Meanwhile, over at the Mansion, Jack Skellington and crew have moved in. Wait time: 40 minutes without a FastPass. Scary.
But now let me take you to a little seen walkway the runs from Fowler's Harbor over the bottom of the Splash Mountain drop and reconnects with the main walkway in "Critter Country." I have to admit, I actually had not been in this area for many years. In the photo below you can see part of the walkway. Keep your eye on Santa's helper in the middle as a reference point for the next photo.
If you continue walking past the girl in the Santa hat, you will find the rest of the walkway, pictured below.
This walkway is never crowded and is quite easy to miss, unless you decide to grab a snack at the food service location at Fowler's Harbor. Even then, you might not think to continue around the back and find the seating area and walkway pictured here. The man in the blue shirt in the photograph below is standing at about the spot where I took the first photograph of the walkway shown above. This shot is taken from a porch along Fowler's Harbor, where the Columbia is often seen docked near the railing to the right side of the picture.
Next, is the view from the eating area at Fowler's Harbor, looking eastward. This was taken near sunset. Looks like a pretty good crowd is on hand along the banks of the Rivers of America. No doubt many were there for the famous Candlelight Procession that was to take place over on Main Street a little while later that evening. This is an event that dates back to the late 50's and is a holiday tradition that is not to be missed. The choirs that file down Main Street to the train station literally fill the avenue with song, robes and...candle light. If you missed the Procession this past weekend...there's always next year.
Let us return to Adventureland for a few views of this area, which is so dear to our hearts here at Jungle Is "101."
We will begin with Tropical Imports, as viewed from the steps located across from it near the Bazaar.
At Tropical Imports you will come across this fine fellow and may find yourself asking: Why the long face?
If you step around the corner, you will be heading into the unload area of the Jungle Cruise and might find yourself being stampeded by "escaping" guests exiting the attraction.
Where might we find these fabulous and ornate war shields show in the photograph below?
Why, at the back side of the Tiki Room, of course---just above the porch that serves as the attraction's exit.
In closing, allow me to share a couple of main entrance shots that capture the crystal clear skies we were fortunate to encounter during our visit.
Even that "other" park across the way looked amazing on such a clear day. You can see that the Imagineers are busy with their billion dollar makeover at California Adventure. Note the scaffolding and sheeting covering the building on the east side of the main entrance.
I certainly missed you all during my brief respite away from blogville and thank you for the kind e-mails making sure that I had not succumbed to malaria, piranhas or the vagaries of middle age. Like a meatball sandwich during a bout of stomach flu, you just can't keep a good skipper down!
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah (only one day left!) and Happy New Year!
---Mike
