Friday, June 22, 2007

All airports are not created equal...or...

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LAX SUX
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That's right, and you can quote me on that one!!! We got to the airport on the 19th after an hour and 15 minutes trying to go 15 miles! And then having to drop off the van at an off site location (instead of the terminal location that the person on the telephone told Kent we would be able to drop it off at) and wait for a bus to take us to the airport with other people. And of course our terminal was number 7 out of 7 terminals!!! And the other people got off before us and had their bags taken off by the driver...then arriving at curbside service and waiting another 10 minutes and finding out that when it was finally our turn that the 45 minute cut off had indeed cut off!!! They wouldn't take our bags and said that there was nothing we could do...we would miss our flight!!! That was at 10:13 am and our flight left at 10:45!!! So, we waited another half hour in another line and found out that the next available flight would be in the evening arriving in Chicago at midnight and a connecting flight would get us home at 10:30 the next morning! So, what did we do? Well, the next blog entry will show just that. Suffice it to say that we ate lunch in LA and breakfast the next morning in Chicago! Nothing in between...nothing was open!!!
What an end to our fine trip!!! Now, the only thing left to do is laugh and remember why we also got souvenirs from Chicago!................ :O)
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Monday, June 18, 2007

Day 17 - Part 3

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Okay, here is a pic with Kent on a ride. I don't take many pics but I was able to get close enough to get all of them in one car. Karl is on the other side of Teagan. They have video cameras set up in front of you and the sign says to scream all you want, you're on video......hey, they stole my idea!!! This happened to be our last ride.
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Day 17 - Part 2

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We took a lot of pics but I won't have enough time to get them uploaded. Here is one that described how we felt today. This was our second ride and Kent stood back and took pictures as we were coming around to the end.
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PCH Tour 2007 Day 17

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Yet, another theme park. This time it was the Cedar Point Park Knott's Berry Farm. They have the best roller coasters. The first one we went on was Ghostrider. Their old, rickety wooden one. Well, Karl and Teagan were in the front and KJ was second row. Kent and I were behind him and I was all prepared to get out the camera to videotape as we left the "gate". We went up the first incline and as I started to video, the ride just STOPPED!!! And then one of the ride attendants came up the tiny, little stairs all the way to the top...where the five of us were sitting. He came to me and said, "I'm sorry ma'am but you can't videotape. I need to take your camera. WAAAAAAAHHH!!! So, needless to say, I won't have a repeat from last year's Cedar Point ride! Oh, well, I tried!!!
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BTW, I did get my camera back after we got off of the ride.......;O)
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Sunday, June 17, 2007

The Final Countdown...

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In less than 48 hours we will be in Oviedo, FL...we are still speaking to each other and smiling for pictures...Today is no exception. We had a great time at Knott's Berry Farm. Pictures to follow when we get back from dinner.

Sierra Sidewinder was the final ride for our trip to CA. It was a wonderful day. Karl and Teagan put Seaworld in second place after today's rides. Te Riptide was the favorite of the day!
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Day 16 - Part 2

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Here we are at the Catalina Casino. It is not open to the public except for tours. We did not take the tour so we weren't able to see the inside. The upper floor which is a large ballroom has a round shape and diameter of almost 200 ft ! (They say it is breathtaking.)
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We took the 50 minute tour which takes you up the mountain to see views below of the town of Avalon. Here is a picture of an area hit by the fire back in May of this year. It was the largest fire on the island in its history. Some areas of the island are still without phone service!!!
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A view of our walk past the casino where there was a band playing outdoors near the beach. These grand palms are beautiful. Everything there was beautiful!!!

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This picture was taken during our tour. The bus driver really knew his way around the island. He was really funny, too. He told us many tidbits of information including history about the Wrigley family.

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Another breathtaking view from our tour. We didnt get out of the open air bus but we sure were able to get some spectacular pics! If you look carefully, you can see our boat just about in the center of the picture.

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PCH Tour 2007 Day 16

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We were able to get some great pictures today of our trip to Catalina Island. It is a beautiful place to visit. These four pictures were taken when we were arriving at the island around 11:30 am. This is an awesome place to visit. The weather was spectacular...around 72 degrees with a very slight wind.
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I called this the Wrigley Casino because the Wrigley Family owned it but it is really called the Catalina Casino. Casino being an Italian word which means "a gathering place" - there has never been any gambling there!
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We took a smaller boat to get to the island but returning home, we took this wonderful catamaran. The ride was very smooth even thought the waves were fairly rough.

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