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| Ostrichland USA |
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| Madonna Inn Pool |
It was tough leaving The Madonna Inn this morning. As much
as we wanted to stay and enjoy the pool, I had a plan for us, even though I was the
only one excited about it. When I first told Chad about where we were going, he just shook
his head and scoffed.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re so weird,” was all he said.
When Ashley found out where we were headed, she asked, “Do
we really have to
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| Madonna Inn |
So, I called Jackson to tell him about it since no one else seemed to like my idea,
and he just said, “ew,” and then laughed.
I don’t get it. I was taking them to visit Ostrichland USA, where we were actually going to hand feed ostriches. How could anyone not be excited about that? Deep down,
I kept thinking, “Oh my gosh, what if they let me ride one?” The anticipation was more than I could bear, so I made sure we were
on the road by 9. As we got close to Ostrichland, I noticed traffic was getting
worse, and I said, ‘I bet all these cars are on their way to Ostrichland.” Chad
just nodded politely, knowing that they weren’t. Ashley complained that she could
smell the ostriches when we were still 2 miles away, and Chad said, “They’re
like penguins, only worse.”
“Yeah. They’re like penguins, Ashley,” I said emphasizing the word “Ashley” and stretching it out to three syllables, "Ash-uh-lee," like I was a 12-year-old Mean Girl.
I was getting annoyed by their lack of enthusiasm.
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| They didn't want to go see the ostriches |
We found a place to park in the nearly full parking lot, and
I ran inside to pay the $5 per person admission and buy two bowls of pellets
since that’s all I could hold. Chad and Ashley were too cool to feed the beautiful
beasts, so I was on my own.
As you enter the enclosure, you see a giant sign posted with 7 rules
about how to feed the ostriches. I only read the first rule because who even has
the time.
The food bowls are screwed onto dustpans, and to feed the ostriches,
you hold the dustpan by the handle with both hands because ostriches are
aggressive peckers. I don’t mean that the way it sounds.
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| It's just as fun as it looks, people |
Feeding an ostrich gave me a thrill I have never
experienced. I fed them both bowls and then spent some time watching them. I
left the picture-taking up to Chad, and Ashley just watched and pouted mostly.
Ostriches are so huge and ugly and otherworldly, but seeing them up close is pretty
incredible. When I fed one, I felt like I was charming a cobra—a furry cobra
designed by Jim Henson. I decided I wanted to let an ostrich bite me before we
left.
It took some time to build up enough courage to offer my
hand to one, but when I did, I was pleasantly surprised. The bite sort felt
like a hard, quick pinch. Now I have a few small, faint bruises on my
left hand that I’m quite proud of. I have multiple bruises because I let him bite me multiple times. Once it was over, I was ready to go. Ashley and Chad
had been ready for about an hour. I was sorry to learn that riding ostriches isn't allowed, although I'm a little relieved because I would have rode one if they let me, and a few tiny bruises would have been the least of my worries. And the poor ostrich probably wouldn't have survived that catastrophe either.
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| I wear these bruises proudly |
As we drove to our next stop, Chad said something about my “unhealthy
need to get bit by an ostrich.” I told him I was just curious.
He said, “No, curious would be saying, ‘I wonder what it would feel like?’ But
you actually refused to leave until one bit you.”
I think he's a little jealous.
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| Solvang Windmill |
We drove to Solvang, a town that’s known as “The Danish
capital of America.” The buildings in the little town are built to reflect architecture
common in Denmark. Danish bakeries, restaurants, and shops are everywhere and the
town was full of tourists. We found a table at Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery
and sampled a hot cross bun, florentine, and a cream cheese danish. I have no
idea if those are all original Danish recipes, but Mr. Olsen is a 3rd
generation Master Baker from Denmark, so I figure it was close enough. None of us were
in the mood to stay and shop, so we hit the road again.
Originally, I had left a couple days open on our itinerary just in case
we wanted to do something spontaneous. We have hotel reservations in Anaheim for
Tuesday and Wednesday night, but I wanted to let Chad and Ashley pick where
they wanted to go for a couple days. Guess where they wanted to go?
Yep. We drove to Anaheim today because who wants to wait? We’ll be here for the next 4
days, and it’s not easy to find last-minute hotels near Disneyland during
spring break. But here we are, spending two nights at the Grand Legacy at the Park
before we move two buildings down to our other hotel. Both hotels are across the street from the parks.
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| She's probably dreaming about ostriches |
After we checked in, we went to the pool and relaxed for an
hour or so. At dinnertime, we walked to Downtown Disney, and as we entered the Esplanade
between the parks, the music and sounds triggered that area of my heart and
brain that give me a euphoric feeling that I can’t
describe. I imagine that feeling is like what meth users experience before their
teeth turn to soft brown pulp and they lose their jobs and families and go insane.
We ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Earl of Sandwich,
and then watched a band called SMITH perform some country music covers. I
wanted to stop by Marceline’s Confectionery and peek in the window to see what
treats they were making, but Chad told me it was sacrilege because we always go
to the Candy Palace on Main Street first. So, for tradition’s sake we passed by
it all and walked back to our hotel.
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| Watching SMITH perform |
As I write this, I have a perfect view of Mickey's Mix Magic fireworks show out our window.
Tomorrow will be our first day in the parks and it's going to be an amazing day. Assuming,
of course, that the ostrich didn’t inject me with some type of venom I don’t know
about that will kill me in my sleep.
Also, we saw 57 Teslas today.
-Rachel
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