The first time I went to Disneyland…

must have been also one of the first times I flew.  It was around 1964 or ’65, so that would be…50 years ago??  Wow.  Anyway, we must have taken off from San Jose or San Francisco, most likely the former.  We flew to LAX, I know that, because then we transferred to a helicopter which made hops between LAX and the Disneyland Hotel Parking lot.  This was a service that started in 1956 until around 1972.  I remember that my Dad had to sit in the back while we (my mother, sister, and myself) sat somewhere around the middle of the ‘copter.  Most likely because he was 6’3 and weighed somewhere around 200 lbs.

From there one there are bits and pieces that I remember.

1. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, and took the monorail into the park.  At one point we got to sit with the pilot (something I still enjoy doing to this day).
2. I remember riding both Dumbo and the Autopia with my Dad.  I would love to have a picture of us in Dumbo.  The size comparison alone would make me smile.
3. I rode the motorboat ride at night with my mother. The loading area is still across from the Matterhorn. The fireworks started while I was on the ride and I remember forgetting about the ride and watching the fireworks.
4. I got a Peter Pan hat.  No mouse-ears. That would come later.
5. My sister got a glow in the dark Tinkerbell wand.  Bascially the whole wand had been molded in that glow in the dark material they had back then.
6. Frontierland had the donkeys back then, no big thunder.  And you could buy non alaholic drinks on the Mark Twain.
7. Oh, and we rode to the moon and back before Apollo 11. Take that Neil Armstrong!