A Super Birthday for DCA

Today is Disney California Adventure's 25th birthday! Yes, for a quarter of a century, Disneyland's sister park has persisted through early struggles, a variety of changes, a departure away from the California theme, and a maturation into the developed and continually evolving park that it is today.  I don't have a lot of great photos of early DCA, because I didn't start seriously photographing the resort until 2012. But here are 25 photos of various parts of the park that either no longer exist or represent original California Adventure. Cheers to Disney California Adventure's super day, and here's to many more!

The old Disney California Adventure entrance, with its iconic C A L I F O R N I A letters.

Remember the Golden Stage Bridge that allowed the Disneyland Monorail to pass through?

The park's original entrance was Sunshine Plaza, and this is where Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe is today.

Before the Carthay Circle Restaurant, there was the Sun Fountain and its big, sculptural sun.

This wave fountain was a fun feature.

A classic railroad car harkened to California's railroad-settled roots.

What Elias & Co. used to be, roughly.

A wider angle.

Condor Flats used to be the themed land directly to the right of Sunshine Plaza's entrance land.

Soarin' Over California was the opening day E-Ticket here, in a land themed to California's early aviators.

Grizzly Peak and Grizzly River Run hasn't changed.

But the trees used to be lower and hadn't filled in, allowing juxtapositions like this shot that can no longer be captured from ground level.

Remember the Tower of Terror?

Grizzly Peak has always been iconic.

Bountiful Valley Farm celebrated California's farming history, but it didn't have any actual attractions. Instead, it was just a series of exhibits and some food places.  

The park's first expansion was A Bug's Land, which cut into the farmscape.

This is Avengers Campus now.

It used to be a kid-centric zone.

Hollywood Land used to be a little different.

It had a couple of elephant statues standing guard over the entrance.

The intersection of The Bay Area and Paradise Pier.

This was before the Pixar Pier conversion.

The Bay Area, and Golden Dreams in the background, before it was converted into The Little Mermaid ride.

World of Color was a 2012 addition to Paradise Bay.

California Screamin', before its transition into the Incredicoaster.