Family Fun at Knott’s Berry Farm

Posted on May 3rd, 2014 by Jean

knotts Snoopy and Charlie Brown
We made it to Knott’s and had a wonderful day! The park was practically empty on Monday, which was both good and bad. Good – we could get on any ride. Bad – we couldn’t tell where the lines started!

The Jaguar

Our first ride was The Jaguar, a relatively tame roller coaster. The entrance to this coaster was somewhere inside of this dark Mayan temple. We gave up the first time, taking one of the many exit doors. The kids were frightened just walking through there. After talking with a park employee, we were told to venture to the center of the pyramid to find the coaster. We did and we did! We got on the coaster, and had a wonderful time! So much so that we went on it again.

Mexican Hat Dance

The Mexican Hat Dance was similar to Disney’s Tea Cups, lots of spinning. So much spinning that I refused to ride a 2nd time.

Supreme Scream

Tom needed a little excitement, and went on the Supreme Scream, dropping 252 feet at 50mph. Wow!
 
Dragon Swing
 
We had a lot of fun on the Dragon Swing! There was a group of boys opposite us on the far side of the swing who would yell, “Whoooaaaaa!” in deep, manly voices when their boat end was in the air. When it would swing our way, our little girls would yell, “Aahhhhhhh!” in their high-pitched girly voices. It was hilarious, everyone was laughing. At the end of the ride, the boys yelled, “Again! Again!”, and the operator started it up again with out any of us having to debark. Fabulous!
 
Coast Rider
 
Time for another kiddie-coaster, the Coast Rider. There are similar rides at Legoland (LEGO® TECHNIC™ Coaster) and California Adventure (Goofy’s Sky School). Good fun! We nicknamed this one “the berry crusher” as it had an unfortunate side-effort on Tom.
 
Knotts Glider and Scrambler
 
While Tom tracked down bottled water (and possible an ice pack for his groin), the girls and I went on Surfside Gliders and Pacific Scrambler.
 
Boomerang
 
Time to get Tom’s heart racing again with the Boomerang coaster. “This scream machine turns you head-over-heels six times in less than 1 minute! And just when you think it’s safe to breathe, it starts all over again — BACKWARDS!” Okay, sure, there’s that! I do like how there is a nice assortment of kids/family rides and thrill rides.
 
Johnny Rockets
 
Is anybody else hungry? It was noon, so we sat down to eat at Johnny Rocket’s. First time for us, and what delicious burgers they have! ::: slurp! ::: It was nice to relax after two hours of non-stop action.
 
Knotts Sky CabinAfter that big lunch, we needed a low-key ride such as Sky Cabin. We enjoyed the nice leisurely climb into the sky, took a few pics, got a lay of the land, and settled softly back down to earth.
 
Timber Mountain Log RideFeeling that heatwave? Time to cool off at the Timber Mountain Log Ride. It’s a little dark in there, completely pitch black in parts, a bear growls at you, and you plummet 38′ at the end…. but well worth the cooling splashes on this hot day!
 
Knotts Shops
 
Did somebody say, “Shopping”?! Might have been me. LOL. First we posed by these vintage characters on benches (even my Mom has posed with them!) before venturing into the Ghost Town Candy Shop. With a name like Ghost Town, I should have been afraid… of the prices! The candy was about $3.25 per quarter lb, and the two lil’ bags my girls filled cost $26.00. Holy cow! What could I say? “There’s no way I’m paying $26.00 for two tiny bags of candy!” Yes, I could have said that, but I didn’t. The girls, with their own money, bought some stuffed animals and Tom bought them personalized plaques for their room.
 
knotts parking
 
As we left the ghost town, we ended up at the front gate! We had been all the way around, but there were still a few hours before closing time. I suggested we return to our truck to get rid of the bags and packages were were carrying before coming back in to ride a thrill coaster.
 
Ghost_Rider
 
Ghost Rider. Look at that picture. Need I say more? I was scared senseless. I think we all were! Mega drops on that bumpity wooden coaster! May I add, the next day it was closed for refurbishment. That gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling.
 
Knotts Sidewinder
 
Think the Ghost Rider was nuts? Check out the Sidwinder, spinning 360 degrees while on a coaster track! I cannot make this up. My head didn’t know which way was up, and I didn’t opt to ride a 2nd time (although Tom and the girls did).
 
Crazy Coasters
 
Two more crazy coasters for Tom to ride: Xcelerator which, yes, it does roll to the outside to complete that loop! And Silver Bullet, a typical “feet dangling” ride. Tom bought the photo of him on the Silver Bullet ride, but we lost it.
 
The girls rode The Jaguar, The Scrambler and The Glider one more time before we exited the park at 9 minutes ’til closing. What a day!
 
Mrs Knotts chicken
 
We stopped at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant and got dinner to go. We dined in our hotel room, and promptly passed out. I vaguely recall hearing the girls say something about wanting to go swimming. Can you imagine? Swimming after 8 hours at an amusement park. I’m getting too old for this.
 
• Amusement Parks – yeah or nay?

Travel The World From The Comfort Of Home

Posted on January 29th, 2014 by Jean

Last week I was working very hard, and wanted to take a brief mental break throughout the day and night. I remembered someone saying, “Check out Mapcrunch. I’m so glad I did! Mapcrunch posts random street views anywhere in the world. Bonus: You can navigate them!
 
My first stop, a Japanese cemetery.
 
Japan Cemetery Mapcrunch
 
Then on to Cape Town, South Africa.
 
Cape Town South Africa
 
Mapcrunch even brings you inside places such as Saint Audoen’s Church in Dublin, Ireland.
 
Saint Audoens Dublin Ireland
 
What I like best about Mapcrunch is it’s ability to take me places I never knew existed.
 

Calle Tramo de Unión, Sevilla, Spain

Calle Tramo de Unión, Sevilla, Spain


 
Giant Rubber Ducky in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Giant Rubber Ducky in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan


 
Nail Salon in Moscow, Russia

Nail Salon in Moscow, Russia


 
Elbe Tunnel, Hamburg Germany

Elbe Tunnel, Hamburg Germany


 
So I highly recommend you try Mapcrunch to unwind and travel from your armchair.
 
Mapcrunch has another site called Instant Street View, perfect for visiting a specific destination! The kids and I have toured ….
 
Parthanon in Athens Greece

Parthenon in Athens Greece


 
Hint! Drop onto a blue dot to tour that area!
 
Instant Street View map

Instant Street View Map – Drag Little Person To Blue Dot To Visit Area


 
Queensland, Australia - Great Barrier Reef

Queensland, Australia – Great Barrier Reef


 
Vatican City

Vatican City


 
Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu, Peru


 
And even our own town!
 
Colorado River flows between Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona

Colorado River flows between Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona


 
I’ve started a Pinterest Board for our Mapquest and Instant Street View destinations, but we need your help! We’re running out of ideas!
 
• Where should the kids and I visit?
 
• Where will you visit?

 
Go, explore, enjoy, and share!

McJeffrey

Posted on September 8th, 2013 by Jean

McJeffrey photo McJeffrey_zps64b3f8b5.jpgMcJeffrey
noun
1. Icon of MySpace
2. Gentle Giant
3. Friend 
 
In 2003, Tom Anderson co-founded MySpace. Tom was every new member’s first MySpace friend. Our second friend may very well have been Jeff McCullough, a.k.a. McJeffrey.
 
Jeff’s blog posts were the highly anticipated, Top 100 Reasons To Love MySpace. The “reasons” were us, his MySpace friends. We’d climb the list, or fall a few spots, but the worst feeling was missing the cut altogether. I’m not sure the formula he used to calculate his favorites, but just stopping by his page to say hello was enough for reentry.
 
In 2009, after a post which Jeff had spent four hours compiling was eaten by MySpace, Jeff opened a Facebook account. Many of his friends had already made the switch, and it wasn’t long before Jeff posted his Top 100 Reasons To Love Facebook.
 
Jeff quote (revised) photo McJQuote_rev2_zps0d84491a.jpgIn January of 2013, Jeff announced the adventure of a lifetime. He planned to travel cross country to meet those of us whom he had only known through the computer. On April 25th he gave his 30-day notice at work. By May 18th, he had posted his travel route. Prior to departing Sacramento, he spent ten days visiting with friends and family. Then he was off to Portland, Oregon Seattle, Washington Boise, Idaho Las Vegas, New Mexico Phoenix, Arizona, and finally to my hometown, Bullhead City, Arizona!
 
A few days prior to his arrival, Jeff sent me a Facebook message with his “digits”. I quickly texted him so he would have mine. My husband, Tom, used his comps to secure Jeff a river view room at the Riverside Resort in Laughlin, Nevada. Jeff’s Greyhound bus pulled into Bullhead City Thursday night, and Jeff boarded the (free) water taxi to cross the Colorado River and debark at his hotel. After checking in, he texted us that he had arrived. We let him enjoy a solo evening to which he expressed much gratitude.
 
Friday morning, after taking the kids to school, we met Jeff at the hotel gift shop. Tom was first to spot this giant of a man. At 6’6″, Jeff towers over most. He shook Tom’s hand, and gave me a bear hug. Then we were on our way to breakfast at D’Place in Fort Mohave.
 
We learned more about Jeff and his journey over omelets and egg sandwiches. Then Tom took Jeff 4-wheeling on quads to the river. Poor guy took a tumble, something Tom still feels awful about.
 
In the early evening, while our babysitter watched the girls, we took Jeff to the Avi Resort & Casino. We hoped beginner’s luck would be on our side, and made our way to the empty craps table. Although we had a few good rolls, we all left the table empty handed. We were a little luckier with video poker, especially our guest who hit four 2’s for $50.00. Tom secured Jeff a comped room at this resort as well. After returning to our home briefly to retrieve his bag, Jeff settled in for the evening.
 
Saturday morning we prepared toast, bacon, and fresh eggs for Jeff and ourselves. We then posed with Jeff for our obligatory photo before Tom drove Jeff to his next stop in Henderson Nevada.
 
Meeting McJeffrey 2013 photo MeetingMcJeffrey2013_zps36b5d74e.jpg
 
To follow Jeff on his journey, send him a friend request at Facebook.
 
• What one question would you ask Jeff?
• Would you ever quit your job, and leave the comforts of your home to travel cross-country on a journey such as this?

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