Somehow Davy Crockett made his way over from Frontierland to pay a small visit to Critter Country. As a result we have his Explorer Canoes. For those who don't know, the canoes are a great way to tour the Rivers of America completely by your own hand. On your trip you'll see Indians, go through some rapids and see some crazy creatures on Tom Sawyer's Island. Really. Those creatures are crazy. Grab yourself a paddle and take a seat in the canoe while your two guides take your around the river. There are large paddles and even smaller paddles available for the smaller Davy Crocketts. And parents, not to worry, for the smaller ones there are also life jackets so you can put your mind at ease. I love the canoes. I can almost guarantee a good time, especially if you get a fun group. So dig in and put some effort into it. If you don't paddle, you'll never get back to the dock. Just remember that the canoes close around dusk (about the same time Tom Sawyer closes) so if you want to go, don't put it off until the last moment.

As a side point, the canoes have also been a source of competition for Cast Members. They often have competitions early in the morning before the park opens. Teams are formed and there are races, time trials and the like. Let me know if you are have ever been involved in one of these. I would love to hear details.

As you travel deeper into Critter Country you come closer and closer to Pooh Corner. You're familiar with Pooh Corner aren't you? Why, it's where you can find all your favorite friends from the Hundred Acre Wood like Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit and others. You make your way down the path and you stop and look to the right and see a sign above a covered walkway. Go ahead and enter for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I am sure that you remember the animated Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The attraction goes through a number of scenes from that animated film. You climb in your bee hive of a vehicle and make your way inside to see the havoc of the blustery day and the craziness of Heffalumps and Woozles.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh replaced the Country Bear Jamboree which was there as long as I can remember. If you look behind you as you pass through the Heffalumps and Woozles room you can see three familiar heads on the wall above you. See if you can spot them (it's not too hard). Winnie the Pooh is the most recent of attractions here at the park. I wish that I could be more positive about the attraction but I found it to be incredibly average. Why? It was just very simple and had many simple effects. There was just not enough to blow my skirt up. As I understand it, this is the third attraction with the Winnie the Pooh name on it. It appears in two other parks and each time the budget gets a little bit smaller and a little bit smaller. The first one appeared in Tokyo and had a zoning system that allowed a different path each time you rode. That's pretty cool. But here we get a rocking bee hive instead. That's much better than not having it in this case. What we have here now is a copy of a copy here at Disneyland and as i said, it feels very average. But I'll still go on it and have fun. It is the Magic of Disneyland.

I guarantee that the kids will love it, but I feel that adults will be a little disappointed and I doubt too many teens will give it a whirl. Although I've learned to never doubt a woman's love for Winnie the Pooh. What is it exactly? Is it because he's a teddy bear? Explain it to me please. There is a FastPass distribution located directly across from the entrance (where the Splash Mountain distribution used to be). So the lines can get to be a little long, but I've never waited more than 10 minutes. I guess I just go at the right time.

How do you do? Fine how are you? Splash Mountain welcomes visitors to Critter Country just past the Haunted Mansion. Journey off in search of your laughing place. Don't you know that everyone has one? Climb on in to your hollowed out log and set of on a musical adventure with Brer Rabbit. Time after time he seems to escape the clutches of Brer Fox and Brer Bear. Unfortunately a few hives of honey become Brer Rabbit's downfall as he is unfortunately captured. It is just a little too sticky to break free. As you make your final climb in your log we can see the fear in Brer Rabbit's eyes as Brer fox decides Rabbit's fate. Soon enough you are thrown off the top of the mountain and into the sharp briar patch below with a big splash. It's a good thing you were born and raised in the briar patch. As a result, Brer Rabbit and you are safe once again and Brer Fox and Bear get it in the end.

I'm sure you would agree that there is something very relaxing about a water flume attraction. You coast along with the current at a relaxed pace and visit a great story here at the mountain with all of its animatronic characters. Speaking of animatronics, Splash Mountain is also the retirement home for many of the animatronic animals from America Sings. For those of you who don't remember or never saw the show, America Sings was a rotating show where Innoventions in Tomorrowland is right now. It was a brief musical show about the history of some classic American songs. They now serve as a majority of the creatures inside our Splash Mountain. I was a little opposed to this move initially because it seemed like a cheap shortcut, but I have warmed up to it a bit and have no ill feelings. I promise.

I find it interesting that people are familiar with these character and with the Song of the South even though it hasn't shown its face in years. As I understand it, Disney does not believe it to be politically correct for our time and therefore has tucked it away into the folds of their vaults. Hopefully it will see daylight again in the future. For those interested, there was an imported Japanese Laserdisc of Song of the South that was floating out there for a while a few years back, but it was really hard to find and really expensive. So if you are interested be sure to keep your eyes open. I'm sure you can find some sort of copy out there in videoland.

Splash Mountain simply put is a great ride. As far as the wait is concerned, I'm willing to bet that Splash Mountain has the longest line in the park. It definitely does during the summer. But the payoff is that it feels like a long ride for your wait (just a bit under 10 minutes) and it's great to get wet during those warm days. The "You May Get Wet" warnings can sometimes be an understatement. It depends of course on where you are actually sitting. Not as many people go on at night so you might want to wait for the sun to go down. What? Too cold? Sissies... And don't forget to smile on your way down for a quick snapshot of terror in your eyes. We would hate to catch you in a frown. I really recommend Splash Mountain. It's a lot of fun and offers a lot of bang for your buck. This attraction does have FastPasses and single rider lines available to help with the wait, so try and catch it if you can.

The Pooh Corner section of Critter Country is truly the place to satisfy all of your Winnie the Pooh needs. Not only does Winnie the Pooh have his own attraction, but there is a character greet right at the entrance and the Pooh Corner store directly in front of the exit. It has everything Pooh you could possibly want. It is quite a large store that extends from the exit of the attraction all the way down to the exit of Splash Mountain. Being the biggest store in the area, I would have a hard time believing that you couldn't find something that you were looking for (if it exists at least). But being me, I can't help but to think of the old days when that area used to be for the Country Bear Jamboree related buildings. Teddi Barra's Swingin' arcade was in that area. And more recently the Brer Bar. But enough about the past.

Inside Pooh Corner you can find plenty of Winnie and friends plushes, mugs, clothing such as shirts and sweatshirts, these really cute slippers, pins and just about anything else you can think of. Then entire store has a Winnie the Pooh theme and looks very inviting. There are lots of hunny (I'm aware of the spelling) pots all over the place to really help with the theme. It's a great looking store in a great place. If you need a quick candy fix, they have some of that too along with some of those awesome Jelly Belly dispensers. Just get a bag and fill it up with your favorite flavors and you are off. Just fill in moderation. It's pretty expensive.

"Wasn't Splash Mountain great? Wow, it was a great ride lot, lots of fun and I didn't get too wet. I'm not sure I liked that wait though. It was a little long for me. But that's fine. Oh look... It's us. It's us on Splash Mountain. I want to remember this moment forever. We can put this picture on the fireplace mantle. That will round out the collection of pictures already there. Perfect."

Yes ladies and gentlemen, when you are about to take that large plunge on Splash Mountain your picture is taken for all to see. For when you vacate your log and make your way to the exit there are a number of screens up that show the recent pictures taken. They're always fun to look at. Me? I always tend to make a little bit of an outrageous pose just to make sure that a picture of me doesn't end up in someone else's home. Where do you get a picture? Right when you exit there is Professor Barnaby Owl's Photographic Art Studio to the right where you can purchase a picture of your Splash Mountain experience. I don't have one myself. It's a little expensive, but I'm also an annual pass holder so I'm a little more used to the whole Splash Mountain experience. I bet a visiting family from Kansas would buy one though. Maybe?

The Harbour Galley is right on the border of Critter Country and New Orleans Square. Once you exit the Haunted Mansion it is almost directly in front of you. It's the first item in Critter Country and just a small shack by the Rivers of America with space for a couple of small lines of customers. I remember not too long ago when the Keel Boats were in operation which loaded up around this area. But those are gone. I also remember when the Galley sold more specialty items like some seafood and clam chowder in a bread bowl. Those are great. Those are gone too. Times they have a changed. It's now another outlet for McDonald's fries.

Frontierland suffers from the same fate. I love McDonald's fries. They're fantastic and sometimes I just stop by McDonald's to pick up some of these tasty fries, but I'm not sure about seeing them in the park. Something bothers me about that. Maybe it's the elevated price, but it's mostly the fact that outside venders are making their way in. One could argue that Coke and other products are doing the same thing, but it's not the same thing. At least it doesn't feel like the same thing. But there you go. If you are in the mood, tasty McDonald's fries are available. Coffee, Coke and cocoa are there too. So enjoy. That's why they are there.
-Hosted by McDonald's-

If you are hungry in Critter Country then the only place to go is the Hungry Bear Restaurant. As you make your way through Critter Country to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the restaurant is directly to your right sitting on the Rivers of America. A large wooden, hungry bear greets you as you make your way to the ordering window. It's a fairly big place to eat with two levels and plenty of seating space. This is also where most of the ducks from the river tend to hang out. If you sit on the bottom level next to the water you can't help but throw a few crumbs a duck's way. The water and the wooden eating area are very relaxing. Now everyone wave to the passing canoes.

Here they have roast beef sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers (and double cheeseburgers), salads, some desserts and drinks of course. Ordering is done by waiting in a line to get to a cashier. They take your order and send you off to the window in front of you to pick your food up. I always tend to get the cheeseburger (with fries). That's perfect for me. There is the one exception of a time when I was choking on it and I had to excuse myself and run to the restroom below with drool dripping from my mouth. Now that I think about it you may not want to hear that story. As I mentioned, it's the only place to eat in the area. The next closest is in New Orleans Square at the French Market. Are you as hungry as a bear? This is the perfect place to find out.