DCA's Rushin' River Outfitters

Located near the Grizzly River Run whitewater ride, Rushin' River Outfitters has always been one of DCA's most enjoyable shops. Its name is a twist on Northern California's Russian River (DCA's original designers certainly loved puns), its decor can be described as mountain-highway-truckstop-town-chainsaw-sculpture-classic, and its merchandise is generally worth a gander.

I love the interior of this shop. Despite the intentionally cluttered look of the props hanging about, the place has an open, airy atmosphere that's cozy in the winter and refreshingly cool in the summer.

And, just so you don't miss it, let's zoom in on that little sign up there...

A pause to groan. Bonus wordplay down on the lower right! I do admire the clever use of fake merchandise as shelves for the actual merchandise; They've almost got a little WDW Blizzard Beach West vibe going here.

For clothing and coffee mugs with a Disney-Goes-Pacific-Northwest theme (as well as Grizzly River Run souvenirs), Rushin' River Outfitters offers a relaxed and comfortable shopping option with a focused, well-chosen inventory. As a bonus, it's right by the gate to the Grand Californian Hotel, making it extra convenient for the hotel's guests (and Paradise Pier Hotel guests using the gate as a shortcut).

Strange Things 7: Swiss Family Gummi Bears Edition

Welcome to another round of Strange Things; Disney tunes that are offbeat, obscure or performed in unexpected ways. All these tracks (except our video pick) are available on iTunes and Amazon MP3. Today we've got Lions in Norway, Kim Possible in Germany, Swiss Family Ostriches and rocking Gummi Bears. But first...Tikis!

TRACK: HAWAIIAN WAR CHANT
ALBUM: Hugo Winter - Tiki Room!

This is not the soundtrack to a certain famous Disney attraction. It does, however, contain a terrific, jazzy rendition of "Hawaiian War Chant," which is used in the Enchanted Tiki Room's finale. A bit of a stretch, but I love this album cover. Now I have a craving for pineapple...and Orange Crush...

Next, we have two very different takes on the Gummi Bears theme...

Pooh's Pots Perfectly Posed

It's a bright afternoon in Critter Country, a land where frontier legends, southern folklore and British literature share the same bit of real estate. It's also a place where little creek-dwelling critters probably step out through their tiny front doors to pick up the morning paper, glance across the creek, and curse about a certain bear who never cleans up after himself.

The creek in 2012

Speaking of the creek, if we compare the above photo with a shot I took in 1975...

The creek in 1975 during the Bear Country era

...we can see two very different approaches to theming. When the land was called Bear Country, guests entered a naturalistic, rustic setting. Fantasy existed there, but folks had to seek it out by crossing a covered bridge to enter the Country Bears' domain.

Both approaches have their advantages. Although I loved the Pre-Pooh days when the area felt like an outpost village with a backstory, I have to admit that A.A. Milne's little bear certainly makes a lot of families very, very happy.

I do miss the Country Bears a lot, but at least I can still grab a peaceful riverside table at the Hungry Bear Restaurant (where the food's better than ever). And, before I leave the area, I can still visit that little steadfast creek that's flowed past so many changes...

The Pooh Effect: Why Disneyland Needs a New Audioanimatronic Show

Critter Country's dark ride, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, features one of Disneyland's best attraction entries. To long-time fans, the structure's also a bit heartbreaking, for this lovely covered bridge once led to the Country Bear Jamboree.

Walt Disney World lost its Mr. Toad ride to Pooh. Disneyland lost the Country Bears.

For many Disneyland fans, the decision to gut two technologically miraculous audioanimatronic theaters (Disneyland had two identical Country Bear theaters for double capacity) to build a C-ticket dark ride seemed -- to put it nicely -- short-sighted. And, no, hiding Max, Buff and Melvin in the ride as an Easter egg for fans didn't help things...well, okay, maybe it helped a little.

That's all DL history now, and nothing's going to bring the Country Bears back to Disneyland. Pooh's a cute dark ride with a (usually) very short line and a lovely inherited covered bridge.

Looking forward, however, I hope the powers-that-be at Disneyland address a certain issue: since the Bear's departure, the park completely lacks the magic of a large-scale audioanimatronic stage show. The Bears, Carousel of Progress and the later America Sings used to be a huge part of the Disneyland experience -- a special layer of wonderment that now only exists on a smaller scale in the excellent Enchanted Tiki Room and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

Disneyland Resort could use a big new audioanimatronic show; it's the type of attraction that only Disney can pull off at that level of excellence, and younger west coast fans have never seen one.

And now I'm suddenly looking across the Esplanade toward Cars Land, and picturing how awesome it would be to have a musical automobile review with the Radiator Springs crew performing hits from the 50's and 60's....I'd be first in line.