Back on the Trail

This morning we hit the trail again - with stick horses! Just downstairs is the Whispering Canyon Cafe, where the waiters and waitresses do anything but whisper. It's a loud, fun place with too much food - we couldn't finish it all, despite our best efforts!

At one point, Madison saddled up with all the other children and led a posse of kids around the restaurant. Fiddle music played loudly as the herd of horses galloped around the restaurant. Parents jockeyed for position to take photos as their children trotted about with big smiles on their faces.

Soon afterwards though, it was time for a real pony ride:

We boarded a boat and sailed across Bay Lake to Ft. Wilderness to the Tri-Circle D Ranch, where Madison got a chance to do some more riding. Mommy never had to tell her, "Smile for the camera," because Madison was smiling the entire ride. She loves to ride, and we've made a point of coming here a few times in the past just for this.

Today was a relaxed, "off" day for us, where we didn't go to any parks, but we sure did fill it up with fun. For example, as soon as we were done riding, we hopped on the bus to head to Downtown Disney for some more fun. Our first stop: the toy store. Mommy, Madison and Daddy made their way to the Mr. Potato Head station one more time - and Mommy went to work. The anointing fell, and Mommy got busy cramming Mr. Potato Head parts into a small box. The concept is simple: for a small fee, you get a box. Whatever you can put in the box - and still shut the lid - you can have. This is Mommy's gift. She can pack better than any human being alive on the planet. If we were in the Marvel Universe, we'd call this her "mutant ability." Sure enough, Mommy got more inside that box than is possible by the laws of physics. As usual, employees and other visitors marveled with awestruck eyes!

After all that work, it was time for a snack. And where else do we go?

Ghirardelli! This is a "must stop" for us, where Mommy gets a "Strike it Rich" sundae, and Madison gets any ice cream with sprinkles on it. Look at the size of that ice cream! Madison tried to eat it all, but not this time. Still, she got our cherries. She always gets the cherry. Some day she'll realize the tremendous sacrifice that this is!

Being a Christmas visit, we did stop at the Christmas shop - where we picked up some ornaments. Daddy got a neat one of the Pixar Lamp, and Madison got one of Minnie in a ballerina outfit. And soon, it was time for us to head back to the lodge.

We boarded a bus and went back to the Wilderness Lodge for one reason: the pool. Madison and Daddy went in for some fun, and Madison even bravely did the water slide. It was a lot of fun for her, but even more fun was playing in the pool with Daddy. We swam around and explored, even finding our way to the little stream that empties itself into the pool. But there was a call for Bingo, and that was a call we just had to answer!

The last few trips, Daddy has won a pool game and Mommy won at Bingo. We got a ride around on the lake, and an even a Play-Dough set. Would we win this time? Madison, Mommy and Daddy got the bingo cards ready and played for a while, but Mommy and Daddy did not win... but Madison did! That's right, her card was a winning one! She proudly marched forward and got to reach into a tub to claim her prize. What did she get? A princess mug that we could take home with us.

After the pool, it was time to head back to the room to get changed and go out once more. Our destination: The Polynesian Resort. We knew this was a great place to catch the fireworks, right there on the beach. So we brought along sand buckets and toys, and hopped on a boat and then a monorail - and visited the Polynesian. It was decorated very nicely with orange and green Christmas lights, and was bustling with activity. We returned to Captain Cook's for a small dinner, and afterwards walked out to the beach.

It was so nice and relaxing. So calm and peaceful there by the shore. Madison played in the sand, making castles. Occasionally, Daddy would help, and sometimes Daddy would simply sit there in a beach chair besides Mommy. We sat there watching "Gnomeo and Juliet" on a big screen (they were playing that movie on the beach), and waited for the fireworks. As mentioned before, they actually patch in the soundtrack to the "Wishes" fireworks show right there outside at the Polynesian, so we got to hear the soundtrack as we watched the tremendous fireworks show across the lake. It was great as always. Madison was quite obsessed with her sandcastle, although she occasionally looked up to see the brilliant display in the night sky.

When it was all said and done, we rested there on the beach for a bit. But soon it was time to get home. Daddy was initially wanting to wait to see something there - the Electric Water Pageant. But Mommy pointed out that Madison was tired, and indeed it was a good idea to head back. One big reason we didn't realize was that the monorail was closing soon. If we had stayed, we'd have had a long night trying to get back to the Wilderness Lodge. That was remarkable timing, and no coincidence. We had such favor on this trip!

To illustrate this favor, the very moment we got back to the Wilderness Lodge, guess what came by right there at the dock? That's right, the Electric Water Pageant. We got to see it anyway! It's somewhat of a tradition for us, one that we don't want to miss. And we didn't miss it this time either!

Despite the "rest" day where we were off from the parks, it was a pretty full one! Tired and ready for bed, we returned to our room and fell asleep quickly. What a day!