July 1960 Visit: Tomorrowland Subs and More

Lines for a Disneyland attraction are nothing new; here is the line for the Submarine Voyage, circa 1960. Note the fun Donald Duck hat on the young girl in line. Back then, Walt knew what to have nearby to keep the guests happy while waiting in line: mermaids!



And a few shots of the very military looking subs themselves (note the Motor Boats chugging away in the background of the first shot).







Our July 1960 photographer managed to get a few underwater shots for us as well:









With the new Nemo/Pixar theming of this attraction, it is much more “cartoony” than its previous incarnation, and even includes a touch of Tiki:









And of course even the subs themselves are less threatening and militaristic with their bright yellow color. Hey, what’s that overhead? Yup, it’s the brand-spanking new Monorail Mark 7, which is being slowly rolled out as it continues to be tested to make sure it has been modified properly.



I really like the look of the new Monorail; sleek and smooth, it’s a very cool design with nods to yesterday and the future. But I digress; so it’s back to 1960 with a shot of what the Monorail looked like back then. I have included a closeup of the Motor Boat Cruise attraction:





One final shot of Tomorrrowland shows the Moonliner in all its glory, before it became a downsized icon outside a pizza joint.



Time to board the Skyway and head over to Fantasyland in anticipation of tomorrow’s post.



See more Submarine Voyage photos at my website.

The Hitchhiker Pt. 5: No Rushing

I REALLY wanted this done so that I could take it up to LA, but there is just too much I want to do with it to rush it through. A few more days... To see more of my art, visit my regular website.

July 1960 Visit: Tomorrowland 20K Exhibit

In a marvelous gesture of thrift and recycling, Disney re-used the sets from their blockbuster hit, “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” and created an “exhibit” in Tomorrowland that guests could walk through and even touch. Shot #1 shows the entrance to the attraction, including a closeup of the signage that promises “The Giant Squid in Action.”



Thanks to Daveland reader Larry Brooks, you can get a nice view of the Squid, circa 1963, as Larry goes in deep for a closer view. Note the strings holding up the squid to make him look “in action.”



And a scene of the squid from the movie; he looks much more menacing on screen:



See more 20K photos at my website.

The Hitchhiker Pt. 4: Doing Better

Feeling a little better on this one now that I have gotten much more under my belt yesterday. To see more of my art, visit my regular website.

July 1960 Visit: Frontierland Pt. 2

Still floating on the Rivers of America! 3 more AA Indian Village shots to get things going on this fine Monday morning.





Meanwhile, out little canoe is edging closer to Cascade Peak:



He, let’s zoom in on the “animals” along the river:



OK, back to Cascade Peak (with the Mark Twain just peaking out over the top of the trees on the far right):



A nice juicy close-up of the falls, with the Mine Train passing the Columbia. Love that layering!



The Pack Mules are still plugging away, with over a decade left before they get pink slips:



We’ve spent enough time in Frontierland, so let’s board the train at the Depot and head on over to another land for tomorrow; sound good? All aboard!



See more Frontierland photos at my website.

The Hitchhiker Pt. 3: The "Oh S&*T" Moment

Whenever I do a painting under deadline, I usually come to what I call the “Oh S&*t” moment when I realize that I have a lot still to do. I have reached that point on this one. To see more of my art, visit my regular website.

July 1960 Visit: Frontierland

What better way to see Frontierland than aboard the Full Rigged 3 Mast Sailing Ship Columbia?!? Here she is, deboarding from yet another spin around the Rivers of America.



Here are some views from around the River, taken aboard the Columbia. First we have The Old Mill on Tom Sawyer Island:



And here is a semi-contemporary view of the same area:



Ah Wilderness! And the Fort that was built in the middle of it:



Here is my current day view, aka “The Train Wreck” (too painful to look at):



Let’s forget about the sad current state of FW and focus on that burning cabin that we used to love to see:



Here it is today, looking too darn purty to be part of the Wilderness:



Plenty of AA figures along the Rivers too, such as these friendly Indians:





And to all you moms out there, hope you are having a fantastic Mother’s Day!



See more Frontierland photos at my website.

July 1960 Visit: Adventureland

We have entered Adventureland, and this guest is fascinated by the Oceanic Arts Tribal stuff (for lack of a better all-encompassing word) located at the entrance gate. Here is a present-day comparison shot of the same area:



The Jungle Cruise shots have the obligatory Rhino and Hippo shots, so I will spare you those. Here are a few of the more "rare" (albeit blurry) pics from this batch:







If you’re a glutton for faded and blurry JC shots, you can see the rest of the batch on my website.

Balboa Park Cactus Garden

One of my favorite "hidden gems" of San Diego is the Cactus Garden located in Balboa Park. Feast your eyes on these images and you’ll see why.











For more Daveland San Diego photos, visit my regular website