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Theme parks attractions are never really finished, especially those intended to be built to last. And so it is with Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure, which officially reopens Friday after a six-week refurbishment. The ride is looking as fresh as it has in years. There were minor changes — more large spiders and other creepy critters were added to one foreboding tunnel — but also some substantial ones designed to increase the attraction’s capacity and reliability.

While some ride refurbishment closures result in very noticeable changes to the guest — for instance, the recent addition of a face-shifting buccaneer on Pirates of the Caribbean, or the temple-shattering projections that were added to Indiana Jones Adventure back in 2023 — other updates are less visible yet enhance the experience, such as helping to eliminate downtime.

That is the case for Indiana Jones Adventure. Behind-the-scenes engineering modifications over the last year have boosted not only the attraction’s reliability, but allowed its capacity to increase by about 125 people per hour. Ultimately, that allows for about 1,000 more guests per day, says Nicholas DiBernardo, an area manager for Attractions Engineering Services and eight-year veteran of the resort.

A yearly rehab of the ride is required, says DiBernardo, in part because it is one of the resort’s most complex, with many moving show elements. To ensure that it continues to meet the theatrical and safety standards required, it may appear to Disneyland regulars that Indiana Jones Adventure receives tune-ups with more regularity than other rides at the resort.

Nicholas DiBernardo surveys the guest load-in area of Indiana Jones Adventure. DiBernardo, an area manager for Attractions Engineering Services, helped oversee the recent refurb.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

When asked whether that’s the reality, DiBernardo answers: “Yes and no.”

“Every attraction is different,” he says. “Indiana Jones typically has a refurbishment every year just because of the size of the attraction and the amount of work that goes into keeping this attraction up. It all depends on the needs for improving show quality or maintenance reliability.”

An audio-animatronic figure of Indiana Jones, which was disassembled and rebuilt during the recent refurbishment of the attraction.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Two key changes were made to the attraction in 2026. The most recent — and the reason for the ride’s downtime this fall — was something of a wishlist item, and that was changing the machinations that drive its first major show scene, the doors that lead guests face-to-face with Mara, the deity within the Temple of the Forbidden Eye that drives the ride’s action. Prior to the refurbishment, the doors were controlled by hydraulic actuators. Now they’re fully electric. In simple terms, DiBernardo says the doors are now easier to maintain, there’s no longer a risk of a hydraulic spill, and they should properly open and close with significantly more dependability.

That may not sound like a sexy ride enhancement, but it’s one that DiBernardo says will ensure Indiana Jones Adventure runs more efficiently. “In the past, when the old actuators would fail, the doors would have to remain open, ruining the guest’s show experience,” he explains. Not just that, but it slowed down the ride, as fewer cars could be dispatched so riders weren’t seeing the vehicle in front of them.

Nicholas DiBernardo gives a tour of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure, which just completed a six-week tune-up.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Elsewhere, DiBernardo says capacity was able to be increased by improving the loading and unloading process, again a change that will be invisible to guests. Essentially, the vehicles park more accurately.

DiBernardo, who works Disneyland’s third shift from 2 a.m. to 11 a.m., says this adjustment, a mix of hardware and software changes, was made over the course of the past year. The problem, oversimplified: Vehicles did not always park in their precise loading and unloading position. Because a theme park attraction needs to operate with extreme exactness to ensure guest safety, DiBernardo says that before this fix, operators would have to send vehicles through the temple sans guests to reset them.

“That was a major win for us,” says the lifelong San Pedro resident. The parking issue was completed in May, and it’s changed the ride’s capacity.

Skulls on Indiana Jones Adventure. The area received a cleaning and a lighting refresh.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Of course, a huge cause of downtime for a Disneyland attraction is often largely out of the park’s control. It’s us, the guests, who are the problem.

“Our No. 1 downtime driver is guest items,” DiBernardo says. “Guests will be on the attraction, and they’ll have a large water bottle or a backpack. All the vehicles have a pouch for them to store everything, but if they don’t do that, there’s many twists and turns throughout the ride, and those articles can fly out. We’ll have to stop the ride. Not only are we working on ways we can improve maintenance reliability, we’re also working with our operations to help notify guests to store their items.”

Nicholas DiBernardo, who helped lead the recent refurbishment of Indiana Jones Adventure, walks toward Mara, the deity within the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

To that end, each Indiana Jones Adventure vehicle has been outfitted with new, bigger pouches that should make it easier for riders to dump in their items. All of that should ensure more guests throughout the day can enjoy the attraction, and right now they’ll want to, as all the figures have been dusted, blacklight paint has been reapplied, and the Indiana Jones audio-animatronics have been disassembled and rebuilt.

Walking through the attraction on Thursday, DiBernardo pointed out how all the figures are currently moving with full mobility. The first time we see Indy he’s attempting to force shut a door, one that moves with the figure in front of vibrant animations. Later, he’s hanging over a guest in one of the ride’s grandest illusions, one designed to trick guests into believing the vehicle is reversing (it doesn’t move backward, but rather the walls shift) as a crater of a ball closes in on us.

Walking the track, I noticed many a detail I hadn’t seen on my hundreds of rides on the attraction over the decades. As Indy hovers above us, for instance, his legs and hips subtly shift. Elsewhere in the ride, when a vehicle dips down a hill, it’s actually going down steps. The latter are painted on the track, but DiBernardo notes that over time the cars eventually strip away the paint. I had never seen the stairs. Of course, it’s easy to be distracted by the skull in front of us hovering over a pit of lava, where many of the lights have now been refreshed.

Flames amid a decaying skull on Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Indiana Jones Adventure has changed over the years. Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning. But Indiana Jones Adventure remains one of the park’s most detailed attractions, one in which I’m still discovering artistic minutiae more than 30 years after it opened in 1995. And as the recent refurbishment proves, it’s an attraction that remains an ever-evolving work of art.

“The sky is the limit on what we can also add to this attraction,” DiBernardo teases. But for now, it looks good as new.

Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride comes out every Tuesday, but we occasionally publish special editions (like this one!) when we have breaking theme park news. Make sure you’ve signed up to be the first to know.

In the Cairngorms national park, the bracken is changing from dark green to russet and umber. Birch leaves are lined with gold, while the Scots pines remain proudly green. Autumn is arriving with a little sigh of relief here, after a summer few will forget.

The wildfire that began near Glenmore and Abernethy on 15 July burned more than 33 sq km (13 sq miles) of moorland and forest. More than 500 firefighters were involved; homes and businesses were evacuated; and the emergency response lasted over a month. Visiting now, it’s hard to see, or even imagine, the damage. Much of the burned area is high on the hill and far from the roads. It’s a huge loss but, in a national park stretching 4,528 sq km (1,748 sq miles), surprisingly easy to miss.

I have come with a gravel bike to retest new bikepacking routes with Kees Wouters and Yannick Ferbeek from Legendary Rides, which offers self-guided tours, and Bikepacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz, who helped develop the routes.

I arrive in Aviemore from Edinburgh on an electric Ember bus, which allows bikes to be booked on board, a welcome development in Scottish public transport. Soon I’m heading out of town through heather and Scots pines, my bike bags stuffed with everything I need for the next few days.

The original route would have taken us through Glenmore, past Loch Morlich and Ryvoan bothy, but there are still path closures. Instead, we take a new line towards Nethy Bridge. Sunlight falls through birch and rowan and the track is soft with pine needles. At Loch Garten, where ospreys nest in spring and summer, it is hard to imagine the smoke and helicopters of July.

Graham Niven lives in Nethy Bridge with his wife, Amy, and runs the self-catering business Arbor Nethy beside the forest. He joined the local volunteer firefighting effort coordinated by the RSPB, part of a huge community response. “We see the forest as an extension of our home,” Graham says. The Abernethy forest is ecologically rich, filled with ancient Caledonian pine trees that are hundreds of years old. “It’s a unique and special habitat, and it’s very fragile. We were all just grieving for the forest,” he tells me.

The news cycle has long moved on, but locals are still dealing with the effects of the wildfire. “Only in the last few weeks have we been able to look back on it as something that’s come to an end,” Graham says. Peat smouldered underground for months, meaning firefighters had to keep returning to hotspots.

While business has largely returned to usual, Graham has noticed a dip in bookings for photography workshops and holiday lets. “What is less measurable is people’s confidence in booking or coming back. The buzzwords were ‘apocalyptic fire’ and Abernethy and Nethy Bridge, Cairngorms, and that does stick in people’s minds. People think of Abernethy and say: ‘Oh, it’s been burned down.’ I think it’s less than 10% of the old forest affected.” Nearby, Polly Cameron at The Dell of Abernethy has seen the same effect: “Bookings wise, we certainly experienced a dip, and October has still been much slower to fill.” That matters in a landscape where tourism is a vital part of the local economy.

We ride on along the Speyside Way, following the river through woods and farmland. Then the landscape opens. The Cairngorms change character as you head east: deep forests give way to sheep, grouse moors, abandoned crofts and long gravel roads. This is whisky country too, and we ride through the grounds of Glenlivet Distillery. It’s after hours, or the smell of malted barley would have tempted me to stop.

By late afternoon the hills have turned heather-purple. We started late and by the time we reach Hotel Square in Tomintoul, darkness has settled. Our bikes go into a storage room and, happily, hot curry and cold beer are still available.

The next day is shorter but steeper, taking us on to sections of the old military roads built in the 18th century after the Jacobite risings. I’m reminded of that history later at Corgarff, a white fortress on the crest of a hill. Built in the 16th century and later converted into a barracks, it was used to suppress Jacobite sympathisers and, later, the illicit whisky trade.

We spend the second night at Cairngorm Bothies, off-grid cabins surrounded by Scots pines. In each, there’s a little nature journal and I leaf through pages of children’s handwriting with tales of red squirrels and deer. When the rain starts, any disappointment about missing out on seeing the dark skies is replaced by relief not to be camping.

With a flexible route we stop often, for photos, snacks and whenever the fancy takes us. We walk through woodland to visit Burn O’Vat, a huge glacial pothole in the Muir of Dinnet national nature reserve. At Ballater we stop for coffee and morning rolls at The Bothy while one of our group gets a quick bike repair. The route is deliberately forgiving, and Legendary Rides provides shorter alternatives for challenging weather or tired legs, with prebooked accommodation, a personalised plan, GPX routes and WhatsApp support. “It allows you to relax and just enjoy the ride,” says Yannick.

From Ballater we wind towards Loch Muick, through the Balmoral estate. After a long, winding ascent over Capel Mounth the riding becomes rougher, with a rocky descent. The gentle undulating roads that follow to Glen Clova are a welcome contrast as we roll to Alyth.

I’ve visited the Cairngorms region often in the past, but this trip broadens my awareness of the diversity of landscapes it holds. To mountain peaks and forest trails I add river valleys, whisky country, high moorland, farmland and roads so empty that the only sound is the freewheel of a bicycle.

But this is not untouched wilderness. We cross private estates managed for deer stalking and grouse shooting, as well as national nature reserves. Debates over the right ways to manage this land span centuries, with wildfire prevention now a key part of that conversation. Scotland’s right to responsible access allows us to pass through this landscape, provided we leave no trace, close gates and avoid disturbing livestock and wildlife.

Autumn is an ideal time for this kind of journey. The midges have retreated, the roads are emptier and there is still plenty of golden light in the days. Cycling through the area helps to support local cafes, shops and accommodation providers, and there’s never been a better time to do so. “We want people to know we’re still here, we’re still awesome,” says Graham.

My tired legs power me to a final Pitlochry cafe stop before my Ember bus back to Edinburgh.

The trip was provided by Legendary Rides and Bikepacking Scotland. Legendary Rides offers four-day bikepacking trips from £759pp, including detailed route planning, accommodation, breakfast and personal support via WhatsApp

Northern Ireland’s Glenn Irwin has been discharged from hospital after crashing in Sunday’s British Superbike round at Donington Park.

The 36-year-old was moved to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham after the incident because of “concern regarding a possible spinal fracture”.

However, there was a positive update from the British Superbike Championship.

It said that Irwin been “pronounced clear and discharged and will be reviewed for fitness to ride at Brands Hatch”.

Irwin crashed on the penultimate lap of the third BSB race of the weekend at Starkey’s Bridge.

He was assessed and treated at the medial centre at the circuit, and was conscious and stable throughout.

It is the second time that the Ducati rider has been taken to hospital after a crash this season.

Irwin sustained pelvic and neck injuries in a crash at Snetterton in July and missed the two remaining races that weekend.

BSB leader Kyle Ryde won the opening two races of the weekend at Donington but Scott Redding clinched the third and final outing to take the championship to the final weekend at Brands Hatch from 17-18 October.

A HUGE new land is opening at a European theme park you may have never heard of.

Efteling in the Netherlands is one of the oldest theme parks in the world, and often compared to Disneyland for its fairytale themes.

And now has revealed that it will reopen its Raveleijn land on December 1 after a €20million (£17.2million) upgrade.

The star of the show will be the new €5million (£4.3million) Ravenring attraction.

The new ride features 18 winged vehicles seating up to 36 people, inspired by the Raveleijn ravens and takes them on a flight-like ride.

The new city at the park will also have a new show launching at the same time called Battle for the City.

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The €10million (£8.6million) show will be packed with stunts and follows a dark force awakening on two characters’ wedding day where a battle then breaks out.

A total of €5million (£4.3million) has also been spent on upgrading the surrounding area including the De Verslaeghen Draek Inn which has a menu inspired by recipes travellers have collected from around the world.

There’s a new souvenir shop too – In den Ravenkorf – where visitors can pick up costumes, toys and other Raveleijn products.

Raveleijn originally opened back in 2011 and has been closed for nearly a year for upgrades to take place.

The area is themed around the story of five children who pass through a secret gate and transform into “brave riders”, according to the park.

They must then defend the city against evil.

Director of Product, Marketing & Image Koen Sanders: “The sets have been extensively revamped and Raveleijn is getting a brand-new show packed with spectacular stunts, created in collaboration with the French theme park Puy du Fou.

“At the heart of the story: when evil arises, the heroes of Raveleijn join forces.”