Trips to Disneyland

The first time we went to Disneyland was when I went to dental school. It hadn't been opened very long. I remember Cindy was little and she fell asleep. I carried her around with her head on my shoulder. Cathy was bigger and enjoyed the little rides.

The next time we went to Disneyland was when I graduated from dental school. I had to go down to Arizona to take my Arizona State Boards. Grandma Cowley went with me, Kaye, Cathy, Cindy, Mim (our poodle) in our little red VW. We stopped at Disneyland on the way. Grandma Cowley was such a good sport and even rode the Matterhorn ride. She was in her 70's. we went on to Arizona and I left the family with my dad in Clifton. I went on to Florence, Arizona prison for the 3 day board tests. It was quite an experience to work in a cement building with no windows and one big fan at the end of the building. It was at least 100 degrees there. From Arizona we went up to Utah to take Grandma home. While we were in Utah, I ordered two Roadmaster bicycles for Cathy and Cindy through the drugstore. We had to rent a small trailer to take the bikes home. It was a very long, slow trip home because our VW only had a 40 hp engine. I had to struggle to pull the trailer in fourth gear so I had to keep shifting back and forth. We had bought a house in Alamo and that was where our home was for four years.

In 1967 I started at USC Orthodontic School. By then we had two sons, Greg and Brad. We went to Disneyland whenever our relatives came down to see us, so we went to Disneyland many times while we lived in Granada Hills. We moved to Santa Cruz in 1969.

We went to Disneyland many times while we lived in Santa Cruz. Once while we were in the area by the Pirates of the Caribbean our son Greg got separated from us. We were worried sick until we found him. Our kids loved the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean rides. Once we got stuck for almost 40 minutes on the Pirates ride. The cannons kept going off and the kids got scared and bored. we were really glad when it started again.

Later on we started taking our grandkids to Disneyland with us. We took many trips to Disneyland with our grandkids over the years. Once we took Lisa, Amber, Austin, and Ryan. Ryan would fill his mouth with food and not chew it and swallow it when we told him to hurry. Lisa sat on a pole and swung back and hit her head.

Later as they grew older, Austin got lost in the park area by the Magic Kingdom. By then we got smart and had a place to meet if we got separated. We found each other quickly.

Once we took Greg's kids, Jimmy and Alicia. Alicia fit in a stroller. Jimmy and Kaye wanted to stay and see the light show by the Lagoon. Alicia was tired so I took Alicia back through the parking lot to the motel. She screamed and tried to throw herself out of the stroller all the way. Her seatbelt was the only thing that kept her in. It was really hard.

As the kids got older we would separate and meet for lunch and dinner at a certain place and time. They also loved to watch the different parades and shows at night. They loved all of the big rides, especially the new ones that came each year. The only thing we all hated was the big long lines at every good ride.

Our family had great times at Disneyland. The last time we went there was with Dustin, Ian, Jimmy and Alicia. It was after we moved to Oregon. It was just before the California Adventure opened.