Pasadena on the First?!

Being as brave as we are, or crazy.. depending on who you ask... we decided to go down to Pasadena on the 1st to see the Rose Parade floats up close and personal! We had done this once before and really enjoyed it, but that wasn't on the first (a day most locals would want to avoid going to Pasadena on). But we decided to brave it, knowing that there are still strong odds we'll end up moving to Dallas before another January 1st comes around, and this might be our last chance to do it.
As we drove down Colorado boulevard, just a few hours after the parade had ended, we were horrified at the amount of TRASH left behind. Wow! There were still motorhomes parked everywhere, because lots of people park overnight hoping to get a good parade spot the next morning. And all those motorhome people and the crazies who sleep on the street all celebrated the new year with A LOT of confetti. We saw it everywhere.
Then we waited in a veeerry long line to take the bus to the float viewing area. Did I mention it was reeaaaalllly long? And this was just the line to get on the bus! We waited in another one to get the tickets too!
Well, it was still worth it. After all, these are the ROSE PARADE FLOATS! They are amazing! And there is nothing as good as viewing them after the parade, because TV does them no justice and even if you're at the parade in person, you only see them as they go past, not up close.
We were glad we went, even though it was very crowded and crazy. We'll always be glad we took the opportunity to do this one last time!
I mean, look how big this Indian float is! So cool! (for the record, he was fifty-something feet tall).


Lots more pictures of the floats will be posted over the next few days! Enjoy!