Chuyển đến nội dung chính

The North Pole - Santa's Workshop

Everyone knows that Santa's workshop is at the North Pole, but did you know that the North Pole isn't in the Arctic? The North Pole along with Santa's Workshop is actually just west of Colorado Springs at the base of Pikes Peak!
Today as a special treat, the grandparents (Gram, Pop Pop, and Grandpa) are taking Ian, Alli, and their cousin. My kids were excited when I told them where they were going. Ian especially was excited to meet Santa.

In operation since 1956, the North Pole has been around for over 60 years! I remember my parents taking me and my brothers here years and years ago. Now I was really excited to see my parents taking my kids back to that same park.

Before they left, I told Ian one of my favorites was the giant peppermint slide. You grab a burlap sack, climb 4 stories, and slide your way down.

Turns out it ended up being one of Ian's favorite rides of the day too. My dad said at one point, he went 6 times in a row, sliding down then sprinting up the stairs to have another go.


The rides here at the North Pole are fairly basic, but the kids couldn't care less. With height requirements that are between 32" and 42", Ian and Alli were able to ride just about everything.


No surprise that she found the pink and purple one.

Ian and Alli's Uncle Patrick on that same ride, circa 1993.

Having a great time!

Even better than Autopia back at Disneyland since he can drive all by himself!

Ian's daddy Joe driving a similar car back in 1984.

Hi Gram!



I would have been around 5 or 6 when my parents brought me here, and I remember loving the Tilt-a-Whirl. It was an early introduction to some of the wildness of the roller coasters I'd end up loving later.
So it was no surprise that my roller coaster loving little boy also had a great time riding the Tilt-a-Whirl.


Alli loves her horses. Add some bells that you can jingle and you've got a winner of a ride.

Their Uncle Jon and their daddy riding the same ride, around 1984.


Their cousin isn't tall enough just yet, but she will be soon enough.

And all those years ago, there were even real ponies you could ride!

When you're visiting the North Pole, you have to make time to visit the big man himself.

Ian and Alli were super excited and ran up to see Santa. He said it made his day seeing how excited they were.

When Santa asked them what they'd like for Christmas, Alli wanted "candy and a present" which Santa agreed he could do. Ian, always the creative one, asked for "candy and a statue of me" which Santa took be a statue of Ian made of candy. That one might be a little more difficult. Santa was really great with both kids and they certainly enjoyed seeing him.

Their cousin... not so much. She'll get there eventually.

After the visit with Santa, a ride on the railroad was in order.


Then a ride on the carrousel.

The two girls are headed home early to get a nap. Ian and Pop Pop stayed a little longer to keep going on rides.

For the Dive Bombers, Ian let other kids go in front of him, just so he could be the first in line on the next ride in order to get this American Flag bomber.

The lines here have been really good. Usually for rides like this, you had to only wait for one cycle and then it was your turn to ride.


Seeing these rides again makes me smile. I remember having a lot of fun on them all those years ago.

Their Uncle Jon and Uncle Patrick riding in 1993.



Uncle Patrick in 1993. I see they've all had a flashy paint job since this picture was taken.




I love how so many things are Christmas themed.

Getting a picture on Santa's sleigh.

And touching the North Pole which is actually frozen!

Ian and Alli both loved their visit to the North Pole! Thanks Gram and Pop Pop!

Nhận xét

Bài đăng phổ biến từ blog này

Oak Glen Apple Farms - Part 2

Good morning! Happy Saturday! Ready to head to the apple orchards? By staying overnight nearby, we were able to get an early start to the day and arrive right when the orchards opened on Saturday. The drive in to Oak Glen was quiet and peaceful. There was even one stretch were we saw deer amongst the apple trees eating their breakfast. Having read multiple reviews ahead of time, it was clear that this was going to be a madhouse later in the day. According to everything I read, Oak Tree Village opened up at 8am. I thought getting there around 8:30am would give everyone a little time to get set up. But when we arrived, it was like a ghost town. There's lots of shops stalls, but nothing is really open yet. Looking around for anything to do, at the back of the village we found a pen with chickens, a duck, a peacock, and some pigeons. And right there by the pen was a vending machine for corn feed. Ian asked if he could have money for it, but sorry buddy, I don't carry coins. Ian sud

Oak Glen Apple Farms - Part 1

It's the weekend! This year we're not going to get the chance to fly to Michigan to visit the apple orchards there. Theresa was still really wanting to go and the kids have been getting really excited about picking apples so Theresa found a place relatively close by and made it happen! Welcome to Oak Glen! Just a 2 hour drive from our house, this mountain community had its first apple orchards planted all the way back in 1867. Now home to over 30 different orchards, this 5 mile loop is affectionately known as Apple Country. After Ian got out of school, everyone piled in the car and headed for the hotel T booked. We're making it a 2 day event, staying the night in between so we can get an early start in the morning. After checking in and getting up to our rooms, Ian was very happy to find a quarter (remember this one, it'll come back later). Time to head to our first orchard! Snow-Line Orchard has been in production since 1898. I was really happy to come on a Friday. It

Alli takes on more 40" rides at Disneyland

It's been a full weekend already, spending 2 days in Oak Glen California visiting apple orchards, but we're not done yet. Weekends are perfect for a Disneyland visit. I love seeing all the different Halloween decorations, plus Alli just turned 40" tall so she's got lots of brand new things she can ride. Hats this week continue the Nightmare Before Christmas theme from last week. From left to right, we've got a Jack Skellington style top-hat from Disneyland years ago. Next is Jack Skellington bursting out of a pumpkin which I think was offered last year at Disneyland. Then there's a Scary Teddy hat, followed by a Santa Jack hat complete with beard. Both parks open today at 8am. At 8:05 we were in a long line of cars trying to enter the parking structure, and by 8:45 we had made it through security and were walking through Downtown Disney. I always opt to take the 1 mile walk from the parking garage to the entrance instead of dealing with the tram. One other &quo