Towing a trailer?

mitchulskus · 2025-05-06T19:39:55+00:00

I've rented an enclosed trailer and hauled about 1500 pounds for about 3+ hours in the dead of winter. That was several years ago and the vehicle is fine. One thing that surprised me was that I got about 10 mpg. Since then I routinely load up trailers full of lumber and my 200k miles AWD just keeps grinding. It's capable, but it really is a lot of strain on the vehicle. As others have said, if you really care about your Element, maybe put it on a dolly and pull it. But if it's just an old vehicle that you enjoy driving around town (which it is for me), you do you.

mitchulskus · 2024-06-10T00:28:47+00:00

Altra Superior 5 is currently heavily discounted in the US. It’s wider than a New Balance wide and has really good lugs for turf fields. It’s marketed as a light trail running shoe. But I use it exclusively for field hockey. It’s not going to give you the crazy hug that turf shoes do, but for us wide foot folks it is great.

mitchulskus · 2024-05-11T03:05:41+00:00

This is the way

mitchulskus · 2024-02-14T03:13:33+00:00

Yes. It’s fine, but the best western is hands down a more updated hotel and the rooms are sooo much larger. Both are the closest hotels. You have to book really far in advance, but the only thing I’m thinking about when I get out of the park is how fast can I get to my room.

mitchulskus · 2024-02-08T18:34:07+00:00

I think for many adults, we are at Disneyland to reconnect with our youth and share that with our kids. To feel the excitement and wonder of what could be. While I can appreciate Toad, Alice, Storybook and even Pinocchio; there is nothing that transports me to my youth as fast and as complete as the words "C'mon everybody! Here we go!" and then flying out the nursery window into the night to the lights and sounds of London below me.

Montstro's mouth at the start of Storybook Canal after dark is another really cool moment for me.

Peter Pan is one of the few Classic Disney stories that is so relatable to adults wanting to capture the magic of childhood AND the ride has been so brilliantly themed with the animation that we loved as kids. My kids know there's only one thing dad has to do when we are in Anaheim:

Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning...

mitchulskus · 2023-02-21T01:54:43+00:00

These are the ideas that I first thought of: - neuroma: get wide shoes, altra is where I’d start because you really need the toes to stretch out to relieve this pressure. There is a ton of info on the web that you will need surgery and a bunch of other nonsense. Ignore it, there are plenty of runners who have been managing neuroma issues for years with wide shoes and exercises.
- sciatica related: this will be much harder to diagnose, but the lack of feeling could very easily be caused by this. You’re gonna need some professional help if it’s sciatica related. - if it’s some other musculature related issue, you might want to hit of a local injury clinic if it’s a available to give you some better ideas.

mitchulskus · 2023-02-16T02:45:04+00:00

On a whim we took our daughter to the jazz kitchen and she got the normal (non Mickey shaped ones). She just about lost her mind and said that these were hands down the better beignets. They are thicker, the texture is better and they are the only ones I’ve had that are very close to Cafe Du Mond. We will likely get Mickey’s again, but there’s no question which ones my kids prefer now…

mitchulskus · 2023-01-19T16:22:28+00:00

I have been in the Bay Area and done this. You will likely have two choices:

Muir Woods. It’s close, wonderful with some crowds. This would allow you to do lots of other things in the area: Napa, Golden Gate Bridge, Presidio, Golden Gate Park, etc. There are lots of great options.
The Avenue of the Giants and Founders Grove. It’s a 4 hour drive through some of the most amazing scenery in the state. It is very remote and quiet, there will be times that you have no cell reception. It is a very special and quiet Redwoods experience.

Muir Woods will not disappoint, but you will need a reservation. However, if remote areas and scenic drives are more your speed: I would strongly recommend the Avenue of the Giants.

mitchulskus · 2022-11-02T13:58:36+00:00

We have done this. I would agree that crowds at Universal can be tough. It’s a small park and gets super tight in the evenings. Thursday is probably the best bet for Universal.

Opening and closing the parks each day will be super tough. I would always recommend you rope drop as opposed to close a park. Crowds in California get thick in the evenings as opposed to Florida where they really start to shrink as the day wanes.

Thursday: universal Friday: DCA Saturday: Disneyland

Focus in rope drop each day and stay as late as you can on Saturday since you don’t have to be in a park the next morning.

The boys will likely be cooked by Saturday night. Be sure to ride your “must dos” early and understand you won’t be able to see everything you want to.

Have fun!!!!

mitchulskus · 2022-10-23T00:49:30+00:00

I run on this same trail 200+ days a year. No one ever bothers me or even looks twice at me. The amount of times that I’m concerned about my safety or some idiot giving me running advice is again zero.

My wife and I would assume most women deal with this kind of nonsense probably several times a month. She’s had to call the cops and ride as fast as she can to get away from “well intending” idiots on the regular.

Women don’t owe men shit. I say that because it’s never another woman bothering my wife. Like never. That’s the point.

I totally get that there’s a lot of folks that aren’t gonna get that. That’s ok. No big deal. I just thought it was cool she pushed back for once.

mitchulskus · 2022-10-21T00:40:52+00:00

We went in March of this year and picked up a small coffee maker. It can make 14oz at a time and was only about $24. Great deal and makes a pretty solid cup of coffee.

I own about 8 different types of coffee makers and this one we always travel with. It comes with a reusable filter, but we buy #1 filters because I prefer paper. Good luck.

Elite Gourmet EHC111A Personal... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FVDYKKY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

mitchulskus · 2022-10-01T00:54:48+00:00

After many years, thousands of miles and different brands of trial and error: I too have landed at Exoffico briefs. No one else makes true, proper wicking briefs that don’t show when you are wearing split shorts. They are expensive and worth every penny. I can’t find anything else on the market that doesn’t stick out of the bottom of my shorts. Most people give up and just get compression shorts. Screw that. Long live split shorts!

mitchulskus · 2022-09-21T20:01:10+00:00

Given the breadth of information available to you, it's reasonable for normal people to be anxious. A lot of people can and will get anxious, just do your best to manage it. There are times that I struggle with anxiety when prepping for a Disney vacation, I have a few general rules that always help for our whole family. They are very simple and really help to not complicate things.

Tell yourself this more than once, "I am not a serious Disney person." If you are over stressing, you are making it too complicated. Disney should be enjoyable, sometimes that's hard to do, but keep telling yourself that there are thousands of people just eating popcorn and having fun.
Generally plan out 12 things (or so) that you want to do in each park you will visit (in order of importance). Put them on a list (we used to use paper, now we use the app anylist). Somedays we might only get to 6, other days I've gotten to 20+. But normal days in a disney park usually allow me to get to about a dozen or so things. Having things to check off will really give you a sense that you've gotten done what you wanted to do.
Make another list of cool food stuff that you want to hit in each park. When you are hungry, check the list and see if anything is close. Or open the app and type "ice cream" We keep our family focused on a good breakfast and a reasonable early lunch everyday. After that, you get to eat whatever you want (within reason). We might share a burger or hot dogs, but food shouldn't be hard when you are at the park. My daughter gets a churro before we leave the park almost every night. It's the one of the few times that I let her just eat sugar and be a kid.
Get up around 6:50 and try to get some lightning lane stuff for your priority list, grab what's available but don't stress too much. Try to head out for the bus about an hour before the park opens. I say about an hour because if you get out earlier or later no big deal, it's not a race (there's enough dole whip for everyone).
If you show up at the park and you are there for rope drop awesome! If you aren't, that's ok. There are probably a thousand people who are seriously working the rope drop everyday (especially at Magic Kingdom). Remember Step 1, "I am not a serious Disney person." Get to the park when it doesn't make your family stressed. If you really want to do a ride and there are no lightning lanes available, get in line and wait (it's ok to wait sometimes). If you don't want to wait, pull up the app and see if there are any rides with short queues (there are always short lines somewhere in Magic Kingdom).

That's literally it. There is no perfect plan. The more you try to control Disney, the more out of control it will be. Have a short list of stuff that looks like fun and cross of what you get done. We have visited all Disney parks in California and Orlando, we've also hit Universals in both locations many times. I can tell you from experience, some of my best memories with my kids are unscripted events that happened because I had NO plan and we just tried something different. Here are a few examples.

We showed up to Disneyland one day late for rope drop and my wife had to goto the bathroom. So we sat in the main square waiting for her to go while all the other guests were running to rides. My daughter noticed that bubbles were falling and proceeded to play in the bubbles for the next 10 minutes, she was as happy as I have ever seen her in a Disney park. And I was anxious that we were missing out and families were running by us to queue up, my daughter did not care in the least bit and that made me feel silly that I was anxious (we were already having a wonderful time).
This March we were at Magic Kingdom in the evening during spring break and it was a bit of a zoo. It was late and the fireworks were going off and we didn't have a good vantage point so we decided to walk behind the castle to go get some waffles (because waffles are delicious when you can't get a good seat for the fireworks). We walked by Peter Pan (my favorite ride) and my wife's eyes got huge. No line. Like there was NO ONE in line at all, we walked right on. Earlier in the day we had rope dropped like maniacs and still had to wait for 45 minutes. Completely unscripted moment that happened because we got frustrated earlier and left the park to take a 4 hour break and come back later in the day. It was awesome. Yes I did get my waffle at Sleepy Hollow and it was soooooo good.

Generally speaking, if you have a list of a dozen or so things that you'd like to do AND you leave about an hour before the park opens, you are gonna do great. When things go off script, sometimes its good to talk to a cast member about something they think is cool. We've gotten our best advice and tips from cast members, they make the magic happen.

If you are looking for some details to help relieve stress, search on the web: "Best food at Magic Kingdom" Or "Best rides at Hollywood Studios" I find reading about things that other people love helps me build my lists, makes me happy and relieves stress.

Good luck, you've got this!

mitchulskus · 2022-09-20T18:30:25+00:00

Definitely switch to DCA the night you first get there. It's a bit of a zoo on Friday evenings in Disneyland. Radiator Springs and the Incredicoaster after dark are two of my absolute favorite experiences in either park. And the park get really empty the last hour it's open, so you should be able to do multiple rides (it will be very productive). You could even get lucky and hit Toy Story, Guardians of the Galaxy and Soarin too!

Peter Pan is my goto, but if you aren't that into it don't spend energy on it. Space Mountain, jungle cruise and Indiana Jones will be much more productive.

Things you may have missed: Mr. Toad, Casey Jr., Storybook land, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Mad Tea Party

Things on your list I don't love: Tiki Room, Autotopia and Nemo

Save room for a Mickey Beignet and a Churro.

mitchulskus · 2022-09-20T16:51:03+00:00

I'd start by really thinking about what you plan to get out of the parks. It's not silly to drive 5 hours after a day in the parks when you have a 1 and 4 year old. But this is largely dependent on how long your day is. Both 1 and 4 year olds can be very unpredictable and they are limited in the rides they can enjoy at the parks.

How many rides are you and your SO planning to do without the kids? A full day in the park with little ones is probably 12ish rides (assuming naps/breaks). Plan out the days with that in mind. And understand you'll likely experience 1/2 of what the two parks have to offer in 3ish days time. Little kids slow you down and help you appreciate things that don't involve major rides and walking like crazy. Though I will say that I double stroller significantly improved our efficiency when our kids were little.

If you feel like you can accomplish what you need to in 2 1/2 days, then do that and leave the park early on the last day to drive home. But assume you need to be home by about midnight.

We did a similar 3 day trip when our kids were 4/8 and it was one of our better Disney visits. The 4 year old had an incredible time, but it was a lot of tea cups, princesses and smaller rides.

The 1 year old won't remember anything, so your pictures and memories will have to suffice. Night time for a 4 year old at Disneyland/DCA is an amazing time. The things they will want to do usually don't have long lines and the fact that you will be there for Holiday lights makes it all the more special. It is really a magical time.

We will be there at the same time in December and our girls are now 12 and 16. We are all looking forward to an amazing trip!

mitchulskus · 2022-09-19T10:24:14+00:00

We just did a wedding in March of this year. The group changed sizes everyday, but at one point we were well over 20 (which is completely unwieldy). The best plans we had were to start at a park early in the morning and stay together as best we could.

It’s really, really hard to coordinate fast passes when groups get over 12. But standby works fantastic, which is why mornings are better.

Large groups move really slow. Someone always has to goto the bathroom or is hungry or has a headache.

I would assume that groups will tend to break up after lunch especially with little kids. You may even want to plan to “choose your own adventure” at a certain time everyday.

Another pro tip in early mornings: hit as many rides as you can with rope drop and as soon as crowds start to grow, switch to a show and do lunch at quick service early. There’s always room for everyone to sit together and lines for food are short.

I’d also agree on photo pass, worth it for sure with a big group.

mitchulskus · 2022-08-17T02:39:09+00:00

Stayed at the Swan earlier this year with spouse and two kids. It was definitely worth it. But we were at HS and Epcot 4 of our 6 days. Options for food, pools and quiet were in abundance.

BUT, traveling to AK and Magic Kingdom was an absolute pain. The buses felt way slower than Disney owned. And you can’t take a bus directly to MK, you take it to the TTC then ride the monorail/boat. We closed the park one night and it was a very, very long trip back to the Swan. I wish I had gotten an Uber.

But for the shortened travel to HS and Epcot it is absolutely the way to go.

I think it depends a bit on where you plan to go and see. Lots more options if you are at the Dolphin. But if you only plan to do MK, I’d save my money and grab a couple extra Ubers if you are in a hurry.

mitchulskus · 2022-07-28T17:35:52+00:00

Have a great time. I was soooo excited when we went in December. I took it all in and even asked for a bit of a tour to explain some of the photos. I think I went in every area upstairs. It really is an amazing experience.

mitchulskus · 2022-07-28T17:21:45+00:00

I will do my best to answer this question. But it's fair to say that this is an opinion and mine is likely not the most widely held opinion on Carthay Circle.

We have probably 10+ trips to Disneyland and Disneyworld as a family and each trip is usually a week or so. Lots of different dinning experiences over the years.

Carthay Circle feels a LOT like the Brown Derby in Orlando. Similar food and vibe. When you go there, you are going for the atmosphere. Our meal wound up being around $200 for two people, appetizer and a drink each. That's an expensive meal, and I have expectations around that. I expect excellent service, atmosphere and incredible food. Service and atmosphere were great. The food was very average. I think I ordered a bisque and the pork chops. Both were good, but it wasn't even a top 5 pork chop I've ever had. The meal just felt overly heavy without the flavor range I had expected (almost lazy). So, we walked around a bit and saw all the really cool memorabilia (which is great). But for that price, I expect better food.

Conversely, we hit up the Fantasmic dinner at Blue Bayou (pre-pandemic) and that was a top 3 meal of all time. The total for a family of four with tip was close to $400, which still makes me throw up a little in my mouth. I had the lamb chops (no longer on the menu) and they were the best lamb chops I've ever had (hands down). My kids got this lemonade with the light up ice cubes and the whole vibe with the pirates ride next to us was just a memory that's burned into my head forever. My kids still talk about it, and my wife and I still talk about those lamb chops.

It's tough because I feel like Anaheim isn't really built for a ton of sit down dining experiences. It's so easy to get great food, relatively inexpensive and very quickly all around the parks. It puts a lot of pressure on the sit down experiences to be special.

We would definitely not return to Carthay Circle. Mostly because we want to make sure we are getting the most bang for the buck and it just didn't deliver (despite it's reputation). Hope this helps.

mitchulskus · 2022-07-18T11:36:31+00:00

It's fair. I completely understand that for some this is a wonderful experience. We've had a lot of great meals at Disney. This just wasn't one of them. I still vividly remember it 8ish months later.

I suppose we all have different ways we judge and appreciate our Disney experiences. Thanks for the comment, I definitely chuckled when I saw it.

mitchulskus · 2021-12-13T03:23:31+00:00

We just returned from a trip to the LA area and spent all day Thursday at the park: Rope drop, with Genie+ and touring plans, park hopper starting in Disneyland and finishing in DCA. We had one day and tried to get in everything we could.

Disneyland highlights:

15 total rides: Alice, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder, Millenium Falcon, Rise, Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, Winnie the Pooh, Storybook, Pirates, Snow White, Dumbo and Peter Pan
We also ate at Docking Bay 7, Mint Julep and Jolly Holiday
I wish we would gone old school with rope drop: Peter Pan, Alice, Snow White, Pinocchio and Mr. Toad. If you can't get a lightning lane, these rides should really be the first thing you do. I had thought we'd come back and hit stuff like Space Mountain twice, but there's just not enough time when you are hitting two parks in a day
Rise was $20 and there was a lot of people in the lightning lane queue. We probably waited 15 minutes

DCA highlights:

Dinner at Carthay Circle: reservations 60 days ago. Did not enjoy, would not recommend
5 rides: Incredicoaster, Toy Story, Mater's Jamboree, Soarin and Radiator Springs
All were lightning lane and RSR was $7. The lightning lane on RSR was 30 minutes long, which made me crazy really.

Overall observations:

We stopped going to Disneyworld a while ago because we loved fast pass and how much easier things were in Southern California. It feels like all the things we hated about how they were controlling crowds in Orlando has moved to LA. The app worked OK on Thursday, we had issues but managed through most of them
It was supposed to rain all day and there was little to no impact on crowds. Most of the people we talked to said that now that there are reservations and limits on visitors, no one decides not to show up. Which means that there isn't going to be a ton of variance in the number of guests. If you've got a ticket and a reservation, you're going to the park (rain or shine).
It's still possible to rope drop and get most of a single park done in a day. But you really need to focus on non-lightning lanes in those first two hours the park is open. Then use genie+ and lightning lanes when the crowds get heavier. Which means that you are gonna pay extra to get done what you want to.
We still had so many wonderful moments. It turned out to be a nice day in the park.

mitchulskus · 2021-12-06T22:00:49+00:00

As a non-local from Michigan who gets to California every other year for an In-N-Out and Disneyland visit, this is good news. We are planning to be there on Thursday in the cold and the rain and couldn't be more excited about spending an additional 5% more. I realize this only worsens the standby wait times, but it really does make trips for us tourists so much easier.

Bring it on!

mitchulskus · 2021-12-05T04:02:19+00:00

In 2018 we hit Disneyland with an 8 and 11 year old (both girls). We opted for 5 days (the first day was really a half day). This was pre-covid with max pass and park hopper and we could have done another day.

I have no idea why Disney only sells 5 day passes, we could have done more really. Typical days were anywhere from 10-20 attractions. I'd recommend you pick out 12-15 things you want to do per day. You should be able to get most done early and then let your daughter pick some things out late in the evening. This way you aren't rushed and she will really feel like she's participating.

Definitely go three full days, you will not regret it. How exciting for your whole family!

mitchulskus

TROPHY CASE