Trip Report
Mr. E vs The Happiest Place on Earth. With pics!
Tuesday January 15, 2013 8:08pm
True Story:

An eager young 8-year-old boy pressed his nose up against the car window. Excitement was rising. It had been a long, long drive from Washington state to California. After all those restless hours in the car, this was it! The gates to the Magic Kingdom were in sight! The family parks the car. The boy's step-dad gets out of the vehicle... and proceeds to light up a joint. Within minutes... Disneyland security throws the entire family off the lot.

Having never set foot in the park, the boy never returned...




Until now....


Righting the wrongs of the universe, one misdemeanor at a time...

I present to you...

Mr E at Disneyland.


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Credit: justthemaid
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Credit: justthemaid
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Regardless of the fact that Mr E is cagey about crowds, children, noise and non-climbing related fun or happy places in general...I intended to fix this childhood travesty. For his 51st birthday... he was going to Disneyland...even if it killed him.


Reticent hard-man E got the full tour...


Trams:

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Main street USA:


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The Magic Castle:


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Tomorrowland.

Star Tours, Space Mountain and Autopia. Evidently a freezing cold Monday in January is the perfect time to go if you don't want to wait in lines BTW.


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Mr E on Autopia
Mr E on Autopia
Credit: justthemaid
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After that, I dragged him around to see the usual suspects:


The Matterhorn:


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Matterhorn in motion.
Matterhorn in motion.
Credit: justthemaid
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Took in the sights.




Big thunder Mountain (closed for renovations)

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Submarines

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Ship


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...and there was no way in hell he was getting away without wearing the damn ears.


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Jungle Tour , Indiana Jones, & the Treehouse:



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A nice lunch at the Blue Bayou

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Mr. E meets the Pirates (kinda cool freaky shots from taking pics in the dark)


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pirate of the Carribean
pirate of the Carribean
Credit: justthemaid
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Mr E rubs elbows with the Disney stars


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Chauffeurs before his wild ride with Mr. Toad:



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Mr. E was a terrifically good sport. He seemed to have a good time, and lasted a whole half a day before getting cranky, demanding his binky and having to be carried back to the car all tuckered out. :)


The End.






















  Trip Report Views: 4,236
justthemaid
About the Author
justthemaid is a climber from Jim Henson's Basement.

Comments
Michelle

Social climber
1187 Hunterwasser
  Jan 15, 2013 - 08:12pm PT
too cute!
hobo_dan

Social climber
Minnesota
  Jan 15, 2013 - 08:55pm PT
Brutal, Tough--anyone who can do this is a keeper for sure.
SCseagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz
  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:00pm PT
I don't believe it. What a classy TR. Glad he's only 51....there was a lot of energy expended for that trip

Susan
Captain...or Skully

climber
Boise, ID
  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:17pm PT
Whoa. That's some scary sh#t, right there.
prickle

Gym climber
globe,az
  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:19pm PT
yur gunna die?
Jingy

climber
Random Nobody
  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:23pm PT
Fantastic!!!

I thought for sure this was a story being told many years after the fact by a third person, then got the greatest punchline ever: Stepped out of the card and lit up a joint… within minutes security had tossed the whole family….
There is just no chillin out in the magic kingdom… oh the humanity, and what a total travesty for the young mister e…

glad to have been around to read the conclusion to that story.

Cheers
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:24pm PT
Probably scarier than R/X runout to a guy like Erik. He handled it well.

... and no.. they are definitely not weed-friendly there. The cameras are everywhere and no one want's the humiliation of being locked in Disney-jail. . I had a Disney-fanatic friend get caught hunkered down, hiding in his car trying to get a little puff in. They cancelled his season pass and tossed him out.
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:25pm PT
I hope you took a rest day, you deserved it!
How did you find parking????

Way to SHRED THE GNAR!!!
-E
Reeotch

climber
4 Corners Area
  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:27pm PT
One question . . .





























Did you guys light up a joint before you went in?
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:39pm PT

Okay, the Blue Bayou--wuz Linda Ronstadt there?

hee hee hee. . .

And he didn't even get to climb the Matterhorn!!!!

thanks for sharin' maidy
paganmonkeyboy

climber
mars...it's near nevada...
  Jan 15, 2013 - 09:59pm PT
dude you are so wearing those ears to sushifest, right ?
nutjob

Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
  Jan 15, 2013 - 10:05pm PT
This is pretty cute, and patching up a nice hole from childhood trauma!

I instantly thought of this:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
MisterE

Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
  Jan 15, 2013 - 11:03pm PT
Yes, it's true...

I had a blast! It was a cold Monday, and like Maidy said: probably one of the best days to go. Probably didn't hurt that a few of the big attractions were shut down.

I must correct the wife:

Reticent, yes. Hard-man, knott.

Thanks, Honey!

:)
zBrown

Ice climber
  Jan 15, 2013 - 10:27pm PT
Bravo
rottingjohnny

Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
  Jan 15, 2013 - 10:32pm PT
Did you find the diaper changing facilities adequate...?
MisterE

Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
  Jan 15, 2013 - 10:50pm PT
Depends...
happiegrrrl

Trad climber
www.climbaddictdesigns.com
  Jan 15, 2013 - 10:57pm PT
I've never been to Disneyland myself - this makes me want to... But first I need someone to subject to...er, I mean share the experience with.
Bad Acronym

climber
Little Death Hollow
  Jan 15, 2013 - 11:10pm PT
Next time just drop acid.

Been there, done that.
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  Jan 15, 2013 - 11:27pm PT
Next time just drop acid.

Been there, done that.


er...Yup.

Moving the old light parade to California Adventure... yet another travesty... for future generations of hallucinogen users that is. Toon Town was but a small consolation.

but I digress.


Edit to add: Not that I would know anything about that... Mom... if you are reading... :)

2nd Edit to add:

"Depends"

buh-dum *(cymbal)*

HA-ha
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Jan 15, 2013 - 11:32pm PT
Getting it done! You guys are on a roll.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Outside the Asylum
  Jan 15, 2013 - 11:41pm PT
Conclusive proof that the magic kingdom is best experienced in the company of an eight year old! (In spirit, anyway.)
Fletcher

Boulder climber
Institute of Better Bouldering-DirtbagDad Division
  Jan 16, 2013 - 03:05am PT
Awesome! Love this report... you two are way high on the creative spectrum!

For my 50th last year, that's where we went. When you have three young kids plus are a 50 year old kid yerself, where else could I have possibly wanted to go? Spent three days and two nights at the Disneyland Hotel and had a complete blast. Was a tad warmer since it was May!

Only problem is now all the kids think that you get to stay at Disneyland for three days for their birthdays!

Not my first time by far, since my wife is ex-Diz from back in the day. Plus her Mom lives about 15 minutes away so access is easy. Literally due west in a straight line by about a block. You can see the fireworks every night from Grandma's street.

If you want warm temps and low crowds, we always go for the day on the last Saturday in August. It's usually pretty quiet because everyone is gearing up for back to school and done with vacations plus Saturdays are blacked out for most season pass holders.

I always enjoy the people watching. You get to see a cross section of some kind of America that I (at least) don't get to see every day. :-)

Thanks for the great report!

Eric

rottingjohnny

Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
  Jan 16, 2013 - 07:55am PT
Mr. E looks like he behaved very well...? Did giving him a spanking help...?
J. Werlin

Social climber
Cedaredge, CO
  Jan 16, 2013 - 11:33am PT
Nice! I thought they shut down Mr. Toad's? Good to see it is running still. Quality TR.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  Jan 16, 2013 - 02:07pm PT
Mr E's Wild Ride!Oh yeah, that's the stuff!

And on a fashion note, nice tasteful mini mouse red and white poka dots, JTM!
Gal

Trad climber
going big air to fakie
  Jan 16, 2013 - 02:30pm PT
Adorable TR, thanks for the report... sounds as though "the man" is ruling the magic kingdom with an iron fist... ;-)
Fat Dad

Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
  Jan 16, 2013 - 04:00pm PT
Nice report. It's wild you'd never been there. I grew up in Orange County so we could and did go fairly often. Now that I live in LA, it's no problem taking my three kids either. Can't imagine missing out on that as a kid. I think getting that familiarity earlier in life helped ingrain it as a special place to me despite, what is now, a clear acknowledgement of what a corporate money extracting machine it truly is. Still have a great time despite how much lighter my wallet is when I leave.

Glad you were able to check that off your list.
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  Jan 16, 2013 - 08:54pm PT
@Fatdad

I'm in your camp. Erik (my husband) is the one who grew up out of state. I grew up in LA. My family went to Disneyland pretty regularly. In college I had friends working there and got in free or cheap so I'd go to Disneyland at the drop of a hat (pre-climbing when I had no life).

In spite of the "corporate money extracting machine" aspect of it... I still felt pretty nostalgic about the visit. It had probably been 10 years since I was last there. I got into climbing on weekends. The friends stopped working there and when they cleaved off California Adventure and raised the prices it seemed to dilute the experience so I stopped going.

There was some major sticker-shock over the current ticket price BTW. Not sure how Joe-Blow affords to take his kids there these days.
MisterE

Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
  Jan 16, 2013 - 08:46pm PT
[Click to View YouTube Video]
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  Jan 16, 2013 - 11:34pm PT
Jaybro:
And on a fashion note, nice tasteful mini mouse red and white poka dots, JTM!


and on a personal note... I live for a positive fashion review from the Taco fashion police.

Jaybro can be so catty sometimes ;)
Fletcher

Boulder climber
Institute of Better Bouldering-DirtbagDad Division
  Feb 6, 2013 - 03:11am PT
I love Dada! A fried sent that CD to us when we were living in Hong Kong and I fell in love with it. My wife worked for Disney there at the time so that's why she sent it (to keep on TR topic!).

She didn't work for the theme park side (she was in consumer products) but as an employee we got into Disneyland for free and got the 30% discount on everything else in the park. Now that that she's ex-Diz, we gotta pay for the full ride too. Wallet emptying, yes, but we still have fun. It's kind of like crack. And I love the people watching.

I have a funny story about returning another defective Dada CD in Hong Kong, but that's for some other thread. :-)

Eric
BASE104

Social climber
An Oil Field
  Feb 6, 2013 - 03:30pm PT
The rotating tea cups are the best ride at Disneyland. Trade in all of your tickets and do the tea cups until you send a spray of spew across the entire ride.
k-man

Gym climber
SCruz
  Feb 6, 2013 - 03:47pm PT
I came very close to doing just that--spewing across the swirling floor of the Tea Cups.

The other three in our cup were intent on spinning it as fast as they could. And spin it they did. The crowds on aligned against the sides of the ride cheered each time we went past, we were spinning like a top I suppose.

And, I suppose it didn't help that we were all high as kites, and not just from the joint we sparked on Tom Sawyer's Island... And to think, that was just a few years ago when I was a senior in High School. Ho dear...
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
  Feb 6, 2013 - 04:02pm PT
What a fun TR! Thanks -- I really needed this today.

John
tornado

climber
lawrence kansas
  Nov 12, 2013 - 02:18pm PT
bump
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  Feb 27, 2016 - 05:34pm PT
Bump. There's a whole lotta Disney front page. Thought I'd run with it :)
johntp

Trad climber
Punter, Little Rock
  Feb 27, 2016 - 06:05pm PT
Sweet TR

Ghey? Or just pretty?

edit: a good fun TR. Thanks JTM
Radish

Trad climber
SeKi, California
  Feb 28, 2016 - 09:37am PT
Nice report, Thanks! Back in the day I was offered a climbing job in Disneyland on the Matterhorn. They used to have a climber or two wearing lederhosen and one of those hats with a big feather yodeling and moving around on the Matterhorn in view of people. They actually had routes on it and I believe a topo. 5.7 was the hardest. I don't know if they still have it and I didn't take the job, only because I lived too far away at the time. My friend worked there and gave me the tip about the job which I could have had.....and wish I did.
cotuclimber

Trad climber
Bishop, CA
  Feb 28, 2016 - 11:25pm PT
No photo on top of the Matterhorn?

Great report.
clinker

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
  Feb 29, 2016 - 06:25am PT

I was inspired to google Goofy climbing ;)
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  Feb 29, 2016 - 08:27am PT
Speaking of lederhosen...MisterE totally rocks the look BTW...



Bobbleseth

Trad climber
Utah
  Feb 29, 2016 - 08:29am PT


"No photo on top of the Matterhorn?"

They probably got it shut down along with their long list of other areas.
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
  Feb 29, 2016 - 10:20am PT
Wow?! so all Photos now need to be Re- Sized? Should of seen that coming.

I've Linked to the %.^) , (fun 5.6) climb of the same Name ...https://www.mountainproject.com/v/disneyland/105799486
Hit the 'Slide Show' at the top of the Pictures box....
clinker

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
  Feb 29, 2016 - 10:32am PT
Speaking of lederhosen...MisterE totally rocks the look BTW...

Thank God there is no kilt shots.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
  Feb 29, 2016 - 12:43pm PT
Remember that Chuck Wilts designed climbing routes on the Disneyland Matterhorn. When I was at Berkeley, the U.C. Hiking Club archives had a copy of the Summit magazine article describing it.

John
Lynne Leichtfuss

Sport climber
moving thru
  Feb 29, 2016 - 01:19pm PT
Awesomeness! I have a climber friend who has never been to DL for the same reasons as Erik. Wish I could pull it off like you JTM. Killer TR. :)
MisterE

Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
  Feb 29, 2016 - 03:45pm PT
She did make it super fun, Lynne.

Edibles are much safer than the alternative in Disneyland - just sayin'

;^)
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