My boys have long insisted that they’re “done” with Cars. And while it’s true that they’ve moved on to other obsessions, they did watch that movie approximately 364,000 times (I’d have to ask Justin for the exact number) and I knew they’d enjoy Cars Land at Disney California Adventure.

I’ve never seen Brayden so excited.

The line for Radiator Springs Racers was not to be believed, but thankfully we had a pass that gave us an appointed time to show up, so it was only a 12-minute wait. Some people stand in line for three hours for that ride, so we felt pretty fortunate. And what a ride it was! It featured several sets and pretty well every character from the movie, along with a high-speed race through Ornament Valley. Brayden immediately declared he liked it even better than Star Tours, which is saying something. So.very.awesome.

We also got a family photo with Lightning McQueen, who moves and blinks and talks. Brayden was so thrilled after that one that he literally jumped into my arms. Then it was on to Luigi’s Flying Tires, a ride described by our guidebook as “bumper cars meets human air hockey” that all three of my boys loved.

We stopped for a drink at Flo’s V8 Cafe, but since Flo didn’t offer the chicken nuggets Justin had been promised, we had to find somewhere else for lunch. We ended up at the Test Pilots Grill, which was outfitted like an airplane hangar and which offered food everyone liked. It was right next to Soarin’ Over California, the flight-simulator-Imax experience that Chris and I remembered enjoying on our first trip to Disney 12 years ago. I thought the feet-dangling-in-the-air thing might cause Justin some issues, but he was fine. Brayden especially loved the part where you fly over an aircraft carrier. Another favorite.

We saved the Grizzly River Run for last. We’d never get Justin on a water ride if it meant his clothes got wet, so I’d picked up cheap ponchos at the dollar store in Kelowna and brought them along. The kids and I wore them and stayed bone-dry (we looked like dorks, but who cared?); Chris opted to go without, so naturally he got drenched. Everyone had fun, though.

We picked up our rental car this afternoon. Universal Studios awaits tomorrow…