Winding through the Hollywood Hills is a singular road that has been the subject of Tinsel Town lore for over 50 years. Mulholland Drive stretches from the San Fernando Valley to the beaches of Malibu and in its worst stretches, possesses a snake-like character that challenges even the most skillful drivers. At least more than one silver screen femme fatale has been described as having "more curves than Mulholland Drive", so when Disney Imagineers were given the task of glamourizing a lowly mouse coaster for DCA, they wisely chose to use the classic road as a theme. If anything, the twists and turns of Mulholland Madness do little justice to the actual serpentine nature of that dangerous ribbon of asphalt.

Mickey's first mouse coaster is perhaps a slightly kinder and gentler version of the deceptively tame-looking contraptions that have delighted riders for decades. Sporting individual four passenger cars with 1940's hot rod and police interceptor theming, the sparse framework of this particular layout is partially hidden by attractively rendered tarps and signage depicting a jaunty moonlit drive over one of America's most famous roads. Trees, humorous billboards and other landscaping rescue the eyes from the otherwise unimaginative theming, but this is the Paradise Pier section of the park, after all. Its aim is to reflect the bare-bones thrill-ride mentality of pre-Disney theme parks: an unflinching irony, to be sure.

The cars are certainly jazzier than on most mice rides that I've ever seen. A simple lapbar keeps watch over your thighs while side bars make sure you don't attempt to reach out and touch any of the structure that you'll be shimmying through. Once in the vehicles, it's a quick trip to the top where the cars begin to zig-zag in typical mouse fashion. See, the fun of a mouse coaster isn't speed or loops or fancy spirals. In fact, there's no such thing as a banked turn on a proper mouse and that's where all the fun is. Like riding one of those Himalaya-type rides that travel in a circle and squish you against the side of the car (usually with someone squishing against your side as well), the mouse vehicles creep towards sharp hairpin turns and seemingly threaten to dump you over the edge. Over and over again. There's plenty of time to survey the track and many little curves to negotiate as you whisk along, taking in the scenery and colorful, comical billboards (my favorite being the bashed-in Mulholland Drive-Thru Donut ad.)

With each new curve, however, the intensity increases a tad and before you know it, you're hanging on to the side of the car trying to protect your ribs. At this point, you may become aware of what lies beneath the upper level of zigs and zags if you haven't seen it from the station already. Every good mouse coaster eventually whips into a frenzy via sharp drops and slopes that usually sling you around the few remaining corners at dizzying speeds. It's here that the self-preservation issue becomes alarming and Disney's version is no exception.

Never mind that there's nothing much to see here - it's time to hang on for dear life as you whiz and zoom around the few final elements, genuine screams mixed with disbelieving laughter. It's all over in about a minute and a half, but you'll feel the strain in your arms all day long for attempting to keep yourself from smacking into the car's interior. Again, this is the Disney version of a mouse coaster, so your slings and arrows won't be anywhere near the damage that an authentic county fair wild mouse will do to ya. For all of its sheer simplicity, Mulholland Madness delivers a big cheesy grin amidst some of the glaring disappointments evident around DCA.

It didn't take long to see all that we wanted to see inside the park, so after arriving at 10 am - we departed around 6 pm and tromped back to our Howard Johnson's right across the street from Disneyland. Upon reflection, Walt Disney actually might have liked Disney's California Adventure if he had conceived of it prior to his original park. Sadly enough, not even Epcot turned out the way he had wanted it to, so the world is left to speculate. It usually takes time for a new theme park to catch on with the general public and in the case of DCA - there's a lot of catching up to do.

Speaking of catching up, we were heading out next towards Valencia to get a progress report on two of the most eagerly awaited coasters in theme park history. That trip and more, as Coast-2-Coast Coaster Tour continues!