"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Today was our last day in CA. We made a list of our favorite rides in each park to ride before the end of the day. On the top of Jman's list - Peter Pan and Buzz Lightyear. Triguy wanted to ride Peter Pan and Tower of Terror and the Runaway Train rollercoaster. I wanted to ride Soarin' Over CA and Indiana Jones. Supergirl listed Space Mountain (roller coaster), Big Thunder Mtn Railroad (roller coaster), Matterhorn (roller coaster), Muholland Madness (roller coaster), and CA Screamin' (roller coaster) - see a theme here???

We were able to ride all of the rides. Our biggest focus of the day, though, was keeping warm. It was cloudy all day and it seemed to get colder and colder each hour. Thank goodness for layers. By the end of the day, we each had on coats, hats, scarves, and gloves.

Towards the end of the day, there were two rides that Triguy had ridden, but the rest of the family had chosen not to ride - the Maliboomer and the Tower of Terror. Everyone had opted out because both of these rides involved long vertical drops.

I am not sure what go into me - maybe the cold weather had frozen my brain, but I decided to try them both.

The first ride to try was the Maliboomer. This is a ride that is meant to simulate a carnival strength tester - the ones that you hit with a big hammer and send the ball flying to the top to ring the bell. The difference is that it is oversized and you are the ball that is flying to the top...180 feet (18 stories) straight up into the air in under 4 seconds. (Yes, I know, what was I thinking???) Waiting in line, my heart was racing, my palms were sweating and I almost ran out of the line at least 4 times - and the line was only 5 minutes long! (Another warning - short lines mean crazy rides that noone will do!) I didn't trust Triguy when he told me over and over that it isn't as bad as it looks. The guy in front of us in line said the same thing and I felt just a little better. I felt better, that is, until we went to get on the ride and I noticed a big plastic screen that comes down over your face. Ummmmm...why would they have a screen in front of your face????? All I could think of was some kind of vomit-shield. We asked the guy working the ride and he told us it was a "scream shield" meant to send the screams up into the air and limit the noise from the ride. Oh great - sounds more like a scream-magnifier for me! We boarded the ride and were strapped down. My heart was racing even faster. I clutched Triguy's hand. Suddenly, without warning, the ride blasted off into the air. Once the ride hits the top and heads back down, you get the feeling of weightlessness. Even though it only lasts for less than a second, it feels like you are hanging up there for a minute before your stomach is returned to you! It was a crazy ride...but I liked it :)

Right before we left the park, someone handed us two Fast Pass tickets to Tower of Terror. This is a ride I have wanted to ride for over 10 years, but have been too scared to ride. After conquering the Maliboomer, I thought Tower of Terror would be a piece of cake. The fast pass line moved pretty fast and we were on the ride in less than 10 minutes. We were "lucky" enough to get the front row of the elevator. The story behind the ride is that you have entered the Twilight Zone and this once nice hotel is now broken including the elevator you are riding in. It takes you up to the thirteenth floor. Things seem okay at this point. And then, the doors close and the elevator drops. Oh, but it doesn't just drop once. No, no, no. It drops over and over again. And it goes up and then drops again. And each time you don't know how far you are going to drop. And you are in the dark. It was TERRIFYING!!!!! When the ride stopped, I think I was glued to Triguy with my face buried in his shoulder and my stomach left somewhere on the 9th or 10th floor. I couldn't get off the ride fast enough. Not sure that I am going to ever do that ride again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least I did get applause from the family for being brave enough to try the ride. :)

We decided we were all too tired to watch any parades and because of the fog each night, you coudln't see fireworks, so we headed back to the hotel for dinner and an early bedtime. We were too tired to even ask for a free dessert at our last restaurant.

So...free dessert count for the week stands at 4.

Click here for pic from the last day