Susan and John Ruff, Fantasy Authors

“Don’t those rocks look familiar?”

John and I were on a road trip passing through the Dixie National Forest in Utah on our way to Bryce Canyon. Suddenly, we found ourselves driving beside the spectacular rock formations of Red Canyon. Huge red-orange stones, shaped by nature into towering monuments, rose practically next to the road. To anyone with a love of beautiful scenery, the area would inspire wonder, but to the two us, unashamed Disney fans that we are, it carried an extra level of interest.

“They look like the landscape around Big Thunder Mountain.”

As people who grew up in Southern California, John and I have always loved Disneyland. Over the years, we’ve spent many happy hours at the park. So when the stones of Red Canyon reminded both of us of the man-made rock formations around the Big Thunder Mountain train ride, we had to stop and take pictures.

To be honest, I have no idea whether the Disneyland park designers used Red Canyon’s scenery as part of their inspiration for the Thunder Mountain ride. To the two of us that day, it really didn’t matter — the magic was still there.

That encounter in Utah was not the first time I had stumbled upon a place that seemed to be an inspiration for the Disney park designers. New Orleans is full of inspiration locations. (Which is not surprising, since the Anaheim park contains a land called “New Orleans Square.”)

Bourbon Street, of course, was clearly inspirational to the Disney designers, but there were also hidden gems throughout the city. When we ate lunch at the historic Court of the Two Sisters restaurant, I could immediately see the influence it had on the scenery in Disneyland.

Fantasyland contains many elements of places in Europe. (Probably too many to list in today’s post.) For example, one of the exterior buildings contains a curved tower that has always reminded me of the spiral staircase at the Chateau de Blois in France.

But what really prompted the topic of today’s blog post was my recent trip to Switzerland, where I got to view the most famous and familiar mountain in the world.

When I got my first glimpse of the Matterhorn from the deck of the hotel in Bettmeralp, I recognized it instantly even though it was just a tiny spot on the horizon. After all, I had seen its likeness hundreds of times over the years, both during trips to Disneyland, and when we drove past it on the freeway. (As kids, we always looked for the Matterhorn when our family was driving from San Diego to Los Angeles.)

But even I, diehard Disney fan that I am, must admit that when we arrived in Zermatt and I got to see the real mountain rising from the slopes above me, it was truly an amazing experience. I love the way that Disney brings the world to us, but nothing can compare to being out there and seeing the real sights in the world in all their inspirational glory.

-Susan 8/4/2023