Buzzing Big Thunder Bakery

We tackled all of the "B" attractions in one day! On Sunday we started at Disneyland and headed straight for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We picked up a Fast Pass and then headed to Big Thunder Ranch.



Entrance to Big Thunder Ranch



Big Thunder Ranch is basically a petting zoo, but there's also an old-fashioned cabin decorated with furnishings from back yonder. The little tykes can sit and do some arts and crafts. The "Ranch" also has a pen for Maggie, the cow. She wasn't in a talkative mood today.

This is what Daisy the Chihuahua would
look like if she was a cow.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters





We left the ranch and headed for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. This is a fun interactive ride suitable for all ages. As your vehicle travels through space, each passenger can use their own Astro Blaster to shoot away at hundreds of targets. Your score lights up on a display in front of you every time you make a hit. In addition, either passenger can turn the car a full 360 degrees at any time using the control stick in the car. Walt's a much better shot than I am. My score was 27,800 and his was 73,400. Apparently, Walt's score was also considered low because the high scorer of the day got more than 1 million points.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

After the Blaster, we went back to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This is a great classic style roller coaster. The simple lap bar keeps you in place as the car goes up and down hills of various heights and around many curves. The scenery along the way brings you through a mountainous terrain where you can spot all kinds of wildlife. Beware, though, there's blasting going on and the goats got a hold of the dynamite!  It's a fun ride.

Bakery Tour

Our next stop was in California Adventure. The Bakery Tour has been there since it opened. When you first enter the bakery, a Disney employee greets you with a fresh piece of sourdough bread. It was a slow day, so she gave each of us two pieces. (Walt thinks she was flirting with him.) We put our bread in a pocket for now. Via television monitors, Rosie O'Donnell and Colin Mochrie guide the guests along a windowed corridor. They explain the process, and the history, of making sourdough bread. All the while, we can watch it actually being made. At the end of the tour we went into the adjacent restaurant and asked for a pat of butter. Then we sat down and enjoyed our fresh sourdough bread with butter on top. Yum!