We Remember Mom... Rita's Favorite Ride
The station
Did you know? - Although the details of the backstory vary from park to park, all follow the same general story arcs. Some time in the late 1800s, gold was discovered on Big Thunder Mountain in the American southwest. Overnight, the small mining town of Big Thunder (at Disneyland), Tumbleweed (at the Magic Kingdom), or Thunder Mesa (at Disneyland Paris) became a thriving mining town. Mining was prosperous, and an extensive line of mine trains was set up to transported the ore. Unknown to the settlers, the Mountain was a sacred spot to local Native Americans and was cursed.
Did you know? - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was one of the first Disney rides to utilize computer-aided design. The attraction first opened at Disneyland in 1979.
Did you know? - Before long, the settlers' desecration of the mountain caused a great tragedy, which, depending on the park, is usually depicted to be an earthquake (Disneyland Paris, Disneyland) or a flash flood (Magic Kingdom), which befell the mines and town, and the town was abandoned. Some time later, the locomotives were found to be racing around the mountain on their own, without engineers or a crew. The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was founded in the old mining camp to allow tourists to take rides on the possessed trains.
Did you know? - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was designed by Imagineer Tony Baxter and ride design engineer Bill Watkins. The concept came from Baxter's work on fellow Imagineer Marc Davis's concept for the Western River Expedition, a western-themed pavilion at the Magic Kingdom, designed to look like an enormous plateau and contain many rides, including a runaway mine train roller coaster. However, because the pavilion as a whole, was deemed too expensive in light of the 1973 construction and opening of Pirates of the Caribbean, Baxter proposed severing the mine train and building it as a separate attraction.
Up up and away
All smiles
A Short Walk To Big Thunder anch To Visit The Punpkins
Did you know? - Big Thunder Ranch is an attraction at Disneyland. It includes an outdoor petting zoo, a walk-through barn, and a variety of scenery meant to create the atmosphere of a Western ranch. It is located in Frontierland, close to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Inside you can find sheep, goats, cows, and other farm animals. Among these animals are the two turkeys who received presidential pardons in honor of Thanksgiving in 2008. The attraction is hosted by Brawny.
Do not get them confused
Love the old wagons
Goats Took Over The Petting Zoo
Did you know? - The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of goat.
Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. Goats have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. In the twentieth century they also gained in popularity as pets
Scary monsters
Yes, they are real
Did you know? - Pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae (which also includes gourds). In Canada and the United States, it is a common name of or can refer to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata. They are typically orange or yellow and have many creases running from the stem to the bottom. They have a thick shell on the outside, with seeds and pulp on the inside.
"Nick! Stop scaring the pumpkin!"
Carved Pumpkins
Did you know? - A jack-o'-lantern (formerly also known as a Jack o' the lantern) is typically a carved pumpkin. It is associated chiefly with the holiday Halloween, and was named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs, called ignis fatuus or jack-o'-lantern. In a jack-o'-lantern, typically the top is cut off, and the inside flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is carved onto the outside surface, and the lid replaced. At night, a light is placed inside to illuminate the effect.
Did you know? - The tradition of carving a lantern started in Ireland. However it was traditionally carved from a swede or a turnip. They were carved on All Hallows' Eve and left on the door step to ward off evil spirits. An offering or, as we now know it, a "treat" would also be commonly left, as it was feared if you didn't the demons and spirits would fiddle with property or live stock (play a "trick").
Hey buzz
Did you know? - The world's largest was carved from the world's then-largest pumpkin on October 31, 2005 in Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania, United States by Scott Cully. The pumpkin was grown by Larry Checkon and weighed 1,469 lb (666.33 kg) on October 1, 2005 at the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers Association Weigh-off.
Let's Keep Walking, These Are Getting Too Scary
Goats Galore
"I'm watching you!"
Did you know? - Goats are among the earliest animals domesticated by humans. The most recent genetic analysis[6] confirms the archaeological evidence that the Anatolian Zagros are the likely origin of almost all domestic goats today.
The leaves are not real... really
Did you know? - Goats have horizontal slit-shaped pupils, an adaptation which increases peripheral depth perception. Because goats' irises are usually pale, the pupils are much more visible than in animals with horizontal pupils, but very dark irises, such as cattle, deer, most horses and many sheep.
Both male and female goats have beards, and many types of goat (most commonly dairy goats, dairy-cross boers, and pygmy goats) may have wattles, one dangling from each side of the neck.
Nick is fearless
Did you know? - Goats are very coordinated and can climb and hold their balance in the most precarious places. Goats are also widely known for their ability to climb trees, although the tree generally has to be on somewhat of an angle. The vocalization goats make is called bleating.
"I am going to jump onto Nick's head!"
Did you know? - The goat is one of the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. Each animal is associated with certain personality traits; those born in a year of the goat are predicted to be shy, introverted, creative, and perfectionist.
