Celebrating a Land For Sixty Years

Today Disneyland celebrates its 60th anniversary.  I'm a Disney geek, but I've only been to Disneyland (DL) once. That's not by choice, it's by location and finances.  Being on the East Coast, Disney World (WDW) makes a lot more sense.  While I have wanted to take my family to the west coast (and I even had a plan to do so in 2014), it just hasn't happened.

It's been a long, Long, LONG time since I was in DL.  I believe I was only five at the time (more years ago than I care to admit) and my family headed to California for a couple of weeks.  So the trip was not solely to visit DL and my mother and I (along with another relative) only went for a day.  (In all probability, not a very long day since I was a cranky kid.  I won't focus on the SeaWorld incident; which my mother still remembers to this day as I embarrassed her with my crying and hiding my head.)

Sadly, I don't recall all that much about DL.  And as this trip took place LONG before social media, there are no trip reports and relatively few photos.  As a matter of fact, I believe there is only one character photo:  Goofy and me.  There are no snapshots of my mother and me in front of Sleeping Beauty castle or on any of the iconic rides.  If there were, I think it might help (or at least enhance) my memory of the day.

With that said, I do know/recall the following:

• We may have seen "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln".  I don't remember anything about it, but my mother has mentioned it, so I guess we did.  She was impressed with the audio animatronics (which she should have been)!

• We did Snow Whites Scary Adventure and the darned evil queen/witch scared the bejeesus out of me.  She kept popping up everywhere (or at least so it seemed).  

• Like everyone else, we rode It's a Small World.  How could you go to DL and NOT?

• We didn't do the Tomorrowland Autopia because I was too scared to drive. (Or I didn't think I could drive)

• We did do the Submarine Voyage, but I don't remember much about it other than it being crowded.

• We did the Jungle Cruise and when a cast member asked me if I had my shots/inoculations, I didn't know and thought we wouldn't be able to do the ride as a result.  

• We may have ridden Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. 

• I did meet Goofy (and I have the photo to prove it).

• My mother had me sit while a pastel silhouette was done.  I think my mother still has it framed somewhere.  

I don't recall much else.  I wish I did.  I wish I had more photos and more details.  (One of the reasons why I keep a trip journal and took tons of digital photos whenever we went to WDW with my son.  He may have forgotten, but there are tons of photos and notes to remind him, and me.)

Hopefully one day (before the 70th anniversary), our family will have an opportunity to fly west and visit DL and make more memories.