Last of Condor Flats

Last week, after the holiday season had concluded, the work walls went up, and away went another original land of Disney California Adventure.  Yes, if you haven't heard the news, Condor Flats is no more.  It is undergoing a several-month refurbishment and retheming, transforming into the Grizzly Peak Airfield.  Gone will be the sparse, desert air strip of Condor Flats, and in will be a more enveloping wilderness extension of Grizzly Peak.

Taste Pilot's Grill will be surrounded by much more greenery when it reopens, and the facade will be much different!

In truth, this is mostly a repainting of the buildings and the planting of trees. In addition, Soarin' over California is being outfitted with ultra high definition screens to catch the attraction up with the media standards of the 2010s.  Eventually, it will debut a new film called Soarin' over the World, but that won't be immediate.

Palm trees will be replaced by evergreens, and the area will have a more woodsy feel.  The mister will also be gone.

Although Condor Flats wasn't exactly unsightly (even the desert has its own beauties), it was less picturesque than most of the other lands in DCA.  This re-theme brings Grizzly Peak into greater cohesion and adds a more enveloping atmosphere to this area of the park.  Plus, it allows this combined themed area to have more than a single attraction to its name (since Grizzly Peak used to only have Grizzly River Run, while Condor Flats only had Soarin').

How many of these theme elements will remain?  No one seems sure.

I for one welcome the new changes, since they bring exciting new change that seems like it will benefit the park environment.  It will also give me new subjects to photograph, and of course, given my devotion to this blog, that's always a good thing!

Grizzly Peak Airfield will feel more like this scene than the previous three.