My flight out to Disneyland was uneventful and easy. I took a new flight which Southwest never had available before. It left Hartford, CT at noon, stopped in Las Vegas and then I landed in Santa Ana at 5:30 p.m. I had never been to Las Vegas before and this was the closest to the strip that I was going to get.
After I arrived at the airport I got the rental car and drove over to the Disneyland Hotel for the Health and Wellness Expo. I had trouble getting there this year. There was traffic and the parking to Downtown Disney had changed from what I was used to. So I ended up driving through a parking garage and then doing a few u turns before I finally coughed up $18 and just parked at the hotel. Because by this time it was 7:00 and there was only an hour left at the Expo.
I collected my bib and race shirts and the then went straight to the official merchandise area. I was traveling on a tight budget this year so I wasn’t going to get much stuff; but I wanted to get my traditional magnet, sweaty band and Coast to Coast shirt.
I was very impressed with the amount of merchandise at the expo. It appeared that they had everything in stock and everything I wanted was there. They also had a lot of new things there this year. Many different runDisney shirts (not specific to that actual race). As well as accessories.
After I purchased my merchandise, I quickly scanned the expo floor to find Merle with her new company Treadbands, and I also wanted to have Jeff Galloway sign my bib and get my traditional photo with him.
By this point it was 8:00 and I was starving; so I went over to Tangaroa Terrace to get a pulled pork flat bread and then walked over to Downtown Disney to purchase gifts for the kids from World of Disney. I made it to my hotel room by around 9:30 and prepared my gear for the 10K race the next morning. I wanted to be in bed by 10:00 and wasn’t too far off from my goal.
So day one was a success and I was looking forward to the 10K and seeing Dale, Susana, Bill and Jen, and Jennifer. I was also looking forward to my day with Karen to see the sights of Irvine, a vineyard and then dinner at the ocean with a sunset! Stay tuned for a recap of my Day 2 in Disneyland and my California adventure!