My "Wally World" Experience

I couldn't wait. I'd been anticipating the day for weeks. I was nine, and we were going to Disneyland.

I'd only been a few times before, and it had been a couple of years since the last trip. What I could remember was that half of the park was inaccessible due to expansion and "modernization" of the existing -lands.

There I sat in the backseat of Nana's Nova, ancy as all hell, fidgeting with my pack of goodies; peanut butter and butter sandwiches, chips and candy and the likes. Nana didn't go anywhere without a packed sack of goodies, and almost always peanut butter and butter sandwiches.

Thirty miles later and we had finally arrived. Something wasn't right though. We drove on up through the parking lot straight up to the front row. There were a couple dozen or so other cars parked, a few people walking around, most just sitting in their cars.

It was closed.

Disneyland, was closed.

There would be no It's A Small World, no Pinocchio, no Sleeping Beauty's Castle, no Haunted House, no Pirates. No Disneyland. I was devastated.

And then, as we drove out of the parking lot, we noticed somebody giving directions to another theme park, just down the street.

So we went.

And there we were, at Knotts Berry Farm. Not Disneyland. At first I thought I'd been fooled. I saw no theme park upon entering the not so fantastic gates of this not so fantastic place. I saw nothing but shops. Food, clothing, collectibles, JELLY AFTER JAR AND JAR AND JAR OF JELLY....And then, finally we stumbled into Camp Snoopy.

There I sat in a covered wagon with a popsicle that dripped all over me and attracted every bee in the neighborhood. I Went on the Log Ride, which wet my pants and forced me to walk around with wet denim chafing my thighs. Not to mention the wet socks that were creating air pockets in the arch of my foot with every step I took. It was hot. I was crabby from all the window shopping, turns out Knotts Berry Farm was more for the grandparents than the kids. That is unless you enjoy stationary covered wagons with sticky benches, walking dirt trails in wet shoes and dodging the bumble bees from your cherry flavored skin.

Theres something wonderful and happy to be said about walking in wet shoes, swatting bees, sticky cotton-candy-fingers, sunburned shoulders, long lines, window shopping and hot peanut butter and butter sandwiches...if you're at Disneyland.