her passing. Sadly, while the cause of her death was complications due to a massive stroke, she really died of a broken heart.

So back to the rocks. I guess the female contingent of our group, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler, my two sisters, and my two nieces, went shopping at the Frontierland Mercantile Store. Once done we all huddled up around the rocks beneath the flagpole to decide what to do next. It was in the afternoon so Disneyland was starting to get crowded. Somehow my sister, who was 10 years older than me, got separated from the rest of the group and when found a short time later, was sobbing. Crying? Unless you are under 7, there's no crying in Disneyland. But that was my sister, without her family, she was all alone and it made her sad.

Today, when I pass by that circle of rocks, I remember my sister; I remember her sitting there with her family; I remember her getting lost; I remember her crying; I remember her love for all of us. It's still a circle of rocks but they tell a very special Disneyland story - one I will never forget. I have pockets full of these memories to cherish and only hope the many others do the same by collecting their own special memories.

The Frontierland Circle of Rocks - October 2002. Joyce 3rd from the left

Billy Hill and a Ticket to Ride

I grew up in San Francisco, CA in what is now categorized as the Classic Rock generation, when the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and all the rest released records as 45's and made albums that were printed on vinyl. Old school stuff. I didn't have to travel to San Francisco in the late 60's in what became known as the hippie movement. It was already my hometown.

Now many years later, I still listen to those same classic rock songs from a generation that has now begun to die off only now the tracks are stored on iPods and cell phones. The kid from San Francisco growing up had little regard for corn spun humor music from something like Hee Haw but now I'm confronted on my trips to Disneyland with Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. Too cool for Billy? Not on your life. These guys are great even after seeing them probably a couple of dozen times.

Me and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler have all kinds of Bill Hill clips from their performances at Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe. In the life of this blog, we'll share them and hopefully you can remember and enjoy a wonderful and entertaining little show.

This first clip is Billy playing it pretty straight, except for the introduction, with The Beatles classic - Ticket to Ride.