Day 1301: Dole Whips in Wisconsin

I may have to drive two hours to get it, but I finally got my Dole Whip outside of Disney! 

I may have mentioned a while back about how there are a couple of locations throughout the country where you can locate a real, authentic dole whip without ever stepping foot on Disney property, but for those like me, these locations are few and far between. The closest Orange Leaf to my home used to be about 20 minutes, but when they still existed in Green Bay and Appleton, I didn't know what was awaiting me there. Now, I have to travel two hours to Waukesha to find the closest store, and that's not exactly worth it...even if I could get all the dole whip I ever wanted. 

Still, when you happen to be passing through the area on your way home from a week and a half long road trip, it makes perfect sense to stop on the way and pick up an extra special treat. Granted, I'll be eating a dole whip at Disney in about week, but the fact that I got it in Wisconsin made the entire experience even more special. 

Will I make the trip all the way to Waukesha just for a dole whip in the future? Probably not. But the next time I'm in the area you'd better believe I'll spend plenty of time at the local Orange Leaf. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1300: Just You Wait

With every passing hundred blog posts, I tend to pause and reflect a bit about how I got here. After all, it feels like just yesterday that I was celebrating the first hundred, and now they fly by with barely a second thought. I've done a lot of changing and growing up in the past year, and it sort of scares me. I'm embarking on adventures that terrify and excite me all at the same time. Not long ago, I was given the advice that whenever I feel like taking a step backwards, I should step forward instead, and it's by that motto that I've been trying to live my life lately. 

Upon returning from Colorado, my car was packed full of stuff. Some of it we brought with us: our suitcases, a cooler, some snacks, and so on and so forth. But then there was an entire laundry basket filled with purchases from the whole family, sent back with us because we had a car and they'd be flying from Denver. I had a few mugs thrown in, along with some sand and a small bust of Abe Lincoln, but for the most part, my memorabilia consisted of postcards, gathered from as many of the locations we visited as possible. They're easy to transport, and I loved the vintage poster styles available at the National Parks. Figuring I had an entire blank wall back in my apartment, I picked up a variety of cards and finally finished hanging the rest of the decor on the wall above my bed. 

The wall, as you can see above, is a mix of various objects, from arrows to postcards to that giant Hamilcanvas in the middle. I didn't intend it, but I realized after hanging the postcards that this wall is a symbol of something, and it's a lesson that Hamilton and Disney both sort of teach us. Despite the fact that we've been so many places and done so many things - I just trekked across the United States for goodness sake - there's still a million things we haven't done. There's always going to be new places to explore and new experiences to be had, and that's pretty awesome. Walt Disney himself sort of reminded us of that, gone too soon, and yet his dream of Walt Disney World was realized. It continues to change far beyond anything he could have ever imagined, and while we mourn the loss of some of the attractions we still love and adore, we must keep moving forward. 

Essentially, we live on a planet that is impossible to see in one lifetime. We could travel everyday of our lives and still not make it to every city or community, and even if we did manage to see every single one, we'd never truly experience any of them. We can never relive history, but we can change it in our day to day lives. We can control our own fates, and unless we take that step forward, we're never going to see anything beyond the blank wall in our bedroom. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1298: A Closer Look

Since there's so much to see in Marceline, Missouri, I figured it might be fun to give you an extra glimpse inside the museum before my video on the town next week. The museum is in the old train depot, which offers plenty of space, and the majority of the artifacts inside were either donated to the town by Walt himself or to the museum by Walt's sister Ruth. It means the building is filled with unique pieces that you can't see anywhere else on earth! 

The above pictures are in one of the front rooms, which is filled with train memorabilia and artifacts from the film that premiered in Marceline, The Great Locomotive Chase. Just off of this room, you can enter the majority of the museum, which features the artifacts from Walt's sister. One of the room also features a documentary on Walt Disney, which is over an hour long, but offers a nice chance to sit and relax if you're there for more than a few hours. I happened to walk in at the perfect moment of the documentary, when Walt was giving the opening speech for Disneyland. Since I visited the museum on Disneyland's birthday, it seemed like fate that I would catch that portion of the film. 

The brick you see in the picture above is from the original school that Walt attended when he lived in Marceline. Walt had the town promise to keep the cornerstone of the building if they tore it down, and when they did, they were sure to listen. The stone, which is much larger than it looks in this picture, is sitting next to the school replication on the second floor, nearby the model of Disneyland. 

When I mentioned that the Train Depot houses the museum, I'm not kidding. Much of the original building remains, only refurbished to house the museum. The ticket office still stands, filled with extra artifacts that would have been normal during Walt's time in Marceline. Outside, you can still stand on the platform where Walt would as a child, watching one of 70 daily trains go by, and yes, they do go by. You can't spend more than a half hour at the museum without hearing at least one train pass, and it really brings the entire thing together. 

Oh, and if that wasn't enough Disney for you, just as you used to be able to do at Walt Disney World, you can buy a brick to be engraved and added to the path just outside the building. I loved the connection, whether they did it on purpose or not, and while I didn't purchase a brick this time, I hope to do so next time I'm there to continue to help support such a wonderful museum! 

As I said, I'll have a video out next week on more of Marceline, so be sure to keep an eye out for that too! 

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 1295: Abe Lincoln

I've been mentioning in blog posts for days that you don't need to travel far from home to find some really spectacular sights, and for me, Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois is one of those sights! Over the past few months, we've had more than one discussion about Springfield and the Lincoln Tomb, so when we realized we could swing an extra day on our trip, it wasn't hard to come up with where we would go! 

Springfield, Illinois is actually a wonderful city, and I enjoyed our time there thoroughly. We pulled in Sunday evening and stayed at a local house nearby the tomb so we could get an early start the next day, which was a great idea. Even on a Monday morning, there was a whole crowd of visitors at the National Park Service Visitor Center for the home. Tickets to tour the house, which is the only home Lincoln ever owned, are free thanks to his son Robert, who sold the house to the Park Service for a dollar with the promise that no one would ever be charged to see it. 

Much of the home is original, with the main floor featuring the original doors and banister, among select furniture throughout the house that the Lincoln's added over time. If you look closely at one of the below pictures, you can see Lincoln's original desk in the corner! They also have a great visitor center and various other historic buildings bought out in the area, all a part of the National Historic Site that celebrates Lincoln's path to the Washington D.C.

Nearby, you can also visit the Lincoln Museum and National Library, both of which we were unable to see due to time restraints, as well as the Lincoln Tomb, where Abraham Lincoln himself is buried along with much of his family. The tomb is beautiful, and while pretty much the only thing to do there is pay your respects, it's still an extremely important location for all of us. I'm a fan of Abraham Lincoln myself; he's my favorite president, so visiting seemed extra special to me. Here I was, standing only feet from someone I look up to, and that, if nothing else, was worth the stop in Springfield. 

Although, I guess touring Lincoln's house with Lincoln himself was pretty great too. This man works as an Abe Lincoln impersonator and just happened to be touring the house the same time we were. What a spectacular way to end our trip! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1294: Marceline

When you mention Disney, most think instantly of Walt Disney World or Disneyland, frequently mixing the two up if we're being honest. Beyond that, they may think of a favorite animated film, character, or song, maybe a priceless family memory, or launch instantly into a rant about how expensive everything is becoming or how terrible it is that Disney now owns Star Wars (because believe it or not...those people do still exist). Whatever they think of, I can almost guarantee that a little town in central Missouri is far from their first thought, if it occurs to them at all. 

For fans of the man behind the company, Marceline is a familiar name. It's a period of Walt's life that many disregard, when in reality a little town in Missouri provided us with so much more than we realize. From 1906 to 1911, a young Walter Elias Disney called Marceline, Missouri home, and he would return more than a few times to visit the closest thing he ever had to a childhood home. Born in 1901, Walt spent the first years of his life in the bustling city of Chicago, which his parents later decided was no place to raise a family. With relatives in the area, the Disney family, with all five children in tow, moved to Marceline, where they'd stay until moving to Kansas City five years later. 

Learning many of the lessons he would take with him throughout life, Walt loved the little town. He returned in 1946 to refresh his memory for an upcoming project, which we'd later realize to be Disneyland. Marceline also inspired the 1948 film So Dear to My Heart, featuring a barn drawn up by Walt from memories of the barn that was on the family farm in Marceline. In 1956, Walt and Roy, along with their wives, would return to Marceline again, this time to help dedicate the Walt Disney Swimming Pool and Park. It was during the same trip that they held the Midwest premiere of The Great Locomotive Chase at the Uptown Theatre in town, where Walt would individually greet every child through the door. Four years later, in 1960, Walt would return once more to dedicate the Walt Disney Elementary School and provide the town with a flag pole from the Squaw Valley Olympics and an artist to decorate the interior of the school. 

While Walt died in 1966 and never again returned to Missouri, he still relocated the Midget Autopia Ride from Disneyland to Marceline just months before his death, making it the only Disney Attraction to ever run outside of a Disney Park. Following his death, Marceline is chosen out of four cities to issue a commemorative stamp in honor of Walt, and the Santa Fe railroad brings the Disney family to Marceline for the celebration of his life. 

The history of this little town goes on from there, and for its size, you'd never realize just how much has happened there. A museum dedicated to Walt opened in 2001 as a memorial of his 100th Birthday, bringing 13 members of the Disney family on a special train right to the depot where the museum is located. In addition, a recreation of Walt's barn is built as a memorial near the old Cottonwood Tree Walt referred to as his "dreaming tree." The tree, sadly, died a number of years ago after being struck by lightning, but a direct descendant of the tree still sits in Marceline today, growing from the soil of Magic Kingdom and water of the Rivers of America. 

I could go on forever about this little town, but I'll try to keep the rest of this short. There's so much history in Marceline, and if you're a fan of Walt Disney, I can't stress enough how wonderful of a place it is to visit. The museum staff were amazing, especially our tour guide Inez, who hosted Walt in her home when he came to Missouri in 1956. The town, which we visited on a Sunday, is quiet and quaint, but the original Main Street U.S.A. really allows you a glimpse into Walt's life, and into what he envisioned in the Disney parks we know and love. The museum itself is stunning, especially for such a small town, and it took us more than a few hours to barely scratch the surface of Walt's legacy in the Midwest. Other than that, all I can say is that I can't believe it took me 21 years to visit Marceline, because I should have done this a long, long, time ago.

To learn more about Marceline and the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, take a look at the official website and have a magical day!