Day 1306: Only On Film

Since I found out a few years ago that you could meet Indiana Jones after the Epic Stunt Spectacular, waiting at the end of the show sort of became a tradition. We waited the first time on the band trip (as you can see above), when there was a whole row of us watching the show and six of us in the picture with Indy and Marian. I had no idea what I was doing waiting down there that first time, and honestly, was simply hoping that what I had read online was indeed true and I wasn't wasting the time of my entire group waiting on something that wouldn't happen. 

But it did happen, and several months later, we were back for more Indiana Jones and another picture. This time, in January 2015, we were able to see the whole show, and we were lucky enough to meet Stunt Double Dale for the first time. They signed our autograph books and we had a grand old time. 

Fast forward a year to January 2016, when Frank and I again headed to Walt Disney World...and happened across Dale again! By this point you might notice a trend with our pictures - every time we go we loose two people (or half of our group, depending on how you want to look at it after a while). This time around I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Stunt Double, so staying after for pictures was a must...especially when we realized it was Dale. 

So you can imagine my surprise when I headed to Indiana Jones again this July and Dale was the doubling for Harrison Ford. I wasn't intending to stay for a picture this time, and a phone call actually forced me to leave part way through the show. But I came back to watch the end and get a picture with my now favorite Indiana Jones Stunt Double. We made a pact that next time, if he's not Indy, I won't take a picture, and that's a promise I intend to keep. 

If you're interested in meeting Indiana Jones, you too can do so by heading down to one of the stage entrances on the right side of the technical booth after the show. They usually wait for a few minutes, allowing the stadium to clear out and for them to take a quick break and cool off before pictures, but if you sit and wait, they'll almost always come over to say hi. They'll sign autographs, take pictures, and I even have a video greeting from Dale to one of my best friends, but honestly, these stunt doubles are some of the nicest people in the world, and if you're an Indiana Jones fan, this is a must do when heading to Hollywood Studios! 

Have you met Indiana Jones at Hollywood Studios before? 

Have a magical day!

Day 1297: 3500 Miles

Let me tell you, 3500 miles is nothing to sneeze at. 

When we were amidst the planning for our road trip, I don't think I ever really realized just how far we would be going. You can look at a map all day and never realize just how far you've gone until you're actually in another state 16 hours away from your apartment with the realization that you drove yourself there...and that it's another 16 hour drive home. 

Still, Colorado was a great adventure for my family and I. For us, so used to traveling to Disney all the time, and definitely more used to flying than driving, it was a long haul. And yet, we saw so many different things, and to tell the truth, there were more than a few distinct Disney references along the way aside from the big ones that each got their own blog post. For instance, there was Key West Drive and the Fillmore Recreation Area in Iowa, not to mention the real life Filmore garage we found in Crestone, Colorado! Passing through Altoona, we came across an Adventureland Resort...because yes, that was really its name, and in Cripple Creek there was a Cheshire Cat gift shop. In Durango, there was a Guido Italian Restaurant, and we actually found Sir Axelrod in South Fork, Colorado. Oh, and this guy too: 

So yeah, I did really enjoy my trip to Colorado, and I know there are definitely a few more blog posts on the way about all our adventures. After all, it turns out that the second you leave your apartment, Disney references are all around you. To celebrate, here are a few bonus pictures from the trip as well: 

Have a magical day!

Day 1296: Ghost Ranch

On a trip that took me halfway across the country, I certainly saw more than a few different views, but none of them could really compare to the beauty we found at Ghost Ranch. 

Previous to doing some research on Indiana Jones films, I'd never heard of a little ranch in the northern part of New Mexico. Turns out though, this place is more famous than many of us may realize. Numerous movies have been filmed here, including the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's also where artist Georgia O'Keeffe set up shop when she moved to New Mexico permanently to live out her days painting the nearby mountains and landscapes that surrounded her. 

 

The ranch has a visitor fee of a few dollars to help preserve it and upkeep the various buildings, but it's still well worth a stop. They have two museums on the property, as well as several of the original historic buildings, including Georgia O'Keeffe's home. There are hiking trails all over the place, none of which we actually got a chance to use because it was hotter than anything I've ever experienced when we visited. In addition, you can also book a room to stay at Ghost Ranch in their lodge, meaning that for a few days, you can wake up the same way Georgia O'Keeffe did when she fell in love with the same vistas in front of you. 

We only got to spend a little over an hour at Ghost Ranch, partially because it was too hot to stay outside any longer, but I would gladly go back to experience more of it, especially when it might be cooler and I'm not suffering from the lingering effects of food poisoning. If you happen to be in the area, definitely go check out this area though! I'm not kidding when I say it's the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen in my life. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1291: Bed and Breakfast

If the house behind me in the picture above looks a bit familiar, I'll give you a hint as to why: Look at the mailbox and my hat. 

I distinctly remember Father's Day this year. My family went out to eat at a local railroad themed restaurant, housed in an old train depot. It's a popular restaurant in our area and the food is really great, and since my Dad adores trains, it's a natural fit. It was there that we sat discussing the upcoming trip to Colorado, which, at the time, I wasn't even officially going on. The trip, as a whole, was intended to be my parents and my brother, we me staying behind to take care of the house and the cats. When they planned it over my birthday, I ended up going along, lugging Megan with me (alright, she volunteered), and this was the first place that really caught my interest. 

My Dad mentioned, in passing, that night at dinner, the Indiana Jones Bed and Breakfast. I was skeptical for a few seconds, because of course it could just be any other bed and breakfast that happens to be themed to Indiana Jones. And then he explained that this wasn't just any old house. It was Indy's house. Frantically, I searched the bed and breakfast online, coming to find that this wasn't, indeed, just any old house. In a little town called Antonito, one little house sits, and that house has been seen many more times than you might imagine. 

Drive by unknowingly and you'll never even notice, but this is actually the very house used to portray the childhood home of Indy in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. They picked it thanks to the close by location of the Cumbres and Toltec railroad, which is also based out of Antonito and also in the film during the opening scene. That means that back in 1988, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and the entire cast and crew of Indiana Jones made their way to this little town most of us haven't heard of, and now, you can sleep where Indy did. 

The bed and breakfast is run by an older gentleman and then a housekeeper and her husband, plus a little dog named Teddy. The house itself, in the film, looked relatively small. Even standing outside of it, you wouldn't believe everything that's inside. It looks pretty different from what you see in the film, but you can definitely tell where you are standing, especially if you watch the film in the living room like we did. There's something special to be said about sitting where everything happened. A young Indiana Jones would have received his trademark hat right where I stood, and you really can't beat that. 

Still, there's an amazing five bedrooms in the house, each with their own bathroom. Four are available for reservation, as the last is the room of the owner, each with a different themed name. Megan and I stayed in the downstairs bedroom, The Holy Grail, while my parents and brother stayed upstairs. In addition, there's a living room, a study area (which serves as the office of Henry Jones Sr. in the film), a full dining room and full kitchen. Seriously, this place is huge. The living area has pretty much every piece of Indiana Jones memorabilia you could think of, with additional decor that gives you that authentic Jones household vibe. 

You can see more of the house in an upcoming YouTube video, but I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was to stay here. It's a bit expensive, but if you're an Indiana Jones fan like I am (lifelong...in fact, it was probably my first real obsession), definitely check it out. You can access the website HERE, and even if you don't want to stay, be sure to contact about at least seeing the house if you're in the area. It's well worth a stop! 

Oh, and did I mention that we happened to stay in it the night of Harrison Ford's birthday, July 13? It didn't occur to me until we were actually there, but seriously, you can't make this kind of thing up! In fact, I loved staying there so much that if I'm ever headed back to Colorado, it'll be number one on my list of things to do. All I want now is to go again! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1218: The Studios Problem

I've seen a lot of changes to the Disney Parks over my years, and with that, I've changed my mind about a lot of things to. I used to have an extreme dislike for MGM/Hollywood Studios, mostly because I couldn't find much to do there that wouldn't either leave me terrified or sick, and after they removed much of the Backlot back in my younger years, I sort of lost respect for the park for a while.

Until these past few years when I finally grew to actually like Hollywood Studios. I have the feeling it had something to do with Star Wars and Indiana Jones becoming a huge part of my life, but either way, I really got around to spending more time and enjoying what was left of the Backlot. Now, of course, that's gone too, removed as a part of the expansions for Toy Story and Star Wars, and we're sort of left with a problem: is Hollywood Studios a full day park?

A while back I read somewhere that someone managed to ride all the major attractions in just over three hours, and while you could go see several of the shows from there, that still only puts you part of the way through the afternoon, with plenty of time to transfer to one of the other parks. It's no question that once the expansions are added it'll be a full day park once again, but for the moment, there really isn't much to do, and where I found myself spending more time there a few years ago, I find myself spending less time now. It's incredibly easy to do everything at the Studios in a day now, and since I found the update to The Great Movie Ride to be extremely lacking as well, I rarely even head on that anymore.

Is this a long term problem? No, not really, and following the updates I'm sure Hollywood Studios, or whatever it will be called at that point, will become one of the most popular parks, bringing in guests intent on seeing the updates of Star Wars, as well as families looking to find family friendly attractions in the Toy Story area.

For now, you'll find me fawning over Indiana Jones as usual, waiting out the expansion and wondering if it will bring life again to a park that's very different from what it was opening day.

Have a magical day!

Day 1209: They're Dates!

Did I spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to make the above picture super artsy? Yes.

But that's what you do when you're reminded of Indiana Jones and just can't contain your excitement. This year for the 4-H Food's Review my brother decided on a Moroccan theme, which I really didn't know about until we got there. I knew he was making a banana bread pudding, but that was about as far as I got until I was standing in front of the table helping him set everything up.

And as I soon found out, the whole Moroccan idea was pretty awesome. As you can see below, it ended up being very...colorful...but all in all it turned out really great! And the banana bread pudding (a Disney recipe) was delicious too!Have a magical

The first picture was of his centerpiece though, and it right away brought me back to a classic Indiana Jones scene involving dates. I'd never actually tried dates, which, you know, probably has something to do with "bad dates," or the fact that I've just never had a chance to try them, but I'm happy to say that I really liked them (my allergies did not...but that's beside the point). However, I did probably say "They're dates! Ya eat 'em!" about 20 times in a matter of three hours, which is probably concerning to some. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1170: Another Trip with Indy

I wasn't alive in 1989 when the final installment of the Indiana Jones series premiered in theaters, but I'm fairly certain that everyone believed it to be just that: a final installment. There wasn't this talk of a fourth, much less a fifth, film focused on the college professor and archaeologist that seemed to be almost old enough for a museum himself, and yet, here we are in 2016, almost 30 years later, talking about another film.  

If you've been living under a rock, it was recently announced that Harrison Ford will be again returning to reprise his role as Indiana Jones in a fifth installment of the series that will premiere in 2019. Now, that's a long time to wait, but we somehow managed to wait for Star Wars, so hopefully this won't be too bad. So here's the rest of what know so far: 

Indiana Jones, it seems, won't be facing the same fate as his alter ego, Han Solo. Thankfully, death doesn't seem to be in the cards for our favorite character. Meanwhile, George Lucas, a key element in the franchise, will also be returning along with Steven Spielberg and the rest of the creative team. 

There's plenty of debate out there on whether or not it will make sense for Ford to reprise his role, but that doesn't seem to be up for debate, especially not after he did a good portion of his own stunts for The Force Awakens. Meanwhile, others wonder if this next sequel will follow a similar storyline as the fourth movie, which disappointed many fans. Personally, I'm going to go for the positive side of things here. Indiana Jones really wouldn't be the same without Harrison Ford, and while I'm sure someday they'll do extra films that feature a younger actor, today is not that day. Plus, with what they learned from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I'm sure they'll reign things back in and give us a good, old fashioned, adventure packed Indiana Jones movie. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1126: Picture This

One of the best ways to remember your Disney trip is through pictures, and God knows my family takes enough of them for half the world. BUT, I also love that we take a lot of pictures these days, or at least more than I used to. Getting home and finally having a chance to sort through the newest pictures is always an exciting opportunity, and since I recently went through the pictures from my latest trip, I figured I'd share a few of my favorites! 

Above you can obviously see me as an Extra at Indiana Jones, and you'll find another Indy picture below, where I'm filming Indy saying hello to our friend Megan back home! Also below is a moment with my pal Chewie, who absolutely loved the camera! 

Meeting Larry Dotson is always a pleasure, and I always try to have my picture taken with him if I can too! On the right above you can see a behind the scenes moment from an upcoming YouTube video which may or may not feature some Beverly. Below you'll find a couple of shots my mom took of the audio animatronics in The American Adventure, including my favorite fictional Civil War family! 

Teacups and squirrels for days, am I right? On the left above you'll see me checking out Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian (which I blogged about HERE), and on the right I've got a good classic Disney Squirrel picture. Down below there's another lovely shot of me at a restaurant, this time Chefs de France, and then yet another behind the scenes moment of me peeking through a window at the construction taking place at Animal Kingdom! 

We're all about the candid shots this trip I guess, with the above right featuring Frank, Clint and I during our chat at Animal Kingdom, and on the right the only caption I can come up with that seems appropriate is "Chewie, we're going home." Down on the left I'm in the process of sharing my version of Star Wars in under a minute, which you can see on a vlog coming soon, and on the right I'm lounging around at Old Key West on our first day! 

Trash can pictures are bound to become the next big thing...or so I think. Regardless, after this picture I'm sort of determined to take future pictures with as many of the Disney trash cans as I possibly can. Seems legitimate, right? And below you can view a beautiful Florida Sunset over part of Epcot and a pre-Indiana Jones selfie that's become tradition for Frank and I! 

Finally, I encountered a first at Magic Kingdom this trip: Baby Ducklings! It's a sure bet that you'll find ducks at Walt Disney World, but ducklings are a bit harder to come by. This little group of them, however, seemed to pop up multiple times, as we saw them the next day as well leading Festival of Fantasy. Yes, they walked in front of the parade. 

There are plenty of other spectacular pictures from my trip that will be shared over time, I'm sure, but these were just a few of my favorites. Personally, I love seeing the candid photos of me filming, because the vlog has become such a crucial part of my Disney trips, and it's almost like proof that the vlog is right there with me through pretty much everything! Speaking of vlogs, you'll be able to catch the first from this trip very, very soon on my YouTube channel, so keep an eye out for that! 

Have a magical day!