2 Kids,2 Dogs,1200 Miles: 2 More Weeks in FL 2 - Finished with a Blast! P40 [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

FreezinRafiki

08-30-2011, 03:41 PM

Ah, my fifth Trip Report. (If you haven't read the previous four, they're all linked in my signature.) Also, the third driving trip, so I decided to dust the mothballs off of the "2 Kids, 2 Dogs, 1200 Miles" moniker. I spiffed her up a bit with the "Patriotic Edition" because we were down at Walt Disney World over the 4th of July. She still looks pretty good for having that many miles on her, don't you think?

The downside to this being my 5th TR is that I'm running out of fresh themes. My last one was the surprise trip to Walt Disney World after a Houston vacation. The one before that was a trip where we took friends who had never been to Disney before. Then of course you have the two that started it all - the original "2 Kids, 2 Dogs, 1200 Miles" and it's sequel, "Cheese ball yak attack!"

So I'm facing a conundrum. How to do I inject enough spark into this report to keep it interesting? I mean, you can only say "then we went from Peter Pan to It's a Small World" so many times. I need a hook, a catch, some kind of overarching theme to set this TR apart from the others. I have a few ideas...we'll see which one takes root.

Also bearing down on me is that other item in my signature: 61 days until our first cruise. I want - no, I need - to finish this report before then. So, how do I squeeze 2 weeks of Florida Fun (not just Walt Disney World Fun, although there was plenty of that as well) into 60 days? Well, for one, I need to quit yaking and get to typing.

Or better yet, get to posting pictures:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xi6NAk4tKLQ/TlUj-DHpacI/AAAAAAAAKXA/K2I-JbbPk_w/s800/IMG_8060.JPG

That's us at the Polynesian, all fancied up in our Independence Day gear. I'll explain why we were there later, but I'll let you know right off the bat that we didn't stay there.

After 4 completed trip reports, many of you probably know who we are already. But for those new comers, I'll make sure you are all caught up to speed with the class.

Right to left, we have:
Barry (me!). Trip Report Narrator Extraordinaire! (Well, it sounds better than "That guy who writes those mildly amusing trip reports")
Evan (DS4). Official Son of the Trip Report Narrator Extraordinaire. Sports, dirt, breaking things, bugs & lizards, high energy - any "little boy" stereotype you can think of, he will probably fit it.
Madison (DD 6). Official Daughter of the Trip Report Narrator Extraordinaire. Pink & Purple, Princesses, dolls, lace. Again, think of any "little girl" stereotype, she's the epitome of it.
Bambi (DW). Official Wife of the Trip Report Narrator Extraordinaire. Don't bother thinking of any stereotypes here. She's just plain awesome in every way.

Several others will be introduced as I get around to them. It's not like they're secondary characters or anything, but they just missed the cutoff for first post prestige.

So, I'll leave you here temporarily while I put the finishing touches on my last trip report. We'll then gather back here around the fire as people of all lands have gathered for thousands and thousands of years before us... to share the light... and to share a story. An amazing story as old as time itself, but still being written. *

*Sharpe eyed readers will realize that I totally ripped that off from Jim Cumming's monologue before Illuminations.

Table of Contents
Time to Saddle Up and Ride (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42482918&postcount=47)
Keeping Our [Van] Cool (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42529139&postcount=90)
In which we drive further away from Disney World (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42555499&postcount=124)
Let the Magic Begin! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42616126&postcount=143)
A Magic Kingdom Afternoon (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42644219&postcount=175)
The End of Our First Day at Disney (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42654008&postcount=182)
A Day at SeaWorld in 1 Entry (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42708020&postcount=207)
And the Rain Rain Rain came Down Down Down (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43050633&postcount=239)
Riding Out the Storm (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43051116&postcount=242)
Typhoon Lagoon - with a real typhoon! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43195900&postcount=277)
Mickey's Backyard BBQ I (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43266539&postcount=299)
Mickey's Backyard BBQ II (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43266548&postcount=300)
It's time to take over the Tri-State Area! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43310174&postcount=316)
DHS Continued... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43310178&postcount=317)
More Magic Kingdom (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43367007&postcount=334)
More Magic Kingdom Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43367014&postcount=335)
More Magic Kingdom Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43367020&postcount=336)
Animal Kingdom & Garden Grill (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43509982&postcount=357)
Animal Kingdom & Garden Grill Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43509985&postcount=358)
Independence Day Morning (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43556118&postcount=381)
Chow Time! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43635611&postcount=403)
The Calm Before the Storm (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43719270&postcount=435)
Blowing Stuff Up in the Name of Patriotism. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43719258&postcount=434)
Off Property. WAY off Property (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43850046&postcount=453)
Gatorland, Vol 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43892091&postcount=473)
Gatorland, Vol 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43908785&postcount=493)
Gatorland, Vol 3 "The dumbest thing I've ever done" (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43958488&postcount=508)
Gatorland, Vol 4 "But I get to hold the snake" (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43988740&postcount=549)
A Major time in the Minors (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44018088&postcount=566)
The Flight (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44123543&postcount=598)

KatMark

08-30-2011, 04:21 PM

Reporting for duty, sir. ;)

Seriously, I'm thrilled for another Barry trip report.

Jazzabelle508

08-30-2011, 04:21 PM

I'm in :) Can't wait to hear about this trip :) Btw I have followed along on you other TR's and enjoyed them :) I noticed that you live in southeastern wisconsin, I live in Northeastern Illinois and often go by racine on my way to milwaukee, door county and sometimes a day trip to cedarburg wisconsin. I almost went to school at carthage which is right by there.

mom3sonstt

08-30-2011, 04:57 PM

Joining in! Can't wait to hear more adventures from your crew. And as for "sparking" it up.....I'm not worried....if all else fails just throw some pictures of your kids up there doing what they do and it will sparkle!

Stringbean&Wingnut

08-30-2011, 05:01 PM

chloe770

08-30-2011, 07:15 PM

Here! I will read after the kiddies are in bed.

afwdwfan

08-30-2011, 07:39 PM

Another FreezinRafiki trip report? Ok, I'm in. I must be a sucker for pun-ishment.

KatMark

08-30-2011, 07:43 PM

Another FreezinRafiki trip report? Ok, I'm in. I must be a sucker for pun-ishment.

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

glennbo123

08-30-2011, 07:51 PM

Signing up for another installment of the FreezinRafiki family! :woohoo:

Captain_Oblivious

08-30-2011, 08:10 PM

Dude, how did I get this far down the list? I must be slipping in my old age.

E3yore

08-30-2011, 08:11 PM

So I'm facing a conundrum. How to do I inject enough spark into this report to keep it interesting? I mean, you can only say "then we went from Peter Pan to It's a Small World" so many times. I need a hook, a catch, some kind of overarching theme to set this TR apart from the others. I have a few ideas...we'll see which one takes root.

I have some ideas but we know you won't listen. So in your punness at least don't forget the major details (or the minor ones).

Poolrat

08-30-2011, 08:27 PM

I'm in!!! Hey, I'm okay with any ripped-off Illuminations references! (I was trying to awkwardly add in some reference to "We Go On" to that previous sentence, but it wasn't really working...oh well...:laughing:)

Ok I'll try

Totally loving the Illunimations reference and that "we go on" your trip with you. :confused3

Glad to be here.

Turkey Lurkey

08-30-2011, 08:34 PM

I'm in. It might give me the inspiration to finish my own trip report.

TL

katoot

08-30-2011, 08:37 PM

I'm in. It might give me the inspiration to finish my own trip report.

TL

Ditto.

theduck619

08-30-2011, 08:40 PM

I'm in.....you had me at Disney :rotfl2:

petals

08-30-2011, 08:54 PM

I'm in too :goodvibes

baseballmickey

08-30-2011, 11:59 PM

I'm in too!!

scott2997

08-31-2011, 07:38 AM

I'm in....better late than never!

dvc4life

08-31-2011, 07:54 AM

Ok, I'm here. Let's get this party started! :worship:

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

08-31-2011, 08:34 AM

Late to the party, but along for the ride :thumbsup2

Now… someone pass that tub of cheeseballs on over this way so I can get a big ol’ hand full.

Bethislucy

08-31-2011, 08:43 AM

Sounds like another great trip can't wait to hear all about it.

budafam

08-31-2011, 09:47 AM

Love your reports! Maybe it's because we're both from Wisconsin... looking forward to reading about the trip down :)

DEA

08-31-2011, 02:09 PM

Once more, into the breach...

I think I ripped that off from some English dude. Not nearly as good as the Illuminations intro.

amyrella

08-31-2011, 02:34 PM

I'm here too! And I wouldn't be subscribed to multiple TR if I didn't want to hear redundancy! I need my Disney fix somehow!!

Plus I'd like to hear updates on how Bambi is feeling!

IheartDDuck

08-31-2011, 09:24 PM

I'm in. I've lurked on your other reports and I'm glad there's one I can hop on board with!

Dugette

08-31-2011, 09:27 PM

I'm here and excited to read about another FreezinRafiki adventure!

Mrs. Gumdrop

08-31-2011, 10:13 PM

Whoo Hoo! I snuck in before you posted again. Count me in too!

that's nice

09-01-2011, 05:50 AM

Hey there nemesis! :wave2:

Glad you are still here with us and didn't fall off a cliff.:rolleyes1popcorn::popcorn::

I am going to try and keep up with this one..... :rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1

Oh yea... hiya Bambi.:wave2::wave2:

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 08:36 PM

Reporting for duty, sir. ;)

Seriously, I'm thrilled for another Barry trip report.
I think proper Internet protocol demands that when you are the first to comment on a thread you are required to post "FIRST!"

Thank you for not doing that. Great to have you here, Kathy!

I'm in :) Can't wait to hear about this trip :) Btw I have followed along on you other TR's and enjoyed them :) I noticed that you live in southeastern wisconsin, I live in Northeastern Illinois and often go by racine on my way to milwaukee, door county and sometimes a day trip to cedarburg wisconsin. I almost went to school at carthage which is right by there.
Glad you're here! They say all roads lead to Rome, well, all roads lead past Racine. I go by the Carthage campus all the time. It looks really nice right there on the lake!

Joining in! Can't wait to hear more adventures from your crew. And as for "sparking" it up.....I'm not worried....if all else fails just throw some pictures of your kids up there doing what they do and it will sparkle!

Hi Tanya! Good point - maybe I won't do any words this time. (Hey, why do I hear applause?)

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 08:40 PM

I'm in!!! Hey, I'm okay with any ripped-off Illuminations references! (I was trying to awkwardly add in some reference to "We Go On" to that previous sentence, but it wasn't really working...oh well...:laughing:)
Most of my references are awkward anyway. Feel free to join in!

Here! I will read after the kiddies are in bed.
Welcome!

Another FreezinRafiki trip report? Ok, I'm in. I must be a sucker for pun-ishment.
You know, I was thinking about not doing any puns this time....

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
...although I appear to have some sort of reputation. :sad2:

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 08:43 PM

Signing up for another installment of the FreezinRafiki family! :woohoo:
Wonderful! We'll try not to disappoint. :thumbsup2

Dude, how did I get this far down the list? I must be slipping in my old age.
Nah, you work for the DOT. Your used to taking forever to do basic tasks. :rotfl2::rotfl2: (Welcome, anyway, though!)

I have some ideas but we know you won't listen. So in your punness at least don't forget the major details (or the minor ones).
I never forget things. As author, I utilize artistic liberty as to what facts are needed. :rolleyes1

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 08:47 PM

Ok I'll try

Totally loving the Illunimations reference and that "we go on" your trip with you. :confused3

Glad to be here.
Perfect! Welcome to the party!

I'm in. It might give me the inspiration to finish my own trip report.

TL
Welcome! Maybe this will help:

TURKEY! DO YOUR TRIP REPORT! OR ELSE!

Ditto.
Welcome! (See above for inspiration. Substitue "katoot" for "Turkey")
But I need to do me a favor. Since you're a day ahead of us, don't post spoilers to my updates. Just sit quietly until the rest of us catch up. Thanks.:thumbsup2

I'm in.....you had me at Disney :rotfl2:
Well, I hate to break it to you, but there will be some non-Disney parts. Feel free to skip over those if you want.

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 08:52 PM

I'm in too :goodvibes
Welcome! Glad you made it!
I'm in too!!
Yippie! Great to have you!
[Shameless Plug - if you're not reading baseballmickey's TR, do it. It's very well written]

I'm in....better late than never!
You're not late. I didn't post an actual update yet, so you're technically early.

Ok, I'm here. Let's get this party started! :worship:
The party will start soon...ish. :)

middlepat

09-01-2011, 08:56 PM

The party may now begin, as I have made my fashionably late entrance. :rotfl2:

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 08:58 PM

Late to the party, but along for the ride :thumbsup2

Now… someone pass that tub of cheeseballs on over this way so I can get a big ol’ hand full.
Glad to have you here. Just wipe your hands on your pants before you type replies. You can't get that orange out of your keyboard.

Sounds like another great trip can't wait to hear all about it.
It was a great trip! Welcome to the story!

Love your reports! Maybe it's because we're both from Wisconsin... looking forward to reading about the trip down :)
Thanks for going in!
You've done the drive, so you know how fun it is, don't you?
If you don't mind me asking, what part of the state are you from?

Once more, into the breach...

I think I ripped that off from some English dude. Not nearly as good as the Illuminations intro.
Well, in intrest of full disclosure, I had to look up the exact text. It's not like I knew it off of the top of my head. OK, I knew most it. Welcome!

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 09:01 PM

I'm here too! And I wouldn't be subscribed to multiple TR if I didn't want to hear redundancy! I need my Disney fix somehow!!

Plus I'd like to hear updates on how Bambi is feeling!
Well, there will be plenty of Disney, I can promise that!
Bambi is doing OK - considering there is small human growing inside of her.

I'm in. I've lurked on your other reports and I'm glad there's one I can hop on board with!
Thanks for coming out of lurkdom and welcome to the report!

I'm here and excited to read about another FreezinRafiki adventure!
I'll try not to disappoint! Thanks for coming back for more.

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 09:04 PM

Whoo Hoo! I snuck in before you posted again. Count me in too!
Now you can tell everyone you know about how you were here from the very beginning! Welcome!

Hey there nemesis! :wave2:

Glad you are still here with us and didn't fall off a cliff.:rolleyes1popcorn::popcorn::

I am going to try and keep up with this one..... :rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1

Oh yea... hiya Bambi.:wave2::wave2:
Hi Tim!

You're right, I didn't fall off a cliff. I ran off it.

Glad you made it. I'm sure you have so much free time now to devote to my TR. :rolleyes1

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 09:06 PM

The party may now begin, as I have made my fashionably late entrance. :rotfl2:

I'm sure you just tried to time it just so you got your own personal welcome. Well, it's not going to work. :mad:

Crud, yes it did. Welcome to story time!

FreezinRafiki

09-01-2011, 09:24 PM

Well, while I prepare the first update to this TR, I thought I'd let everyone in about Tim's comment about "falling off a cliff". I posted this earlier in the DIS Dad's Club, but it's worth a copy/paste here as well. I apologize that it's long and not Disney related (well maybe a little bit - Madison has a Princess Bike Helmet)

I took it upon myself this summer to finally get the training wheels off of the kids bikes. My 4 year old son (Evan) took to it like a fish to water. I don't want to brag (Ok, maybe a little bit), but he has some pretty awesome natural athletic ability. His training wheels were off and it only took 3 or 4 trips down the block for him to mostly master the two wheeler.

My six year old daughter (Madison) needed more help. She's kind of one that if she can't do it perfectly the first time, she doesn't want to do it. It look a little more effort, but she eventually got decent at it.

So Sunday morning rolls around. While much of the east coast was dealing with Hurricane Irene, the weather in Wisconsin was absolutely beautiful - mid 70s and sunny. So we all decide to head down to Lake Michigan - which just under a mile from our house. DS, DW and DD all ride their bikes, but I decided to jog along with DD, as she still needed a little help once in a while.

We stopped at a park across the street from the lake and played for a little bit, but then decided to go down to the water to and dip our toes in. Now, in this particular area, between the beach and the road are 60'-70' bluffs. The city has done a very nice job putting in a biking/jogging/roller skating path along the lake. Right next to the park we were at it runs along the top of the bluff, then angles down to the beach.

We left the park, intending to cross the street and take the path down to the beach. Madison took her new found proficiency on the bike for granted and took off a little bit too quick. I sprinted after her, yelling for her to hit the breaks. She panicked and froze up. All she could do was grip the handle bars and scream. As she crossed the path heading for the bluff I got within about a foot of grabbing her, but no closer. Her bike crossed the grass strip between the trail and the edge of the bluff and started accelerating.

Luckily, the bluff is not straight down, but it is as a very steep angle - probably 75°-80°. That spot is also thick with vegetation. A lot of light, leafy underbrush types of plants, but also a lot of plants that remind me of bamboo - 6 or so feet tall and about an inch in diameter. They were hollow inside, yet had thick walls. These were our saving grace - as you hit them, they slowed you down, but then broke so it wasn't like hitting an oak tree. (Which coincidentally was just down the path)

So, Madison is on her bike, heading down the cliff. I wasn't going to let her go alone, so kept on running after her. Well at that steep of an angle, you don't run for long. I went down fast and started hitting those plants, hearing Madison screaming the entire time. The foliage was so thick that you couldn't see more than a foot or two in any direction. Not that you could anyway, going that fast everything was just a blur.

I must have taken a slightly different path down the bluff, because I saw the glittery pink and purple streamers of Madison's bike as I slid by, just to her right. She has come to a stop in a thicket of plants. Being much heavier, I had more momentum to stop and ended up sliding past her by about 7 or 8 feet. I scrambled back up to her, trying to dig my running shoes into the dirt and using the stalks of the plants as braces and anchors.

I finally reached Madison, finding her on her back, one foot caught in the bike, another tangled up in the plants about 3 feet off the ground. I tried to find out what hurt the most and she said her belly (he has about an 8 inch scrape on it) and her foot. I don't have much (or really, any) medical training, but I took it as a good sign that her head, neck or back didn't hurt. I was able to lift her, untangle her from the bike and plants and start helping her up the hill.

By this time, several people that witnessed the events came running to help. One had started down the trail we had blazed through the brush. I was able to help push Madison up to his outstretched hand and he helped pull her up to a visibly shaken Bambi an Evan. (Bambi later told me that after she jumped off her bike at the top of the bluff, Evan had grabbed her and pulled her back, fearing that she was too close to the edge.)

With the help of the random stranger, I was able to pull Madison's bike up behind me while Bambi calmed Madison down to find out if anything else hurt. In the end, all we ended up with were scratches, bruises, and one heck of a scare.

We thanked everyone that stopped to help, then walked down the paved trail to the beach. After we got back on level ground, Bambi convinced Madison to get back on her bike and ride some more. She was a bit hesitant, but she got back on started riding.

We worked on braking during the ride home, but by the time we made it back she was riding like a natural.

We always make the kids wear helmets while riding their bikes (Bambi and I do it too, lest we be hypocrites.) The kids have often seen other children in the neighborhood riding sans helmet and asked if they could. We've always said it was for their own protection. Both kids now know exactly what we mean when we say to wear your helmet for your own good.

And yes, it was pretty hard to get out of bed this morning. Not only did I fall/slide down the bluff that morning, I went back again that afternoon and climbed down, looking for my glasses. I don't remember if I had them on while I was jogging, but I certainly haven't seen them since. I have an appointment this afternoon with the optometrist to a new pair. But that's a small price to pay compared to how bad the day could have turned out.

Poolrat

09-01-2011, 09:40 PM

And yes, it was pretty hard to get out of bed this morning. Not only did I fall/slide down the bluff that morning, I went back again that afternoon and climbed down, looking for my glasses. I don't remember if I had them on while I was jogging, but I certainly haven't seen them since. I have an appointment this afternoon with the optometrist to a new pair. But that's a small price to pay compared to how bad the day could have turned out.[/INDENT]

:scared1::scared1::scared1: How scary!!!! Glad everyone is Ok - except for your glasses.

Some day this whole episode will be looked back on with a strange fond memory. You were Madison's hero that day and she was able to conquer the fear and lose the training wheels.

I look forward to seeing the new glasses. Yes it is a small price to pay.

KatMark

09-01-2011, 09:47 PM

Barry, I remember reading this on FB. I am so glad it was not worse than it was and that there were no broken bones, etc. And it seems that Madison's spirit was not broken and she got back on that bike and, as you said, "has become a natural."

I'm sorry about your glasses...but such a small price to pay for the two of you to be okay.

glennbo123

09-01-2011, 09:47 PM

Wow! That must have been a horrifying experience....I'm glad that everyone was basically okay, considering it could have been much worse.

chloe770

09-01-2011, 09:48 PM

Wow! Scary!:scared1: I'm glad everyone is ok. How brave of Madison to get back on her bike after such a fall.

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 08:19 AM

Some day this whole episode will be looked back on with a strange fond memory. You were Madison's hero that day and she was able to conquer the fear and lose the training wheels.
We're already laughing about it. It's now the "go to" saying around our house:
Me [looking at Madison's dirty shirt]: What happened to you? Did you fall off a cliff or something?
Madison: No, I rode my bike off one.

I look forward to seeing the new glasses. Yes it is a small price to pay.
Me too. They won't be ready until late next week. :headache:

Barry, I remember reading this on FB. I am so glad it was not worse than it was and that there were no broken bones, etc. And it seems that Madison's spirit was not broken and she got back on that bike and, as you said, "has become a natural."

I'm sorry about your glasses...but such a small price to pay for the two of you to be okay.
A thousand things ran through my head as we went down. Of of which was "hmm....there are some very large rocks at the base of this bluff somewhere around here. I wonder where they are?"

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 08:20 AM

Wow! That must have been a horrifying experience....I'm glad that everyone was basically okay, considering it could have been much worse.
Yes, we had someone watching out for us that day. :littleangel:
Wow! Scary!:scared1: I'm glad everyone is ok. How brave of Madison to get back on her bike after such a fall.
It was part bravery, but also part Bambi and I not letting her quit. You can't stop riding a bike just because you fall off one cliff.

That should be in a fortune cookie somewhere....

Captain_Oblivious

09-02-2011, 09:13 AM

Nah, you work for the DOT. Your used to taking forever to do basic tasks. :rotfl2::rotfl2: (Welcome, anyway, though!)

I heard a radio broadcast the other day. They were praising the DOT for getting a road open so quickly after having been flooded out from the hurricane. I figured that given the earthquake, tornadoes, and hurricane, positive public comments about the DOT were yet another sign of the apocalypse.

Me too. They won't be ready until late next week. :headache:

Can you rig something out of old Coke bottles?

It was part bravery, but also part Bambi and I not letting her quit. You can't stop riding a bike just because you fall off one cliff.

That should be in a fortune cookie somewhere....

I like it! But I'm still proud of her for getting back on.

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 09:47 AM

Well, since this TR is entitled "2 Kids, 2 Dogs, 1200 Miles...", I guess I'd better get to introducing the two dogs. Well, really one dog, one odd dog/cat hybrid.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-st2CCUjg2_A/TmDAe7btsgI/AAAAAAAAKZI/V40HSqwyDT4/s800/DSCF0714.JPG

On the right is Pepper. We're not sure exactly what he is (we got him as a rescue.) When people ask what breed he is, we usually respond in one of two ways:

Part Lab, part Spaniel, Part Stupid (He's lovable and very protective of the kids, but honestly, sometimes I swear he's about a bright a box of hammers)
Holstein
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5SUzisnZm-o/TmDZz0lCEWI/AAAAAAAAKZw/sjRiF-84qcg/s400/Friesian-Holstein.jpg
See? Because we're from Wisconsin. We have cows everywhere. It's even our State's Official Domestic Animal (http://homeschooling.about.com/library/blwidomani.htm).

On the left is Allie. She was also a rescue, but we know what she is: part Rat Terrier, part Australian Cattle Dog. Also part cat. Let me explain: her previous owners had her since she was a puppy. They also had two cats. So she learned much of her mannerisms from them. For example: laying around in the sun and being completely ambivalent to the presence of humans - except for when she wants to play. Madison wants a cat so bad, and every time she asks, we just say "we already have Allie, why do you want another cat?"

Our plan for the trip was to drive down and stay with Bambi's parents in Lakeland, FL. You thought we were staying onsite for 2 weeks? With the dogs? I just checked - to board two dogs at Disney's Kennel, even at the resort guest rate - is over $900. (Cats are a little cheaper, but I don't think they charge on mannerisms, just on biologically what your pet is supposed to be.)

So, for not having to pay a dog sitter at home or in Florida, we decided to bring them with us. Pepper is already pretty skittish about new experiences, so sticking him in the cargo hold of an airplane would not be a good idea. We'd pick him up at the airport and he'd be shaking in the back corner of his kennel, completely hairless and chain smoking Marlboros. (No, I don't know where he would have gotten them from or how he would light them. But the vision in my head was funny, so I included it here.)

With that our plans were finalized - we would drive the 1200 miles (hey, isn't the name of this report "2 Kids, 2 Dog, 1200 miles"? Yes, yes it is. It's not a coincidence.). We've driven twice to Florida already, so we knew we could do it without having to vote someone out of the van half way there. We packed everything up and left home at about 3:45 on Friday, June 28. Yes, we did the math and realized this would put in Chicago at rush hour. Our philosophy was this - we'd rather sit in rush hour traffic with the possibility of getting lucky than sit around home for 3 hours, then go.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zjWMHyDws2A/TmDAfCO4viI/AAAAAAAAKZM/XyEFnhw-jyQ/s800/DSCF0715.JPG

Everyone was excited to go! Even the plant we had packed in the back (that was from Bambi's Grandfather's funeral back in February. Bambi's dad wanted the plant, but didn't want to take it on the plane. We plantsat for 5 months, then brought it with us).

Last but not least, our navigator for the trip - Perry the Platypus.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Ue6tUFiNJSs/TmDAfoTPtMI/AAAAAAAAKZQ/ssQ-6O2y3S0/s800/DSCF0716.JPG

Well, we did get stuck in Chicago rush hour. According to the GPS, we only lost about 30 minutes though, which wasn't so bad.

The drive was pretty uneventful - which is a good thing. Every trip where we don't have to stop and clean up vomit is a good trip in my book. We drove straight through again, stopping for gas, potty and driver changes every 3-4 hours or so. This was taken at 1:18am, which would probably put us somewhere around Tennessee. And, as we have every single time we drove though, we saw the majestic Smokey Mountains of Tennessee in complete darkness.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7FmbjexVb4I/TmDAfzSSlQI/AAAAAAAAKZU/0w1ZedftzMA/s800/DSCF0721.JPG

To keep the kids engaged in the drive (or possibly to keep them from turning on us, mutilating our bodies and leaving us in a ditch in remote Georgia) the kids get a small gift at every state line. One of Evan's gifts was Lego Indiana Jones for his DS. We didn't hear a peep from him for over an hour.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wPSodpl4AIE/TmDAgNID6KI/AAAAAAAAKZY/f4WgH-0bmeo/s800/DSCF0724.JPG

Madison, ever the fashionista, is modeling her new purse.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S7bM9-xMTOs/TmDAgdLW3-I/AAAAAAAAKZc/XV8rSYw4XZM/s800/DSCF0725.JPG

The dogs are pretty good riders. Basically they get to do what they would be doing at home - sleeping. But even that gets a bit taxing after 18 hours in the van.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RxdLVCK11dg/TmDAgxxfVNI/AAAAAAAAKZg/7Di_Ruq9laA/s800/DSCF0727.JPG

Notice Perry has turned around to watch the road and make sure we are going the right way.

And then - my world came crashing down. 6/25/2011 10:12 AM. In the middle of nowhere South Georgia, I found a Cheese Doodle in my Cheese Balls. I can't even describe how I felt. Hurt. Rejected. Sad. Angry. Confused. You know that feeling when you find an onion ring in your french fries? And how happy you are, like you just won the food lottery? Yeah, this feeling is the exact opposite of that.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OrbyQnIIcD4/TmDAhAsFMuI/AAAAAAAAKZk/HIfGYd_StSQ/s800/DSCF0728.JPG

I ate it anyway, but I didn't feel good about it.

For anyone that's done this drive, you know that from Atlanta south is the worst part. The scenery can generously be described as "barren", and you've still got 10 hours to go. Our last gas/potty stop showed just about how everyone is feeling.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nY7vhX8J3Cg/TmDAhQ2fYNI/AAAAAAAAKZo/F9oxIvq1hqE/s800/DSCF0736.JPG

Compare that to the first picture of the kids in this post. Heck, even the plant looks depressed.

But we pressed on and made it to Grandma & Grandpa's house by early afternoon on Saturday. 19 hours and 40 minutes - shattering our previous record! (Never mind the fact that Bambi's parents recently moved from the south side of town to the north, easily cutting 20-30 minutes off the drive)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I0e-el9hd94/TmDkYF2lZfI/AAAAAAAAKaM/vOXHNVcGFY4/s800/IMG00294-20110625-1236.jpg

Coming Up Next: "Do you think we should just trade [the van] in and buy a new one?"

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 09:49 AM

I heard a radio broadcast the other day. They were praising the DOT for getting a road open so quickly after having been flooded out from the hurricane. I figured that given the earthquake, tornadoes, and hurricane, positive public comments about the DOT were yet another sign of the apocalypse.
Ah, yes. The fifth horsemen. Conquest, War, Famine, Death, and a productive DOT.

Can you rig something out of old Coke bottles?

What do I look like, an engineer?

I like it! But I'm still proud of her for getting back on.
:thumbsup2

afwdwfan

09-02-2011, 10:07 AM

When people ask what breed he is, we usually respond in one of two ways:

Part Lab, part Spaniel, Part Stupid (He's lovable and very protective of the kids, but honestly, sometimes I swear he's about a bright a box of hammers)

Holstein
I'd definitely go with holstein... :lmao::rotfl2:

Madison wants a cat so bad, and every time she asks, we just say "we already have Allie, why do you want another cat?"
Well you have a cow and a cat... maybe she should ask for a "dog" :confused3

(No, I don't know where he would have gotten them from or how he would light them. But the vision in my head was funny, so I included it here.)
Sometimes the things in your head really should just stay there. :rolleyes1

We drove straight through again, stopping for gas, potty and driver changes every 3-4 hours or so.
When did Evan get his driving shift?

The dogs are pretty good riders. Basically they get to do what they would be doing at home - sleeping. But even that gets a bit taxing after 18 hours in the van.
I think the dog riding shotgun shows us where you stand in the family hierarchy.:lmao::rotfl2:

Notice Perry has turned around to watch the road and make sure we are going the right way.
Or maybe he's looking for Dr. Doofenschmirtz and his rocket van stopinator?:confused3

I found a Cheese Doodle in my Cheese Balls.
:eek::scared1: I will continue my boycott on your behalf. :rolleyes1

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I0e-el9hd94/TmDkYF2lZfI/AAAAAAAAKaM/vOXHNVcGFY4/s800/IMG00294-20110625-1236.jpg
Wow... that average speed is WEAK. But with a slow top speed like that what can we expect? :confused3

Coming Up Next: "Do you think we should just trade [the van] in and buy a new one?"
Always a phrase you want to say when you're 1200 miles from home... :eek:

Captain_Oblivious

09-02-2011, 11:09 AM

See? Because we're from Wisconsin. We have cows everywhere. It's even our State's Official Domestic Animal (http://homeschooling.about.com/library/blwidomani.htm).
[/LIST]

The resemblance is amazing! But watch out for the milk. :crazy2:

I just checked - to board two dogs at Disney's Kennel, even at the resort guest rate - is over $900.

Do they get admission to the parks?

We'd pick him up at the airport and he'd be shaking in the back corner of his kennel, completely hairless and chain smoking Marlboros. (No, I don't know where he would have gotten them from or how he would light them. But the vision in my head was funny, so I included it here.)

I don't care what Andy says, I thought it was funny. This may or may not be comforting to you.

Everyone was excited to go! Even the plant we had packed in the back

It does look rather perky.

Every trip where we don't have to stop and clean up vomit is a good trip in my book.

Mine too! If I had a book.

To keep the kids engaged in the drive (or possibly to keep them from turning on us, mutilating our bodies and leaving us in a ditch in remote Georgia) the kids get a small gift at every state line.

I had no idea this was even a possibility! I might have re-considered my road trip otherwise.

One of Evan's gifts was Lego Indiana Jones for his DS. We didn't hear a peep from him for over an hour.

I love that game! :thumbsup2 :woohoo: Or...um, my kids do. :rolleyes1

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S7bM9-xMTOs/TmDAgdLW3-I/AAAAAAAAKZc/XV8rSYw4XZM/s800/DSCF0725.JPG

Someone looks very proud of herself.

And then - my world came crashing down. 6/25/2011 10:12 AM. In the middle of nowhere South Georgia, I found a Cheese Doodle in my Cheese Balls. I can't even describe how I felt. Hurt. Rejected. Sad. Angry. Confused. You know that feeling when you find an onion ring in your french fries? And how happy you are, like you just won the food lottery? Yeah, this feeling is the exact opposite of that.

:sad2: I'm picturing you, looking through the sun roof at the heavens, arms outstretched and shouting "WHHYYYYY???!!!"

Our last gas/potty stop showed just about how everyone is feeling.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nY7vhX8J3Cg/TmDAhQ2fYNI/AAAAAAAAKZo/F9oxIvq1hqE/s800/DSCF0736.JPG

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I0e-el9hd94/TmDkYF2lZfI/AAAAAAAAKaM/vOXHNVcGFY4/s800/IMG00294-20110625-1236.jpg

Ok, spill it. The max speed was achieved with whom behind the wheel? :confused3

Normangirls

09-02-2011, 11:11 AM

Holstein

:laughing:I love it!

Pepper is already pretty skittish about new experiences, so sticking him in the cargo hold of an airplane would not be a good idea. We'd pick him up at the airport and he'd be shaking in the back corner of his kennel, completely hairless and chain smoking Marlboros. (No, I don't know where he would have gotten them from or how he would light them. But the vision in my head was funny, so I included it here.)

:rotfl2:

Every trip where we don't have to stop and clean up vomit is a good trip in my book.

That eliminates half of my daily trips to WalMart.

I ate it anyway, but I didn't feel good about it.

Of course you did.

I'm generally a lurker, but I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS on your news from the other thread, and thank you for continuing your TRs. I really enjoy them a lot -- very witty, and love the pics.

Also, :scared1: on your little bike adventure! I bet Madison was scared to death. Oh, and you too.

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-02-2011, 11:11 AM

Time to Saddle Up and Ride!

"Whoop-ee-ti-yi-o get along little doggies,
You know that Central Florida will be your new home?"

1. Part Lab, part Spaniel, Part Stupid (He's lovable and very protective of the kids, but honestly, sometimes I swear he's about a bright a box of hammers)

2. Holstein

How about Part lab, part Holstein, part sack-o-hammers?

"we already have Allie, why do you want another cat?"

To be ignored on a monumental scale

I just checked - to board two dogs at Disney's Kennel, even at the resort guest rate - is over $900. (Cats are a little cheaper, but I don't think they charge on mannerisms, just on biologically what your pet is supposed to be.)

What about Holsteins?

We'd pick him up at the airport and he'd be shaking in the back corner of his kennel, completely hairless and chain smoking Marlboros. (No, I don't know where he would have gotten them from or how he would light them. But the vision in my head was funny, so I included it here.)

Oh I’m sure that there would have been plenty of cigarettes amongst all the rest of the contraband in the hold of that plane. And he could have just gotten Allie to light it for him.

Everyone was excited to go! Even the plant we had packed in the back

I suspect it was your promise of cheeseball fertilized that sealed the deal for the plant

Every trip where we don't have to stop and clean up vomit is a good trip in my book.

What it lacked in excitement, it made up for in… ummmmm… lacking excitement.

And, as we have every single time we drove though, we saw the majestic Smokey Mountains of Tennessee in complete darkness.

There are a few roads through the mountains where it’s better that you don’t actually know just what is (and how far down it is) on the other side of the guardrail that your just about to drive through.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RxdLVCK11dg/TmDAgxxfVNI/AAAAAAAAKZg/7Di_Ruq9laA/s800/DSCF0727.JPG

“Dude… pass the cheeseballs.”

Notice Perry has turned around to watch the road and make sure we are going the right way.

You mean you didn’t drive the whole thing in reverse?

…I found a Cheese Doodle in my Cheese Balls. I can't even describe how I felt. Hurt. Rejected. Sad. Angry. Confused…

I’m sure there’s a support group for this somewhere on the “internets”

For anyone that's done this drive, you know that from Atlanta south is the worst part. The scenery can generously be described as "barren", and you've still got 10 hours to go.

I drive through that country regularly. Believe him on this one. You can even see the photographic evidence here:

Part 2: Interstate Blues ( http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42005435&postcount=61)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nY7vhX8J3Cg/TmDAhQ2fYNI/AAAAAAAAKZo/F9oxIvq1hqE/s800/DSCF0736.JPG

Looks like Evan just let one loose and Madison is giving him the stink-eye as if to say: “Really… you couldn’t hold that in just a bit longer?”

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I0e-el9hd94/TmDkYF2lZfI/AAAAAAAAKaM/vOXHNVcGFY4/s800/IMG00294-20110625-1236.jpg

I’m assuming that the “Max Speed” figure was accomplished while traversing those majestic mountains in the dark (in reverse)

KatMark

09-02-2011, 11:17 AM

afwdwfan

09-02-2011, 11:26 AM

I don't care what Andy says, I thought it was funny. This may or may not be comforting to you.

I'll admit, I thought it was funny too. I still stand by my statement though... especially with Barry.:lmao:

KatMark

09-02-2011, 11:39 AM

Looks like Evan just let one loose and Madison is giving him the stink-eye as if to say: “Really… you couldn’t hold that in just a bit longer?”

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

IheartDDuck

09-02-2011, 12:02 PM

I hate driving through Chicago rush hour! But I often ask myself. When is it not rush hour in Chicago? :rolleyes1

Conversely, I would be disappointed if I found a cheese ball within my cheese doodles. ;)

I had a cat that thought she was a dog. Just too nice and needy to be a cat, truly.

3sweetpeas

09-02-2011, 12:15 PM

It was part bravery, but also part Bambi and I not letting her quit. You can't stop riding a bike just because you fall off one cliff.

That should be in a fortune cookie somewhere....

I literally had tears in my eyes one minute and then laughing (out loud) the next!:rotfl:

I'm a first timer to your TR's and I think I'm going to enjoy....We are from NW Indiana just south of Chicago and usually drive also. We flew for the first time last year and loved it! I have 3 preteen and teen kids now so space is now at a premium in the SUV.

I'm trying to convince myself that driving this year would be fine.... the looks on your kids faces at the end of the trip cracked me up:lmao: but you're not helping the cause!

mom3sonstt

09-02-2011, 02:30 PM

And yes, it was pretty hard to get out of bed this morning. Not only did I fall/slide down the bluff that morning, I went back again that afternoon and climbed down, looking for my glasses. I don't remember if I had them on while I was jogging, but I certainly haven't seen them since. I have an appointment this afternoon with the optometrist to a new pair. But that's a small price to pay compared to how bad the day could have turned out.[/INDENT]

Now don't you wish you had gone to the ball game?? I wouldn't have thrown you over the railings or anything :confused3

Seriously, I am glad the main injury was to your glasses and that Madison didn't let a little thing like a cliff-dive stop her from riding her bike!

KatMark

09-02-2011, 02:34 PM

Now don't you wish you had gone to the ball game?? I wouldn't have thrown you over the railings or anything :confused3

No, but the other Cubs fans might have. ;)

mom3sonstt

09-02-2011, 02:39 PM

W

So, for not having to pay a dog sitter at home or in Florida, we decided to bring them with us. Pepper is already pretty skittish about new experiences, so sticking him in the cargo hold of an airplane would not be a good idea. We'd pick him up at the airport and he'd be shaking in the back corner of his kennel, completely hairless and chain smoking Marlboros. (No, I don't know where he would have gotten them from or how he would light them. But the vision in my head was funny, so I included it here.)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=263802616970649

Hopefully this link will work here - it is something a friend posted on FB and it came to mind when you mention Pepper chainsmoking...

Poolrat

09-02-2011, 03:43 PM

We're already laughing about it. It's now the "go to" saying around our house:
Me [looking at Madison's dirty shirt]: What happened to you? Did you fall off a cliff or something?
Madison: No, I rode my bike off one.

:rotfl2: That would happen in our house too. I think Madison was brave to get on that bike again and glad you pushed to do it. I guess nothing could have been as bad as the last ride right?

Me too. They won't be ready until late next week. :headache:
Which dog is playing the role of "seeing eye" until next week?

A thousand things ran through my head as we went down. Of of which was "hmm....there are some very large rocks at the base of this bluff somewhere around here. I wonder where they are?"

Along with " I am going to have climb back up as far as I am sliding down."

It was part bravery, but also part Bambi and I not letting her quit. You can't stop riding a bike just because you fall off one cliff.

That should be in a fortune cookie somewhere....

:rotfl2::rotfl2:

On the left is Allie. She was also a rescue, but we know what she is: part Rat Terrier, part Australian Cattle Dog. Also part cat. Let me explain: her previous owners had her since she was a puppy. They also had two cats. So she learned much of her mannerisms from them. For example: laying around in the sun and being completely ambivalent to the presence of humans - except for when she wants to play. Madison wants a cat so bad, and every time she asks, we just say "we already have Allie, why do you want another cat?"

I too have a cat that thinks he is a dog. Comes when called and stick by you begging for attention. He used to walk my DD to the bus stop, and wait until the bus came before he ran off. The bus scared him. :lmao:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I0e-el9hd94/TmDkYF2lZfI/AAAAAAAAKaM/vOXHNVcGFY4/s800/IMG00294-20110625-1236.jpg

Everyone already commented on the max speed.
I think you done good. :thumbsup2

Stringbean&Wingnut

09-02-2011, 05:50 PM

I too would be upset about the cheese doodle amongst the cheese balls. Unless it was a rogue crunchy cheese doodle. Those are far superior to cheese balls.

Your family, kids, dogs, and plant included, are much more patient than I could ever be. I get antsy on a 10 minute car drive to the supermarket, let alone 1,200 miles!

E3yore

09-02-2011, 08:13 PM

"Do you think we should just trade [the van] in and buy a new one?"

I never said trade. I said "Should we go by a new car?"

KY*Figment

09-02-2011, 08:34 PM

I never said trade. I said "Should we go by a new car?"

DH's never actually listen to the words that DW's say. They hear bit words & make their own conclusions. :teacher:

KatMark

09-02-2011, 08:41 PM

I never said trade. I said "Should we go by a new car?"

He was too upset about his cheese doodle to pay attention to what you were saying, Bambi. ;)

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 09:14 PM

I'd definitely go with holstein... :lmao::rotfl2:

I've tried teaching him to Moo, but he insists on barking. :confused3

Well you have a cow and a cat... maybe she should ask for a "dog" :confused3

I'm thinking goldfish. They don't take up any room on the couch, unlike this other two.

Sometimes the things in your head really should just stay there. :rolleyes1

Most of them do. But I let the good ones out. :goodvibes

When did Evan get his driving shift?

Maybe that's why we ended up in Omaha at 4am!

I think the dog riding shotgun shows us where you stand in the family hierarchy.
Actually, I kicked him out of the middle row. We can push the captain chairs together to make a bench where you can actually catch a fairly decent nap.

Or maybe he's looking for Dr. Doofenschmirtz and his rocket van stopinator?:confused3
NOTHING CAN STOP THE ROCKET VAN! HAHAHAHAHA!

I will continue my boycott on your behalf.
I knew I could count on you.

Wow... that average speed is WEAK. But with a slow top speed like that what can we expect? :confused3

I drag raced a State Trooper in Georgia.
And WON!

Always a phrase you want to say when you're 1200 miles from home... :eek:
You have no idea :sad2:

The resemblance is amazing! But watch out for the milk. :crazy2:
I've got a good story about my brother (the farmer) convincing my sister's boyfriend to try to milk a steer. It's probably not appropriate for this forum, though.

Do they get admission to the parks?

For that price, they'd better get a VIP tour.

And a Dole Whip.

I don't care what Andy says, I thought it was funny. This may or may not be comforting to you.
Knowing that I have spread joy to the rest of the world? Comforting.
Knowing that I unleashed some kind of funny virus that may infect all of the world's population? Umm..still comforting.

Mine too! If I had a book.

It's not really a book. More like a piece of fine quality papyrus that I make notes on.
OK, it's a grocery list written on the back of McDonalds receipt. Whatever.

I had no idea this was even a possibility! I might have re-considered my road trip otherwise.
Why do you think we brought the dogs along? Protection!

I love that game! :thumbsup2 :woohoo: Or...um, my kids do. :rolleyes1

He still hasn't let me play it. :sad2:

:sad2: I'm picturing you, looking through the sun roof at the heavens, arms outstretched and shouting "WHHYYYYY???!!!"

KAAAAAAHHHHHNNNNN!

Ok, spill it. The max speed was achieved with whom behind the wheel? :confused3
Pepper. Although Allie was working the pedals.

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 09:40 PM

I'm generally a lurker, but I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS on your news from the other thread, and thank you for continuing your TRs. I really enjoy them a lot -- very witty, and love the pics.
Thanks for coming out of lurkdom, and thank you!

Also, :scared1: on your little bike adventure! I bet Madison was scared to death. Oh, and you too.
Based on the screaming, I would say yes.
And Madison was pretty scared too.

How about Part lab, part Holstein, part sack-o-hammers?

That's a lot of parts.

To be ignored on a monumental scale
Sad but true. :sad2:

What about Holsteins?
:confused3 Eleventy Billion Dollars? :confused3

Oh I’m sure that there would have been plenty of cigarettes amongst all the rest of the contraband in the hold of that plane. And he could have just gotten Allie to light it for him.
That's why I'm glad you're around, Rob. You're a problem solver. :thumbsup2

I suspect it was your promise of cheeseball fertilized that sealed the deal for the plant
Why is my plant orange?
I dunno. Maybe something in the water?

What it lacked in excitement, it made up for in… ummmmm… lacking excitement.
Exactly what I was going for!

There are a few roads through the mountains where it’s better that you don’t actually know just what is (and how far down it is) on the other side of the guardrail that your just about to drive through.

I have a creepy fascination about stuff like that. Others in the van, however, would be digging their fingernails into my arm as we drove past that guardrail.

“Dude… pass the cheeseballs.”

Wait, what were in those cigarettes you gave him a few comments back?

You mean you didn’t drive the whole thing in reverse?

Do I look like Mater?

I drive through that country regularly. Believe him on this one. You can even see the photographic evidence here:

Part 2: Interstate Blues ( http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42005435&postcount=61)
Nice Plug!:thumbsup2

Looks like Evan just let one loose and Madison is giving him the stink-eye as if to say: “Really… you couldn’t hold that in just a bit longer?”

:rotfl2::lmao::rotfl:

I’m assuming that the “Max Speed” figure was accomplished while traversing those majestic mountains in the dark (in reverse)
And that was going UP the mountain!

Aren't they cute?
They certainly think so.

Is this the cow that delivered the mail to Delaware????
It's not exactly the pony express. It's still faster than a donkey. I think.

Look at that excitement.
:thumbsup2

Smart parents!
I'll give you one guess who's idea that was.:rolleyes1

Fashionista? Is that a new word?
I tried to Google it to see if I spelled it right, but Google didn't know about it. So, yes, I guess it is.

Well, obviously you survived to tell the story.
It was touch and go there for a little while

That is exactly how I looked when we used to drive to Florida from Chicago every year.
Great update, Barry. Hope you have a great Labor Day Weekend (we're off to Dubuque on Sunday to meet our son's girlfriend).
Have fun in Dubuque. Tell her I said Hi!

E3yore

09-02-2011, 09:44 PM

DH's never actually listen to the words that DW's say. They hear bit words & make their own conclusions. :teacher:

He was too upset about his cheese doodle to pay attention to what you were saying, Bambi. ;)

If I had my way the van would be sitting in my parents driveway and we would have a nice new one.

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 09:45 PM

I'll admit, I thought it was funny too. I still stand by my statement though... especially with Barry.:lmao:
I may have to print that one out and frame it!

I hate driving through Chicago rush hour! But I often ask myself. When is it not rush hour in Chicago? :rolleyes1

To make it worse, it was Taste of Chicago weekend, so traffic was even worse. :sad2:

Conversely, I would be disappointed if I found a cheese ball within my cheese doodles. ;)
:scared1:Well, to each their own, I guess:confused3
:rotfl2:

I had a cat that thought she was a dog. Just too nice and needy to be a cat, truly.
Too nice to be a cat! Classic!

I literally had tears in my eyes one minute and then laughing (out loud) the next!:rotfl:
Clearly we're all OK since we can laugh about it!

I'm a first timer to your TR's and I think I'm going to enjoy....We are from NW Indiana just south of Chicago and usually drive also. We flew for the first time last year and loved it! I have 3 preteen and teen kids now so space is now at a premium in the SUV.
Welcome! I hope you enjoy it! We fly when we can, but certain trips just have to be driven. The best thing about preteens : they can control their bladders better.
Right? RIGHT?!:confused:

I'm trying to convince myself that driving this year would be fine.... the looks on your kids faces at the end of the trip cracked me up:lmao: but you're not helping the cause!
They're actually pretty good on the drive - don't let that picture fool you.

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 09:49 PM

Now don't you wish you had gone to the ball game?? I wouldn't have thrown you over the railings or anything :confused3

Now that you mention it, it probably would have been safer!

Seriously, I am glad the main injury was to your glasses and that Madison didn't let a little thing like a cliff-dive stop her from riding her bike!
:thumbsup2
No, but the other Cubs fans might have. ;)
Yeah, probably best to just avoid them until the spring when we have hope again!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=263802616970649

Hopefully this link will work here - it is something a friend posted on FB and it came to mind when you mention Pepper chainsmoking...

That's hilarious!

E3yore

09-02-2011, 09:49 PM

It was touch and go there for a little while

You did scream for Flight for Life. Of course it was after we got home.:rotfl2:

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 09:57 PM

:rotfl2: That would happen in our house too. I think Madison was brave to get on that bike again and glad you pushed to do it. I guess nothing could have been as bad as the last ride right?

Well, we have some railroad tracks a few blocks away we could ride down.:confused3

Which dog is playing the role of "seeing eye" until next week?

Neither. I have a seeing eye rooster for that.

Along with " I am going to have climb back up as far as I am sliding down."

That never crossed my mind. I did look to see if it would be easier to take her down the rest of the way, but the vegetation was too thick, so up we went.

I too have a cat that thinks he is a dog. Comes when called and stick by you begging for attention. He used to walk my DD to the bus stop, and wait until the bus came before he ran off. The bus scared him. :lmao:

That's great!:lmao:
For some reason, fire truck sirens get Allie all riled up. She howls when she hears them - and she knows the difference between an Ambulance, Police Car and Fire Truck - only the fire truck upsets her. :rotfl2:

Everyone already commented on the max speed.
I think you done good. :thumbsup2
Thank you. :banana:

I too would be upset about the cheese doodle amongst the cheese balls. Unless it was a rogue crunchy cheese doodle. Those are far superior to cheese balls.
It's amazing how broad people's interest is in cheese flavored snack foods. :confused3

Your family, kids, dogs, and plant included, are much more patient than I could ever be. I get antsy on a 10 minute car drive to the supermarket, let alone 1,200 miles!
We were pretty surprised at ourselves the first time we did it.
Truth be told, I was thinking about tossing that plant in Chatanooga. It was complaining just too much. :sad2:

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 10:00 PM

I never said trade. I said "Should we go by a new car?"
True. For a while there, it really wasn't worth much as trade anyway. Scrap metal maybe.

DH's never actually listen to the words that DW's say. They hear bit words & make their own conclusions. :teacher:
Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't listening.:rotfl2:

He was too upset about his cheese doodle to pay attention to what you were saying, Bambi. ;)
:sad1:It was a very traumatic experience. :sad1:

FreezinRafiki

09-02-2011, 10:03 PM

If I had my way the van would be sitting in my parents driveway and we would have a nice new one.
How's that for a souvenir?:scared1:

You did scream for Flight for Life. Of course it was after we got home.:rotfl2:
Did you see that scar? I think I'm still bleeding...

DEA

09-03-2011, 09:53 AM

Neither. I have a seeing eye rooster for that.

Aha! That explains why I keep hearing women complain about guys being led around by their...

Poolrat

09-03-2011, 10:00 AM

Aha! That explains why I keep hearing women complain about guys being led around by their...

Ba Da Bum {rimshot}

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

afwdwfan

09-03-2011, 10:40 AM

NOTHING CAN STOP THE ROCKET VAN! HAHAHAHAHA!
Really? I thought maybe one of Doofenschmirtz's "-inators" finally worked based on your foreboding teaser about the next update.:confused3

I may have to print that one out and frame it!

That might be a good idea. I doubt you'll ever see that statement again.:rotfl2:

petals

09-03-2011, 04:58 PM

I like your doggies.. My small dog thinks he's a cat as well.. Know how cats go in and out through your legs when you're trying to walk.. Yeah my gizmo does that.

PartyFromSaturn

09-04-2011, 09:28 AM

I'm in! Love your trip reports! My favorite part is how as I'm thinking something like, "I hope he explains why there's a plant in the far back." the rest of my mind keeps reading ahead and finds the answer is there! Thanks for sharing your stories!

dvc4life

09-04-2011, 11:10 AM

kate_wdw

09-04-2011, 02:48 PM

I just read about the bike incident. Yikes! How scary for all parties involved! I'm so glad that everyone is okay and that she was able to get back on. What a resilient, spunky kid!

Kat in GA

09-04-2011, 09:51 PM

Yippee...another TR! :thumbsup2 We were there at the same time - and for 2 weeks as well. Instead of dogs, my girls brought friends ;)

Can't wait to hear more!

FreezinRafiki

09-05-2011, 07:15 AM

Aha! That explains why I keep hearing women complain about guys being led around by their...
:eek:
Ba Da Bum {rimshot}

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

^^Yeah, what she said ^^:thumbsup2

FreezinRafiki

09-05-2011, 07:23 AM

Really? I thought maybe one of Doofenschmirtz's "-inators" finally worked based on your foreboding teaser about the next update.:confused3
Why do you think we brought Perry along?

That might be a good idea. I doubt you'll ever see that statement again.:rotfl2:
Challenge Accepted!

I like your doggies.. My small dog thinks he's a cat as well.. Know how cats go in and out through your legs when you're trying to walk.. Yeah my gizmo does that.
Oh man! That would get pretty dangerous with my 50 pound Pepper!

I'm in! Love your trip reports! My favorite part is how as I'm thinking something like, "I hope he explains why there's a plant in the far back." the rest of my mind keeps reading ahead and finds the answer is there! Thanks for sharing your stories!
Welcome!
I was working on this whole "I'm clairvoyant and knew exactly what you'd be thinking while reading along" response, but I started sounding kind of creepy so I think I'll just scrap it and go with "Thank You!"

FreezinRafiki

09-05-2011, 07:29 AM

Barry and Bambi - Trying to get caught up with posts today and just had to comment on your scary experience with Madison and her bike. So glad that everyone was safe after that adventure. How scary it must have been for you all. And what a brave young man Evan was taking care of his mom and pulling her back from the edge. How sweet. And that Madison was able to get back on her bike and conquer it, good job.

Again, glad no one was injured seriously. :)

Now, back to page 4 to catch up!
Thanks. Evan truly is the unsung hero of the story. :)

I just read about the bike incident. Yikes! How scary for all parties involved! I'm so glad that everyone is okay and that she was able to get back on. What a resilient, spunky kid!
I'll make sure to tell you that you called her spunky. She'll get a kick out of that!:thumbsup2

Yippee...another TR! :thumbsup2 We were there at the same time - and for 2 weeks as well. Instead of dogs, my girls brought friends ;)

Can't wait to hear more!
Dogs or extra kids...hmmmm...I think I'd rather have the dogs. :rotfl:
Welcome!

buckeev

09-05-2011, 04:44 PM

...............
I drag raced a State Trooper in Georgia.
And WON!.......

Well Mr. B...maybe it is best if you avoid Texas on the next driving trip.
There would've likely been a MUCH different outcome with our Texas DPS folk.

Plus, our "other Smokey" (wildfires) average at least 60 miles an hour! :scared1: :eek:

Sure glad y'all came out OK after your "Stunt Dude-n-Dudette training".;)

PrincessBetsy

09-05-2011, 08:50 PM

I'm joining in and definitely looking forward to this one! Your dogs are real cute! And the only thing I have to say about that lone cheese doodle is this: :scared1:

I just read that story about you and Madison falling down that cliff. I'm so glad no one was seriously hurt. That must have been quite a scare indeed.

FreezinRafiki

09-06-2011, 08:03 AM

Well Mr. B...maybe it is best if you avoid Texas on the next driving trip.
There would've likely been a MUCH different outcome with our Texas DPS folk.

One of the guys here on the DIS is a former Georgia State Patrol officer, so I like to bust his chops every once in a while. (Ok, every chance I get).
I know better than to go more than a few MPH over the limit in Georgia - they love their speed traps down there, and it makes for a looooong drive though the state!

Plus, our "other Smokey" (wildfires) average at least 60 miles an hour! :scared1: :eek:
I saw pictures of some of those - holy moley!

Sure glad y'all came out OK after your "Stunt Dude-n-Dudette training".;)
Thanks. I'm glad that she didn't pop up say "That was awesome! Let's do it again!" I have a strong feeling that Evan may have done that. :sad2:

I'm joining in and definitely looking forward to this one! Your dogs are real cute! And the only thing I have to say about that lone cheese doodle is this: :scared1:
Welcome!
I'm starting to think that doodle was some kind of spy, sent to infiltrate the cheese ball empire. :scratchin

I just read that story about you and Madison falling down that cliff. I'm so glad no one was seriously hurt. That must have been quite a scare indeed.
::yes::

Captain_Oblivious

09-06-2011, 08:32 AM

OK, it's a grocery list written on the back of McDonalds receipt. Whatever.

:lmao::rotfl2: :rotfl:

KAAAAAAHHHHHNNNNN!

Star Trek 2 :rolleyes1

Is this the cow that delivered the mail to Delaware??

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Did you see that scar? I think I'm still bleeding...

Now Barry will be walking up to random people and asking, "Wanna know how I got these scars?"

FreezinRafiki

09-06-2011, 09:24 AM

It was early afternoon on arrival day. We stepped out into the hot, muggy Florida air, took a deep breath, and ... headed for my in-law's air conditioned house.

We unloaded most of our stuff, grabbed Grandpa (Grandma was still at work) and headed over the a local (air conditioned) Bob Evan's for lunch. The food was fine. I don't think I could tell the difference between food from Bob Evan's vs. Denny's vs. Perkins. It's all edible, and since we were hungry from the long drive, it tasted better than it should have. As we sat there and ate, we watched an afternoon rainstorm make it's way through the area. Which was good, because the conditions just weren't sauna-like enough. :sad2:

Well, after getting back from lunch, I had a daunting task in front of me - but first - a little background. About a year or so ago, I noticed my van was leaking coolant. From behind the right rear tire, of all places. The coolant lines (along with A/C lines) run back there to supply heating and cooling to the rear passenger compartment. Well, the steel lines run up and over the right rear tire and are held in place by some steel brackets. Guess what, folks? Steel rusts. I had replaced a chunk of rusting steel with some rubber heater hose. Because of the condition of these lines, I always like to keep a jug of coolant tucked away in the van for long trips.

It was somewhere in Southern Georgia, early Saturday morning. We stopped for gas, and like I always do, I checked the coolant. The reservoir was empty. I checked by the tire, and sure enough, there were a few drops of coolant back there on the pavement. I filled up the coolant, we grabbed some breakfast items from our cooler and we hit the road.

Just about every gas stop after that, I was adding a quart or two of coolant. At the rate it was dripping, we'd be able to make it to Lakeland. But with the rust on those lines, the tiny holes could grow to catastrophic size at any time. We did make it, but with almost a dozen 45 mile trips to Disney World and 1,200 miles back home looming on the horizon - I had to get this fixed. So I settled in with Grandpa's tools in the carport to get to work.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-J1Yy6CAuNoA/TmD0RNmzhWI/AAAAAAAAKaQ/HBLl3hgK85c/s800/IMG00295-20110625-1640.jpg

There won't be many pictures in this update, but that one is with the tire off, looking at where the coolant lines disappear back into the van. This was the "before" picture that I sent to my mechanically inclined brother back in Wisconsin. The response I got: "Good Luck, Buddy!"

Upon initial examination, it looked like I would only need to replace about 6 inches of steel line with rubber hose. I ran to Autozone, got 12 inches (just in case) and assorted hose clamps. Wrong size hose.

So I ran to NAPA, got there 2 minutes before they closed, and got 12 inches of the right size hose. I got that on, but in doing so, another area that was rusting started to give way. Then another, then another, then another.

And it was hot. And it was sticky. And I was supposed to be on vacation. The hardest part was working in such tight quarters with the A/C lines right next to the coolant lines. I knew if I so much as nicked one of those we'd lose the air conditioning and that I know I can't fix. Nor would I be able to fix the lump on the side of my head where Bambi would wallop me with a frying pan for destroying the Air Conditioning in Florida in July. :headache:

The hours ticked by and I was making slow progress - but progress none the less. At one point, Bambi came over. She had her "I'm going to be serious here" look on. She gently asked if it would be better for us just to go look for a new vehicle. I was was astounded that she would suggest that! I was appalled in her lack of faith in my mechanical abilities. I was .... giving it serious consideration.

The thing I had going for me was that parts for this job were cheep - I had less than $30 in parts (but considerably more in sweat equity). I had one more last ditch effort - replace all 6 feet or so of steel hose. If that didn't work - well, I didn't even want to think about car shopping while on vacation. I spent 6 weeks researching which camera to buy - how do you think I'd handle buying a car on the spur of the moment?

By this time, it's getting late. All of the auto supply shops had closed except for Pep Boys. I went there, bought their last 10 feet of heater hose and a few miscellaneous odds and ends. Another hour or so of cussing under the van and it was time for the ultimate test. I poured in the coolant, started the engine and expected to see a shower of green coolant blowing out from somewhere. But I didn't. The was a drip here and there, but they vanished with a quick tightening of a hose clamp.

After roughly 5 hours, less than $100 in parts, countless skinned up knuckles - but most importantly - not having to buy a new car - our van was fixed* and we could get on with vacation.

Up Next: The Van's first road test - 120 miles round trip to the Gulf.

*Was it really fixed? I know the guy that fixed it - he really doesn't know what he's doing - so I spent the next 2 weeks being paranoid.

FreezinRafiki

09-06-2011, 09:27 AM

Now Barry will be walking up to random people and asking, "Wanna know how I got these scars?"
That particular scar is in an area of the body that is covered by clothing in polite society. That would have given the Joker a whole different kind of shock value...

Captain_Oblivious

09-06-2011, 10:41 AM

I don't think I could tell the difference between food from Bob Evan's vs. Denny's vs. Perkins. It's all edible, and since we were hungry from the long drive, it tasted better than it should have.

I think these places serve to underline the universal truth that breakfast food always hits the spot.

About a year or so ago, I noticed my van was leaking coolant.

Sounds like my usual tactic when it comes to car repairs as well. Buy more fluid and hope it lasts another year! :thumbsup2

Just about every gas stop after that, I was adding a quart or two of coolant.

:eek:

This was the "before" picture that I sent to my mechanically inclined brother back in Wisconsin. The response I got: "Good Luck, Buddy!"

You can take comfort in the fact that if you'd sent me that picture, I would have sent the same response.

Nor would I be able to fix the lump on the side of my head where Bambi would wallop me with a frying pan for destroying the Air Conditioning in Florida in July. :headache:

She's not a fan of 4/60 air-conditioning? :confused3

She had her "I'm going to be serious here" look on. She gently asked if it would be better for us just to go look for a new vehicle. I was was astounded that she would suggest that! I was appalled in her lack of faith in my mechanical abilities. I was .... giving it serious consideration.

I see this as a sign of respect. If I had started trying to fix my van by myself, Julie would have been on the phone to the nearest dealer immediately.

If that didn't work - well, I didn't even want to think about car shopping while on vacation. I spent 6 weeks researching which camera to buy - how do you think I'd handle buying a car on the spur of the moment?

::yes:: I know this feeling well.

I poured in the coolant, started the engine and expected to see a shower of green coolant blowing out from somewhere. But I didn't.

Instead, I saw a shower of gasoline spraying everywhere.

After roughly 5 hours, less than $100 in parts, countless skinned up knuckles - but most importantly - not having to buy a new car - our van was fixed* and we could get on with vacation. [/QUOTE]

Nice work Barry! You saved vacation!

That particular scar is in an area of the body that is covered by clothing in polite society. That would have given the Joker a whole different kind of shock value...

:eek:

grahamfam3

09-06-2011, 11:11 AM

Ok, spill it. The max speed was achieved with whom behind the wheel? :confused3

I'm guessing Perry.

Every time my mutt gets in the car, he heads for the driver's seat (yes, I know you have a "license", but it doesn't include driving).

Pepper. Although Allie was working the pedals.

Ok, my bad, this is what I get for posting before finishing the thread.

I drive the same way, with cruise control set between 65 and 70. DW just sits there and tells me about all the cars passing us.

Yes, but I"M getting the gas mileage AND not getting the ticket, but when you take over and drive YOU can go just as fast as you would like!

afwdwfan

09-06-2011, 11:41 AM

It was early afternoon on arrival day. We stepped out into the hot, muggy Florida air, took a deep breath, and ... headed for my in-law's air conditioned house.
That might be the smartest thing you've ever done.:thumbsup2

So I settled in with Grandpa's tools in the carport to get to work.

Barry + tools = bad news

The response I got: "Good Luck, Buddy!"
Sounds about right.:lmao:

Wrong size hose.
:headache:

I got that on, but in doing so, another area that was rusting started to give way. Then another, then another, then another.
:headache::headache:

The hardest part was working in such tight quarters with the A/C lines right next to the coolant lines. I knew if I so much as nicked one of those we'd lose the air conditioning and that I know I can't fix.
That would most definitely be bad news. But at least you weren't working in close proximity to those rocket fuel lines.:lmao:

At one point, Bambi came over. She had her "I'm going to be serious here" look on. She gently asked if it would be better for us just to go look for a new vehicle. I was was astounded that she would suggest that! I was appalled in her lack of faith in my mechanical abilities. I was .... giving it serious consideration.
You're never going to find a rocket van in Florida though. And just think of all the work you'd have to do stripping your after market upgrades and transferring them.

I spent 6 weeks researching which camera to buy - how do you think I'd handle buying a car on the spur of the moment?
A little indecisive, are we? :rolleyes1

I poured in the coolant, started the engine and expected to see a shower of green coolant blowing out from somewhere. But I didn't. The was a drip here and there, but they vanished with a quick tightening of a hose clamp.
Serious question here... did you make sure your rubber hose isn't rubbing on anything anywhere??? Don't want to be doing this again in 6 months.:thumbsup2

*Was it really fixed? I know the guy that fixed it - he really doesn't know what he's doing - so I spent the next 2 weeks being paranoid.
:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:
I'm glad I wasn't a passenger in that death trap... I mean van.

katoot

09-06-2011, 11:43 AM

Hey, you're a better man than me when it comes to fixing cars. One of the worst car stories I have is having to hold the driver door shut for about 6 miles until I could get it to a repair shop (the latch to keep it shut broke off one day when I visited my mum). As for DIY stuff, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say I qualify for CDIY (Can't Do It Yourself) :lmao:

IheartDDuck

09-06-2011, 12:02 PM

I'm excited to see if the van made it through its next journey. I have faith that it did. ;)

We had a conversion van that would overheat constantly and the side effect of this would be that we constantly had to have the air conditioning off, because air conditioning = overheat. This would not be extremely pleasant on the road trips we took it on to California and to Florida. I feel the pain of not having AC, I truly do.....:laughing:

grahamfam3

09-06-2011, 12:45 PM

As for DIY stuff, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say I qualify for CDIY (Can't Do It Yourself) :lmao:

I like to think of myself as "mechanically differently-abled".

E3yore

09-06-2011, 07:19 PM

She's not a fan of 4/60 air-conditioning? :confused3

No, I am not. This was not even an option. I would have taken my parents car gone to the nearest dealer and bought a van without test driving (except the AC of course).

Barry + tools = bad news

As much as I hate to admit it and it will likely ruin my reputation of being hard on Barry...he really is very handy to have around. He gets frustrated and slightly irritating and when I say it's time to buy a new car or call a plumber he keeps working at it and always comes through.

A little indecisive, are we? :rolleyes1

::yes::

Poolrat

09-06-2011, 07:57 PM

No, I am not. This was not even an option. I would have taken my parents car gone to the nearest dealer and bought a van without test driving (except the AC of course).

That's my girl!!!! ::yes::

As much as I hate to admit it and it will likely ruin my reputation of being hard on Barry...he really is very handy to have around. He gets frustrated and slightly irritating and when I say it's time to buy a new car or call a plumber he keeps working at it and always comes through.

Barry - you have a good one! Bambi- you are my hero! Way to go girl. You know when to fold 'em butknow when to stand by your man. ( And to think I don't really like country music) :confused3

FreezinRafiki

09-07-2011, 08:31 AM

I think these places serve to underline the universal truth that breakfast food always hits the spot.
Any place that serves bacon 24 hours a day gets 5 diamonds in my book.

And yes, this book is also the back on an old McDonald's receipt. Which stops serving bacon at like 10:30.

Sounds like my usual tactic when it comes to car repairs as well. Buy more fluid and hope it lasts another year! :thumbsup2

How much fluid did you have to dump into your catalytic converter?

You can take comfort in the fact that if you'd sent me that picture, I would have sent the same response.
I don't know if I'd be more scared or impressed that you figured out how to send and receive picture messages on your phone.

She's not a fan of 4/60 air-conditioning? :confused3

It's more like 4.25/60. Those back windows crack open a little bit, so I'll score each of them .125.

And No, she's not.

I see this as a sign of respect. If I had started trying to fix my van by myself, Julie would have been on the phone to the nearest dealer immediately.

I'm stubborn. I'm cheap. And I know just enough about tools to be dangerous. :thumbsup2

Instead, I saw a shower of gasoline spraying everywhere.

When that happens, there're nothing left to do but flick a lit match at it and enjoy the show.

Nice work Barry! You saved vacation!

Thanks! party:

Every time my mutt gets in the car, he heads for the driver's seat (yes, I know you have a "license", but it doesn't include driving).

Every time we stopped along the way, I'd take the dogs for a little walk, then put them back in the van while I went and used the same tree - sorry, I mean when I went inside and used the restrooms. Anyway, every time I'd come out, Pepper would be sitting in the drivers seat. I'd open the door, he'd look at me with the same blank expression. I just have to say "Well?" and gesture to the back, then he'd move. I wonder what would happen if I just went and sat in the back one of these times...

I drive the same way, with cruise control set between 65 and 70. DW just sits there and tells me about all the cars passing us.

Yes, but I"M getting the gas mileage AND not getting the ticket, but when you take over and drive YOU can go just as fast as you would like!
I typically set the cruise around 72, depending on how fast the rest of the cars are going. I usually start out the trip wanting to get the best gas mileage I can, but that only lasts about 10 miles or so - then I want to make it as fast as I can. :thumbsup2

FreezinRafiki

09-07-2011, 08:42 AM

That might be the smartest thing you've ever done.
I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid.

Or is it "I may be stupid, but I'm not dumb"? Whatever. I'm not both of them!

Barry + tools = bad news

Dymanite is a tool, right?

:headache:

:headache::headache:
Sounds like you know exactly what I'm talking about.

That would most definitely be bad news. But at least you weren't working in close proximity to those rocket fuel lines.:lmao:

Nah, those are easy to fix. They're mostly old garden hoses held together with duct tape. I can whip a new set of those in under 10 minutes. And that includes 5 minutes rummaging through the garage for the old hose.

You're never going to find a rocket van in Florida though. And just think of all the work you'd have to do stripping your after market upgrades and transferring them.
That's exactly why I didn't want to buy a new one!

A little indecisive, are we? :rolleyes1

Well, to be fair, it was only the first 4 weeks spent deciding. The last 2 were trying to find the best price.

Serious question here... did you make sure your rubber hose isn't rubbing on anything anywhere??? Don't want to be doing this again in 6 months.:thumbsup2
Yes. I used plenty of zip ties to keep them up tight to fender. I did take it my mechanic after we got back for an inspection and he said it looked good. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes!

I'm glad I wasn't a passenger in that death trap... I mean van.
Hey, the worst thing that could happen would be blowing a coolant line and overheating the engine. You then coast to the side of the road and call a tow truck. I'd put the chances of death at less than 15%. Ok, maybe 20%, but still, that's not too bad!

Hey, you're a better man than me when it comes to fixing cars. One of the worst car stories I have is having to hold the driver door shut for about 6 miles until I could get it to a repair shop (the latch to keep it shut broke off one day when I visited my mum). As for DIY stuff, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say I qualify for CDIY (Can't Do It Yourself) :lmao:
That definitely calls for a "Pictures or It Didn't Happen!".

Do you remember the summer of '88? It was miserably hot, drought conditions. Our farm truck died, so my dad had no choice to but to pull chopper box wagons filled with straw with our '77 Pontiac Catalina. Since it was so hot, he took the hood off to help keep the engine cool and took the driver's door off to keep him cool.

FreezinRafiki

09-07-2011, 08:48 AM

I'm excited to see if the van made it through its next journey. I have faith that it did. ;)
I'm glad someone has faith in my repair jobs. I know I sure don't!:rotfl2:

We had a conversion van that would overheat constantly and the side effect of this would be that we constantly had to have the air conditioning off, because air conditioning = overheat. This would not be extremely pleasant on the road trips we took it on to California and to Florida. I feel the pain of not having AC, I truly do.....:laughing:
Ouch! And since it was a conversion van, I'm guessing the only windows that rolled down where the two in the front, right? I can just imagine the kids with their faces pressed up against the vented windows in back, trying to breathe in as much outside air as possible!

I like to think of myself as "mechanically differently-abled".
I have a friend that says the only things in his tool box are the yellow pages and a Visa card!

FreezinRafiki

09-07-2011, 09:02 AM

No, I am not. This was not even an option. I would have taken my parents car gone to the nearest dealer and bought a van without test driving (except the AC of course).
Can't say I'd blame you on that one.

As much as I hate to admit it and it will likely ruin my reputation of being hard on Barry...he really is very handy to have around. He gets frustrated and slightly irritating and when I say it's time to buy a new car or call a plumber he keeps working at it and always comes through.

:love::love:Awww...thanks honey!:love::love:

Barry - you have a good one! Bambi- you are my hero! Way to go girl. You know when to fold 'em butknow when to stand by your man. ( And to think I don't really like country music) :confused3
She's clearly way out of my league. :thumbsup2

KatMark

09-07-2011, 09:10 AM

Sorry I missed the last update. We were out of town and now I am sick with whatever my son had and I haven't felt like keeping up on the DIS.

Glad to hear that you were able to repair the van and didn't have to waste any of your vacation time "car shopping."

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-07-2011, 10:31 AM

We stepped out into the hot, muggy Florida air, took a deep breath, and ... headed for my in-law's air conditioned house.

Good choice. There are days down here where the air is better suited to gills then lungs.

We unloaded most of our stuff, grabbed Grandpa (Grandma was still at work) and headed over the a local (air conditioned) Bob Evan's for lunch.

I’m spotting a trend

The food was fine. I don't think I could tell the difference between food from Bob Evan's vs. Denny's vs. Perkins.

The phrase we use to describe these three places is:
“Ehhhh… it’ll make a turd.”

As we sat there and ate, we watched an afternoon rainstorm make it's way through the area. Which was good, because the conditions just weren't sauna-like enough.

Folks pay high dollars to sit in saunas. In the South… it’s free of charge (just another service we offer).

Well, the steel lines run up and over the right rear tire and are held in place by some steel brackets.

There’s some fine engineering.

Guess what, folks? Steel rusts.

Like I said…

I had replaced a chunk of rusting steel with some rubber heater hose. Because of the condition of these lines, I always like to keep a jug of coolant tucked away in the van for long trips.

Are you sure you’re not a Southerner? Between the mechanical improve and a backup supply of all the major fluids, you could be describing nearly ninety percent of the “vehicles” on the road around where I live.

Just about every gas stop after that, I was adding a quart or two of coolant.

That’ll make for a stressful drive.

This was the "before" picture that I sent to my mechanically inclined brother back in Wisconsin. The response I got: "Good Luck, Buddy!"

Was thinking the same thing.

I ran to Autozone…

…So I ran to NAPA…

Not surprising. It’s rare that you get (or are even able to find) every part you need on the first trip and/or at the first place you go to. What is surprising is that you only had to go to two different places.

Nor would I be able to fix the lump on the side of my head where Bambi would wallop me with a frying pan for destroying the Air Conditioning in Florida in July.

A man's got to know his limitations

She had her "I'm going to be serious here" look on.

I see Tamara’s version of that look on a regular bases.
Usually when I’m in the midst of trying to fix something
(hummmm… that sound oddly familiar)

I was was astounded that she would suggest that! I was appalled in her lack of faith in my mechanical abilities.

I ain’t buying it

I was .... giving it serious consideration.

Now I’ll buy in. At this point I’d have been tempted as well… but then that whole monthly payment thing would have reared it’s ugly head and…

By this time, it's getting late. All of the auto supply shops had closed except for Pep Boys. I went there…

Trip number three (I should’a read ahead).
Now we’re well into serious shade-tree mechanic land

After roughly 5 hours, less than $100 in parts, countless skinned up knuckles - but most importantly - not having to buy a new car - our van was fixed*

I now dub you an honorary Southerner. You can pick up you’re trucker’s cap and snuffbox at the reception desk (just leave your shirt on the counter… you won’t be needin’ it).

FreezinRafiki

09-07-2011, 11:36 AM

Sorry I missed the last update. We were out of town and now I am sick with whatever my son had and I haven't felt like keeping up on the DIS.
Sorry to hear that you're under the weather. Get yourself a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup:thumbsup2

Glad to hear that you were able to repair the van and didn't have to waste any of your vacation time "car shopping."
It's not the car shopping that would have bothered me. It's the "car buying" and "car payment making" that didn't sound like fun.

Good choice. There are days down here where the air is better suited to gills then lungs.

People say we're crazy for living up north in the cold. Well, when the weather gets cold, I add layers. When it get's hot, I remove layers. But there's only so many layers that can come off before you're removing skin to get cool...

I’m spotting a trend

If you consider "go where you will not pass out from heat exhaustion" a trend, then yes, yes you did. :thumbsup2

The phrase we use to describe these three places is:
“Ehhhh… it’ll make a turd.”

:lmao:I just added a new phrase to my repertoire!:lmao:

Folks pay high dollars to sit in saunas. In the South… it’s free of charge (just another service we offer).
People that pay high dollar for the sauna can get up and leave when they're done. ;)

There’s some fine engineering.

Like I said…

True, but can you imagine how that conversation would have gone at the car lot 4 years ago?
Me: [peeling the plastic guard away from above the rear tire] Bambi, we can't get this one. These coolant lines are steel. They're going to rust at some point.
Bambi: [Whacks me with a frying pan]

Are you sure you’re not a Southerner? Between the mechanical improve and a backup supply of all the major fluids, you could be describing nearly ninety percent of the “vehicles” on the road around where I live.

Nope, Wisconsinite born and raised. However, there might be traces of "hick" in my family tree. Bambi has seen the research and can attest to that.

That’ll make for a stressful drive.
Yup. Every time I'd glance down at the speedometer, my eyes would always wander over to the temp gauge...

Not surprising. It’s rare that you get (or are even able to find) every part you need on the first trip and/or at the first place you go to. What is surprising is that you only had to go to two different places.
There was also a wild goose chase to Home Depot, Ace Hardware and eventually Lowes looking for an elbow that never worked out the way I had planned. :sad2:

I see Tamara’s version of that look on a regular bases.
Usually when I’m in the midst of trying to fix something
(hummmm… that sound oddly familiar)

Over the years I've earned some leeway in my repair jobs. It takes a while before the look has to come out. I try to never let it get that far.

Now I’ll buy in. At this point I’d have been tempted as well… but then that whole monthly payment thing would have reared it’s ugly head and…

And by this time it was late on Saturday, after the dealers would be closed. And I don't know about Florida, but by law in Wisconsin, car dealers can't be open on Sunday. So it could be Monday before we even get to a lot and find something, decided, arrange for financing....ugh. Those thoughts were seriously cutting into my Disney Time!

I now dub you an honorary Southerner. You can pick up you’re trucker’s cap and snuffbox at the reception desk (just leave your shirt on the counter… you won’t be needin’ it).
Whoo Hoo! Should I get one of those fancy tuxedo looking shirts for formal occasions?

Captain_Oblivious

09-07-2011, 12:18 PM

How much fluid did you have to dump into your catalytic converter?

3 quarts. But then all of a sudden I was standing in a puddle. :confused3

I don't know if I'd be more scared or impressed that you figured out how to send and receive picture messages on your phone.

It's still a work in progress. We'd have better luck with 2 cans and some string.

The phrase we use to describe these three places is:
“Ehhhh… it’ll make a turd.”

:lmao:I just added a new phrase to my repertoire!:lmao:

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Definitely a keeper! :thumbsup2

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-07-2011, 12:54 PM

People say we're crazy for living up north in the cold. Well, when the weather gets cold, I add layers. When it get's hot, I remove layers. But there's only so many layers that can come off before you're removing skin to get cool...

Ehhhh… you pick your poison. But I still say you’re crazy (it just doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the weather), and being as I-r-crazy, I-r-also a pretty good judge of it.

Actually you’re not too far off the mark. If it weren’t for the advent of cheep air-conditioning, the largest cities in this country would still be located in the northern climes (and this would likely be a very different nation indeed).

People that pay high dollar for the sauna can get up and leave when they're done. ;)

Point taken. :laughing:

True, but can you imagine how that conversation would have gone at the car lot 4 years ago?
Me: [peeling the plastic guard away from above the rear tire] Bambi, we can't get this one. These coolant lines are steel. They're going to rust at some point.
Bambi: [Whacks me with a frying pan]

I was really wondering out loud why they didn’t route ‘em through the body where they’d be spared form direct contact with road-salts and weather in general, but I do see your point (or maybe “feel” is a better word in this case).

Nope, Wisconsinite born and raised. However, there might be traces of "hick" in my family tree. Bambi has seen the research and can attest to that.

There are times (like it or not) where a bit of “hick” can be a useful commodity.

There was also a wild goose chase to Home Depot, Ace Hardware and eventually Lowes looking for an elbow that never worked out the way I had planned. :sad2:

Now this makes even more sense. It sounds a lot like the expeditions I’ve been on whilst conducting (or being an accomplice in) a number automotive and/or household repairs.

Whoo Hoo! Should I get one of those fancy tuxedo looking shirts for formal occasions?

Naaaaa… you already turned your shirt in remember?
But do keep one thing in mind: It’s ok to bring the beer into the chapel during either a funeral or wedding service (yah I know… same thing), but just don’t be openin’ up a new bottle while the preaching is goin’ on. :rolleyes1

:lmao:I just added a new phrase to my repertoire!:lmao:

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Definitely a keeper! :thumbsup2

Colorful phrases… Just another service we offer up for free down this way.

FreezinRafiki

09-07-2011, 01:30 PM

There are times (like it or not) where a bit of “hick” can be a useful commodity.
Oh, I've got a bit. Bambi has recently broken me of the habit of keeping a toothpick behind my ear, just in case I need it later. (And by "broken" I mean I don't get caught doing it)

grahamfam3

09-07-2011, 01:36 PM

that's nice

09-07-2011, 02:42 PM

caught up! i'm typing with one hand while holding a sleeping baby in the other or i'd multi quote your last 2 updates. glad you made it to florida and wtg macgyvering up the van!

E3yore

09-07-2011, 07:36 PM

People say we're crazy for living up north in the cold. Well, when the weather gets cold, I add layers. When it get's hot, I remove layers. But there's only so many layers that can come off before you're removing skin to get cool...

We are crazy for living here. It is freezing 8 months of the year. Nice 2 days of the year and tolerable the other 3 months and 28 days. At least in FL when it is hot you can jump in a pool. In WI we put on an extra sweatshirt and blanket when it is cold.

True, but can you imagine how that conversation would have gone at the car lot 4 years ago?
Me: [peeling the plastic guard away from above the rear tire] Bambi, we can't get this one. These coolant lines are steel. They're going to rust at some point.
Bambi: [Whacks me with a frying pan]

I just said something nice about you and this is what I get? Note to self: no more being nice to Barry.

Why would I have a frying pan at the dealership anyways? Do you think I carry one with me?

Nope, Wisconsinite born and raised. However, there might be traces of "hick" in my family tree. Bambi has seen the research and can attest to that.

Traces? There are very dark lines between you and your hick family lines. I have had to check to make sure your neck is not actually red.

Mrs. Knowitall

09-07-2011, 07:51 PM

I'm here! I'm here! Didya miss me?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xi6NAk4tKLQ/TlUj-DHpacI/AAAAAAAAKXA/K2I-JbbPk_w/s800/IMG_8060.JPG

GREAT family picture! Who was your photographer? We weren't even there!

Bambi (DW). Official Wife of the Trip Report Narrator Extraordinaire. Don't bother thinking of any stereotypes here. She's just plain awesome in every way.

She is! :wave2::wave2: hi Bambi!

Dude, how did I get this far down the list? I must be slipping in my old age.

Dude. You're showing your 37 years! :teacher:

Our philosophy was this - we'd rather sit in rush hour traffic with the possibility of getting lucky than sit around home for 3 hours, then go.

I'm with you! Full speed ahead!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RxdLVCK11dg/TmDAgxxfVNI/AAAAAAAAKZg/7Di_Ruq9laA/s800/DSCF0727.JPG

Really? Why are we doing this again? Do I get a Dole Whip this time?

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-J1Yy6CAuNoA/TmD0RNmzhWI/AAAAAAAAKaQ/HBLl3hgK85c/s800/IMG00295-20110625-1640.jpg

"Good Luck, Buddy!"

Ah, but how was your catalytic converter?

I spent 6 weeks researching which camera to buy - how do you think I'd handle buying a car on the spur of the moment?

Seriously! This would be a nightmare for the Oblivious/Knowitall Family!

After roughly 5 hours, less than $100 in parts, countless skinned up knuckles - but most importantly - not having to buy a new car - our van was fixed* and we could get on with vacation.

*Was it really fixed? I know the guy that fixed it - he really doesn't know what he's doing - so I spent the next 2 weeks being paranoid.

:banana: Woo-hoo! You are so smart! You are so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean....S-M-A-R-T!!!!:banana:

E3yore

09-07-2011, 08:13 PM

She is! :wave2::wave2: hi Bambi!

:thanks: Hi Julie :wave2:

FreezinRafiki

09-07-2011, 08:56 PM

Don't worry, there's plenty of opportunity for redneck in Wisconsin. Terms like "deer camp", "layaway at the ShopKo", "no PBR so I got Leinenkugel's" and "lets go school clothes shopping at Farm and Fleet" jump to mind (done all of those myself at one point or another, btw). :thumbsup2
Have you been following me around?

Plus, we used to find old couches on the side of the road that people were throwing away, hook the to the back of a pickup truck with a logging chain, and couch surf down the back roads. YeeeHawwwww!

caught up! i'm typing with one hand while holding a sleeping baby in the other or i'd multi quote your last 2 updates. glad you made it to florida and wtg macgyvering up the van!

Awwwwww....blow a raspberry on his tummy for me!

FreezinRafiki

09-07-2011, 09:16 PM

We are crazy for living here. It is freezing 8 months of the year. Nice 2 days of the year and tolerable the other 3 months and 28 days. At least in FL when it is hot you can jump in a pool. In WI we put on an extra sweatshirt and blanket when it is cold.

Don't forget about the week in the summer when it's oppressively hot!

I just said something nice about you and this is what I get? Note to self: no more being nice to Barry.
Ummm...I love you. :flower3:

Why would I have a frying pan at the dealership anyways? Do you think I carry one with me?
You're like a boyscout - always prepared.:thumbsup2

Traces? There are very dark lines between you and your hick family lines. I have had to check to make sure your neck is not actually red.
Maybe someday I'll tell them all about the time my brother and I made a pool in the back of his truck. Is that redneckish?

I'm here! I'm here! Didya miss me?

Yes! Mark's been running rampant all over the TR without proper adult supervision! Thank goodness you're here!

GREAT family picture! Who was your photographer? We weren't even there!

Thanks! That picture was taken by Bambi's dad. Although it would make a better story if I said Pepper took it, so let's got with that.

She is! :wave2::wave2: hi Bambi!

::yes::

Dude. You're showing your 37 years! :teacher:

I thought he was 36. Let's go back and check his TR to find out for sure...

Really? Why are we doing this again? Do I get a Dole Whip this time?

He's over 3, so we would have to buy him a ticket. I suppose I could try and bring him one, but I doubt it would make it down Main Street, USA. :rolleyes1

Ah, but how was your catalytic converter?

Just fine! I got a good deal on one not too long ago. I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy that has some way to get them really cheap on the east coast!

Seriously! This would be a nightmare for the Oblivious/Knowitall Family!

I'd have to spend all night at the computer doing research. :surfweb: <- and I don't even drink coffee.

:banana: Woo-hoo! You are so smart! You are so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean....S-M-A-R-T!!!!:banana:
Thank you?:confused3

KatMark

09-07-2011, 09:25 PM

I finally figured it out. Listening to you and Bambi go back and forth is like watching reruns of The Honeymooners. :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

FreezinRafiki

09-08-2011, 07:39 AM

I finally figured it out. Listening to you and Bambi go back and forth is like watching reruns of The Honeymooners. :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

I'm pretty sure I've never threatened to send Bambi straight to the moon, but I can't say for sure. ;)

E3yore

09-08-2011, 08:53 AM

I'm pretty sure I've never threatened to send Bambi straight to the moon, but I can't say for sure. ;)

Maybe you should just write the TR and stop being a smart _____.

KatMark

09-08-2011, 08:58 AM

Maybe you should just write the TR and stop being a smart _____.

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

Captain_Oblivious

09-08-2011, 09:04 AM

Whoo Hoo! Should I get one of those fancy tuxedo looking shirts for formal occasions?

Pictures or it didn't happen! :thumbsup2

We are crazy for living here. It is freezing 8 months of the year. Nice 2 days of the year and tolerable the other 3 months and 28 days. At least in FL when it is hot you can jump in a pool. In WI we put on an extra sweatshirt and blanket when it is cold.

I side with Bambi. I hate being cold. Julie tried to freeze me out of the house the other night by leaving all of the windows open in a driving rainstorm. I think she's finally decided to try and collect on the life insurance.

I just said something nice about you and this is what I get? Note to self: no more being nice to Barry.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ucH54X5R1HU/Tmi7JQo9y1I/AAAAAAAADCc/5yrVzMPJRhQ/mr-burns-excellent.jpg

Why would I have a frying pan at the dealership anyways? Do you think I carry one with me?

Of course not. A taser is much more convenient.

Yes! Mark's been running rampant all over the TR without proper adult supervision! Thank goodness you're here!

Awww...does this mean no more fart jokes? :confused3

Dude. You're showing your 37 years! :teacher:

I thought he was 36. Let's go back and check his TR to find out for sure...

I can't remember anymore. And the TR won't really help you. :confused:

Just fine! I got a good deal on one not too long ago. I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy that has some way to get them really cheap on the east coast!

:mad:

amyrella

09-08-2011, 09:12 AM

All I can say is lol at every single post on this thread... I don't have the attention span to quote everyone.

Is a frying pan the key to a fun & happy marriage? I think I'm going to take some pointers from Bambi! She rocks!

FreezinRafiki

09-08-2011, 09:24 AM

Maybe you should just write the TR and stop being a smart _____.
Yes, dear.

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
Hey, you're not taking her side, are you?

I side with Bambi. I hate being cold. Julie tried to freeze me out of the house the other night by leaving all of the windows open in a driving rainstorm. I think she's finally decided to try and collect on the life insurance.

Every time we get that statement from Social Security saying how much our spouse would get if we died, I take that number, add it to the life insurance payout, subtract additional expenses that would be incurred if I weren't around, then take a big sign of relief that yet again I'm worth more alive than dead. But just barely. :sad2:

Awww...does this mean no more fart jokes? :confused3

Of course not. You just have to use the classy, tasteful ones now.

All I can say is lol at every single post on this thread... I don't have the attention span to quote everyone.

Thanks and welcome! I'm just surprised that people are deciding to waste their time on my TRs when there's so many other things to waste time on!

Is a frying pan the key to a fun & happy marriage? I think I'm going to take some pointers from Bambi! She rocks!
No, avoiding the frying pan is the key to a happy marriage.
I don't want to take a pole (because I'm afraid of the results),but I think Bambi has more fans on here than I do. :sad2:

Although truth be told, I'd vote for her as well. :hug:

FreezinRafiki

09-08-2011, 09:25 AM

I know I'm a few entries into this Trip Report and I've barely even mentioned Walt Disney World. And then I go and throw a title like that onto another entry. I promise, WDW is coming! But first, we wanted to head to the beach!

I wanted to give the new coolant lines in the van a good workout, but didn't want to have all 6 of us stranded on the side of the road in case something didn't hold right. So we decided to take two vehicles over to the gulf - the kids with their grandparents in their Explorer, Bambi and I in the rolling death trap.

We set out south west on I-4 towards Tampa, then took the Courtney Campbell Causeway over Tampa Bay to Clearwater. I only mention that because one of Bambi's best friends growing up was also named Courtney Campbell, but I doubt the road is named after her. Or that she's reading this report. So basically this paragraph means nothing to anyone. Moving on then...

We arrived at a very nice beach parking area to find two things: people and rain. You would think these things would be mutually exclusive at a beach, but clearly Florida plays by different rules. The forecast called for scattered showers and thunderstorms for most of the day, so we decided to drive down the coast for a bit to check out the scenery and maybe get some lunch.

We eventually ended up down around Treasure Island and settled on Britt's Pizza for lunch. They have a huge brick pizza oven in the corner, but instead of burning wood, they fire it with charcoal. It added a really interesting taste to the crust. Interesting in a good way, though.

Since it was still raining after lunch, we killed some time in one of the local tourist trap shops. We did not buy any of this...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XqXd4cUbkv4/TmD0RvO266I/AAAAAAAAKaU/uDQzjRnDJcw/s800/IMG00296-20110626-1114.jpg

(although someone may have asked if we could :rolleyes1)

This one sparked my interest as well - it would be a fun one to wear on It's A Small World.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-q3LGtVCaLds/TmD0R7_SGxI/AAAAAAAAKaY/PK4Ofrmhuo8/s800/IMG00297-20110626-1227.jpg

For those that don't understand, it's from a Saturday Night Live sketch that you can watch here (http://www.hulu.com/watch/56632/saturday-night-live-snl-digital-short-im-on-a-boat). All the naughty words are bleeped, but you probably don't want to watch it at work or while the kids are still awake. Or if there any priests or little old ladies around. Really, you probably just shouldn't watch it at all.

After wandering the store for a bit, we emerged to find...it was still raining. That must mean it's time for dessert! There was an ice cream joint just up the road, so we pulled in there, got some ice cream, and enjoyed it in their covered patio. We finished eating and cleaning up - which is no small task. I watch Evan eat. He uses his spoon. But somehow he still ends up with red, yellow and blue Superman ice cream from ear to ear. :sad2:

So after the clean up job, we emerged to find...it was still raining. (We didn't really emerge to find that, we watched it rain the entire time we were eating. It's just a bit that I'm doing - go with it.) The radar looked like it wasn't going to let up anytime soon, so we called an audible. Movie Time!

We searched the GPS for "cinema" and found several, shall we say, Adult-oriented establishments. I doubt any of these were showing Cars 2. Eventually we did find one that sounded family friendly, that was showing the movie, and that wasn't too far away. Triple Win! Since we just ate pizza and ice cream, of course we ordered several large buckets of popcorn to share. We thought the movie was pretty good - maybe a little complicated plot for the little ones to follow, and the "big oil is bad" subtext was a bit over the top, but all in all it was a good movie. (Duh, it's Pixar - they've never put out a stinker)

After the movie, we emerged to find...bright sunshine! (You thought I was going to say rain again, didn't you?) Nice, warm, sunshine - a perfect day to head to the beach! As we headed to the cars, Evan had to stop and check out a rear-engine Audi a few spots away from the van.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_oqhZposx6M/TmD0SHf1A-I/AAAAAAAAKac/L1gAWIZcdkE/s800/IMG00298-20110626-1607.jpg

Let me just say this - that dude's lucky he wasn't around. Imagine how embarrassed he'd be in front of his friends when he lost a drag race to my minivan.

Anyway, while watching Lightning McQueen race around the big screen for 112 minutes, I picked up a few driving tips that I utilized on the way back to the beach. Namely, drive fast, whip in and out of traffic, and make "zoom", "vroom" and "weeeeeeee!" noises the entire way. :thumbsup2

Using those techniques, we made it to the beach in no time and headed straight for the water.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6iTMyNzA1yM/TmD0lx-_ftI/AAAAAAAAKag/4ckFnLyrttA/s800/DSCF0741.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-feQJQAxk7K8/TmD0mqflDrI/AAAAAAAAKao/otH1aMO8qgU/s800/DSCF0750.JPG

It was then that I realized - we were under attack! Man the cannons ye scurvy dogs! Thar be pirates headin' this way!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LgENP1lHlJo/TmD0mJ7wTPI/AAAAAAAAKak/iAxHCxrMqNA/s800/DSCF0748.JPG

After a few well placed shots just off their port bow, they turned tail and ran for open water.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cE7El2GRL8w/TmD0nIs8mRI/AAAAAAAAKas/dWKWo3HEyrM/s800/DSCF0751.JPG

Or maybe it was just a touristy pirate ship taking folks out for a pleasure cruise. In which case, I deeply apologize for firing those cannon balls at you and for all those nasty things I said about your mothers.

The water was nice, but Evan decided he would rather pull out his DOT-issued construction equipment and build some roads on the beach. I'm a little confused though. That shovel looks like he's actually digging with it instead of leaning on it. Are you sure you're doing that right?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OXag8RV98NI/TmD0nkqLhSI/AAAAAAAAKaw/HificE8fBEs/s800/DSCF0752.JPG

Warning: artsy pictures ahead.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nOWWv9izXCE/TmjM7FdJFeI/AAAAAAAAKbE/jxEXlkBjPHE/s800/DSCF0760.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eMspWkHGVAs/TmjNaaOQocI/AAAAAAAAKbc/2KglOynCTsY/s800/DSCF0756.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--NG9OTA1i2o/TmD0o-NnhVI/AAAAAAAAKa8/CkR4Y5OKqpI/s800/DSCF0761.JPG

And so after a picnic snack/dinner on the beach while trying to fend off some very brave seagulls, we called it a day, washed most of the sand off and headed home. Then van made it without a problem so I gave it a clean bill of health and certified it to make tomorrow's drive to ...

Up Next: The Magic Kingdom!

afwdwfan

09-08-2011, 10:02 AM

IBambi and I in the rolling death trap.
That is a committed relationship right there.:thumbsup2 She actually rode with you instead of taking the "safe" ride and making you do the test run solo.:rotfl2:

So basically this paragraph means nothing to anyone.
This one and a few others.:rolleyes1

(although someone may have asked if we could :rolleyes1)
Bambi! Why would you want Gator Poop???? :scared1:

This one sparked my interest as well - it would be a fun one to wear on It's A Small World.
That shirt is... AWESOME!:thumbsup2

My brother in law always plays that song when he's going to the lake with his boat.:lmao::rotfl2:

But someone he still ends up with red, yellow and blue Superman ice cream from ear to ear. :sad2:
Amazing how that works... Maybe he just wanted to save some for later.:confused3

Anyway, while watching Lightning McQueen race around the big screen for 112 minutes, I picked up a few driving tips that I utilized on the way back to the beach. Namely, drive fast, whip in and out of traffic, and make "zoom", "vroom" and "weeeeeeee!" noises the entire way. :thumbsup2
I thought you already did that anyway.:confused3

The water was nice, but Evan decided he would rather pull out his DOT-issued construction equipment and build some roads on the beach. I'm a little confused though. That shovel looks like he's actually digging with it instead of leaning on it. Are you sure you're doing that right?
Maybe Mark can teach Evan the proper use for a shovel.:rolleyes1

Up Next: The Magic Kingdom!
'Bout time. :rolleyes1

Captain_Oblivious

09-08-2011, 12:10 PM

So we decided to take two vehicles over to the gulf - the kids with their grandparents in their Explorer, Bambi and I in the rolling death trap.

So if something does happen to you, the grandparents can still take the kids to Disney World. Smart!

So basically this paragraph means nothing to anyone. Moving on then...

That's 4 seconds of my life I'll never get back. There wasn't even a bad pun in there.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XqXd4cUbkv4/TmD0RvO266I/AAAAAAAAKaU/uDQzjRnDJcw/s800/IMG00296-20110626-1114.jpg

(although someone may have asked if we could :rolleyes1)

Like Andy, I'm surprised Bambi would go for this. At the very least, hold out for manatee poop.

This one sparked my interest as well - it would be a fun one to wear on It's A Small World.

:lmao::rotfl2:

I watch Evan eat. He uses his spoon. But somehow he still ends up with red, yellow and blue Superman ice cream from ear to ear. :sad2:

Well, the spoon just takes the scenic route to his mouth.

Since we just ate pizza and ice cream, of course we ordered several large buckets of popcorn to share. We thought the movie was pretty good - maybe a little complicated plot for the little ones to follow, and the "big oil is bad" subtext was a bit over the top, but all in all it was a good movie. (Duh, it's Pixar - they've never put out a stinker)

Sounds like it was a balanced diet to me. And Pixar still rocks. I don't care what the critics say.

Anyway, while watching Lightning McQueen race around the big screen for 112 minutes, I picked up a few driving tips that I utilized on the way back to the beach. Namely, drive fast, whip in and out of traffic, and make "zoom", "vroom" and "weeeeeeee!" noises the entire way. :thumbsup2

Please tell me you drove backwards to the beach!

Or maybe it was just a touristy pirate ship taking folks out for a pleasure cruise. In which case, I deeply apologize for firing those cannon balls at you and for all those nasty things I said about your mothers.

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

The water was nice, but Evan decided he would rather pull out his DOT-issued construction equipment and build some roads on the beach. I'm a little confused though. That shovel looks like he's actually digging with it instead of leaning on it. Are you sure you're doing that right?

That's not the biggest issues. Everyone knows the standard DOT-issued floaties are orange for visibility. :thumbsup2

Warning: artsy pictures ahead.

Nice! I like the silhouettes. :thumbsup2

Then van made it without a problem so I gave it a clean bill of health and certified it to make tomorrow's drive to ...

Up Next: The Magic Kingdom!

:woohoo::cool1::banana:

Stringbean&Wingnut

09-08-2011, 12:43 PM

Pimama

09-08-2011, 05:54 PM

Glad to have stumbled into this beauty of a TR. Certainly don't need any alligator poop around here....

Nice to "meet" your family and I'm looking forward to your pun-tastic trip reenactment. (sorry- I'm not very funny. Sarcasm is really more my gift.)

PrincessBetsy

09-08-2011, 06:31 PM

Nice job fixing your van Barry! Glad that it made it to the beach with no problems.

What?! You didn't buy any gator poop??? I can't imagine why you didn't... :confused3

Also, nice job defending all those people on the beach from those Pirates! pirate:

Can't wait to hear about your day at the Magic Kingdom!!!

IheartDDuck

09-08-2011, 07:43 PM

Boy, and I thought everybody wanted gator poop......oh wait, maybe that's monkey poop I'm thinking of. My bad.

Children cannot get things into their mouth without skidding on the surface of their face. It's a proven fact. :upsidedow

You know, I was on that pirate cruise. I wondered what all the hoo-hah was about.

E3yore

09-08-2011, 08:09 PM

Since it was still raining after lunch, we killed some time in one of the local tourist trap shops. We did not buy any of this...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XqXd4cUbkv4/TmD0RvO266I/AAAAAAAAKaU/uDQzjRnDJcw/s800/IMG00296-20110626-1114.jpg

(although someone may have asked if we could :rolleyes1)

Bambi! Why would you want Gator Poop???? :scared1:

Like Andy, I'm surprised Bambi would go for this. At the very least, hold out for manatee poop.

This was the first time I have seen this picture let alone knew that something like this existed. I was busy in the store telling the kids that they were not buying hermit crabs or alligator heads.

Besides Barry is the gross one.

And so after a picnic snack/dinner on the beach while trying to fend off some very brave seagulls, we called it a day, washed most of the sand off and headed home. Then van made it without a problem so I gave it a clean bill of health and certified it to make tomorrow's drive to ...

Fending off? I was fighting for my life. Some of them were very aggressive.

Poolrat

09-08-2011, 08:22 PM

The Courtney Campbell causeway!!! That's the one where they warn you multiple times to make sure you have enough gas to cross the bridge.

Remember it well. And no I did not run out of gas on the bridge. I ran out as I pulled up the gas pump about 10 minutes later. :lmao: Believe it or not it was not even my fault. The person who took my car over the bridge and back thought there was plenty of gas in the car. When it came back, I made it out, across the street and rolled into the gas station. Put 11 gallons in a 10.6 gal tank. :rolleyes1

FreezinRafiki

09-09-2011, 09:43 AM

That is a committed relationship right there.:thumbsup2 She actually rode with you instead of taking the "safe" ride and making you do the test run solo.:rotfl2:

I think that deep down inside, she actually trusts my handwork. Which is more than I can say about myself.

This one and a few others.:rolleyes1

You can skip the boring ones, if you want. But I guess you won't know which ones are boring until you read them, though. Such a dilemma...

That shirt is... AWESOME!:thumbsup2

My brother in law always plays that song when he's going to the lake with his boat.:lmao::rotfl2:
:thumbsup2

Amazing how that works... Maybe he just wanted to save some for later.:confused3
Or he's testing out his "Joker" make-up ability.

I thought you already did that anyway.:confused3

Yes, but this time I did them LOUDER!

Maybe Mark can teach Evan the proper use for a shovel.:rolleyes1

Now Evan, to get a good lean, you want to stick the space about half way into the ground. And less and you'll fall over. Any more and it's actually like work to pull it back out when it's coffee break time.

'Bout time. :rolleyes1
:headache:

So if something does happen to you, the grandparents can still take the kids to Disney World. Smart!

Of course. Don't want to let the fact that mom and dad are in full body casts ruin their vacation!

That's 4 seconds of my life I'll never get back. There wasn't even a bad pun in there.
Mark, there are no bad puns. Only puns that are slightly less awesome than the rest.

Like Andy, I'm surprised Bambi would go for this. At the very least, hold out for manatee poop.
:lmao:

Well, the spoon just takes the scenic route to his mouth.

I think I recall finding spaghetti sauce on the back of his neck on time. There's the scenic route, then there's just plain getting lost.

Sounds like it was a balanced diet to me. And Pixar still rocks. I don't care what the critics say.

Critics write critiques to justify their jobs. I rarely listen to them.

Please tell me you drove backwards to the beach!

Ah, the Mater approach. I tried that, but the screaming got to loud that that I decided to turn around and do the McQueen.

That's not the biggest issues. Everyone knows the standard DOT-issued floaties are orange for visibility. :thumbsup2

Safety first!

Nice! I like the silhouettes. :thumbsup2

Thanks!

FreezinRafiki

09-09-2011, 09:49 AM

Well I'm glad to hear that the van made it without any problems! And that you eventually got a beach day, although meandering around eating ice cream and popcorn isn't really a bad substitute. And you would have only had to clean up multicolored sprinkles, not sand too.
Any day that includes ice cream and popcorn automatically scores at least a 5. Everything else is just gravy.

(If there's actual gravy, the score jumps to a 7!)

(Side note: isn't sand pretty much the absolute worst thing to try to clean up after being at the beach? I literally still have sand wedged in little crevices of my camera, and that's from 2 years ago. Microscopic particles of annoyance, I say!)

We bought a waterproof/dustproof camera for this reason. We can take it to the beach or pool, not worry about dropping it the water or the sand.

But I guess I rather have sand wedged in my camera for 2 years than other places! :scared1:

Glad to have stumbled into this beauty of a TR. Certainly don't need any alligator poop around here....

Nice to "meet" your family and I'm looking forward to your pun-tastic trip reenactment. (sorry- I'm not very funny. Sarcasm is really more my gift.)
Thanks and Welcome to the TR!
Sarcasm is an awesome gift, but it's hard to translate to the internet. So every time someone on here says something mean, I just assume it's sarcasm. I hope. :confused3

Nice job fixing your van Barry! Glad that it made it to the beach with no problems.

What?! You didn't buy any gator poop??? I can't imagine why you didn't... :confused3

Thanks! Every month that goes by with out a car payment is like another little "thank you" from my bank account!:rotfl2:

No, no gator poop. I've seen what my dogs eat. It probably wouldn't make it home. :sick:

FreezinRafiki

09-09-2011, 09:57 AM

Boy, and I thought everybody wanted gator poop......oh wait, maybe that's monkey poop I'm thinking of. My bad.

The monkey poop does fly better when you throw it! Proof of Evolution!

Children cannot get things into their mouth without skidding on the surface of their face. It's a proven fact. :upsidedow
Skidding on their face! I love it!:rotfl2:

You know, I was on that pirate cruise. I wondered what all the hoo-hah was about.
Again, I'm sorry. :sad1: I'm sure your mother is a very fine lady. :thumbsup2

This was the first time I have seen this picture let alone knew that something like this existed. I was busy in the store telling the kids that they were not buying hermit crabs or alligator heads.

I believe you were telling someone else they couldn't have an alligator head either. :sad1:

Besides Barry is the gross one.
:thumbsup2

Fending off? I was fighting for my life. Some of them were very aggressive.
Didn't one fly by and grab something right out of your hand?

The Courtney Campbell causeway!!! That's the one where they warn you multiple times to make sure you have enough gas to cross the bridge.

Remember it well. And no I did not run out of gas on the bridge. I ran out as I pulled up the gas pump about 10 minutes later. :lmao: Believe it or not it was not even my fault. The person who took my car over the bridge and back thought there was plenty of gas in the car. When it came back, I made it out, across the street and rolled into the gas station. Put 11 gallons in a 10.6 gal tank. :rolleyes1
Uh oh!
I think those signs are funny. The bridge is 8 1/2 miles, exit to exit. We pass stretches in rural Georgia or Tennessee that that are 3 or 4 times that long. :confused3

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-09-2011, 11:04 AM

I know I'm a few entries into this Trip Report and I've barely even mentioned Walt Disney World. And then I go and throw a title like that onto another entry.

Yah… but… you are at least still talking about the trip and your family. You want off-topic? Head on over to my most recent post. That’s… off-topic.

I promise, WDW is coming! But first, we wanted to head to the beach!

An – ti – ci – pation…

I wanted to give the new coolant lines in the van a good workout, but didn't want to have all 6 of us stranded on the side of the road in case something didn't hold right.
So we decided to take two vehicles over to the gulf –

Sound choice

the kids with their grandparents in their Explorer, Bambi and I in the rolling death trap.

Until you put it that way…

We set out south west on I-4 towards Tampa, then took the Courtney Campbell Causeway over Tampa Bay to Clearwater. I only mention that because one of Bambi's best friends growing up was also named Courtney Campbell, but I doubt the road is named after her. Or that she's reading this report. So basically this paragraph means nothing to anyone. Moving on then...

Actually it does have meaning to someone. Courtney’s attorney called and said to inform you that you now owe her a share of all royalties made form this TR. If funds are not forthcoming… she’ll be seeing you in small clams’ court.

We arrived at a very nice beach parking area to find two things: people and rain.

So I’m not the only one that actually does go to the beach when it’s raining?

Britt's Pizza for lunch… …Interesting in a good way, though.

Will have to write that one down and give it a try some time

We did not buy any of this...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XqXd4cUbkv4/TmD0RvO266I/AAAAAAAAKaU/uDQzjRnDJcw/s800/IMG00296-20110626-1114.jpg

Can’t believe you passed up on that. You could have had it bronzed and used it as a centerpiece during thanksgiving dinners.

This one sparked my interest as well - it would be a fun one to wear on It's A Small World… …Saturday Night Live sketch that you can watch here… ...Really, you probably just shouldn't watch it at all.

Something to keep me entertained when I head back to the house for lunch

That must mean it's time for dessert!

It’s always time for dessert

I watch Evan eat. He uses his spoon. But somehow he still ends up with red, yellow and blue Superman ice cream from ear to ear.

Well… if you put it in your ear, then you don’t have to look at it, so I see this as positive development.

We searched the GPS for "cinema" and found several, shall we say, Adult-oriented establishments.

Classy

Since we just ate pizza and ice cream, of course we ordered several large buckets of popcorn to share.

And to put in your ears…

We thought the movie was pretty good - maybe a little complicated plot for the little ones to follow, and the "big oil is bad" subtext was a bit over the top, but all in all it was a good movie. (Duh, it's Pixar - they've never put out a stinker)

Agreed… not the best Pixar offering, but better then the first one, and… we got to see it while sailing on a DCL ship. That’s not quite as good as “Superman” ice-cream in your ear, but I’ll chalk it up as a win.

Let me just say this - that dude's lucky he wasn't around. Imagine how embarrassed he'd be in front of his friends when he lost a drag race to my minivan.

Anyway, while watching Lightning McQueen race around the big screen for 112 minutes, I picked up a few driving tips that I utilized on the way back to the beach. Namely, drive fast, whip in and out of traffic, and make "zoom", "vroom" and "weeeeeeee!" noises the entire way.

Ya’ ain’t foolin’ me. You drive like this all the time. I know… I done seen the pictures…

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/RuledByVenus/Pix/YeeeHaaaaw.jpg

(And so has Fed :lmao:)

Using those techniques, we made it to the beach in no time and headed straight for the water.

So did the van sink or float? You know you were supposed to stop back there in the parking lot right?

The water was nice, but Evan decided he would rather pull out his DOT-issued construction equipment and build some roads on the beach. I'm a little confused though. That shovel looks like he's actually digging with it instead of leaning on it. Are you sure you're doing that right?

Not my realm of expertise, but I’m sure there’s someone around here that can give you a ruling on that one

Warning: artsy pictures ahead.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nOWWv9izXCE/TmjM7FdJFeI/AAAAAAAAKbE/jxEXlkBjPHE/s800/DSCF0760.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eMspWkHGVAs/TmjNaaOQocI/AAAAAAAAKbc/2KglOynCTsY/s800/DSCF0756.JPG

And dang fine ones at that. Especially this one right here…

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--NG9OTA1i2o/TmD0o-NnhVI/AAAAAAAAKa8/CkR4Y5OKqpI/s800/DSCF0761.JPG

And so after a picnic snack/dinner on the beach while trying to fend off some very brave seagulls,

This is a good skill to have in your arsenal. Especially since you’re headed to Castaway Cay (and I’ll elaborate more on that else where on these boards in a few days ;))

Up Next: The Magic Kingdom!

:cool1:

Wonderful update… as usual. :thumbsup2

Poolrat

09-09-2011, 07:10 PM

Uh oh!
I think those signs are funny. The bridge is 8 1/2 miles, exit to exit. We pass stretches in rural Georgia or Tennessee that that are 3 or 4 times that long. :confused3

I always wondered how many people ran out of gas on that bridge that they had to put up a sign. :lmao::sad2:

Then they put up a sign as you get on the bridge where there is NOWHERE to get gas. A true Uh Oh Moment. :rotfl2:

KY*Figment

09-10-2011, 07:29 PM

I like reading trip reports. Currently, I am following yours and Captain Oblivious but the two of you are killing me. It's like trying to get to the end of the Great Gatsby! Type guys, type......

KatMark

09-11-2011, 07:44 PM

We set out south west on I-4 towards Tampa, then took the Courtney Campbell Causeway over Tampa Bay to Clearwater. I only mention that because one of Bambi's best friends growing up was also named Courtney Campbell, but I doubt the road is named after her. Or that she's reading this report. So basically this paragraph means nothing to anyone. Moving on then...

So why did you write it???? ;)

Since it was still raining after lunch, we killed some time in one of the local tourist trap shops. We did not buy any of this...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XqXd4cUbkv4/TmD0RvO266I/AAAAAAAAKaU/uDQzjRnDJcw/s800/IMG00296-20110626-1114.jpg

(although someone may have asked if we could :rolleyes1)

Would that someone have been the "oldest" kid in your family--you? :rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_oqhZposx6M/TmD0SHf1A-I/AAAAAAAAKac/L1gAWIZcdkE/s800/IMG00298-20110626-1607.jpg

Cool!

Let me just say this - that dude's lucky he wasn't around. Imagine how embarrassed he'd be in front of his friends when he lost a drag race to my minivan.

Whatever you say, Barry. :rolleyes1

Using those techniques, we made it to the beach in no time and headed straight for the water.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6iTMyNzA1yM/TmD0lx-_ftI/AAAAAAAAKag/4ckFnLyrttA/s800/DSCF0741.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-feQJQAxk7K8/TmD0mqflDrI/AAAAAAAAKao/otH1aMO8qgU/s800/DSCF0750.JPG

It was then that I realized - we were under attack! Man the cannons ye scurvy dogs! Thar be pirates headin' this way!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LgENP1lHlJo/TmD0mJ7wTPI/AAAAAAAAKak/iAxHCxrMqNA/s800/DSCF0748.JPG

After a few well placed shots just off their port bow, they turned tail and ran for open water.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cE7El2GRL8w/TmD0nIs8mRI/AAAAAAAAKas/dWKWo3HEyrM/s800/DSCF0751.JPG

Or maybe it was just a touristy pirate ship taking folks out for a pleasure cruise. In which case, I deeply apologize for firing those cannon balls at you and for all those nasty things I said about your mothers.

The water was nice, but Evan decided he would rather pull out his DOT-issued construction equipment and build some roads on the beach. I'm a little confused though. That shovel looks like he's actually digging with it instead of leaning on it. Are you sure you're doing that right?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OXag8RV98NI/TmD0nkqLhSI/AAAAAAAAKaw/HificE8fBEs/s800/DSCF0752.JPG

Warning: artsy pictures ahead.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nOWWv9izXCE/TmjM7FdJFeI/AAAAAAAAKbE/jxEXlkBjPHE/s800/DSCF0760.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eMspWkHGVAs/TmjNaaOQocI/AAAAAAAAKbc/2KglOynCTsY/s800/DSCF0756.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--NG9OTA1i2o/TmD0o-NnhVI/AAAAAAAAKa8/CkR4Y5OKqpI/s800/DSCF0761.JPG

And so after a picnic snack/dinner on the beach while trying to fend off some very brave seagulls, we called it a day, washed most of the sand off and headed home. Then van made it without a problem so I gave it a clean bill of health and certified it to make tomorrow's drive to ...

Up Next: The Magic Kingdom!

Looks like once the weather cleared up and you got to the beach that everyone had a great time.

Backstage_Gal

09-11-2011, 10:19 PM

joining in, sounds like a fun trip!

FreezinRafiki

09-12-2011, 01:35 PM

Yah… but… you are at least still talking about the trip and your family. You want off-topic? Head on over to my most recent post. That’s… off-topic.

Was your post off topic? Yes. Does that make it bad? No. :thumbsup2

Actually it does have meaning to someone. Courtney’s attorney called and said to inform you that you now owe her a share of all royalties made form this TR. If funds are not forthcoming… she’ll be seeing you in small clams’ court.
Wait, which Courtney? I Googled it, the person the bridge was named after was a guy - a US Representative from Florida. He's already got a bridge named after him, what more does he want?

So I’m not the only one that actually does go to the beach when it’s raining?

I guess not. :confused3
Personally, I don't like going swimming when it's raining. I hate to get wet when I'm in the water.

Will have to write that one down and give it a try some time

Legal Disclaimer: The Author of this Trip Report can not be held liable by anyone doing any of the stupid things he tells them to do. Enjoy your day!

Can’t believe you passed up on that. You could have had it bronzed and used it as a centerpiece during thanksgiving dinners.

My sister has the Awesome Thanksgiving Centerpiece Award locked up. She has a little wooden cutout of a pilgrim holding a turkey. But he's holding it kind of low and the turkey have very surprised/puzzled look on his face. It's pure unintentionally dirty/funny.

It’s always time for dessert
:thumbsup2

Well… if you put it in your ear, then you don’t have to look at it, so I see this as positive development.
I'm not sure he cares what his ice cream tastes like. He seems to just look into the cooler and pick out the brightest colors.

And to put in your ears…
Luckily, the popcorn wasn't sticky. If he did put it in his ears or on his face, it feel off before I had to look at it and roll my eyes.

Agreed… not the best Pixar offering, but better then the first one, and… we got to see it while sailing on a DCL ship. That’s not quite as good as “Superman” ice-cream in your ear, but I’ll chalk it up as a win.

Trying to follow UP and Toy Story 3 is tall order. No, this one didn't have the dept and emotional feeling of those two, but it's a good movie in it's on right.

Ya’ ain’t foolin’ me. You drive like this all the time. I know… I done seen the pictures…
:cool1:

So did the van sink or float? You know you were supposed to stop back there in the parking lot right?
Kind of like those lizards that can run on water - if you keep going fast enough, you don't sink.

And dang fine ones at that. Especially this one right here…

Thanks!

This is a good skill to have in your arsenal. Especially since you’re headed to Castaway Cay (and I’ll elaborate more on that else where on these boards in a few days ;))
I can't wait! (For CC and to read your update about it!)

Wonderful update… as usual. :thumbsup2
Thank you!

I always wondered how many people ran out of gas on that bridge that they had to put up a sign. :lmao::sad2:

Then they put up a sign as you get on the bridge where there is NOWHERE to get gas. A true Uh Oh Moment. :rotfl2:
I do remember seeing one sign before the last exit before the bridge. Something tells me that guy can charge as much as he wants for his gas. :scared1:

FreezinRafiki

09-12-2011, 01:44 PM

I like reading trip reports. Currently, I am following yours and Captain Oblivious but the two of you are killing me. It's like trying to get to the end of the Great Gatsby! Type guys, type......
Thanks and Welcome to the TR!
Wow, being mentioned in the same breath as Captain_Oblivious and the Great Gatsby! I'm used to being mentioned with the guy that writes the possible side effect warnings on prescription drug commercials and dirty limericks on bathroom stalls. That's quite a compliment!

So why did you write it????
Hey, I've got to fill pages somehow, don't I?

Would that someone have been the "oldest" kid in your family--you?
Come on Kathy, tell me you've never wanted some gator poop to call your own!

Whatever you say, Barry
That's right -it my trip report. I can make up and say anything I want!:woohoo:

Looks like once the weather cleared up and you got to the beach that everyone had a great time.
Yup, we got lucky there. :thumbsup2

joining in, sounds like a fun trip!
Thanks and Welcome to the TR!

FreezinRafiki

09-13-2011, 11:15 AM

Well, after a long drive down, some van repairs, an afternoon hiding from the rainstorms in a movie theater and some time at the beach, I'd say it's time to let the magic begin. And what better place for that, than the Magic Kingdom! (Hey, you think they named it that on purpose? Sure does seem like quite a coincidence if you ask me...)

Since it was a Monday and Bambi's dad is running a home repair business, he had some things to attend to at a job site before we could go to Disney. That extra delay was not going to sit well with the kids. We drove all this way and we - sorry, they - we anxious to get going. We - sorry, they - didn't want to hang around the house for an extra few hours and wait. We - sorry, they - wanted to get to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop so we - sorry, they - could start finding characters and riding rides.

So Bambi and I and the kids started off for WDW in the rolling rust bucket of doom, planning to meet up with Grandma & Grandpa sometime mid-morning.

Usually our first decision of the day is monorail vs ferry boat. The decision was made for us today, as the line for the monorail was back down the ramp and there was a cast member at the entrance saying the monorail was down and they didn't know how long it would be before it was up and running again. Surprise, surprise.

Down the hill we went, along with a herd of people, to the ferry landing. (Incidently, why do they call it a boat landing? Boats can't even fly!)

There was a pretty big crowd already waiting, but Disney had buckets of chalk out for the kids to vandalize the sidewalks with. No sooner had Madison started tagging her gang signs, though, did one of the 3 ferries Disney was running pulled up and let off the dozen people that were leaving before park opening. Ummm, folks? The fun is back that-a-way.:confused3

We boarded the ship and headed straight for the pilot house to commandeer the vessel (By force if necessary!) and take us straight to the Magic Kingdom. But there was a very nice Cast Member standing there that said we were already going directly to the Magic Kingdom, so we holstered our pistols, stowed our swords and settled for a very cute picture of Bambi and the kids.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FnKS2dADqUU/Tm5gBa-RctI/AAAAAAAAKcI/oUxcCdp5UuQ/s800/IMG_7062.JPG

Loading that many people took quite a while, but soon we were under way and approaching our destination.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QccE3xGB2aI/Tm5gBaUtYDI/AAAAAAAAKcM/hD6ws6b9UGI/s800/IMG_7063.JPG

Since they had 3 Ferries running, we had a bit of a wait for one to pull out of the dock and allow us to unload. As bad as it is getting caught up the mass of people exiting the park after fireworks, it's even worse with a mass of people going into the park. It's the same herd mentality (nudge people out of the way, cut off old ladies in wheel chairs, trample small children in your way, etc), but it's amplified by a greater sense of urgency. Now instead of having to be the first to get back to your hotel room to sleep, you have to be the first to get into the park and start complaining about the crowds.

We try to teach our kids to be polite but assertive, and crowds like this are a test of that. You don't need to be rude and trample someone, but at the same time, stand your ground and don't let others do it to you. Even with the crowd, we were through bag check and the turnstiles in just a few minutes. We started our walk up through Main Street and I noticed this guy:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JZqgRKwYexY/Tm5gBv202ZI/AAAAAAAAKcU/jYwKS--_IlU/s800/IMG_7066.JPG

I've seen the double decker bus, the horse drawn trolley, but I don't recall ever seeing this car before. Look at that, we've been here all of 5 minutes and we've already seen something new!

Our travels took us over to Adventureland, where Bambi and the kids rode the magic carpets while I ran ahead to Frontierland to grab FastPasses to Splash Mountain. (Did I mention it was late June? And we were in Florida? And that it was going to be hot? I did? Ok, good. Just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page.)

I got back with the FPs as they were getting off of the ride, so we stood in line to see Jasmine and Aladdin. While we were waiting, I noticed this little guy:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VT5ttl0l5bk/Tm5gBqy3SOI/AAAAAAAAKcQ/Xnh8SQ-0Y_s/s800/IMG_7069.JPG.

He was just hanging out, enjoying the view.

Here's Evan, about to give Aladdin on his patented "break your hand 5's". Aladdin then his rescinded his third wish for Genie's freedom and wished for an ice pack.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bOcZaXIyE1c/Tm5gB1efU6I/AAAAAAAAKcY/ssfxcggVVMo/s800/IMG_7072.JPG

Can you see our little lizard friend?
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-958WmfZ5UtU/Tm5gCNWZVkI/AAAAAAAAKcc/JcV0saujfz8/s800/IMG_7076.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YaobWZGx_pU/Tm5gCcih1sI/AAAAAAAAKcg/YwTqwqCDw5g/s800/IMG_7078.JPG

By this time Grandma & Grandpa called to let us know that they had just arrived at the park. I met them, took their tickets and got FPs for Splash as well. We when dared to go on...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uMghC0cg3Vk/Tm5gCdyE1XI/AAAAAAAAKck/ohLCUXR3QzQ/s800/IMG_7079.JPG

Look! Booty!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vPZDmziLzco/Tm5gCjXQ09I/AAAAAAAAKco/JD0BTirFC88/s800/IMG_7084.JPG

Hold on a sec while I check my notes. Let's see...I said it was June...I said it was Florida...I said it was hot....Ok, here we are. It's time to cool off! Where?

Splash Mountain of course!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ywasPek1o0o/Tm901hdjw-I/AAAAAAAAKf0/SMwY6tsmk8w/s800/IMG00300-20110627-0938.jpg

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay. My, oh my what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine heading my way. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!

(What? You'd rather have It's a Small World stuck in your head. Hold on a minute, we'll get there...)

We immediately exited Splash and got more Fast Passes. We then saw that Big Thunder Mountain was a relatively short wait at 20 minutes. Water is good at cooling your off, but so is fast moving air! In line we went!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4CHZS8Jg7TE/Tm90832naJI/AAAAAAAAKf4/eIWHNct_A-U/s800/IMG00305-20110627-1001.jpg

The ride was so much fun, that Evan wanted to do it again. Madison didn't, so she stayed with Bambi while Evan and I hiked it back up the queue and into the runaway mine train again! Whoo Hooo!

After spinning carpets, pirate adventures, sprinting through a brier patch and two rides in a runaway mine train, it was time to slow this train down for a bit of lunch at Peco's Bill's. I ate fast and let everyone else take their time and relax a bit while I did a FastPass run to Buzz Lightyear, stopping to watch the end of the Dream Along with Mickey show at the castle. By the time I got back, the kids were finishing their last grapes. I was hot again from the Fast Pass run, so I begged and pleaded and bargained with the kids to go on Splash Mountain again. After lengthy negotiations, they finally relented. For your information, a transcript of the heated mediation follows:

Me: Do you guys want to go on Splash Mountain?
Kids: YES!

(I'm not one to brag, but I'm pretty sure that if I had be in charge of the NFL labor negations this summer, it wouldn't have come down to the 11th hour.)

The best thing about having a group of 6 on Splash Mountain? Someone in your party always gets a view of the rabbit's butt.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lP3W_HBzftA/Tm91NOFVTrI/AAAAAAAAKgE/OwmcGNX9-7U/s800/IMG00309-20110627-1211.jpg

By the time we got off SM this time, Frontierland was really starting to fill up. Wait times for both mountains were over 60 minutes and we were fresh out of Fast Passes. I guess that means it's time to start heading east and take in the new interactive queue at the Haunted Mansion.

The posted wait was about 45 minutes, which really wasn't too bad considering the crowd levels elsewhere. We twisted and turned our way around the chains outside and eventually hit the shaded area, but the heat was starting to take it's toll on the kids. Evan was pleading to be carried, despite us explaining to him that pressing his hot body on our hot bodies would make us both hotter. He was insistent on being carried, so I made him a deal. I'd carry him, but only if I got to stick his face in my sweaty arm pit. His feet must have really hurt, because he agreed.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F3kPz4L4dDA/Tm5gCzb1PuI/AAAAAAAAKcs/NVKBD8Yf7rw/s800/DSCF0769.JPG

HM now has a decision in it's queue. Go to the right and head straight into the attraction, or go left into the interactive queue. Duh, left it is!

The first thing you encounter are several more memorials to deceased members of the family. I can assure you that Madison is fully utilizing her drama skills here and is in fact NOT mortally terrified.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sX_S5_6jANM/Tm5gC5SPU6I/AAAAAAAAKcw/IqpceYamRBc/s800/DSCF0771.JPG

I think.
Oh well, moving on....

We all had a good time in the queue, playing the instruments on the organ, plugging the holes in the Sea Captain's tomb, playing with the haunted books in the library, etc. We then had a pleasant ride in our Doom Buggies around Gracie Mansion. I'm sure you're just dying to hear all about it, but I have other stories to get to...

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

Sorry, I cracked myself up a bit on that one. I'll just post the standard rocking chair picture that Bambi's Dad has to take with the kids every visit while I try to compose myself again.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CoHwK_tEoJc/Tm5gDJX0LqI/AAAAAAAAKc0/QWl0omLwaJA/s800/DSCF0779.JPG

As we moved into Fantasyland, I looked up and to the left and saw...nothing. The old chalet that was the skyride terminal has been removed. Rumor has it this area will be new bathrooms.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OT3P5BF3tyQ/Tm91IZwhJAI/AAAAAAAAKgA/_0ic6Qyx910/s800/IMG00308-20110627-1150.jpg

While waiting for It's A Small World, I snapped a few pictures of Peter Pan's Flight across the way.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zX48Bj7KVwI/Tm5gDZ2rI3I/AAAAAAAAKc8/gRPbIWrNjwU/s800/IMG_7087.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zERWvE2CFpw/Tm5gDRWHvTI/AAAAAAAAKc4/U0VAMSnqrII/s800/IMG_7090.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LaCcadKTO78/Tm5gE7WfuZI/AAAAAAAAKdY/klGw44DAWfE/s800/IMG_7115.JPG

And to ensure that you want to come back and keep reading, I'll leave the tale of our adventures in It's A Small World to lead off the next update!

UP NEXT Bambi attempts, multiple times, to get herself out of the boat at any cost.

afwdwfan

09-13-2011, 11:59 AM

I'd say it's time to let the magic begin. And what better place for that, than the Magic Kingdom! (Hey, you think they named it that on purpose? Sure does seem like quite a coincidence if you ask me...)
Wow! That really is a coincidence! :headache: :rolleyes1

We drove all this way and we - sorry, they - we anxious to get going. We - sorry, they - didn't want to hang around the house for an extra few hours and wait. We - sorry, they - wanted to get to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop so we - sorry, they - could start finding characters and riding rides.
What's all this we/they stuff? We all know it should really say "I"

(Incidently, why do they call it a boat landing? Boats can't even fly!)
I guess for the same reason you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway.:confused3

one of the 3 ferries Disney was running pulled up and let off the dozen people that were leaving before park opening. Ummm, folks? The fun is back that-a-way.:confused3
:eek::scared1:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JZqgRKwYexY/Tm5gBv202ZI/AAAAAAAAKcU/jYwKS--_IlU/s800/IMG_7066.JPG
Is this what Bambi wanted to buy when you were working on the van?:confused3

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bOcZaXIyE1c/Tm5gB1efU6I/AAAAAAAAKcY/ssfxcggVVMo/s800/IMG_7072.JPG
It looks like Evan isn't quite as fascinated by Jasmine's necklace this time around.:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

The ride was so much fun, that Evan wanted to do it again. Madison didn't, so she stayed with Bambi while Evan and I hiked it back up the queue and into the runaway mine train again! Whoo Hooo!
A bonus ride on the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness??? Awesome!!! :thumbsup2

(I'm not one to brag, but I'm pretty sure that if I had be in charge of the NFL labor negations this summer, it wouldn't have come down to the 11th hour.)
I hate to break it to you Barry, but I don't think most of the players would play for cheese balls. The Packers, maybe, but that's about it.

I'm sure you're just dying to hear all about it, but I have other stories to get to...
:sad2:

Sorry, I cracked myself up a bit on that one.
Well, at least you cracked somebody up. Congratulations.:thumbsup2

While waiting for It's A Small World, I snapped a few pictures of Peter Pan's Flight across the way.
Great pictures!:thumbsup2

UP NEXT Bambi attempts, multiple times, to get herself out of the boat at any cost.
Probably because you owe her a skipped IASW ride from the last trip.:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Stringbean&Wingnut

09-13-2011, 12:48 PM

Here's Evan, about to give Aladdin on his patented "break your hand 5's". Aladdin then his rescinded his third wish for Genie's freedom and wished for an ice pack.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bOcZaXIyE1c/Tm5gB1efU6I/AAAAAAAAKcY/ssfxcggVVMo/s800/IMG_7072.JPG

He looks like he's practically stretching to warm up before giving poor Aladdin a torn tendon.

I absolutely cannot wait to see the new HM queue!! It looks so great, lots of fun things for me...I mean, the kids...to play with!

KY*Figment

09-13-2011, 01:47 PM

Thanks! I'm so glad you updated because if not I would have to read a boring magazine or watch Fox News in the drs office waiting room. :thumbsup2

afwdwfan

09-13-2011, 02:19 PM

Thanks! I'm so glad you updated because if not I would have to read a boring magazine or watch Fox News in the drs office waiting room. :thumbsup2

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Congratulations Barry! I guess this makes it official... your trip reports are better than a boring magazine! :thumbsup2

KatMark

09-13-2011, 02:22 PM

So Bambi and I and the kids started off for WDW in the rolling rust bucket of doom, planning to meet up with Grandma & Grandpa sometime mid-morning.

Good plan!

Usually our first decision of the day is monorail vs ferry boat. The decision was made for us today, as the line for the monorail was back down the ramp and there was a cast member at the entrance saying the monorail was down and they didn't know how long it would be before it was up and running again. Surprise, surprise.

I have always said the monorail is overrated and we avoid it at all costs.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-958WmfZ5UtU/Tm5gCNWZVkI/AAAAAAAAKcc/JcV0saujfz8/s800/IMG_7076.JPG

Great picture!

(What? You'd rather have It's a Small World stuck in your head. Hold on a minute, we'll get there...)

Anything but that!!!!!!!!!!!

We all had a good time in the queue, playing the instruments on the organ, plugging the holes in the Sea Captain's tomb, playing with the haunted books in the library, etc. We then had a pleasant ride in our Doom Buggies around Gracie Mansion. I'm sure you're just dying to hear all about it, but I have other stories to get to...

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

Sorry, I cracked myself up a bit on that one. I'll just post the standard rocking chair picture that Bambi's Dad has to take with the kids every visit while I try to compose myself again.

GLAD YOU CRACKED SOMEBODY UP!!!!!!!!!! ;)

While waiting for It's A Small World, I snapped a few pictures of Peter Pan's Flight across the way.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zERWvE2CFpw/Tm5gDRWHvTI/AAAAAAAAKc4/U0VAMSnqrII/s800/IMG_7090.JPG

I have never seen that ship before. :confused3

And to ensure that you want to come back and keep reading, I'll leave the tale of our adventures in It's A Small World to lead off the next update!

Only if no more bad humor. :laughing:

UP NEXT Bambi attempts, multiple times, to get herself out of the boat at any cost.

Great update, Barry.

KY*Figment

09-13-2011, 02:43 PM

:rotfl::lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Congratulations Barry! I guess this makes it official... your trip reports are better than a boring magazine! :thumbsup2
I was complimenting him! Disdads love to trash talk! :laughing:

Poolrat

09-13-2011, 07:43 PM

Finally to the MK. :lmao: I am glad the van got fixed- good work by the way- I would have been at the dealer getting a new one- and :thumbsup2 on getting the early start. RD waits for no man.

You made good use of the day - alternating between wet and breezy. :rotfl:

FreezinRafiki

09-14-2011, 09:06 AM

Wow! That really is a coincidence! :headache: :rolleyes1
You're mocking me, aren't you?

What's all this we/they stuff? We all know it should really say "I"

No, Bambi felt that way too. :thumbsup2

I guess for the same reason you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway.:confused3

Yet another thing to blame on the DOT!

Is this what Bambi wanted to buy when you were working on the van?:confused3

Well, the airflow would help keep you cool in the summer. Not sure how it would handle a Wisconsin winter, though.

It looks like Evan isn't quite as fascinated by Jasmine's necklace this time around.:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

He wasn't wearing his dark sunglasses. :cool2:

A bonus ride on the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness??? Awesome!!! :thumbsup2
Yeah, it was yet another sacrifice we make for our children. :woohoo:

I hate to break it to you Barry, but I don't think most of the players would play for cheese balls. The Packers, maybe, but that's about it.

Of course not. They'd get an entire post-game cheese and sausage platter!

Well, at least you cracked somebody up. Congratulations.:thumbsup2

That was my goal!

Great pictures!:thumbsup2

Thanks!

Probably because you owe her a skipped IASW ride from the last trip.:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:
Hmmm...I was hoping no one remembered that...

He looks like he's practically stretching to warm up before giving poor Aladdin a torn tendon.

He does have a pretty wicked windup. Then he pauses with his hand straight up as a way to psych you out because you don't know when he'll start again. That kid is a master of the mind games.

I absolutely cannot wait to see the new HM queue!! It looks so great, lots of fun things for me...I mean, the kids...to play with!
They did a really cool job with it, I was very impressed!

FreezinRafiki

09-14-2011, 09:08 AM

Thanks! I'm so glad you updated because if not I would have to read a boring magazine or watch Fox News in the drs office waiting room. :thumbsup2
I'm glad I could save you from that 9 month old copy of Better Homes and Gardens.

Congratulations Barry! I guess this makes it official... your trip reports are better than a boring magazine! :thumbsup2
I've finally make the big time!

:rotfl:
I was complimenting him! Disdads love to trash talk! :laughing:
Yes, yes we do. I can't wait for Andy to start his TR. pirate::stir:

FreezinRafiki

09-14-2011, 09:14 AM

Good plan!
Of course it was. It's was Bambi's.

I have always said the monorail is overrated and we avoid it at all costs

It's still a fun ride, when it's working.

Anything but that!!!!!!!!!!!
You may want to skip the next update, then...

GLAD YOU CRACKED SOMEBODY UP!!!!!!!!!!
I have high standards. :thumbsup2

I have never seen that ship before.
Neither had I. Then i started noticing a lot of buildings had themed weather vanes! Just added Disney touches!

Only if no more bad humor.

Of course not. All my humor is top-shelf. :thumbsup2

Finally to the MK. :lmao: I am glad the van got fixed- good work by the way- I would have been at the dealer getting a new one- and :thumbsup2 on getting the early start. RD waits for no man.

We still just missed RD due to the Ferry delay. But still, getting in at 9:05 is better than 10:30:thumbsup2

You made good use of the day - alternating between wet and breezy. :rotfl:
Yup, we then headed toward "air conditioned" in the afternoon!

middlepat

09-14-2011, 09:17 AM

Of course not. All my humor is top-shelf. :thumbsup2

Is that "Macallan 25" top shelf, or "Wheezy covered in dust" top shelf? :confused3

afwdwfan

09-14-2011, 09:52 AM

You're mocking me, aren't you?
What??? Never!

Yet another thing to blame on the DOT!
They just can't get anything right.:sad2:

Well, the airflow would help keep you cool in the summer. Not sure how it would handle a Wisconsin winter, though.
With that handy windshield on the front, it wouldn't be any worse than a snowmobile.:confused3

Of course not. They'd get an entire post-game cheese and sausage platter!
Only the winning team though, right?

Hmmm...I was hoping no one remembered that...
See, I actually do read and pay attention to what you write.

Sometimes.:rolleyes1

Yes, yes we do. I can't wait for Andy to start his TR. pirate::stir:
Sorry, but my TR will be a pun free zone.:lmao:

FreezinRafiki

09-14-2011, 11:33 AM

Is that "Macallan 25" top shelf, or "Wheezy covered in dust" top shelf? :confused3
*Cough* *Cough* I lost my squeaker in this glass of Johnnie Walker Blue.

With that handy windshield on the front, it wouldn't be any worse than a snowmobile.:confused3
Do you think it has hand warmers on the steering wheel?

Sorry, but my TR will be a pun free zone.:lmao:

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl::laughing:

Ok. Sure it will. :thumbsup2

middlepat

09-14-2011, 01:43 PM

Sorry, but my TR will be a pun free zone.:lmao:

What? There's a way to limit FreezinRafiki from commenting on your TR?

:rotfl2:

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-14-2011, 03:08 PM

…so we - sorry, they - could start finding characters and riding rides.

R-i-g-h-t…

“They” are real impatient

By the way… I’m one of them “They” folks as well(when it come to Disney that is).

So Bambi and I and the kids started off for WDW in the rolling rust bucket of doom

Better then the stationary rust bucket of doom up on blocks…

Which if memory serves me correctly might look like… this:

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/RuledByVenus/Pix/WORK5.jpg

Down the hill we went, along with a herd of people, to the ferry landing.

I rather like the ferries myself, but the Monorail does seem to be having more trouble more often.

(Incidently, why do they call it a boat landing? Boats can't even fly!)

It’s the point where you leave an environment that is not natural to humans (like the middle of the ocean or amongst the clouds) and thus “return to the land”.

Oh… wait… you were joking weren’t you? Never mind… you can just disregard that last answer.

There was a pretty big crowd already waiting, but Disney had buckets of chalk out for the kids to vandalize the sidewalks with.

That’s cool! Extra magic.

…so we holstered our pistols, stowed our swords and settled for a very cute picture of Bambi and the kids.

Awwww… I was hoping for some swashbuckling action. Nice picture though.

Now instead of having to be the first to get back to your hotel room to sleep, you have to be the first to get into the park and start complaining about the crowds.

:headache:

Our travels took us over to Adventureland, where Bambi and the kids rode the magic carpets while I ran ahead to Frontierland to grab FastPasses to Splash Mountain.

‘Cause that’s what you do.

He was just hanging out, enjoying the view…

…Can you see our little lizard friend?
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-958WmfZ5UtU/Tm5gCNWZVkI/AAAAAAAAKcc/JcV0saujfz8/s800/IMG_7076.JPG

Nice view too…

(What? You'd rather have It's a Small World stuck in your head. Hold on a minute, we'll get there...)

No… I’m good with “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” (but you were a little flat… you need to work on your breath control a bit there).

Me: Do you guys want to go on Splash Mountain?
Kids: YES!

(I'm not one to brag, but I'm pretty sure that if I had be in charge of the NFL labor negations this summer, it wouldn't have come down to the 11th hour.)

I don’t know… I mean, “Splash” is cool and all… but is it really better then fighting over a several hundred million dollars?

HM now has a decision in it's queue. Go to the right and head straight into the attraction, or go left into the interactive queue. Duh, left it is!

Always go left at Disney (It will rarely let you down)

UP NEXT Bambi attempts, multiple times, to get herself out of the boat at any cost.

You’ve convinced me… I’ll be back. popcorn::

grahamfam3

09-14-2011, 03:46 PM

Um, yeah, I was gonna ask, there wouldn't be any more photos of Jasmine by any chance (we're not gonna mention this to my wife, right?). :rolleyes1

petals

09-14-2011, 05:40 PM

I never noticed the ship over peter pan before! Also I'm sensing for some reason that you don't particularly like It's a Small world?!

KY*Figment

09-14-2011, 06:35 PM

Um, yeah, I was gonna ask, there wouldn't be any more photos of Jasmine by any chance (we're not gonna mention this to my wife, right?). :rolleyes1

:rotfl2::rotfl::laughing:

FreezinRafiki

09-15-2011, 07:50 AM

What? There's a way to limit FreezinRafiki from commenting on your TR?

Yes. Cash.

R-i-g-h-t…

“They” are real impatient
By the way… I’m one of them “They” folks as well(when it come to Disney that is).
I'll let you in on a little secret, here. So am I.

Better then the stationary rust bucket of doom up on blocks…

If it doesn't have wheels, I don't think you can add the "doom" tag. That part gets automatically added when you're flying down I-4 at 78MPH.

It’s the point where you leave an environment that is not natural to humans (like the middle of the ocean or amongst the clouds) and thus “return to the land”.
Oh, a wise guy huh?

Oh… wait… you were joking weren’t you? Never mind… you can just disregard that last answer.
I'll pretend Andy said it. I disregard most of what he says. :rotfl2:

That’s cool! Extra magic.

That, or even the Cast Members were sick of hearing kids whine about how long the boat is taking. :rolleyes1

Awwww… I was hoping for some swashbuckling action. Nice picture though.

So was I. :sad1:
But thanks!

‘Cause that’s what you do.

I see it this way: the more I cross the park on FP runs, the more I earn that double bacon cheeseburger. :thumbsup2

Nice view too…

Aladdin's Carpet Ride? Yeah, I guess it's an OK view.

No… I’m good with “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” (but you were a little flat… you need to work on your breath control a bit there).
My idea of breath control: breathe in, breathe out. Don't stop.

Always go left at Disney (It will rarely let you down)

I live by this rule. Except in Pirates. Then the rule is: go whichever way the big group in front of you didn't.

You’ve convinced me… I’ll be back. popcorn::
Suckerrrrrrr.
:thumbsup2

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-15-2011, 08:04 AM

Oh, a wise guy huh?

I'll pretend Andy said it. I disregard most of what he says. :rotfl2:

Well… you do have the right to beat up on my TR

I see it this way: the more I cross the park on FP runs, the more I earn that double bacon cheeseburger. :thumbsup2

Mmmmmmmm… b-a-c-o-n

Aladdin's Carpet Ride? Yeah, I guess it's an OK view.

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge… say no more, say no more

Suckerrrrrrr.
:thumbsup2

You bet’chem.

FreezinRafiki

09-15-2011, 08:06 AM

Um, yeah, I was gonna ask, there wouldn't be any more photos of Jasmine by any chance (we're not gonna mention this to my wife, right?). :rolleyes1
I just looked through all of the pictures I have for this trip and can't find anymore of Jasmine.:sad2:

So I dug up one from the archives:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XO3UTxObzls/TnH3jTxp7xI/AAAAAAAAKgY/QKNURJ6FLfY/s640/IMG_3124.JPG

And what happens in the TR, stays on the TR. :thumbsup2

I never noticed the ship over peter pan before! Also I'm sensing for some reason that you don't particularly like It's a Small world?!
It's not that we don't like IASW, it's that, well, that song is really, really annoying.

:rotfl2::rotfl::laughing:
:thumbsup2

afwdwfan

09-15-2011, 08:12 AM

Yes. Cash.
Eh... it'll be cheaper to just ignore you.

I'll pretend Andy said it. I disregard most of what he says. :rotfl2:
Geez... I'm getting the same respect from the DIS Dad's that I get at home.:sad2:

:rotfl2:

Captain_Oblivious

09-15-2011, 09:18 AM

I like reading trip reports. Currently, I am following yours and Captain Oblivious but the two of you are killing me.

Awesome! You know, you ARE allowed to comment on my TR as well... :rolleyes1

Thanks and Welcome to the TR!
Wow, being mentioned in the same breath as Captain_Oblivious and the Great Gatsby! I'm used to being mentioned with the guy that writes the possible side effect warnings on prescription drug commercials and dirty limericks on bathroom stalls. That's quite a compliment!

But I AM the guy writing the limeri--wait, I've said too much already.

We drove all this way and we - sorry, they - we anxious to get going. We - sorry, they - didn't want to hang around the house for an extra few hours and wait. We - sorry, they - wanted to get to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop so we - sorry, they - could start finding characters and riding rides.

Well, you can't be selfish as a parent--the needs of your kids (ahem) come first.

Usually our first decision of the day is monorail vs ferry boat. The decision was made for us today, as the line for the monorail was back down the ramp and there was a cast member at the entrance saying the monorail was down and they didn't know how long it would be before it was up and running again. Surprise, surprise.

:eek: Wow, you see something new every time you go to WDW. Still, I will always have a soft spot for the monorail.

(Incidently, why do they call it a boat landing? Boats can't even fly!)

Haven't you ever watched a James Bond movie?

No sooner had Madison started tagging her gang signs, though, did one of the 3 ferries Disney was running pulled up and let off the dozen people that were leaving before park opening. Ummm, folks? The fun is back that-a-way.:confused3

I've always been confused by people leaving the parks early in the morning as well. Where exactly are they coming from? :confused3

It's the same herd mentality (nudge people out of the way, cut off old ladies in wheel chairs, trample small children in your way, etc), but it's amplified by a greater sense of urgency. Now instead of having to be the first to get back to your hotel room to sleep, you have to be the first to get into the park and start complaining about the crowds.

Hey, you have to cut off the wheel chairs before they run over your feet. It's dog-eat-dog out there. I always keep my elbows down, though. Ok, not really.

Here's Evan, about to give Aladdin on his patented "break your hand 5's". Aladdin then his rescinded his third wish for Genie's freedom and wished for an ice pack.

I'm still hurting from one of those. I may need a bionic hand replacement.

Look! Booty!

What? I don't see any...uh, never mind. :rolleyes1

Hold on a sec while I check my notes. Let's see...I said it was June...I said it was Florida...I said it was hot....Ok, here we are. It's time to cool off! Where?

[QUOTE=FreezinRafiki;42616126]Splash Mountain of course!

Oh. Well, I guess that would work, too.

The ride was so much fun, that Evan wanted to do it again. Madison didn't, so she stayed with Bambi while Evan and I hiked it back up the queue and into the runaway mine train again! Whoo Hooo!

Double bonus rides on BTMRR. Well done, sir.

After lengthy negotiations, they finally relented. For your information, a transcript of the heated mediation follows:

Me: Do you guys want to go on Splash Mountain?
Kids: YES!

(I'm not one to brag, but I'm pretty sure that if I had be in charge of the NFL labor negations this summer, it wouldn't have come down to the 11th hour.)

Based on these superior bartering skillz, why were you worried about buying a new van while on vacation? You could easily have talked any dealer into giving you a new van for nothing.

I'd carry him, but only if I got to stick his face in my sweaty arm pit. His feet must have really hurt, because he agreed.

:sick: Nice gang shirt, though.

I'm sure you're just dying to hear all about it, but I have other stories to get to...

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

Sorry, I cracked myself up a bit on that one.

*cough*

UP NEXT Bambi attempts, multiple times, to get herself out of the boat at any cost.

Ooooh, this sounds good. Will you be forced to endure it as punishment for missing out on the last trip? popcorn::

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Congratulations Barry! I guess this makes it official... your trip reports are better than a boring magazine! :thumbsup2

But just barely! :thumbsup2

Yet another thing to blame on the DOT!

Like global warming? :confused3

Yes, yes we do. I can't wait for Andy to start his TR. pirate::stir:

::yes:: pirate:

They just can't get anything right.:sad2:

Hey, you got to work this morning.

What? There's a way to limit FreezinRafiki from commenting on your TR?

Please spill the secret!

that's nice

09-15-2011, 09:46 AM

Awwwwww....blow a raspberry on his tummy for me!
Didn't you read that he was SLEEPING? That would just wake him up!

Maybe you should just write the TR and stop being a smart _____.

guy? :confused3

OK... going to read your last 2 updates. :surfweb:

that's nice

09-15-2011, 09:57 AM

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XqXd4cUbkv4/TmD0RvO266I/AAAAAAAAKaU/uDQzjRnDJcw/s800/IMG00296-20110626-1114.jpg

(although someone may have asked if we could :rolleyes1)
I wonder who wanted to buy some???? :rolleyes::scratchin:scratchin

This one sparked my interest as well - it would be a fun one to wear on It's A Small World.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-q3LGtVCaLds/TmD0R7_SGxI/AAAAAAAAKaY/PK4Ofrmhuo8/s800/IMG00297-20110626-1227.jpg
:rolleyes1 'I'm flipping burgers you at Kinkos straight flipping copies' :rolleyes1

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--NG9OTA1i2o/TmD0o-NnhVI/AAAAAAAAKa8/CkR4Y5OKqpI/s800/DSCF0761.JPG
What a great picture of the kids!!!! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2

FreezinRafiki

09-15-2011, 11:23 AM

Geez... I'm getting the same respect from the DIS Dad's that I get at home.
That's right. Now go sleep on the couch.

But I AM the guy writing the limeri--wait, I've said too much already.

There once was man from Delaware...oh, wait. That's a dirty one. Can't post it here.

Well, you can't be selfish as a parent--the needs of your kids (ahem) come first.
I've been the runaway winner of my kid's "best dad ever" competition for 6 years running!

Haven't you ever watched a James Bond movie?

I wonder if Q works for Disney?

I've always been confused by people leaving the parks early in the morning as well. Where exactly are they coming from? :confused3

I know they have tours that start before park opening. I guess they could be done with the tour and heading out? But why would you leave?

Hey, you have to cut off the wheel chairs before they run over your feet. It's dog-eat-dog out there. I always keep my elbows down, though. Ok, not really.
I'm not saying I'd punch an old lady to get ahead in line. But I'm not saying I wouldn't either.

I'm still hurting from one of those. I may need a bionic hand replacement.

Because of Evan or because your dad cut your hand off with a light saber?

Double bonus rides on BTMRR. Well done, sir.

:thumbsup2

Based on these superior bartering skillz, why were you worried about buying a new van while on vacation? You could easily have talked any dealer into giving you a new van for nothing.
OK, I'll tell the truth. I did't actually negotiate with the kids. I used the Force.

*cough*
You should probably go to a doctor and get that checked out. It sounds pretty nasty.

Ooooh, this sounds good. Will you be forced to endure it as punishment for missing out on the last trip? popcorn::

Seriously, if you guys stop bringing that up, she'll forget all about it.

But just barely! :thumbsup2

I'll take it however I can get it!

FreezinRafiki

09-15-2011, 11:26 AM

Didn't you read that he was SLEEPING? That would just wake him up!

That's OK. I'm almost 1,000 miles away. I won't be able to hear him cry. :)

guy? :confused3
Since this is a family board - Yes, that is what she said.

I wonder who wanted to buy some???? :rolleyes::scratchin:scratchin
When in doubt, blame the dog. It was Pepper. He want to buy some.

:rolleyes1 'I'm flipping burgers you at Kinkos straight flipping copies' :rolleyes1

Does Ana sing that when you guys take the boat out?

What a great picture of the kids!!!! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2
Thank you!

KatMark

09-15-2011, 11:28 AM

That's OK. I'm almost 1,000 miles away. I won't be able to hear him cry. :)

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao: Just remember, Tim can say the same thing when your new little one joins the world.

Captain_Oblivious

09-15-2011, 11:47 AM

Because of Evan or because your dad cut your hand off with a light saber?

Yes.

OK, I'll tell the truth. I did't actually negotiate with the kids. I used the Force.

Barry: You don't need to ride It's A Small World.
Kids: We don't need to ride It's A Small World.

You have to be careful using the Force, though. It can cause depression later in life.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1G84jdpfHZg/Tmi7IfSBWmI/AAAAAAAADCM/hbI2kMQqxk8/633545257951222903-regretsthosewerethedroidsyouwerelookingfordemotiva tor_large.jpg

afwdwfan

09-15-2011, 12:22 PM

Hey, you got to work this morning.

See... it is too easy to find bad things to blame on the DOT.:rolleyes1

I wonder if Q works for Disney?
I don't know, but Phineas and Ferb are better inventors anyway.

Seriously, if you guys stop bringing that up, she'll forget all about it.

Barry, I've never met Bambi, but if she is like every other woman I know, she isn't going to forget and you are going to pay.:thumbsup2
:rotfl2::lmao:

FreezinRafiki

09-15-2011, 01:11 PM

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao: Just remember, Tim can say the same thing when your new little one joins the world.
That's true. But blowing raspberries is so darn cute that I just might do it!

Barry: You don't need to ride It's A Small World.
Kids: We don't need to ride It's A Small World.

Now that's going to the Dark Side! :thumbsup2

You have to be careful using the Force, though. It can cause depression later in life.
Storm Troopers just seem to be depressed no matter what...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3IDRSnUGBUI/TnI_RFXygZI/AAAAAAAAKgk/pDF1f8nXWN8/s800/deathstar.jpg

See... it is too easy to find bad things to blame on the DOT.:rolleyes1
Wait, they have roads in Indiana?

I don't know, but Phineas and Ferb are better inventors anyway.

OK, I take back that "roads in Indiana" remark. That ^^ was awesome. :thumbsup2

Barry, I've never met Bambi, but if she is like every other woman I know, she isn't going to forget and you are going to pay.:thumbsup2
:rotfl2::lmao:
I know, but I never hurts to try. Unless there's a frying pan involved. Then it hurts a lot.

FreezinRafiki

09-15-2011, 02:18 PM

Well, it was time. Time to bite the bullet. Time to face the music. Time to walk that Green Mile. Time to stuff cotton balls in your ears. Time to ride the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas.

I'm kidding of course. It's not the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas. But it is the cruise that makes the kids happy, so down the entrance ramp we went.

About half way through the cruise, the music started getting to Bambi.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZtiSMAZfaGQ/Tm5gDqxwhSI/AAAAAAAAKdA/kOlN3p-XTPg/s800/IMG_7101.JPG

That's when she decided to get out of that boat as quickly as possible, and by any means available. The problem was, she didn't have any means available:

Hanging. With no rope.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cz1LE27eKKo/Tm5gD2S6dsI/AAAAAAAAKfw/R8dSmRPyKr4/s800/IMG_7102.JPG

Shooting. With no gun.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZH7eqBfhx-A/Tm5gD_mtmfI/AAAAAAAAKdE/23PEgJ5d6o4/s800/IMG_7104.JPG

Slicing. With no knife.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Q0nb0IZ7ssQ/Tm5gEXZFEUI/AAAAAAAAKdM/asw0qfztpGA/s800/IMG_7105.JPG

I believe this is where she just gave up and started dry heaving off the side of the boat.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XmHddmTAqCc/Tm5gEpTbGwI/AAAAAAAAKdU/azW3TP7A9_U/s800/IMG_7110.JPG

Hey, who's having a good time? "We are, Dad!"

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kM0MmCc-SgY/Tm5gEqoIiAI/AAAAAAAAKdQ/Nht676vDFrM/s800/IMG_7108.JPG

Well, I'm happy to report that everyone (including Bambi) made it back to the dock and out into Fantasyland with most of the sanity we went in with almost intact. However, it was still hot out and so we sought air conditioning. Just around the corner was another favorite: Mickey's Philharmagic.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LjRk4kxdhFM/Tm5gFFAOErI/AAAAAAAAKdg/NjVeTRdO4q8/s800/IMG_7117.JPG

As we were parking the stroller, a light rain began to fall. Bambi wisely covered the stoller (and thus, all of our stuff) with some extra ponchos. Which was a very good move, because when we emerged from the theater, the skies had opened up and the rain was pouring down. This actually made it difficult to leave the theater, because everyone would toss their glasses in the barrel, then just stand there and watch the rain. The exit was getting very crowded, with more people pushing up all the time. We decided to make a dash for it, having the kids hop in the stroller under the poncho while we pulled out umbrellas and ponchos for ourselves.

We sloshed around a rapidly soaking Fantasyland to the next item on our list (well, the next covered item anyway): the Teacups.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Sv5yVDpHCTY/Tm5gFFDbQ5I/AAAAAAAAKdc/CJTt_koDQOM/s800/IMG_7118.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ju3pVxJDPmg/Tm5gFQ0E3iI/AAAAAAAAKdo/7dKzfP5mjXg/s800/IMG_7124.JPG

I figure if I look half a good as Madison does in that hat, I'm good. I'll now pause for people to insert their snarky comments.

All done? Ok, let's move on then.

I don't know what's in that pot, but I can guarantee it's not Tea.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hG3fOWXJ7Ho/Tm5gForMyRI/AAAAAAAAKdk/Lyb9QhvObxw/s800/IMG_7125.JPG

My guess? Bathtub gin.

But we weren't going to let an inebriated mouse get in the way of our fun! Or our spinning of the teacup until we puke! Which ever comes first!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7UBrkp39ejw/Tm5gGQEAcwI/AAAAAAAAKds/XmeA2_mCVkc/s800/IMG_7126.JPG

By the time we got out of the teacup and I regained my equilibrium, the rain had stopped. Evan begged to do the speedway. And since I was still nauseous from Small World and dizzy from the teacups, I thought it was a splendid idea and whole-heartily agreed. Madison and Bambi decided to do some pin trading while we waited and found that Evan was one and a half oil cans too short to drive alone.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DNefB3jMCog/Tm5gGfsru1I/AAAAAAAAKd0/6fS1grYHcN8/s800/DSCF0780.JPG

Now, here's where things got dicey. As we stopped for that picture, another dad and his daughter decided that we must have given up our place in line, so they just went on ahead of us. Since the wait was going to be 30 minutes anyway, I didn't think it warranted saying anything to him. I decided to let karma take care of it. Eventually, you get to the point in the line where you have to decide: go right for the first loading lane or go left for the farther lane. Going right seems like the obvious choice here: you can see both lines, and the right side it clearly a shorter path to the cars. But as the Apache Indians say "There are many paths to the same place" (I don't know if they really say that or not. It was on a rerun of Criminal Minds the other night). I studied the boarding area and found two things:

The line to left loads almost twice as many cars as the line to the right.
The line to the right is where guests requiring special assistance get loaded from the exit.

So, Cutty McCutterson and his daughter went to the line on the right. I just smiled and took Evan's hand up the line to the left. Sure enough, as were were instructed to get into car #7, I glanced over and saw Mr. Cutterson and his daughter still halfway down the ramp to get loaded. If you take anything away from this story, let it be this: Karma always wins, and always go to the left at Disney.

Notice how he's paying so close attention to his driving? That's my good boy!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1knKq-nmwJw/Tm5gGTnk98I/AAAAAAAAKdw/xoFqYc1kIF4/s800/DSCF0783.JPG

EYES ON THE ROAD! EYES ON THE ROAD! DO YOU WANT TO JUST START TEXTING RIGHT NOW TOO TO MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY KILL US?!?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oDJevTMcQq8/Tm5gGhqFOLI/AAAAAAAAKd4/1Ux6W_06QWQ/s800/DSCF0784.JPG

So we started our leisurely drive around Tomorrowland. Drift to the right...SMASH. Drift to the left...SMASH. Drift to the right...SMASH. Drift to the left, swerve back to the right - SMASH. I fooled you on that last one, didn't I? Yeah, Evan got me a few times on that little trick too.:headache:

There was a little weather rolling past the Magic Kingdom.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-aSKU6IIfiqM/Tm5gG048MlI/AAAAAAAAKeA/X1G8kO4-FeE/s800/DSCF0786.JPG

As we exited the ride, I glanced down at the track. Just like Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Home of the Indianapolis 500), the Tomorrowland Speedway has a "yard of bricks".

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kIgacijz8yA/Tm5gG4K1JOI/AAAAAAAAKd8/IBBoJ8IzaF4/s800/DSCF0790.JPG

I'd never noticed that before, but now that I have, I think it's really cool that the Imagineers put that in.

We met back up with the rest of the family and Madison gave Evan the Chip and Dale pin she got for him. She's such a sweet girl! But we don't have time for sweetness right now - We've got to save the universe from the Evil Emperor Zurg!

Caption Contest Time: What is Buzz thinking right now?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uroiMyd1uqw/Tm5gHKukiUI/AAAAAAAAKeE/Dg7m9rjzER0/s800/DSCF0791.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zdRGXnD7aBU/Tm5gHSvWUVI/AAAAAAAAKeI/aSgz2JGCEj8/s800/DSCF0793.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ypBjRyXMqj4/Tm5gHq6zOfI/AAAAAAAAKeQ/AuKtLWPL2FE/s800/DSCF0794.JPG

I'm sure you're all waiting for the final scores, but I can't help you. This game flashes your score at you, so I ended up with two different pictures of blank readouts. But rest assured, Evan probably beat me.

Up Next: Dinner, a show, and a trip down Memory Lane.

(Yes, the italics indicate a future pun. You'll have to come back for the next update to find out what it is though.)

KatMark

09-15-2011, 02:31 PM

Well, it was time. Time to bite the bullet. Time to face the music. Time to walk that Green Mile. Time to stuff cotton balls in your ears. Time to ride the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas.

I'm kidding of course. It's not the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas. But it is the cruise that makes the kids happy, so down the entrance ramp we went.

About half way through the cruise, the music started getting to Bambi.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZtiSMAZfaGQ/Tm5gDqxwhSI/AAAAAAAAKdA/kOlN3p-XTPg/s800/IMG_7101.JPG

That's when she decided to get out of that boat as quickly as possible, and by any means available. The problem was, she didn't have any means available:

Hanging. With no rope.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cz1LE27eKKo/Tm5gD2S6dsI/AAAAAAAAKfw/R8dSmRPyKr4/s800/IMG_7102.JPG

Shooting. With no gun.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZH7eqBfhx-A/Tm5gD_mtmfI/AAAAAAAAKdE/23PEgJ5d6o4/s800/IMG_7104.JPG

Slicing. With no knife.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Q0nb0IZ7ssQ/Tm5gEXZFEUI/AAAAAAAAKdM/asw0qfztpGA/s800/IMG_7105.JPG

I believe this is where she just gave up and started dry heaving off the side of the boat.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XmHddmTAqCc/Tm5gEpTbGwI/AAAAAAAAKdU/azW3TP7A9_U/s800/IMG_7110.JPG

I wonder if I do this in a week, Mark will finally get the hint that I really DO NOT want to do this ride ever again?????

Hey, who's having a good time? "We are, Dad!"

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kM0MmCc-SgY/Tm5gEqoIiAI/AAAAAAAAKdQ/Nht676vDFrM/s800/IMG_7108.JPG

They are just so cute.

As we were parking the stroller, a light rain began to fall. Bambi wisely covered the stoller (and thus, all of our stuff) with some extra ponchos. Which was a very good move, because when we emerged from the theater, the skies had opened up and the rain was pouring down. This actually made it difficult to leave the theater, because everyone would toss their glasses in the barrel, then just stand there and watch the rain. The exit was getting very crowded, with more people pushing up all the time. We decided to make a dash for it, having the kids hop in the stroller under the poncho while we pulled out umbrellas and ponchos for ourselves.

I hope everyone had deodorant on. ;)

We sloshed around a rapidly soaking Fantasyland to the next item on our list (well, the next covered item anyway): the Teacups.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Sv5yVDpHCTY/Tm5gFFDbQ5I/AAAAAAAAKdc/CJTt_koDQOM/s800/IMG_7118.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ju3pVxJDPmg/Tm5gFQ0E3iI/AAAAAAAAKdo/7dKzfP5mjXg/s800/IMG_7124.JPG

I figure if I look half a good as Madison does in that hat, I'm good. I'll now pause for people to insert their snarky comments.

Well, I had several, but I am refraining....you'll see why later on down in my remarks.

Now, here's where things got dicey. As we stopped for that picture, another dad and his daughter decided that we must have given up our place in line, so they just went on ahead of us. Since the wait was going to be 30 minutes anyway, I didn't think it warranted saying anything to him. I decided to let karma take care of it. Eventually, you get to the point in the line where you have to decide: go right for the first loading lane or go left for the farther lane. Going right seems like the obvious choice here: you can see both lines, and the right side it clearly a shorter path to the cars. But as the Apache Indians say "There are many paths to the same place" (I don't know if they really say that or not. It was on a rerun of Criminal Minds the other night). I studied the boarding area and found two things:

The line to left loads almost twice as many cars as the line to the right.
The line to the right is where guests requiring special assistance get loaded from the exit.

Okay, my LACK of any snarky comments above is because you watch reruns of Criminal Minds. And since Criminal Minds is my favorite show (well, tied with NCIS with hunky Mark Harmon), I figured you can't be all that bad. My opinion may change depending on the jokes and puns you put forth in future updates. ;)

So, Cutty McCutterson and his daughter went to the line on the right. I just smiled and took Evan's hand up the line to the left. Sure enough, as were were instructed to get into car #7, I glanced over and saw Mr. Cutterson and his daughter still halfway down the ramp to get loaded. If you take anything away from this story, let it be this: Karma always wins, and always go to the left at Disney.

That will teach him to cut in line again. :thumbsup2

Notice how he's paying so close attention to his driving? That's my good boy!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1knKq-nmwJw/Tm5gGTnk98I/AAAAAAAAKdw/xoFqYc1kIF4/s800/DSCF0783.JPG

EYES ON THE ROAD! EYES ON THE ROAD! DO YOU WANT TO JUST START TEXTING RIGHT NOW TOO TO MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY KILL US?!?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oDJevTMcQq8/Tm5gGhqFOLI/AAAAAAAAKd4/1Ux6W_06QWQ/s800/DSCF0784.JPG

So we started our leisurely drive around Tomorrowland. Drift to the right...SMASH. Drift to the left...SMASH. Drift to the right...SMASH. Drift to the left, swerve back to the right - SMASH. I fooled you on that last one, didn't I? Yeah, Evan got me a few times on that little trick too.:headache:

Just wait until he REALLY starts driving. You'll need that hat to cover the gray hairs...trust me on this one.

We met back up with the rest of the family and Madison gave Evan the Chip and Dale pin she got for him. She's such a sweet girl! But we don't have time for sweetness right now - We've got to save the universe from the Evil Emperor Zurg!

What a very thoughtful sister. :goodvibes

Caption Contest Time: What is Buzz thinking right now?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uroiMyd1uqw/Tm5gHKukiUI/AAAAAAAAKeE/Dg7m9rjzER0/s800/DSCF0791.JPG

Uh Oh...it's that Evan boy again. I best be sure I'm well protected with his aim.

Up Next: Dinner, a show, and a trip down Memory Lane.

(Yes, the italics indicate a future pun. You'll have to come back for the next update to find out what it is though.)

Great update, Barry; can't wait until the next one.

afwdwfan

09-15-2011, 03:09 PM

I'm kidding of course. It's not the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas. But it is the cruise that makes the kids happy...
So therefore, it is indeed, the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas... or sailed a smelly canal in a building in Fantasyland.

About half way through the cruise, the music started getting to Bambi.
I'm impressed that she can make it half way.:lmao:

This actually made it difficult to leave the theater, because everyone would toss their glasses in the barrel, then just stand there and watch the rain.
:headache: I guess some people have never seen it rain before.:confused3

I figure if I look half a good as Madison does in that hat, I'm good.
Hate to break it to you, but...

I'll now pause for people to insert their snarky comments.
Thanks for being considerate!:thumbsup2

Karma always wins, and always go to the left at Disney.
I know this is the wrong thread, but...

MAN LAW

Notice how he's paying so close attention to his driving? That's my good boy!
Apparently he learned from the best.

So we started our leisurely drive around Tomorrowland. Drift to the right...SMASH. Drift to the left...SMASH. Drift to the right...SMASH. Drift to the left, swerve back to the right - SMASH. I fooled you on that last one, didn't I? Yeah, Evan got me a few times on that little trick too.:headache:
Good job Evan!

Just like Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Home of the Indianapolis 500), the Tomorrowland Speedway has a "yard of bricks".
Did you kiss the bricks after the race?:lmao:

We met back up with the rest of the family and Madison gave Evan the Chip and Dale pin she got for him. She's such a sweet girl!
::yes::

Caption Contest Time: What is Buzz thinking right now?
I shouldn't have had those beans for lunch.:sick:

I'm sure you're all waiting for the final scores, but I can't help you.
Can't or won't???

(Yes, the italics indicate a future pun. You'll have to come back for the next update to find out what it is though.)
I figured we were about due for a pun...:sad2:

FreezinRafiki

09-16-2011, 08:26 AM

I wonder if I do this in a week, Mark will finally get the hint that I really DO NOT want to do this ride ever again?????
Nope. He'll think it's funny and cute and make you do it every time you ride!
They are just so cute.
Thanks!
I hope everyone had deodorant on.
Deodorant? Heck, I brought a bottle of shampoo and took a shower right there in the middle of Fantasyland.
Okay, my LACK of any snarky comments above is because you watch reruns of Criminal Minds. And since Criminal Minds is my favorite show (well, tied with NCIS with hunky Mark Harmon), I figured you can't be all that bad. My opinion may change depending on the jokes and puns you put forth in future updates.
Bambi and I are both into Criminal Minds. Although I think she only watches it because of Shemar Moore (Derek). But I'm OK with that, because I only watch it for A.J. Cook (JJ). I even commented after she left last season that the replacement blonde wasn't as good as the original. :rotfl2:

Just wait until he REALLY starts driving. You'll need that hat to cover the gray hairs...trust me on this one.

Let's see, I've got 11 more years before that happens. I'd better start saving for the insurance premiums now. :sad2:

Uh Oh...it's that Evan boy again. I best be sure I'm well protected with his aim.
Shoot early, shoot often. Figure out what you hit later! :thumbsup2

Great update, Barry; can't wait until the next one.
Thanks Kathy. I hope to have a few done before you leave.

So therefore, it is indeed, the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas... or sailed a smelly canal in a building in Fantasyland.
Smelly? Yes. But also full of coins! I think we need to carry one of those boats from PoTC over here, launch it into IASW and start pillaging!

I'm impressed that she can make it half way.:lmao:

Well, sticking your fingers in your ears and saying "La La La, I don't hear anything" works for while.

I guess some people have never seen it rain before.:confused3

Ooooo.....Disney Rain!

Thanks for being considerate!:thumbsup2

I like to take care of my readers. :thumbsup2

I know this is the wrong thread, but...

MAN LAW

Seconded!

Apparently he learned from the best.

Yup. Dukes of Hazard reruns.

Did you kiss the bricks after the race?:lmao:

Did you see the crazy kids they let drive down there? If my lips are down, that means my butt is up, making me a very appealing target.
I may have blown it a kiss, however. :rolleyes1

I shouldn't have had those beans for lunch.:sick:

:lmao:

Can't or won't???

Can't. I've been very forthright with this ride in my other TRs. I suck. I know it. You know it. If I had my score to post, I would.

I figured we were about due for a pun...:sad2:
"about due" or "waiting on the edge of your seat for one?"

KatMark

09-16-2011, 09:43 AM

Bambi and I are both into Criminal Minds. Although I think she only watches it because of Shemar Moore (Derek). But I'm OK with that, because I only watch it for A.J. Cook (JJ). I even commented after she left last season that the replacement blonde wasn't as good as the original. :rotfl2:

I told Mark right out when we started watching it that "Derek" was THE only reason (but now I really like the show too). I said the same thing...that new blonde was awful; thank the Lord she is gone this year. :goodvibes

Captain_Oblivious

09-16-2011, 10:54 AM

Wait, they have roads in Indiana?

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Well, it was time. Time to bite the bullet. Time to face the music. Time to walk that Green Mile. Time to stuff cotton balls in your ears. Time to ride the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas.

*shudder*

I'm kidding of course. It's not the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas.

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

About half way through the cruise, the music started getting to Bambi.

That's when she decided to get out of that boat as quickly as possible, and by any means available. The problem was, she didn't have any means available:

Hanging. With no rope.

Shooting. With no gun.

Slicing. With no knife.

I believe this is where she just gave up and started dry heaving off the side of the boat.

My goodness. Did you have to give pointers on this photo shoot? "No, honey, you really want to slice your wrists here to do it right." :rotfl2:

This actually made it difficult to leave the theater, because everyone would toss their glasses in the barrel, then just stand there and watch the rain. The exit was getting very crowded, with more people pushing up all the time.

Any rainstorm, if you watch it long enough, will stop.

I figure if I look half a good as Madison does in that hat, I'm good. I'll now pause for people to insert their snarky comments.

Would you believe a quarter as good?

How about an eighth?

The hat at least covers up the bald spot?

And since I was still nauseous from Small World and dizzy from the teacups, I thought it was a splendid idea and whole-heartily agreed.

:lmao::rotfl2: Yeah, that would do it.

So, Cutty McCutterson and his daughter went to the line on the right. I just smiled and took Evan's hand up the line to the left. Sure enough, as were were instructed to get into car #7, I glanced over and saw Mr. Cutterson and his daughter still halfway down the ramp to get loaded. If you take anything away from this story, let it be this: Karma always wins, and always go to the left at Disney.

The Force is strong in this one. :darth:

EYES ON THE ROAD! EYES ON THE ROAD! DO YOU WANT TO JUST START TEXTING RIGHT NOW TOO TO MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY KILL US?!?

Wow, this is dangerous! I'm going to start building a center rail into my roads for safety.

As we exited the ride, I glanced down at the track. Just like Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Home of the Indianapolis 500), the Tomorrowland Speedway has a "yard of bricks".

I gotta say, I've never noticed that before, either. Mostly because I'm sprinting for the exit after finally finishing the ride. But it is pretty cool.

Caption Contest Time: What is Buzz thinking right now?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uroiMyd1uqw/Tm5gHKukiUI/AAAAAAAAKeE/Dg7m9rjzER0/s800/DSCF0791.JPG

I can't let this guy in my ship. I just saw him drive!

I'm sure you're all waiting for the final scores, but I can't help you. This game flashes your score at you, so I ended up with two different pictures of blank readouts. But rest assured, Evan probably beat me.

We'll just assume you had 300 points or so.

(Yes, the italics indicate a future pun. You'll have to come back for the next update to find out what it is though.)

Remember that cool cliffhanger tease you had a few chapters back? This is the opposite of that.

FreezinRafiki

09-16-2011, 11:25 AM

My goodness. Did you have to give pointers on this photo shoot? "No, honey, you really want to slice your wrists here to do it right." :rotfl2:

Goodness, no. I just stood back, tried to stay out of her way, and took as many pictures as possible!

Any rainstorm, if you watch it long enough, will stop.

That's deep, man. Deeper than Greek Philosopher deep. Deeper than Mid-evil Renaissance Man deep. That's like fortune cookie deep! :thumbsup2

Would you believe a quarter as good?

How about an eighth?

The hat at least covers up the bald spot?

Hey, I have two bald spots, thank you very much. And it covers both of them.

The Force is strong in this one. :darth:

:thumbsup2

Wow, this is dangerous! I'm going to start building a center rail into my roads for safety.

Now you're enticing me to come to Delaware!

I gotta say, I've never noticed that before, either. Mostly because I'm sprinting for the exit after finally finishing the ride. But it is pretty cool.

You can sprint through all those gas fumes and exhaust? You're a better athlete that I thought.

I can't let this guy in my ship. I just saw him drive!

Don't worry, intergalactic space has guard rails down the middle.

We'll just assume you had 300 points or so.

Thanks for the bump. I'm not sure I was even that high.

Remember that cool cliffhanger tease you had a few chapters back? This is the opposite of that.
Eh. You win some, you lose some.

FreezinRafiki

09-16-2011, 11:27 AM

When you save the Universe from an evil as powerful as Emperor Zurg, your life changes. We walked out of the Buzz Lightyear attraction to swarms of adoring fans and thousands of people that no longer have to live in fear of alien overlords invading their quiet, peaceful lives. But with this new fame comes a dark side. Namely, the paparazzi. People were everywhere trying to take our pictures! (Ok, we actually had to get in line for this one, but it's kind of like the same thing, right?)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7LNtB3SCIQY/Tm5gHvAmZpI/AAAAAAAAKeM/cS1_479cPcU/s800/IMG_7131.JPG

We assumed the huge crowd of people in the background was a "welcome back" party thrown in our honor. Turns out it another showing of the Dream Along with Mickey show. So we walked on over and watched.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JQKn9Eaaehs/Tm5gH58m3bI/AAAAAAAAKeY/QGqiJxrjEPQ/s800/IMG_7135.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jaASHVpw4-I/TnNk2tn_7qI/AAAAAAAAKhA/0StmhPsjsMU/s800/IMG_7138.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-trFDuFCa0DI/TnNk3RdhU0I/AAAAAAAAKhE/M_3azsEmQaE/s800/IMG_7139.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pIfIvFuvKxc/Tm5gIdJLl9I/AAAAAAAAKec/cE5SLMOlKSI/s800/IMG_7140.JPG

For those of you that haven't seen this show in a while, the characters have received a few upgrades. Their mouths (or beaks or bill or what have you) move when they talk and their eyes blink. In a way, it's really cool because it adds a lot of life-like features. However, you end up with a dozen pictures like this:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2l5-UlyphTs/TnNkhi7GYBI/AAAAAAAAKg8/ptL9ak2D9rk/s800/IMG_7144.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Tr3VzA3fEkI/Tm5gJKb9q7I/AAAAAAAAKek/rw0JoO4QQvw/s800/IMG_7141.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-N62HcmqjWFE/Tm5gJtuBBGI/AAAAAAAAKes/SGIh0BsA0wg/s800/IMG_7148.JPG

We watched as that mean ole' Maleficent tried to take over the Magic Kingdom. (As Madison so eloquently put it a few years ago "Oh Boy, She's Evil!") SPOILER WARNING! Don't read the next sentence if you don't want to know what happens.

We used the powers of our dreams to defeat her!

Well then, now that everyone has rejoined the TR and the show was over and Maleficent either was defeated or is now ruling all of the Magic Kingdom, it was time for us to head out to dinner. Hey Walt, which way do we go to get out of here?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CHPjRaRr-Ec/TnNm1rmMUfI/AAAAAAAAKhU/Hbz6d71WNLs/s800/IMG_7145.JPG

Down that way? Thanks, buddy! I knew I could count on you. :thumbsup2

When planning this trip, we wanted to add some new things that we've never done before, including some new restaurants. One of those was going to be the Trails End Buffet at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. We picked that as a Magic Kingdom day so we could take a nice relaxing boat ride to the campground and be basically dropped out right outside the restaurant. We made our way down Main Street, USA and out to the boat docks. Madison started her relaxing ride a little early.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NcmWmRBSmME/Tm5gJgZoABI/AAAAAAAAKeo/-kBfX0sIGfw/s800/DSCF0797.JPG

(Here's a little math tip for you folks out there traveling to WDW during the hot months. $3 for a cute pink mister fan at your local Walgreens is cheaper than the $10 or so they charge for them at Disney.)

After a bit of a wait, our boat arrived and we set sail across the Seven Seas Lagoon to Bay Lake. Along the way, we had to go over a bridge. On a boat. Only at Disney!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SSht3R7imWU/TnNo0Ou5REI/AAAAAAAAKhc/z8qvwWjZTlU/s800/DSCF0804.JPG

If you were wondering, that's just south of the Contemporary. If you've ever taken a bus to the MK, you pass on that roadway that goes under the water.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-AVNH7vALKQ4/TnNpCg0-38I/AAAAAAAAKhg/p2Rcf33WBZA/s800/DSCF0816.JPG

(Here's a little fashion tip for you. Those cute little green $3 mister fans that you can get at your local Walgreens do not do a very good job cutting hair.)

After a stop at the Wilderness Lodge, we arrived at Fort Wilderness and started walking up the short path to the buffet. Campers at Fort Wilderness have the option to rent golf carts during their stay to make getting around the 700 acre complex a little easier. You also have the option of bringing your own. And some people go all out with their carts!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fRqkH5MhjBQ/Tm5gJ7iMAXI/AAAAAAAAKew/Jk3OiKnEcNg/s800/DSCF0819.JPG

I am Soooo pimping out the van with some of those decals!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KH6I27A5eBg/Tm5gKIfVBmI/AAAAAAAAKe4/fqiAjjUUnkI/s800/DSCF0822.JPG

Whoa, must be Burt Reynolds or somethin'.

Dinner was really, really good. Down home cooking - Fried Chicken, ribs, mashed potatoes, etc. Also looks like some salmon, roasted veggies, pasta and corn bread. They also have some typical child-friendly fare: pizza, chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, etc.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-48ulGVxZwDE/TnNrfKYSq6I/AAAAAAAAKho/uF3EYYcCssY/s800/DSCF0820.JPG

Oh, and an all you can eat dessert buffet and ice cream sundae station.

Fully satisfied, we made our way back to the dock to catch the boat back to the Magic Kingdom.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bmx1GTC4MyU/Tm5gKNiPY6I/AAAAAAAAKe0/MjpFSUxXsP8/s800/IMG_7164.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c5iP6a2Mcoo/Tm5gKEssyNI/AAAAAAAAKe8/nC2IWnXOsIk/s800/IMG_7165.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ssDtzRUAYEY/Tm5gKXe0FBI/AAAAAAAAKfA/I_b50jnjezs/s800/IMG_7167.JPG

Unfortunately, it was getting late and we had a big day ahead of us tomorrow, so we didn't go back into the Magic Kingdom. We just switched boats (or maybe took the monorail, I don't remember) and got back to the Ticket & Transportation Center.

Back in October of 2005, we came to WDW when Madison turned 3 and Evan turned 1.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yjBsaSLMdks/Tm5ggfSvxuI/AAAAAAAAKfc/Ljmd7yZ8078/s800/image%252520474.jpg

In June of 2011, Madison is 6 and Evan is 4. Times sure are a changin'

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XvjG4bDZNeQ/TnNs4t6n2EI/AAAAAAAAKh0/zIs9qE8H8_A/s800/IMG_7173.JPG

Now, to complete that trip down Memory Lane....
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n7G89DUT3cU/Tm5gK_zAiMI/AAAAAAAAKfI/fExiXizuPnM/s800/IMG_7176.JPG

(Don't worry, the kids were fine. Madison fell off a cliff, remember? She can handle an 18" bench)

I'd like to say we then went home, but we didn't. As we were loading up to do that, we realized we had left some Mickey Mouse water bottle holders back at Trails End. We sent the kids back in Grandma & Grandpa's car, and we drove over to the Fort to retrieve them. Yes, they were only like $5 each, but the kids had grown quite attached to them. If it was 10:30 at night we would have left them, but it was only around 8 so we decided to go on the search and rescue mission.

We took the intra-resort bus back to the Outpost at the far end of the 700 acre campground and easily retrieved the bottles (yes, I realize this was the second time I've mentioned that the resort is 700 acres [3rd time], but it's kind of important to the rest of the story). As we walked back to the bus stop, Bambi nudged me and said "keep walking". Confused, I did exactly as I was told and kept walking past the bus stop. After clearing it by 20 or so feet, I asked what was up. Eagle Eyed Bambi told me that she had noticed two people in ECVs waiting at the bus stop. Not only would we have to sit and wait for the bus, but then wait some more while they got loaded.

Now, before anyone starts to judge me or this TR, let me say this: I don't care what your reason is for using an ECV. That's none of my business. If you need to use it, use it. But we've been stuck at bus stops enough while they were loaded to know that if we had the option of walking instead of waiting, we'd take it.

Since it was a beautiful night out, we started the hike back to the front of the resort. We came to a fork in the road, and following Yogi Berra's advice, we took it. We kept walking, enjoying the peaceful evening when we came to a bus stop. We checked the map, realized we took the long route around the campground, but decided to keep going anyway instead of backtracking. After about another 15 or 20 minutes strolling along the road, we were passed by a bus, that stopped at a bus stop a few hundred feet up the path. As much as we were enjoying the stroll, we also enjoyed sprinting up to the bus and riding the rest of the way in air conditioned comfort.

The rest of the evening was uneventful: drive home, get stuff packed up for the next day, and hit the sack.

Up Next: SeaWorld! And Waffle House!

Captain_Oblivious

09-16-2011, 01:22 PM

mom3sonstt

09-16-2011, 04:26 PM

I told Mark right out when we started watching it that "Derek" was THE only reason (but now I really like the show too). I said the same thing...that new blonde was awful; thank the Lord she is gone this year. :goodvibes

Eh, Derek is ok....but I love Dr. Spencer Reid! Danny still misses Gideon, but we watch regularly. Tried watching last years spin off, but never really got into it as much.

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-16-2011, 06:42 PM

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uroiMyd1uqw/Tm5gHKukiUI/AAAAAAAAKeE/Dg7m9rjzER0/s800/DSCF0791.JPG

What was that! A camera flash! Oh, I'm a sham!
One minute you're defending the whole galaxy, and, suddenly,
you find yourself being used as a photo-op.

Years of Academy training wasted!!!!

KatMark

09-16-2011, 06:45 PM

Eh, Derek is ok....but I love Dr. Spencer Reid! Danny still misses Gideon, but we watch regularly. Tried watching last years spin off, but never really got into it as much.

I like Spencer too, but he's not hot like Derek. And I was never a Gideon fan. I didn't like the spin-off either (but I do like the NCIS spin-off).

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-16-2011, 06:51 PM

But with this new fame comes a dark side. Namely, the paparazzi. People were everywhere trying to take our pictures! (Ok, we actually had to get in line for this one, but it's kind of like the same thing, right?)

Ummmmm… no. But…

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7LNtB3SCIQY/Tm5gHvAmZpI/AAAAAAAAKeM/cS1_479cPcU/s800/IMG_7131.JPG

…that is one very fine picture.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2l5-UlyphTs/TnNkhi7GYBI/AAAAAAAAKg8/ptL9ak2D9rk/s800/IMG_7144.JPG

Mickey: Can I open my eyes yet?
Minnie: Not yet, just keep walking this way, I’ve got a big surprise for you…
by the way, you insurance is all paid up right?

(As Madison so eloquently put it a few years ago "Oh Boy, She's Evil!")

Priceless.

We used the powers of our dreams to defeat her!

An yet she tries it again every few hours. She is evil!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NcmWmRBSmME/Tm5gJgZoABI/AAAAAAAAKeo/-kBfX0sIGfw/s800/DSCF0797.JPG

This should be the picture in the dictionary for the word: “tuckered”

(Here's a little math tip for you folks out there traveling to WDW during the hot months. $3 for a cute pink mister fan at your local Walgreens is cheaper than the $10 or so they charge for them at Disney.)

Einstein’s forty-seventh law of relativity

Dinner was really, really good. Down home cooking - Fried Chicken, ribs, mashed potatoes, etc. Also looks like some salmon, roasted veggies, pasta and corn bread. They also have some typical child-friendly fare: pizza, chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, etc.

We stopped by here this past trip as well.
It was pretty good and most certainly filling.

Oh, and an all you can eat dessert buffet and ice cream sundae station.

Assuming you didn’t eat so much of the chicken and ribs
that you actually had room left for desert.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XvjG4bDZNeQ/TnNs4t6n2EI/AAAAAAAAKh0/zIs9qE8H8_A/s800/IMG_7173.JPG

Great shot.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n7G89DUT3cU/Tm5gK_zAiMI/AAAAAAAAKfI/fExiXizuPnM/s800/IMG_7176.JPG

Mickey pushed us!

I'd like to say we then went home, but we didn't…

‘cause y’all suffer form good parent disease

Bambi nudged me and said "keep walking"…

I ain’t gonn’a be judging.
I’d have kept walking too if I wasn’t in a hurry.

KatMark

09-16-2011, 07:28 PM

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7LNtB3SCIQY/Tm5gHvAmZpI/AAAAAAAAKeM/cS1_479cPcU/s800/IMG_7131.JPG

You have had some really great family pictures in your TR's, but this is by far one of the top 3!

We assumed the huge crowd of people in the background was a "welcome back" party thrown in our honor. Turns out it another showing of the Dream Along with Mickey show. So we walked on over and watched.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JQKn9Eaaehs/Tm5gH58m3bI/AAAAAAAAKeY/QGqiJxrjEPQ/s800/IMG_7135.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jaASHVpw4-I/TnNk2tn_7qI/AAAAAAAAKhA/0StmhPsjsMU/s800/IMG_7138.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-trFDuFCa0DI/TnNk3RdhU0I/AAAAAAAAKhE/M_3azsEmQaE/s800/IMG_7139.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pIfIvFuvKxc/Tm5gIdJLl9I/AAAAAAAAKec/cE5SLMOlKSI/s800/IMG_7140.JPG

We haven't done this in years, and I really want to catch it next week.

Down that way? Thanks, buddy! I knew I could count on you. :thumbsup2

Great pic!

When planning this trip, we wanted to add some new things that we've never done before, including some new restaurants. One of those was going to be the Trails End Buffet at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. We picked that as a Magic Kingdom day so we could take a nice relaxing boat ride to the campground and be basically dropped out right outside the restaurant. We made our way down Main Street, USA and out to the boat docks. Madison started her relaxing ride a little early.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NcmWmRBSmME/Tm5gJgZoABI/AAAAAAAAKeo/-kBfX0sIGfw/s800/DSCF0797.JPG

That is one pooped girl.

(Here's a little math tip for you folks out there traveling to WDW during the hot months. $3 for a cute pink mister fan at your local Walgreens is cheaper than the $10 or so they charge for them at Disney.)

I still have mine from Disney when the kids were little. :thumbsup2

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-AVNH7vALKQ4/TnNpCg0-38I/AAAAAAAAKhg/p2Rcf33WBZA/s800/DSCF0816.JPG

(Here's a little fashion tip for you. Those cute little green $3 mister fans that you can get at your local Walgreens do not do a very good job cutting hair.)

If anyone can make it work, Evan can.

Dinner was really, really good. Down home cooking - Fried Chicken, ribs, mashed potatoes, etc. Also looks like some salmon, roasted veggies, pasta and corn bread. They also have some typical child-friendly fare: pizza, chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, etc.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-48ulGVxZwDE/TnNrfKYSq6I/AAAAAAAAKho/uF3EYYcCssY/s800/DSCF0820.JPG

That looks MUCH MORE appetizing than the food we had at Whispering Canyon Cafe.

Back in October of 2005, we came to WDW when Madison turned 3 and Evan turned 1.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yjBsaSLMdks/Tm5ggfSvxuI/AAAAAAAAKfc/Ljmd7yZ8078/s800/image%252520474.jpg

In June of 2011, Madison is 6 and Evan is 4. Times sure are a changin'

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XvjG4bDZNeQ/TnNs4t6n2EI/AAAAAAAAKh0/zIs9qE8H8_A/s800/IMG_7173.JPG

They are even more cute three years later. :goodvibes

Now, to complete that trip down Memory Lane....
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n7G89DUT3cU/Tm5gK_zAiMI/AAAAAAAAKfI/fExiXizuPnM/s800/IMG_7176.JPG

(Don't worry, the kids were fine. Madison fell off a cliff, remember? She can handle an 18" bench)

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

I'd like to say we then went home, but we didn't. As we were loading up to do that, we realized we had left some Mickey Mouse water bottle holders back at Trails End. We sent the kids back in Grandma & Grandpa's car, and we drove over to the Fort to retrieve them. Yes, they were only like $5 each, but the kids had grown quite attached to them. If it was 10:30 at night we would have left them, but it was only around 8 so we decided to go on the search and rescue mission.

That's what parents do.

We took the intra-resort bus back to the Outpost at the far end of the 700 acre campground and easily retrieved the bottles (yes, I realize this was the second time I've mentioned that the resort is 700 acres [3rd time], but it's kind of important to the rest of the story).

Are you just repeating that because you are running out of things to talk about? ;)

Up Next: SeaWorld! And Waffle House!

WAFFLE HOUSE! I love Waffle House and will be eating there one week from today. :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

IheartDDuck

09-16-2011, 07:30 PM

Caption Contest Time: What is Buzz thinking right now?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uroiMyd1uqw/Tm5gHKukiUI/AAAAAAAAKeE/Dg7m9rjzER0/s800/DSCF0791.JPG

What is that smell?!

E3yore

09-16-2011, 08:26 PM

Poolrat

09-16-2011, 08:36 PM

Back in October of 2005, we came to WDW when Madison turned 3 and Evan turned 1.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yjBsaSLMdks/Tm5ggfSvxuI/AAAAAAAAKfc/Ljmd7yZ8078/s800/image%252520474.jpg

In June of 2011, Madison is 6 and Evan is 4. Times sure are a changin'

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XvjG4bDZNeQ/TnNs4t6n2EI/AAAAAAAAKh0/zIs9qE8H8_A/s800/IMG_7173.JPG

Ummm is it late and I am math challenged???? Do you mean Oct 2008??? :teacher: Such cuties!

Trails End good? I hear it is, so once again it has put on the list. :thumbsup2

You did good conquering MK - Can't wait to see how Sea World goes.

Mrs. Gumdrop

09-16-2011, 09:03 PM

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uroiMyd1uqw/Tm5gHKukiUI/AAAAAAAAKeE/Dg7m9rjzER0/s800/DSCF0791.JPG
Stand aside Space Cadet! That flashy eyed cyclops will steal your soul! Believe me, I know. I am only the ghost of myself.

E3yore

09-16-2011, 09:28 PM

Ummm is it late and I am math challenged???? Do you mean Oct 2008??? :teacher: Such cuties!

Trails End good? I hear it is, so once again it has put on the list. :thumbsup2

You did good conquering MK - Can't wait to see how Sea World goes.

It was October 2007.

Poolrat

09-16-2011, 09:35 PM

It was October 2007.

Leave it to Bambi to do the math right. :laughing::teacher:

kate_wdw

09-17-2011, 07:50 AM

I’m using this glorious Saturday morning to catch up on your TR.

I looooove this shirt.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-q3LGtVCaLds/TmD0R7_SGxI/AAAAAAAAKaY/PK4Ofrmhuo8/s800/IMG00297-20110626-1227.jpg

It looks like Evan is quite a fan of Jasmine’s, um, necklace.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XO3UTxObzls/TnH3jTxp7xI/AAAAAAAAKgY/QKNURJ6FLfY/s640/IMG_3124.JPG

The pictures of Madison wearing your hat are so adorable. I’m a sucker for kids in oversized hats.

I dig the new facial expressions on the show characters! It’s a nice update.

I don’t think that I’ve seen a review of the Trails End buffet before. I’ve been curious about it, and I’m glad to hear that you liked it.

And how cute is that picture of Evan & Madison when they were teeny?!?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yjBsaSLMdks/Tm5ggfSvxuI/AAAAAAAAKfc/Ljmd7yZ8078/s800/image%252520474.jpg

KatMark

09-17-2011, 12:51 PM

when was your son born?:confused3

b u s t e d

Poolrat

09-17-2011, 06:31 PM

b u s t e d

:rotfl2::rotfl2:

afwdwfan

09-19-2011, 08:11 AM

(Ok, we actually had to get in line for this one, but it's kind of like the same thing, right?)
Yeah... kind of.:rolleyes1

(As Madison so eloquently put it a few years ago "Oh Boy, She's Evil!")
::yes::

Maleficent either was defeated or is now ruling all of the Magic Kingdom
Hmmm... sounds amazingly close to the plot of a Kingdom Keepers book.:lmao:

Madison started her relaxing ride a little early.
It is never too early to relax.:thumbsup2

(Here's a little fashion tip for you. Those cute little green $3 mister fans that you can get at your local Walgreens do not do a very good job cutting hair.)
Thankfully!

And some people go all out with their carts!
I saw one at a NASCAR race this summer that probably had a stereo system on it worth more than my truck.:scared1:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yjBsaSLMdks/Tm5ggfSvxuI/AAAAAAAAKfc/Ljmd7yZ8078/s800/image%252520474.jpg

In June of 2011, Madison is 6 and Evan is 4. Times sure are a changin'

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XvjG4bDZNeQ/TnNs4t6n2EI/AAAAAAAAKh0/zIs9qE8H8_A/s800/IMG_7173.JPG
Great pictures! :thumbsup2

Now, before anyone starts to judge me or this TR
You know we've been judging you all along anyway.:lmao::rotfl2:

let me say this: I don't care what your reason is for using an ECV. That's none of my business. If you need to use it, use it. But we've been stuck at bus stops enough while they were loaded to know that if we had the option of walking instead of waiting, we'd take it.
Oh, that's what you meant... yeah, I agree.:thumbsup2

FreezinRafiki

09-20-2011, 10:15 AM

What a pain! You can't get rid of them, and they always seem to get you at your worst. I remember Evan flipping off one of them in the last report. :rotfl2:

I like his technique. I may have to adopt that one..

Nice picture! :thumbsup2

:thanks:

You know, I wasn't going to read it. And then I peeked. Now I've ruined the show for myself. I guess I'll have to skip it and go on more rides now.

Kind of like eating a big bowl of ice cream right before dinner. On one hand, you've spoiled your dinner. On the other hand, you just had a big bowl of ice cream!

Nice picture, too.

Thanks. :thumbsup2

I remember my dad pointing that bridge out to me on our trips there when I was a kid. He loved to geek out about that one.

How cute! Your love for transportation engineering was instilled in you as a youngster.
Little Mark: "Daddy, when I grow up, I want to design roads!"
Mark's Dad: "Set your goals high, son. But if those fail, then yes, you can design roads for a living."

Better try a weed-whacker next time.
Or a blow torch.

::yes:: Those are awesome! :thumbsup2

Yup. But do you think, they'll stand up the intense heat of the jet engine exhaust? :confused3

Looks like my kinda meal. I remember their breakfast buffet being pretty good, too.
All breakfast buffets are good if they include unlimited bacon.

They're still cute, just bigger.

:thumbsup2

Eh, Derek is ok....but I love Dr. Spencer Reid! Danny still misses Gideon, but we watch regularly. Tried watching last years spin off, but never really got into it as much.
There was a spin off? I had to ask Bambi about it, she remembers it lasting maybe two episodes. :sad2:

What was that! A camera flash! Oh, I'm a sham!
One minute you're defending the whole galaxy, and, suddenly,
you find yourself being used as a photo-op.

Years of Academy training wasted!!!!
:rotfl2::thumbsup2

FreezinRafiki

09-20-2011, 10:37 AM

Ummmmm… no. But…

…that is one very fine picture.

Eh. To-MAY-to, To-MAH-to.:confused3

Mickey: Can I open my eyes yet?
Minnie: Not yet, just keep walking this way, I’ve got a big surprise for you…
by the way, you insurance is all paid up right?

Minnie would never whack Mickey. She knows Disney would fold without him.
Unless she caught him sending dirty pictures of himself to Cinderella. Then all bets are off.

Priceless.

The best part was the inflection in her voice when she said it. There's no way I can mimic that in text, so I won't even try.

An yet she tries it again every few hours. She is evil!

You know how Einstein defined insanity...
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

This should be the picture in the dictionary for the word: “tuckered”

See also: pooped. wiped out. snoozeville.

Einstein’s forty-seventh law of relativity

The price on an object at Disney world has a direct relationship with how bad you need it.

We stopped by here this past trip as well.
It was pretty good and most certainly filling.

I would suspect after unlimited food on the ship, you would feel right at home with a buffet. :thumbsup2

Assuming you didn’t eat so much of the chicken and ribs
that you actually had room left for desert.

Bill Cosby was wrong. There's always room for cookies, brownies, ice cream and hot fudge.

Great shot.

Thanks!

Mickey pushed us!

Now that you mention it, that topiary was rotating in that direction. :confused3

‘cause y’all suffer form good parent disease

Yeah, we're awesome like that. :thumbsup2

You have had some really great family pictures in your TR's, but this is by far one of the top 3!
Family pictures are easy. I just have to stand there and try not to look too goofy. Then I sort of ride Bambi and the kid's coat tails!

We haven't done this in years, and I really want to catch it next week.

We have the sound track on CD and Madison used to listen to it constantly. I had it memorized before I even saw the show.

That is one pooped girl.
Uh huh. :faint:

I still have mine from Disney when the kids were little

We have a nice collection of souvenir cups, buckets, plates, etc. And by "collection" I mean we have a cabinet overflowing with them.

If anyone can make it work, Evan can
I just hope he uses his powers for good instead of evil.

That looks MUCH MORE appetizing than the food we had at Whispering Canyon Cafe.

I've heard you're not a fan of that place. I've never had a bad meal there. :confused3

They are even more cute three years later.

Thanks!

Are you just repeating that because you are running out of things to talk about?
Mostly, yes.

WAFFLE HOUSE! I love Waffle House and will be eating there one week from today. :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
Have a great meal! (That kind of goes without saying, though doesn't it. You're at Waffle House. Of course you're going to have a great meal!)

What is that smell?!

That is the smell of excellence.:thumbsup2

We have a saying over on the Dis Dad's Club (http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=185).
What's that smell?
That's the smell of excellence.
Open a window.

FreezinRafiki

09-20-2011, 10:41 AM

When was your son born?:confused3

Ummm is it late and I am math challenged???? Do you mean Oct 2008??? :teacher: Such cuties!

It was October 2007.

Leave it to Bambi to do the math right. :laughing::teacher:

b u s t e d

I'd like to take the opportunity to distract you all by mentioning that Mark got HIS OWN age wrong on his trip report (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2777117).

(Sorry to throw you under the bus like that, Mark. But at least your TR got a plug. :thumbsup2)

FreezinRafiki

09-20-2011, 10:56 AM

Trails End good? I hear it is, so once again it has put on the list. :thumbsup2

You did good conquering MK - Can't wait to see how Sea World goes.
We all like Trails End. It's outside of a park, so you get a nice break from the hustle and bustle, but it's close enough that you don't feel like you've wasted half a day on buses to get to it.

Stand aside Space Cadet! That flashy eyed cyclops will steal your soul! Believe me, I know. I am only the ghost of myself.
:thumbsup2
You should see the collection of souls I have trapped inside my camera.

I’m using this glorious Saturday morning to catch up on your TR.

I can't think of a better way to waste you time! :thumbsup2

It looks like Evan is quite a fan of Jasmine’s, um, necklace.

Hehehehe. For the past two years, I've named my Fantasy Football Team Jasmine's Necklace. :rotfl2:

The pictures of Madison wearing your hat are so adorable. I’m a sucker for kids in oversized hats.
That's an interesting niche, but I'm glad I was able to provide for you.

I dig the new facial expressions on the show characters! It’s a nice update.

I was blown away when I first saw them! OMG! They have facial expressions!

I don’t think that I’ve seen a review of the Trails End buffet before. I’ve been curious about it, and I’m glad to hear that you liked it.
Good food, relaxed atmosphere. Hard to beat that!

And how cute is that picture of Evan & Madison when they were teeny?!?
Thank you.

FreezinRafiki

09-20-2011, 11:01 AM

Yeah... kind of.:rolleyes1

Awesome! The afwdwfan stamp of approval!

Hmmm... sounds amazingly close to the plot of a Kingdom Keepers book.:lmao:

I've heard a lot about those books. Looks like I need to do a library run to see what they're all about.

It is never too early to relax.:thumbsup2

I agree. I need to start carrying a hammock around with me.

I saw one at a NASCAR race this summer that probably had a stereo system on it worth more than my truck.:scared1:

Sounds like high school. $1000 stereos in $400 cars.

Great pictures! :thumbsup2

:thanks:

You know we've been judging you all along anyway.:lmao::rotfl2:

Oh, I know. But I don't let it bother me. It's like when I'm golfing and I shoot a 7 on a hole. I look at the scorecard and it says par is 3. I then tell the scorecard "you can't judge me."

Oh, that's what you meant... yeah, I agree.:thumbsup2
Is that the second time you've agreed with me? Is there an asteroid headed for earth or something?

afwdwfan

09-20-2011, 11:30 AM

I've heard a lot about those books. Looks like I need to do a library run to see what they're all about.
Or you could order them through the link that Aaron has to Amazon on disdads.com. :rolleyes1

Oh, I know. But I don't let it bother me. It's like when I'm golfing and I shoot a 7 on a hole. I look at the scorecard and it says par is 3. I then tell the scorecard "you can't judge me."
Hmmm... when I'm golfing and get a 7 on a par 3, I start celebrating and high five anyone I can find.:confused3

Is that the second time you've agreed with me? Is there an asteroid headed for earth or something?
:eek:

Captain_Oblivious

09-20-2011, 12:05 PM

I'd like to take the opportunity to distract you all by mentioning that Mark got HIS OWN age wrong on his trip report (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2777117).

(Sorry to throw you under the bus like that, Mark. But at least your TR got a plug. :thumbsup2)

Maybe we should ask the ladies which is worse. I don't plan my own birthday parties and don't even get carded, so there's really no need to remember my own age, at least until I get close to retirement.

But forgetting your own kid's age...soon you'll be sending him out for beers and taking him to R-rated movies if this keeps up. And it's one step away from forgetting your anniversary. I think Bambi should be worried.

But hey, thanks for the plug! :rotfl2:

FreezinRafiki

09-21-2011, 11:01 AM

Or you could order them through the link that Aaron has to Amazon on disdads.com. :rolleyes1

:idea:

Hmmm... when I'm golfing and get a 7 on a par 3, I start celebrating and high five anyone I can find.:confused3

(All scores contained in that last post were completely fabricated to protect the innocent. And the crappy golfers. :wave2:)

Maybe we should ask the ladies which is worse. I don't plan my own birthday parties and don't even get carded, so there's really no need to remember my own age, at least until I get close to retirement.

But forgetting your own kid's age...soon you'll be sending him out for beers and taking him to R-rated movies if this keeps up. And it's one step away from forgetting your anniversary. I think Bambi should be worried.

But hey, thanks for the plug! :rotfl2:

I'm still going with the "typo" excuse.

FreezinRafiki

09-21-2011, 12:37 PM

Why is "Day" in quotes in this chapter's title? Well, we were there for more than just a couple of hours, but still short of what I think qualifies as a day at a theme park. On to the story...

We knew that we would be getting a late start to SeaWorld, but we didn't expect it to be that late. We packed everyone into the Screamin' Red Van of Destruction and headed...to one of Bambi's Dad's work sites. The problem with running your own business is that you can't just take days off when things need to get taken care of. He's got employees that can handle the majority of the jobs (home repair and remodeling), but he still needs to stop by and make sure they're on task and doing things right. I don't know what the issue was at this particular house, but between driving to the place, sitting there while he did his thing, and getting back to a road that resembled civilization, we didn't get to Sea World until after we stopped at Wendy's for an early lunch.

We bought "2 park" tickets that got us admission to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. They were a pretty good deal online, so I wasn't too upset about missing out on 3 hours at SeaWorld.

It was a pretty hot day, so we went straight for Journey to Atlantis to cool off. Apparently, everyone in the park had the same idea, since we stood in line and weaved back and forth along the chains. Each time you exited one section of the queue you got a little hope that you were almost there. Then you turned the corner to see a dozen more switch backs and no loading area in sight.

Oddly, when we did get up to where we could see the loading area, I wasn't sure we were there. You know how in Splash Mountain, you come around that corner from the dark cave to the open loading area that's themed like a little mining town? You know you're in the loading area. At Journey to Atlantis, the line just stops and you get put into loading areas that are dark, damp, musty and just sort of icky. I actually had to look two or three times to see if that was part of the theming or if they just don't bother to clean it and that's how it ended up. I'm still not sure...

The ride, however, was fun. You start off on what appears to be a standard log flume ride, floating in the water through scenes depicting Atlantis. What we didn't realize when we loaded was that we had all of the larger adults - myself, Bambi's Dad, Bambi's mom, and a rather robust woman that we didn't know - all on the right side of the boat. We came off the first small drop, and the path takes an immediate right turn. I thought for sure we were going to capsize our little dingy.

You make your way through a few drops, getting nice and wet. Then you are set up for what you think is the final drop. All of a sudden, you look down and see not falling water - but roller coaster tracks! Your boat has wheels hidden under it and you start a brief ride on the rails! (This did not sit well with Grandpa, as he is not a roller coaster fan). The coaster ride is brief, then you get dropped into a final splash down. It was quite an exciting little twist to the ride.

They did get one thing right - you exit through a gift shop.

After the ride, it was time the the day's main event - dolphin feeding! We walked over to that side of the park, got in line and bought our little trays of fish.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KN9sPT8muQw/TnnR6H_CKwI/AAAAAAAAKiU/AO2VNkBRwOU/s800/IMG_7191.JPG

I knew from experience that SeaWorld stations photographers across the lagoon to take pictures of you feeding the dolphins. I also knew from experience that their photos cost roughly the same amount as I was not willing to spend on a new van a few days prior. So I snapped on my fancy new zoom lens, walked around the corner of the lagoon and started snapping away myself.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A9jRZxkKxXA/TnnR6Uggi8I/AAAAAAAAKiY/3VUP51wURz0/s800/IMG_7197.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lXL88oc_a0M/TnnR7CqgzaI/AAAAAAAAKic/L-fEeCoFgfc/s800/IMG_7222.JPG

Dolphins fed, hands washed and money still securely in my pocket, we exited the dolphin stadium, where Madison found the Sting Ray petting area. And she was quite proud of herself for touching them.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--WEOOo6TaME/TnnR7sgI18I/AAAAAAAAKig/khivmWwPo0k/s800/IMG_7250.JPG

After finding a pair of flip flops for Bambi to wear since Journey to Atlantis absolutely drenched her tennis shoes, we left the kids in the capable care of their grand parents (yes, I'm just saying that to reassure myself that it was OK) and we headed off to do some of the big rides. First stop: Manta.

This one is fun. You lay basically on your belly, suspended under the track and zoom around, flying like Superman. We got up to the loading platform (after probably 45 minutes in line) and saw that the line for the first row was only slightly longer than any other. This was another awesome ride - you pull some wicked G forces on the outside loop - it actually made the big, strong bodybuilder next to me scream like a little girl. Or maybe that was me, I don't recall exactly. You also zoom down very close to the water. You don't actually touch it, but they have jets in the water that are timed precisely with the ride so the spray makes it look like you do. Sea World did a nice job on this one.

Meanwhile, the kids were having a fun ride on Ocean Commotion with Grandma.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_JoaUS4794s/TnnR3tNry5I/AAAAAAAAKh8/0S3b1kJlW8w/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520001.jpg

And there's Madison, kissing a whale. I'm not sure what to even say about this.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IPdZamZ-hTc/TnnR4WtFeuI/AAAAAAAAKiA/o1Nm5Ma3bwM/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520005.jpg

After we got off Manta, we saw that we still had time before we were to meet up with the kids and grandparents. We headed to SeaWorld's other big coaster - Kracken. As we made our way across the park, we kept an eye on the clouds. They were getting darker and darker. The radar on my phone showed rain and thunderstorms were on the way. The line for the front seat of Kraken was significantly longer - the sign said an extra 30 minutes. We decided to forgo that and park ourselves in the middle. The ride itself was fine - high, steep, fast, twisty - everything you look for in a roller coaster. Except the theming left a lot to be desired. For the majority of the ride, you look down and see nothing but pea gravel and the support beams of the ride. The only time you got a break from that was when you went out over the parking lot. So while yes, the ride was fun, it's not something I would stand in line for to do again.

The best part was just as we were getting off the ride, an announcement was made that inclement weather was approaching and the ride may have to shutdown at any time. Bambi and I exchanged a high five, then walked down the exit ramp.

We caught up with everyone else at Shamu Stadium. The show was mostly over when we arrived, but somehow Bambi spotted them right on the edge of the Splash Zone, with a few empty seats right next to them. We made our way down and caught the end of the show with them.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yXi76Pqs7v4/TnnR4oUCVmI/AAAAAAAAKiE/xxbIhvxcG18/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520014.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7EwYK4r07Tw/TnnR5IJAOeI/AAAAAAAAKiI/6e7tmsXBdM0/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520034.jpg

After the show, the kids were very excited to show us the kid's area that they had found. Part of it was the Shamu Express roller coaster. (Comparable in size and speed to Goofy's Barnstormer). The kids really wanted to ride, so we said "Go ahead." They expected us to start walking up the line with them, but we stayed put. This confused them a bit, then I told them that they were old enough to stand in line, get loaded, and ride by themselves. After a second or two for that to set it, they turned up the loading ramp, running and jumping like they just won the lottery.

We've taught Madison well. They haven't even left the loading platform yet and she's got her arms up!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RDQT0OsGI64/TnnR8OGjqtI/AAAAAAAAKik/qD8sXRrJy24/s800/IMG_7258.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tKZkLpLaRSU/TnnR8WqMsgI/AAAAAAAAKio/2B8kJRkTkJg/s800/IMG_7259.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uvOdAk5-fDM/TnnR88BjIrI/AAAAAAAAKis/3huXVmIALQ0/s800/IMG_7261.JPG

And there you have it - Shamu Express at SeaWorld Orlando. The roller coaster the kids rode all. by. them. selves.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ddIdq89OEQo/TnnR9HPRGJI/AAAAAAAAKiw/L57u6FjaAc4/s800/IMG_7266.JPG

They loved their newfound freedom (and the Shamu Express) so much that they probably rode it 3 or 4 times. We eventually convinced them to try some other rides, like this tea cup looking ride. But as the cup rotated around the center pole and you spun it like vomiting was the only way you could save your life, it also rose up in the air, probably 25-30 feet.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lPDhbQYPg4s/TnnR9o4lZ0I/AAAAAAAAKi0/PFoWB-V57is/s800/IMG_7272.JPG

Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Madison then decided to conquer her fears. For those of you that read my last trip report, (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2717090) you'll recall that Madison and I went on a "tower drop" ride in Houston and she, shall we say, hated it. SeaWorld has one in their kid's area - it's not as tall, but the theory is the same. Get hauled up in the air, and dropped. Repeat as necessary. And despite her fears. And despite the rain, they boarded...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NakLc9zpVM4/TnnR9_siOgI/AAAAAAAAKi4/dHhSIwHbOIw/s800/IMG_7281.JPG

...and they strapped in....
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9FEjRsTP_Rw/TnnR-VBfMdI/AAAAAAAAKi8/PZA5ofPRO1E/s800/IMG_7286.JPG

...and they loved it!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QEW5aksexsc/TnnR-95JISI/AAAAAAAAKjA/NV7vOcMa1P4/s800/IMG_7297.JPG

By the time they got off, the rain had really started coming down. It was poncho time.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EDy600VxbVc/TnnR_ejIKkI/AAAAAAAAKjE/HLgapfttvvk/s800/IMG_7300.JPG

That, or there was a tiny little ghost wandering around SeaWorld.

I'm happy to report it was not a ghost, but Evan. Who was not happy that the rain had shut down his rides.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PqmExYyclDo/TnnR_nGrLLI/AAAAAAAAKjI/J8inulDKU6A/s800/IMG_7303.JPG

Since just about every outside attraction was shutdown, we headed to the Pet's Ahoy show. This is a really cute show where they use animals that they adopted from local animal shelters to do all sorts of fun little tricks.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QI_QBs47_xo/TnnSAPUMsQI/AAAAAAAAKjM/GprlQ5wEWO8/s800/IMG_7322.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q_Cnd2x3_YI/TnnSArSiynI/AAAAAAAAKjQ/Ot5-s3OIaR0/s800/IMG_7329.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GOk5ezse54Y/TnnSBHpB7qI/AAAAAAAAKjU/X0hpdHvApNU/s800/IMG_7331.JPG

And just to show that SeaWorld has a sense of humor about itself...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_ah0uB4QJFo/TnnSBVccFUI/AAAAAAAAKjY/ofzkH-31llQ/s800/IMG_7333.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hsRkvca1lrw/TnnSBkQXxBI/AAAAAAAAKjc/R7GwmDJJ4pU/s800/IMG_7345.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-doHKN5BFz4E/TnnSCBLDQaI/AAAAAAAAKjg/LWlbz1XJF0I/s800/IMG_7346.JPG

(And yes, that is a pig butt to "end" the show!)

We left the show, and it was still raining with no signs of it letting up. We did some shopping and decided to call it a day. Obviously, SeaWorld can't control the weather (My money is on Disney's Imagineers figuring that out first). And I still don't like the idea of charging people for the front of the line access. Even with getting the 2 park discount ticket, it was a lot of money to get all of us in there. I can't imagine paying and extra $30 per person over that. But clearly people do, because they were using it. Overall, SeaWorld is a pretty great park, but it's hard to devote the day or two that it deserves when your vacation time is limited and you have Disney World just down the street.

As we left SeaWorld, our tummies started telling us it was time for some good quality food at good prices. Where else but WAFFLE HOUSE! (Evan was eating a chocolate chip waffle, so that's why his teeth are like that. That's my story and I'm sticking too it.)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Uvn-HwtTZ7I/TnnR5Wym3jI/AAAAAAAAKiM/aMxQkqnsFuA/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520063.jpg

After we ordered, the kids and I went to sit at the counter to watch them make our food. Another waiter came by and made the kids honorary Waffle House employees with the cool hats.

UP NEXT: We Return to the Magic!

afwdwfan

09-21-2011, 01:50 PM

It was a pretty hot day, so we went straight for Journey to Atlantis to cool off. Apparently, everyone in the park had the same idea
Hot day... water ride... who would have thought there would be a crowd??? :confused3

I actually had to look two or three times to see if that was part of the theming or if they just don't bother to clean it and that's how it ended up.
I don't think we're in Disney World anymore.

I also knew from experience that their photos cost roughly the same amount as I was not willing to spend on a new van a few days prior. So I snapped on my fancy new zoom lens, walked around the corner of the lagoon and started snapping away myself.
:thumbsup2 Good plan.

Except the theming left a lot to be desired. For the majority of the ride, you look down and see nothing but pea gravel and the support beams of the ride. The only time you got a break from that was when you went out over the parking lot.
Disney's theming has really raised the bar too high for most other parks to meet, hasn't it?

The best part was just as we were getting off the ride, an announcement was made that inclement weather was approaching and the ride may have to shutdown at any time. Bambi and I exchanged a high five, then walked down the exit ramp.
:woohoo: Great timing!

The kids really wanted to ride, so we said "Go ahead." They expected us to start walking up the line with them, but we stayed put. This confused them a bit, then I told them that they were old enough to stand in line, get loaded, and ride by themselves. After a second or two for that to set it, they turned up the loading ramp, running and jumping like they just won the lottery.
:thumbsup2 They sure are growing up, aren't they?

Off-topic, but I came to the DISboards probably a year or 2 after you wrote your first TR. Having gone back and read it, I've really enjoyed watching Evan and Madison growing up over the past few years. No real point, just to say you've got a couple of awesome kids, who I'm sure will be a great big brother and big sister!

And there you have it - Shamu Express at SeaWorld Orlando. The roller coaster the kids rode all. by. them. selves.
Frame it!
:woohoo::yay::banana:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NakLc9zpVM4/TnnR9_siOgI/AAAAAAAAKi4/dHhSIwHbOIw/s800/IMG_7281.JPG
Um... Evan? You realize you have to sit upright don't you?

I'm happy to report it was not a ghost, but Evan. Who was not happy that the rain had shut down his rides.
Can't say that I'd blame him for being unhappy.

(And yes, that is a pig butt to "end" the show!)
Mmmmm... bacon.

Overall, SeaWorld is a pretty great park, but it's hard to devote the day or two that it deserves when your vacation time is limited and you have Disney World just down the street.
I've never been there, but I love Disney and Universal and it is hard enough to just fit those both in. This year we won't be spending any time at Universal. I'd love to go to Sea World sometime just for Manta and the Kracken, but it really isn't a priorty. I'm glad you got a chance to give it a try and had some fun though!:thumbsup2

Captain_Oblivious

09-21-2011, 02:08 PM

It was a pretty hot day, so we went straight for Journey to Atlantis to cool off. Apparently, everyone in the park had the same idea, since we stood in line and weaved back and forth along the chains. Each time you exited one section of the queue you got a little hope that you were almost there. Then you turned the corner to see a dozen more switch backs and no loading area in sight.

Sounds like some ride engineers rode the Jungle Cruise a few times.

You know how in Splash Mountain, you come around that corner from the dark cave to the open loading area that's themed like a little mining town? You know you're in the loading area. At Journey to Atlantis, the line just stops and you get put into loading areas that are dark, damp, musty and just sort of icky. I actually had to look two or three times to see if that was part of the theming or if they just don't bother to clean it and that's how it ended up. I'm still not sure...

Disney is the king of theming, but it's disheartening to hear others are just taking the "why bother?" approach.

They did get one thing right - you exit through a gift shop.

Long, snaking queues and gift shops. Sounds like they got their priorities straight. :thumbsup2

So I snapped on my fancy new zoom lens, walked around the corner of the lagoon and started snapping away myself.

Nice work!

This one is fun. You lay basically on your belly, suspended under the track and zoom around, flying like Superman. We got up to the loading platform (after probably 45 minutes in line) and saw that the line for the first row was only slightly longer than any other. This was another awesome ride - you pull some wicked G forces on the outside loop - it actually made the big, strong bodybuilder next to me scream like a little girl. Or maybe that was me, I don't recall exactly. You also zoom down very close to the water. You don't actually touch it, but they have jets in the water that are timed precisely with the ride so the spray makes it look like you do. Sea World did a nice job on this one.

Sounds like a great ride! I'll enjoy watching it from below. :rotfl2:

And there's Madison, kissing a whale. I'm not sure what to even say about this.

That's probably the happiest whale in the park.

Except the theming left a lot to be desired. For the majority of the ride, you look down and see nothing but pea gravel and the support beams of the ride. The only time you got a break from that was when you went out over the parking lot. So while yes, the ride was fun, it's not something I would stand in line for to do again.

Maybe the theme was "under construction"? :confused3

The best part was just as we were getting off the ride, an announcement was made that inclement weather was approaching and the ride may have to shutdown at any time. Bambi and I exchanged a high five, then walked down the exit ramp.

:woohoo:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yXi76Pqs7v4/TnnR4oUCVmI/AAAAAAAAKiE/xxbIhvxcG18/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520014.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7EwYK4r07Tw/TnnR5IJAOeI/AAAAAAAAKiI/6e7tmsXBdM0/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520034.jpg

Nice job with that fancy lens! :thumbsup2

The kids really wanted to ride, so we said "Go ahead." They expected us to start walking up the line with them, but we stayed put. This confused them a bit, then I told them that they were old enough to stand in line, get loaded, and ride by themselves. After a second or two for that to set it, they turned up the loading ramp, running and jumping like they just won the lottery.

Very cool.

And there you have it - Shamu Express at SeaWorld Orlando. The roller coaster the kids rode all. by. them. selves.

Nice job Madison and Evan! :thumbsup2:woohoo::cool1::banana:

But as the cup rotated around the center pole and you spun it like vomiting was the only way you could save your life, it also rose up in the air, probably 25-30 feet.

I'll have to remember this ride if I'm ever poisoned.

Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Madison then decided to conquer her fears. For those of you that read my last trip report, (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2717090) you'll recall that Madison and I went on a "tower drop" ride in Houston and she, shall we say, hated it.

Gimme a break. Who doesn't like big drops? :confused3

I'm happy to report it was not a ghost, but Evan. Who was not happy that the rain had shut down his rides.

I can definitely sympathize.

Overall, SeaWorld is a pretty great park, but it's hard to devote the day or two that it deserves when your vacation time is limited and you have Disney World just down the street.

We keep talking about doing a non-Disney Orlando trip in order to try some of the "other stuff" there. But it's so hard to leave Disney out.

After we ordered, the kids and I went to sit at the counter to watch them make our food. Another waiter came by and made the kids honorary Waffle House employees with the cool hats.

Tell Evan I'd like some hash browns, smothered and covered.

Off-topic, but I came to the DISboards probably a year or 2 after you wrote your first TR. Having gone back and read it, I've really enjoyed watching Evan and Madison growing up over the past few years. No real point, just to say you've got a couple of awesome kids, who I'm sure will be a great big brother and big sister!

I agree! It was an honor to meet them. And you, I guess. :rotfl2:

(And yes, that is a pig butt to "end" the show!)

Mmmmm... bacon.

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

grahamfam3

09-21-2011, 02:29 PM

KY*Figment

09-21-2011, 02:34 PM

Very good. I have been wanting to go to Sea World but Air Goofy doesn't want to have to trek over there from WDW.

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

09-21-2011, 03:26 PM

We packed everyone into the Screamin' Red Van of Destruction and headed...to one of Bambi's Dad's work sites.

Ooooooooh… a new thrill ride

It was a pretty hot day, so we went straight for Journey to Atlantis to cool off.

Good thinking (oh wait a minute… I’ve stood in that line before, so maybe not so good)

Each time you exited one section of the queue you got a little hope that you were almost there. Then you turned the corner to see a dozen more switch backs and no loading area in sight.

Yah… that’s the way I remember it. :lmao:

They did get one thing right - you exit through a gift shop.

Isn’t that a form of copyright infringement?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7EwYK4r07Tw/TnnR5IJAOeI/AAAAAAAAKiI/6e7tmsXBdM0/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520034.jpg

Nice shot…

They expected us to start walking up the line with them, but we stayed put. This confused them a bit, then I told them that they were old enough to stand in line, get loaded, and ride by themselves. After a second or two for that to set it, they turned up the loading ramp, running and jumping like they just won the lottery.

I love those moments when you kids get to grow up just a little bit
(for some reason it always makes Tamara a bit misty eyed, but I love it).

Since just about every outside attraction was shutdown, we headed to the Pet's Ahoy show.

This show is a lot of fun, but my favorite is actually the sea lion show. Bad jokes and puns are just something I’m drawn too (thus I enjoy reading you TRs), and if they are still doing it, there is an evening performance where they parody and poke fun at all the other shows in the park that is a real rib buster.

(And yes, that is a pig butt to "end" the show!)

Ham and bacon… Is this a bit of foreshadowing?

And I still don't like the idea of charging people for the front of the line access.

Not a fan of this one either (it smacks of a wealth based class system)

As we left SeaWorld, our tummies started telling us it was time for some good quality food at good prices. Where else but WAFFLE HOUSE!

See… there was some foreshadowing going on back there

Sounds like an overall good day. I’m about the same in my assessment of the place. It ain’t Disney, but is a good diversion if you’ve got a little extra time.

Stringbean&Wingnut

09-21-2011, 05:50 PM

Good for Madison for conquering her ride fears!! And how cool that the kids rode that coaster for the first time by themselves! They look very proud. :goodvibes

IheartDDuck

09-21-2011, 08:35 PM

And there's Madison, kissing a whale. I'm not sure what to even say about this.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IPdZamZ-hTc/TnnR4WtFeuI/AAAAAAAAKiA/o1Nm5Ma3bwM/s800/Sea%252520World%2525202011%252520005.jpg

:lmao:

I almost died laughing when I saw that.

Okay, we almost had a boat capsizing incident at It's a Small World in July. Somehow, all of the adults seemed to get in on one side of the boat. We clearly did not think that through......:rolleyes1

I'm just glad we didn't bottom out. :rotfl:

Even though it wasn't a full "day", it seems like you all had a great time at Sea World. Have to admit, I haven't been there in years.

FreezinRafiki

09-22-2011, 08:51 AM

Hot day... water ride... who would have thought there would be a crowd??? :confused3

My crowd calendar said it would be a "2" day. But then again, it's a 1983 John Deere Promotional calendar that I just randomly wrote numbers on, so it might not be accurate.

I don't think we're in Disney World anymore.
:eek:

Good plan.

That lens has to pay for itself somehow.

Disney's theming has really raised the bar too high for most other parks to meet, hasn't it?
Most parks can't even see the bar because Disney has raised it so high.

They sure are growing up, aren't they?

Off-topic, but I came to the DISboards probably a year or 2 after you wrote your first TR. Having gone back and read it, I've really enjoyed watching Evan and Madison growing up over the past few years. No real point, just to say you've got a couple of awesome kids, who I'm sure will be a great big brother and big sister!

I'm not sure I have a topic, so you probably can't be off of it.
But thanks for the kind words!

Frame it!

This was one of the times we actually purchased the ride photos they sell. And for an extra $5 or so, you got a cool Shamu frame for it. It's up in our dining room right now. :thumbsup2

Um... Evan? You realize you have to sit upright don't you?

He was tall enough to ride. But not to load gracefully.

Can't say that I'd blame him for being unhappy.

Nope.

Mmmmm... bacon.

Yup.

I've never been there, but I love Disney and Universal and it is hard enough to just fit those both in. This year we won't be spending any time at Universal. I'd love to go to Sea World sometime just for Manta and the Kracken, but it really isn't a priorty. I'm glad you got a chance to give it a try and had some fun though!:thumbsup2
It's definitely worth it if you can sacrifice a Disney day to go there. Lots of educational stuff for the kiddos, too.

Sounds like some ride engineers rode the Jungle Cruise a few times.
Yes, but there were no puns in the queue at all. And everyone knows, time files when your having pun.

Disney is the king of theming, but it's disheartening to hear others are just taking the "why bother?" approach.
:rotfl2::rotfl2::lmao::lmao::rotfl::rotfl:
Sorry, I was still laughing at my "pun" pun from earlier.

Long, snaking queues and gift shops. Sounds like they got their priorities straight. :thumbsup2
And charging exorbitant amounts of money for everything. They nailed that one, too.

Nice work!

:thanks:

Sounds like a great ride! I'll enjoy watching it from below. :rotfl2:

:sad2:

That's probably the happiest whale in the park.

He does appear to be grinning, doesn't he?

Maybe the theme was "under construction"? :confused3

I doubt it. There wasn't anyone leaning on shovels.

Nice job with that fancy lens! :thumbsup2

Thanks, but I didn't even take those. The camera with the fancy lens was tucked safely away in the stroller. Those came off of Bambi's Dad's point-and-shoot.

Nice job Madison and Evan! :thumbsup2:woohoo::cool1::banana:

Yup. It opened a whole new world of adventures to them. But I'm getting ahead of myself here...

I'll have to remember this ride if I'm ever poisoned.

I can loan Madison out as a stomach pump if you need. I don't bill insurance, though. Cash only. But guaranteed results!

Gimme a break. Who doesn't like big drops? :confused3

:thumbsup2 <--not a thumb. It's an index finger. Care to guess who he's pointing at?

We keep talking about doing a non-Disney Orlando trip in order to try some of the "other stuff" there. But it's so hard to leave Disney out.

I don't even know who you are anymore.:sad2:
(But you're right - there is so much stuff to do down there. But I'm getting ahead of myself again...)

Tell Evan I'd like some hash browns, smothered and covered.

Or as Larry the Cable guy describes his bowel movements after leaving Waffle House : "scattered and splattered."

I agree! It was an honor to meet them. And you, I guess. :rotfl2:

Thanks! I guess...

FreezinRafiki

09-22-2011, 08:59 AM

I'm not sure of what route you plan to take home, but I thought I should warn you that there is a bridge out of service in Louisville, Ky that spans the OH river causing some traffic backups.

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/i-64-and-i-65-backups-in-louisville-ky-due-to-bridge-out-2011.cfm
We're flying down in October for our cruise, but that's good to know. Thanks!

Very good. I have been wanting to go to Sea World but Air Goofy doesn't want to have to trek over there from WDW.
Take the girls and go without him then!

Ooooooooh… a new thrill ride

Yup. And this one has never been inspected by any government agency.

Good thinking (oh wait a minute… I’ve stood in that line before, so maybe not so good)
If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was still in that line.

Isn’t that a form of copyright infringement?

Just wait until Disney's lawyers get a hold of them...

Nice shot…
Thanks, but like I said earlier, I stole that one off of Grandpa's camera.

I love those moments when you kids get to grow up just a little bit
(for some reason it always makes Tamara a bit misty eyed, but I love it).

It was fun watching them run from the exit to the entrance over and over. Well, more of a really fast walk, because we told them not to run.

This show is a lot of fun, but my favorite is actually the sea lion show. Bad jokes and puns are just something I’m drawn too (thus I enjoy reading you TRs), and if they are still doing it, there is an evening performance where they parody and poke fun at all the other shows in the park that is a real rib buster.
I think the kids did that one when we were on the roller coasters. Full of Bad Jokes and Puns, you say? Looks like I'll be planning a return visit sooner than later. :thumbsup2

Ham and bacon… Is this a bit of foreshadowing?

There's old saying where I come from. "Sometimes a Pig's Butt is just a Pig's Butt." I'm not sure what it means, but I think it fits here.

Not a fan of this one either (it smacks of a wealth based class system)

::yes::

Sounds like an overall good day. I’m about the same in my assessment of the place. It ain’t Disney, but is a good diversion if you’ve got a little extra time.
:thumbsup2

FreezinRafiki

09-22-2011, 09:03 AM

Good for Madison for conquering her ride fears!! And how cool that the kids rode that coaster for the first time by themselves! They look very proud. :goodvibes
It was a very proud day for all of us. :thumbsup2

:lmao:

I almost died laughing when I saw that.
Oh no. I'd hate to loose another reader like that...

Okay, we almost had a boat capsizing incident at It's a Small World in July. Somehow, all of the adults seemed to get in on one side of the boat. We clearly did not think that through......:rolleyes1

I'm just glad we didn't bottom out. :rotfl:
Those are some pretty wide boats - I'd be very impressed if you flipped one of them!

Even though it wasn't a full "day", it seems like you all had a great time at Sea World. Have to admit, I haven't been there in years.
It's a very clean park with some nice landscaping. It does remind me of Disney in that regard.

KatMark

09-22-2011, 09:04 AM

Barry, I don't have time to make "specific" comments on things like I usually do. I do have a good excuse though: I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD today.

A great update. Mark and I haven't been to Sea World since Andy and Mark were like 8 and 6 or something like that. They had NONE of those cool rides, etc. We really need to find a day to get back there.

LOVE the Waffle House hats. I'll be eating there in about 24 hours. :woohoo::woohoo:

FreezinRafiki

09-22-2011, 09:09 AM

KatMark

09-22-2011, 09:17 AM

I ran your excuse by my management team and it has been accepted. :thumbsup2 Have a great trip!

Have a bowl of Waffle House Chili for the kids - they love that stuff!

Thanks, Barry. I'm not sure on the chilli...not a fan, but maybe I can convince Mark to have it with his breakfast.

I'll post a link here when we are back and I've started my TR.

Hugs to the kids.

FreezinRafiki

09-22-2011, 09:28 AM

Thanks, Barry. I'm not sure on the chilli...not a fan, but maybe I can convince Mark to have it with his breakfast.

I'll post a link here when we are back and I've started my TR.

Hugs to the kids.

I'm looking forward to it!

petals

09-22-2011, 04:05 PM

Luvin the seaworld update! But yay back to the magic!

FreezinRafiki

10-03-2011, 02:11 PM

Hi everyone. Just wanted to pop in for a bit to say that I haven't forgotten about this TR. Life has been way too busy for the past few weeks and it doesn't look like it's going to settle down anytime soon. We're really busy at home remodeling the house to accommodate the new baby and I'm just as busy at work with installing several new computer systems. I still want to get at least as much of this TR written before our cruise, but my optimism is starting to fade. I hope to have an entry later this week, unless life gets in the way. Thanks for sticking around and being patient with me!

afwdwfan

10-03-2011, 02:28 PM

Thanks for sticking around and being patient with me!
I'll stick around, but I refuse to be patient! pirate: :rotfl2:

Good luck with everything you've got going on. How's Bambi?

KatMark

10-03-2011, 02:28 PM

mom3sonstt

10-06-2011, 10:50 PM

Take your time! I'm about 2 weeks behind on everything plus we are going away for the weekend and I probably won't get any reading done then either!

Enjoyed your day at Sea World - we have never been there. Were supposed to go on our honeymoon, but had a little spat, he pouted until he fell asleep and by the time he woke up it was too late to go :sad2:

KatMark

10-10-2011, 08:44 AM

As promised, plugging that I started my TR: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2811447

Hope you, Bambi and the kids are doing well.

E3yore

10-10-2011, 04:31 PM

As promised, plugging that I started my TR: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2811447

Hope you, Bambi and the kids are doing well.

Yours will be done before Barry's.

jason4024

10-21-2011, 06:50 AM

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I0e-el9hd94/TmDkYF2lZfI/AAAAAAAAKaM/vOXHNVcGFY4/s800/IMG00294-20110625-1236.jpg

I may be a little late and there may have been some discussion about this already, but lets hope Fed doesn't see that max speed on the GPS picture...

And I see your counter is down to 9 days. You better get writing.

Have fun on the Dream and tell the gang that the Gilberts will see them soon.

KatMark

10-21-2011, 12:11 PM

Yours will be done before Barry's.

Bambi, at the rate he is going, I will probably have my September one and my January one (yes, I'm going back in January) before he finishes this one.

Hope you are feeling better. :goodvibes

afwdwfan

10-24-2011, 01:27 PM

KatMark

10-24-2011, 01:31 PM

Wow, this Trip Report has reached a unique milestone. Over one month since the last update!!! Congratulations, Barry!!!party:

It won't be long now before you'll reach levels of Trip Report silence only attained by Don up to this point!:thumbsup2

pirate:

It's because he is "hanging" on the Captain's TR and no where else. :headache:

Don who???? :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

afwdwfan

10-24-2011, 01:37 PM

It's because he is "hanging" on the Captain's TR and no where else. :headache:

Don who???? :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
Yeah, I saw the posts picking on him over there and it reminded me that he had his own TR to be harrassed in as well. :lmao: I know he's been busy, so I can understand the delay. It doesn't mean I'm just going to sit idly by and let him get away with it though.:rotfl2:

It's probably about time to pay Don a visit too, but I'm pretty sure he's forgotten what happened by now anyway.

KatMark

10-24-2011, 01:39 PM

Yeah, I saw the posts picking on him over there and it reminded me that he had his own TR to be harrassed in as well. :lmao: I know he's been busy, so I can understand the delay. It doesn't mean I'm just going to sit idly by and let him get away with it though.:rotfl2:

Don, AKA Emma'sDad, is the king of slow DISDad's TR writers. Here is his "current" TR from spring 2010. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2580905

I'm glad someone is giving him grief here too.

Oh, I knew who Don was. But I figured since he was missing in action for so darn long and still hasn't finished a TR from 2010, that I'd pretend I didn't know who he was. ;)

afwdwfan

10-24-2011, 01:43 PM

I'm glad someone is giving him grief here too.

Oh, I knew who Don was. But I figured since he was missing in action for so darn long and still hasn't finished a TR from 2010, that I'd pretend I didn't know who he was. ;)

Yeah... I changed my post. I thought about it for a little bit and I remembered that I had seen you over on his TR too. It has just been so long since anything has happened there that I forgot.:rotfl:

Captain_Oblivious

10-24-2011, 01:57 PM

It's because he is "hanging" on the Captain's TR and no where else. :headache:

I've never been the guy with the cool hangout before! :woohoo:

cj9200

10-24-2011, 06:49 PM

The baby may be entering college before this TR is finally delivered. I told Barry but congrats Bambi.

I heard somewhere that Don was doing a TR. But that was months (years?) ago. Gave that one up. Maybe this one?

FreezinRafiki

10-25-2011, 05:03 AM

I may be a little late and there may have been some discussion about this already, but lets hope Fed doesn't see that max speed on the GPS picture...

And I see your counter is down to 9 days. You better get writing.

Have fun on the Dream and tell the gang that the Gilberts will see them soon.

Welcome to the party Jason!

Contrary to popular belief, I have not abandoned this report. In fact, I'm working on the next chapter right now! (Really, I am!)

FreezinRafiki

10-25-2011, 07:03 AM

With every new summer day in Florida comes new hope and new promise. Excitement and possibility. Magic and Wonder. Heat and Humidity. And the standard 50% chance of thunderstorms. I guess you take the good with the bad. And today's good: EPCOT!

We had another late arrival day - not getting there until after 10. This puts a serious cramp in our usual Soarin-FastPass-ride-TestTrack routine, but we stuck with it. Soarin FastPasses safely in my pocket, I joined up with the family in the TestTrack queue. The wait time showed 45 minutes, but I don't know how I believed that, since the line of people actually snaked outside of the building and around a few chained off switchbacks. But we decided to stick it out because who know how long the line would grow to later.

A little boost from big sister...
`https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eedAblmcoCY/TnzgoDZI6-I/AAAAAAAAKj0/hq5QsUu4ykQ/s800/DSCF0837.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Z9RVmiRMypE/TnzgoUnPolI/AAAAAAAAKj4/j5A5aAoVmIw/s800/DSCF0855.JPG
I only took that last picture as a reminder to dress Evan exactly like that next time we go to TestTrack. Just to see if he notices.

Guest graffiti or Imagineer with a Sharpie and a sense of humor?
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YDdmf8tGhSE/TnzgoyKiRlI/AAAAAAAAKj8/Soop94BqCEk/s800/DSCF0856.JPG

After probably and hour or more in line (and sneaking our way right up to the doors while everyone else was distracted by the preshow video) we were finally strapped in and ready!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GTFxwi9ZoM4/TnzgpNsIk7I/AAAAAAAAKkA/FKT-FeK7hAE/s800/DSCF0857.JPG

Why does our car have three headlights?

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9uTonCD8jn4/TnzgpfN6GwI/AAAAAAAAKkE/Ff_yf5T9gTA/s800/DSCF0860.JPG

Well, it doesn't. The top one is the flash from my camera. I was trying to see if we were actually going fast enough to beat the flash to the mirror. It appears that we were going faster than sound, but not light. How do I know we were going faster than sound? Simple: Put your ear up to the picture. Did you hear the shutter click? No? Well then we must be going faster than sound!

TestTrack was always right up there, but I think it just jumped up a position or two on my "favorite attractions" list.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3uREMFPiyn0/TnzgplyUuBI/AAAAAAAAKkI/bDaO6TuPde8/s800/DSCF0861.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bpzL3Niz8Yc/TnzgqGu7cGI/AAAAAAAAKkM/m69KTe5m8xo/s800/DSCF0862.JPG

Since Evan isn't in the driver's seat, he can safely take his eyes off the road to smile. Seeing Madison in the driver's seat reminds me that I only have 9 years to start stocking up on Tums and Pepto Bismol.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4GGmOeQULps/TnzgqSYpxNI/AAAAAAAAKkQ/0IbYA1PJOgU/s800/DSCF0864.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DhyzomL0DSo/TnzjZ35ehtI/AAAAAAAAKn0/fgIfSTWEDVA/s800/Photo0011FourBySix.jpg

After successfully Testing their Track, we headed over to the Seas with Nemo & Friends.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yWx9HH2irrA/Tnzgqpfw0SI/AAAAAAAAKkU/BDwQvz4pBLM/s800/IMG_7364.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SDXQEicBd8w/TnzgrI06UlI/AAAAAAAAKkY/CXqMWAJ8I-E/s800/IMG_7376.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-k4AexvfHv_I/TnzgrdYMzkI/AAAAAAAAKkc/SnBGyUOwl_g/s800/IMG_7378.JPG

We stopped over at Sunshine Seasons for lunch, then used our Soarin FastPasses. Next stop: Journey into Imagination.

The kids really like this ride, but don't like the "smell lab" where you get blasted with skunk spray. Eventually they wised up and started plugging their noses. They took it to a whole new level this time.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C3BexIRYoB8/Tnzgrpbo_lI/AAAAAAAAKkg/odDys0AsMfU/s800/DSCF0869.JPG

I don't know about you, but hiding from skunks makes Evan thirsty.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--TFPRg1FZtQ/Tnzgr-M4-lI/AAAAAAAAKkk/Ak035NtHN9k/s800/DSCF0872.JPG

That's right - it's BEVERLY TIME! Madison appears to have learned her lesson and refuses to drink it anymore. Party pooper.

After 5 1/2 cups of Beverly, I was ready to stumble back out into EPCOT and hurl. I noticed that the fountain was misaligned and spraying water all over the sidewalk.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I5-amRo44R0/TnzgsEmkIrI/AAAAAAAAKko/__mAphCHa90/s800/IMG_7383.JPG

Upon further review, not only was the fountain spraying all over the sidewalk, but all over Mouse Gear, SpaceShip Earth - in fact, all of Future World and World Showcase! Quick, someone turn off that fountain so we can enjoy our time in the park!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WTKrJg3RDw4/TnzgsonvL4I/AAAAAAAAKks/7bfwDfETEWc/s800/IMG_7384.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dY7by5BrHY8/TnzgtJDC1oI/AAAAAAAAKk0/IW6ji-WTOBE/s800/IMG_7393.JPG

Evan found a way to - entertain? - himself.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8KwbFv-nY8A/Tnzgs6MLuII/AAAAAAAAKkw/HxUAp2_3cvo/s800/DSCF0877.JPG

As we rode out the storm under the roof overhang by Club Cool, we started to hear an odd banging sound. We looked around and finally saw it was a man hole (mouse hole?) cover rattling. My best guess is that the water was pouring into the storm sewers so fast, that the air was being forced out so hard that it was lifting the cover. Video proof:
https://picasaweb.google.com/bsommer55/Summer11?authkey=Gv1sRgCIuizID46vLheQ#565564494715 2565010

So, it's pouring down rain in EPCOT. Where do you go to ride out the storm?
I'll tell you in the next update...

afwdwfan

10-25-2011, 07:36 AM

With every new summer day in Florida comes new hope and new promise. Excitement and possibility. Magic and Wonder. Heat and Humidity. And the standard 50% chance of thunderstorms.
This may be the most true statement you've ever written in a Trip Report.

Soarin FastPasses safely in my pocket, I joined up with the family in the TestTrack queue.
You weren't a line jumper, were you?????:eek:

The wait time showed 45 minutes, but I don't know how I believed that, since the line of people actually snaked outside of the building and around a few chained off switchbacks.
Wow, even on a summer afternoon after FP's were gone, I don't think I've ever seen it lined up that far outside the building.

I only took that last picture as a reminder to dress Evan exactly like that next time we go to TestTrack. Just to see if he notices.
Cruel, but hilarious! :thumbsup2 :rotfl2:

Why does our car have three headlights?
You were in the police cruiser with the spotlight?

Well, it doesn't. The top one is the flash from my camera.
Or that could be another logical explanation.

I was trying to see if we were actually going fast enough to beat the flash to the mirror.
65 mph < light speed
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's true.

It appears that we were going faster than sound, but not light. How do I know we were going faster than sound? Simple: Put your ear up to the picture. Did you hear the shutter click? No? Well then we must be going faster than sound!
:sad2:

TestTrack was always right up there, but I think it just jumped up a position or two on my "favorite attractions" list.
I love Test Track. I'm glad it will still be running when we go, but I look forward to seeing what they do during the upcoming refurb!

I noticed that the fountain was misaligned and spraying water all over the sidewalk.
Why did they let you work on their plumbing??? :scared1:

Evan found a way to - entertain? - himself.
Himself and anyone else who was watching. :lmao:

My best guess is that the water was pouring into the storm sewers so fast, that the air was being forced out so hard that it was lifting the cover.
My guess would have been that the Ninja Turtles were up to something.:confused3

Captain_Oblivious

10-25-2011, 07:38 AM

With every new summer day in Florida comes new hope and new promise. Excitement and possibility. Magic and Wonder. Heat and Humidity. And the standard 50% chance of thunderstorms. I guess you take the good with the bad. And today's good: EPCOT!

EPCOT with thunderstorms is still better than 99% of all other places with thunderstorms.

The wait time showed 45 minutes, but I don't know how I believed that, since the line of people actually snaked outside of the building and around a few chained off switchbacks. But we decided to stick it out because who know how long the line would grow to later.

:faint: This is not making me optimistic about visiting in the summer...

Guest graffiti or Imagineer with a Sharpie and a sense of humor?
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YDdmf8tGhSE/TnzgoyKiRlI/AAAAAAAAKj8/Soop94BqCEk/s800/DSCF0856.JPG

Wow, you really notice a lot when you're waiting an hour in line! :thumbsup2 Tell the truth: you drew that, didn't you?

Why does our car have three headlights?

Because it's a DeLorean going Ludicrous Speed! (how's that for mixing movie metaphors?)

Well, it doesn't. The top one is the flash from my camera. I was trying to see if we were actually going fast enough to beat the flash to the mirror. It appears that we were going faster than sound, but not light. How do I know we were going faster than sound? Simple: Put your ear up to the picture. Did you hear the shutter click? No? Well then we must be going faster than sound!

I can independently confirm: no sound from the picture! Madison must have hit the Turbo Boost button.

By the way, nice job keeping the camera steady and avoiding blurry shots.

TestTrack was always right up there, but I think it just jumped up a position or two on my "favorite attractions" list.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3uREMFPiyn0/TnzgplyUuBI/AAAAAAAAKkI/bDaO6TuPde8/s800/DSCF0861.JPG

We love that sign! :thumbsup2

Since Evan isn't in the driver's seat, he can safely take his eyes off the road to smile. Seeing Madison in the driver's seat reminds me that I only have 9 years to start stocking up on Tums and Pepto Bismol.

Well, at least she's not texting.

Next stop: Journey into Imagination.

Good to know there's one ride you can still get on in the summer! :rotfl:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--TFPRg1FZtQ/Tnzgr-M4-lI/AAAAAAAAKkk/Ak035NtHN9k/s800/DSCF0872.JPG

Do my eyes deceive me, or has the Beverly dispenser been removed from that machine? :eek:

After 5 1/2 cups of Beverly, I was ready to stumble back out into EPCOT and hurl. I noticed that the fountain was misaligned and spraying water all over the sidewalk.

5 1/2 cups? You know, that liquid spraying on the sidewalk does look suspiciously like Beverly.

Evan found a way to - entertain? - himself.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8KwbFv-nY8A/Tnzgs6MLuII/AAAAAAAAKkw/HxUAp2_3cvo/s800/DSCF0877.JPG

Um...ok.

I guess all you can do here is take the picture.

As we rode out the storm under the roof overhang by Club Cool, we started to hear an odd banging sound. We looked around and finally saw it was a man hole (mouse hole?) cover rattling. My best guess is that the water was pouring into the storm sewers so fast, that the air was being forced out so hard that it was lifting the cover.

I think you're right! This is known as the hydraulic gradient, and occurs when the flow of runoff builds up enough pressure head in the drainage system to...hey, where's everybody going? :confused3

FreezinRafiki

10-25-2011, 07:59 AM

We waited (and waited, and waited, and waited) for the rain to stop outside of Club Cool. Eventually, the kids had to go to the bathroom, so we went that hallway between Club Cool and the Epcot Character Spot. The hallway was lined with people doing the same thing we were - waiting. On our way back out, I glanced into the Character Spot, expecting to see the queue filled to capacity. I was shocked - shocked! - to see it barely half full! Grab the autographs books and camera, honey! We're going to see some characters!

The kids (and adults) were kept entertained with classic Disney Cartoons while we waited. It's amazing how well some of these cartoons hold up. This one is 73 years old and the kids just loved it!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cqBWu0sAGcI/Tnzi_Ze865I/AAAAAAAAKmA/SQiUWzuVQGM/s800/IMG_7398.jpg

Cartoons or no cartoons, the line is still a line...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jyPN0Pxfx20/Tnzi_jiGWiI/AAAAAAAAKmI/kytVGlKhu34/s800/IMG_7401.jpg

But at least at the end of the line is Mickey Mouse himself!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Q3EI0kL9fgc/TnzjABmcQtI/AAAAAAAAKmM/zOhoVDWTlFk/s800/IMG_7409.jpg

...and friends...
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_NB-Hqz5Iv8/TnzjAQqHb7I/AAAAAAAAKmQ/gCky1U4f2ws/s800/IMG_7416.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a6BSzwe7Zf4/TnzjAqR6erI/AAAAAAAAKmU/RWhZ6m_HtQk/s800/IMG_7418.jpg

Duck Kisses!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kVPBhH-J2Xw/TnzjBLq-0JI/AAAAAAAAKmY/ub55Avl-sws/s800/IMG_7422.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MVTGPn_ocoM/TnzjCY4OTFI/AAAAAAAAKms/mjo-UtFK5oE/s800/IMG_7423.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mMEu4lBWTtw/TnzjBVLgNII/AAAAAAAAKmc/4_xxh0qTuLA/s800/IMG_7435.jpg

By the time we finished with the characters, the rain hadn't stopped, but it had let up enough to throw on the ponchos and head over to World Showcase. And since it was still raining, we decided to head over to a ride we've never done before - Malestrom!

Know who else was there? The Geico Caveman.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ea0hkJNjsUM/TnzjBtWjA8I/AAAAAAAAKmg/VDnbdatBg-o/s800/DSCF0884.jpg

It was still raining when we got off the ride, so we killed some time in the shops in Norway.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TGNyKDrApgE/TnzjCNsvpgI/AAAAAAAAKmk/baCTcL6CGFE/s800/DSCF0886.jpg

Clearly the rain was getting to me. Or maybe it was those 5 1/2 cups of Beverly.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xEzPPmcCCOM/TnzjDFll2JI/AAAAAAAAKmw/Q40NQUBab5U/s800/DSCF0888.jpg

Know anybody getting married that needs a cake topper? I found one for you...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f4Dyph866E8/TnzjCZFGWCI/AAAAAAAAKmo/Fi6Q7xLdmys/s800/DSCF0887.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZOZHgyT7pCg/TnzjDFrIcPI/AAAAAAAAKm0/YYVt19qmDUc/s800/DSCF0895.jpg

The kids colored at the Kitcot stop while Bambi's dad and I took turns sneaking up on each other and spraying some nasty smelling perfume samples. Yeah, we were cooped up in there for quite a long time.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ctCaxHYyUwY/TnzjDTd5WUI/AAAAAAAAKm4/cVZpCcDLGL8/s800/DSCF0896.jpg

Of course, if you're allergic to chocolate, you might get pretty SNEEZY if you eat this or worse yet, SLEEPY. But don't be BAHSFUL, it really wasn't that hard to include the other 3 dwarfs.

And finally, FINALLY, the rain stopped. We stowed the ponchos and umbrellas and celebrated in Italy!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PVaInHfyouU/TnzjD5bQeNI/AAAAAAAAKm8/Hyu29irAyRs/s800/DSCF0899.jpg

How big was the celebration? Spontaneous musical number big!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Cih6oyo0wx0/TnzjD88siNI/AAAAAAAAKnA/YdmQVR2zcRg/s800/IMG_7445.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H6tOpGHyb0A/Tnzi6AeO-2I/AAAAAAAAKk8/zev5pclwmBA/s800/EPCOT%252520-%252520Hollywood%252520Studios%2525207-1-11%252520034.jpg

Conveniently, we were in Italy, as our dinner reservations for that evening were at Via Napoli. We ordered a large pizza and several other dishes and kind of passed them around and sampled some of everyone's. It was all quite good, but a bit on the expensive side. While waiting for the kids to go to the bathroom, I was chatting with one of the chefs that was working the 3 wood fired pizza ovens. Each one had a thermometer, the hottest being over 900°! He said it's not uncommon for them got get a good fire going and reach 1200°. And you thought Animal Kingdom was hot!

After dinner, we decided to use our Kim Possible pass that we picked up when we got to the park. The original time was for 11:30, but it was pouring rain at the time and we really didn't care to do it. (Nor could we, because the had closed just about everything down).

We went back Norway, got our Kimmunicator and headed off to save China!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cBW9A-vHSeY/TnzjEjFlKbI/AAAAAAAAKnE/5MVOPYe9VE0/s800/DSCF0909.jpg

I've read so many great things about these missions, and I was really excited to see the technology in action. Unfortunately after a long, hot, wet day everyone was just put through, we just never really got into it. Maybe next time, Kim.

A few pictures as we made our way over to England
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AaJltk3Ng1o/TnzjFGLFaII/AAAAAAAAKnQ/HM7osP4r30U/s800/IMG_7459.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sbdwjaxlC3M/TnzjFLKFH4I/AAAAAAAAKnI/kQCJlxsToB4/s800/IMG_7461.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l6dvY3iN8tE/TnzjFcs0kFI/AAAAAAAAKnM/nnNlLgyV-wc/s800/IMG_7463.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bgbUltxr_E0/TnzjFw9xUDI/AAAAAAAAKnU/m8u2Tj2WNwk/s800/IMG_7465.jpg

And why were we going to England, you may ask? To play in the phone booths of course! As the kids were inside posing for pictures, the phone rang. It was Molly, the daughter of DisDadDoc here on the DISBoards! What a total coincidence that she would call just as Madison and Evan were in the phone booth and I was texting him telling him where we were. OK, maybe "coincidence" isn't the right word.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qVXAgXaUk3E/TnzjGPxqnXI/AAAAAAAAKnc/0ZAtSsJ-pFQ/s800/IMG_7466.jpg

We had the timing worked out pretty well, except as soon as Madison answered the phone, Off Kilter started playing right behind the phone booths, making it impossible to hear anyone on the other end of the phone. Sigh. The kids still thought it was cool that someone called and knew their names! Thanks Molly and Chris!

Who knew ducks were big fans of Canadian Kilt wearing rock bands?
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RVdrC9Jfy9o/TnzjGpPpbiI/AAAAAAAAKng/LEtAIac1U5s/s800/IMG_7473.jpg

After the show, we headed through the International Gateway over to The Beach Club, where we met up with Bambi's Aunt, Uncle and two cousins that were in town on college visits. We didn't spring for the Kitchen Sink, but did enjoy a nice ice cream sundae while listening to Illuminations.

Up Next: Swimming with Sharks!

afwdwfan

10-25-2011, 09:27 AM

The kids (and adults) were kept entertained with classic Disney Cartoons while we waited. It's amazing how well some of these cartoons hold up. This one is 73 years old and the kids just loved it!
Goofy is awesome! I love his instructional videos.

Cartoons or no cartoons, the line is still a line...
But looking at cartoons is better than looking at the back of a strangers' head.

By the time we finished with the characters, the rain hadn't stopped, but it had let up enough to throw on the ponchos and head over to World Showcase.
You were standing around indoors all this time while you had ponchos!?!?! You're not from Wisconsin, you're from namby pamby land, ya jackwagon.

And since it was still raining, we decided to head over to a ride we've never done before - Malestrom!
:eek: Really???? All the times you've been there and you've never been on Maelstrom????

The Geico Caveman.
Seriously... who references a Geico commercial... that's just lame. :rolleyes1

Clearly the rain was getting to me. Or maybe it was those 5 1/2 cups of Beverly.
Looks like you were drinking something other than just Beverly. :lmao:

The kids colored at the Kitcot stop while Bambi's dad and I took turns sneaking up on each other and spraying some nasty smelling perfume samples. Yeah, we were cooped up in there for quite a long time.
In other words, the kids were being well-behaved while Bambi was dealing with immature antics from her husband and dad. :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Conveniently, we were in Italy, as our dinner reservations for that evening were at Via Napoli.
Can't wait to try it myself. It looks to me like it should be an inexpensive meal. :confused3 We'll probably just get a pizza to share though.

And why were we going to England, you may ask? To play in the phone booths of course! As the kids were inside posing for pictures, the phone rang. It was Molly, the daughter of DisDadDoc here on the DISBoards! What a total coincidence that she would call just as Madison and Evan were in the phone booth and I was texting him telling him where we were. OK, maybe "coincidence" isn't the right word.
Ok, maybe not a coincidence, but that's still cool!

We had the timing worked out pretty well, except as soon as Madison answered the phone, Off Kilter started playing right behind the phone booths, making it impossible to hear anyone on the other end of the phone.
I guess you can't plan for Canadians in kilts. :confused3 :lmao:

Captain_Oblivious

10-25-2011, 10:17 AM

On our way back out, I glanced into the Character Spot, expecting to see the queue filled to capacity. I was shocked - shocked! - to see it barely half full! Grab the autographs books and camera, honey! We're going to see some characters!

Casablanca! :thumbsup2 And yes, that is shocking.

The kids (and adults) were kept entertained with classic Disney Cartoons while we waited. It's amazing how well some of these cartoons hold up. This one is 73 years old and the kids just loved it!

:thumbsup2

Duck Kisses!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kVPBhH-J2Xw/TnzjBLq-0JI/AAAAAAAAKmY/ub55Avl-sws/s800/IMG_7422.jpg

Looks somewhat different from a butterfly kiss.

And since it was still raining, we decided to head over to a ride we've never done before - Malestrom!

Know who else was there? The Geico Caveman.

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

And now that you've done the Maelstrom once, how often will you be going back? :rolleyes1

Clearly the rain was getting to me. Or maybe it was those 5 1/2 cups of Beverly.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xEzPPmcCCOM/TnzjDFll2JI/AAAAAAAAKmw/Q40NQUBab5U/s800/DSCF0888.jpg

:lmao::rotfl2: There are no words. I think the poncho makes the outfit.

The kids colored at the Kitcot stop while Bambi's dad and I took turns sneaking up on each other and spraying some nasty smelling perfume samples. Yeah, we were cooped up in there for quite a long time.

How can you stand it? I could barely breathe in that store.

How big was the celebration? Spontaneous musical number big!

Whoa! That is huge! :eek:

Conveniently, we were in Italy, as our dinner reservations for that evening were at Via Napoli. We ordered a large pizza and several other dishes and kind of passed them around and sampled some of everyone's. It was all quite good, but a bit on the expensive side. While waiting for the kids to go to the bathroom, I was chatting with one of the chefs that was working the 3 wood fired pizza ovens. Each one had a thermometer, the hottest being over 900°! He said it's not uncommon for them got get a good fire going and reach 1200°. And you thought Animal Kingdom was hot!

I would say, "Cool!" but that doesn't seem appropriate. Good to hear that the food was good--I'm interested in trying that one.

After dinner, we decided to use our Kim Possible pass that we picked up when we got to the park.

:woohoo::banana:

I've read so many great things about these missions, and I was really excited to see the technology in action. Unfortunately after a long, hot, wet day everyone was just put through, we just never really got into it. Maybe next time, Kim.

:sad1: I was hoping you guys would love it as much as we did. Oh well.

And why were we going to England, you may ask? To play in the phone booths of course! As the kids were inside posing for pictures, the phone rang. It was Molly, the daughter of DisDadDoc here on the DISBoards! What a total coincidence that she would call just as Madison and Evan were in the phone booth and I was texting him telling him where we were. OK, maybe "coincidence" isn't the right word.

That's still pretty cool. I've got to try that one of these days.

We had the timing worked out pretty well, except as soon as Madison answered the phone, Off Kilter started playing right behind the phone booths, making it impossible to hear anyone on the other end of the phone. Sigh. The kids still thought it was cool that someone called and knew their names! Thanks Molly and Chris!

Well, at least you got to blast Chris with some obnoxious bagpipe music. So it's not a total loss.

We didn't spring for the Kitchen Sink, but did enjoy a nice ice cream sundae while listening to Illuminations.

You could do worse. Much worse.

Up Next: Swimming with Sharks!

:woohoo:popcorn::

You were standing around indoors all this time while you had ponchos!?!?! You're not from Wisconsin, you're from namby pamby land, ya jackwagon.

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

IheartDDuck

10-25-2011, 11:43 AM

KatMark

10-25-2011, 12:42 PM

A little boost from big sister...
`https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eedAblmcoCY/TnzgoDZI6-I/AAAAAAAAKj0/hq5QsUu4ykQ/s800/DSCF0837.JPG

Such a nice big sister.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Z9RVmiRMypE/TnzgoUnPolI/AAAAAAAAKj4/j5A5aAoVmIw/s800/DSCF0855.JPG
I only took that last picture as a reminder to dress Evan exactly like that next time we go to TestTrack. Just to see if he notices.

You would!;)

Guest graffiti or Imagineer with a Sharpie and a sense of humor?
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YDdmf8tGhSE/TnzgoyKiRlI/AAAAAAAAKj8/Soop94BqCEk/s800/DSCF0856.JPG

That's neat!

Why does our car have three headlights?

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9uTonCD8jn4/TnzgpfN6GwI/AAAAAAAAKkE/Ff_yf5T9gTA/s800/DSCF0860.JPG

Well, it doesn't. The top one is the flash from my camera. I was trying to see if we were actually going fast enough to beat the flash to the mirror. It appears that we were going faster than sound, but not light. How do I know we were going faster than sound? Simple: Put your ear up to the picture. Did you hear the shutter click? No? Well then we must be going faster than sound!

Really? Really? :rolleyes:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bpzL3Niz8Yc/TnzgqGu7cGI/AAAAAAAAKkM/m69KTe5m8xo/s800/DSCF0862.JPG

Since Evan isn't in the driver's seat, he can safely take his eyes off the road to smile. Seeing Madison in the driver's seat reminds me that I only have 9 years to start stocking up on Tums and Pepto Bismol.

And LOTS of money for insurance.

So, it's pouring down rain in EPCOT. Where do you go to ride out the storm?
I'll tell you in the next update...

Dang I didn't copy the picture of Evan with the shoes on his ears. After having met him in person, I can sooooooooooooo see him doing that. :lmao::lmao::lmao:

The kids (and adults) were kept entertained with classic Disney Cartoons while we waited. It's amazing how well some of these cartoons hold up. This one is 73 years old and the kids just loved it!

Love the cartoons!

[
But at least at the end of the line is Mickey Mouse himself!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Q3EI0kL9fgc/TnzjABmcQtI/AAAAAAAAKmM/zOhoVDWTlFk/s800/IMG_7409.jpg

...and friends...
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_NB-Hqz5Iv8/TnzjAQqHb7I/AAAAAAAAKmQ/gCky1U4f2ws/s800/IMG_7416.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a6BSzwe7Zf4/TnzjAqR6erI/AAAAAAAAKmU/RWhZ6m_HtQk/s800/IMG_7418.jpg

Duck Kisses!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kVPBhH-J2Xw/TnzjBLq-0JI/AAAAAAAAKmY/ub55Avl-sws/s800/IMG_7422.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MVTGPn_ocoM/TnzjCY4OTFI/AAAAAAAAKms/mjo-UtFK5oE/s800/IMG_7423.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mMEu4lBWTtw/TnzjBVLgNII/AAAAAAAAKmc/4_xxh0qTuLA/s800/IMG_7435.jpg

Great pictures!

Clearly the rain was getting to me. Or maybe it was those 5 1/2 cups of Beverly.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xEzPPmcCCOM/TnzjDFll2JI/AAAAAAAAKmw/Q40NQUBab5U/s800/DSCF0888.jpg

I think for the second time in your TR that I am utterly speecheless regarding a picture of you. :rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

How big was the celebration? Spontaneous musical number big!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H6tOpGHyb0A/Tnzi6AeO-2I/AAAAAAAAKk8/zev5pclwmBA/s800/EPCOT%252520-%252520Hollywood%252520Studios%2525207-1-11%252520034.jpg

This is a GREAT picture.

We had the timing worked out pretty well, except as soon as Madison answered the phone, Off Kilter started playing right behind the phone booths, making it impossible to hear anyone on the other end of the phone. Sigh. The kids still thought it was cool that someone called and knew their names! Thanks Molly and Chris!

Who knew ducks were big fans of Canadian Kilt wearing rock bands?
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RVdrC9Jfy9o/TnzjGpPpbiI/AAAAAAAAKng/LEtAIac1U5s/s800/IMG_7473.jpg

COOL!

After the show, we headed through the International Gateway over to The Beach Club, where we met up with Bambi's Aunt, Uncle and two cousins that were in town on college visits. We didn't spring for the Kitchen Sink, but did enjoy a nice ice cream sundae while listening to Illuminations.

Up Next: Swimming with Sharks!

Barry, Barry, Barry. I considered NOT responding since you have NOT visited my TR since October 4 (yes, I did look it up), but your kids are too darn cute to ignore. Comments in red above. And if I don't get back to your lingering TR, I hope you have a great time on the cruise.

FreezinRafiki

10-26-2011, 07:18 AM

This may be the most true statement you've ever written in a Trip Report.
Are you insinuating that most of my other stuff is made up? Because I can assure you that a good portion of it isn't.

You weren't a line jumper, were you?????:eek:
No - my party was up there waiting for me. ;)

Cruel, but hilarious! :thumbsup2 :rotfl2:

Psychological terror is my favorite kind of practical joke.

You were in the police cruiser with the spotlight?

Yeah, Fed's hybrid Fusion.

Or that could be another logical explanation.

I try to avoid logic. It gets in the way of a good story.

65 mph < light speed
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's true.

Yeah, but that 65 mph is outside. They don't have any readouts inside.

:sad2:
:thumbsup2

I love Test Track. I'm glad it will still be running when we go, but I look forward to seeing what they do during the upcoming refurb!

I haven't heard about the refurb. When is it?

Why did they let you work on their plumbing??? :scared1:

Of course not. If I worked on it, it would be leaking all over the sidewalk and only spraying about a foot and a half high. And for some reason, the water would be green. And smell like cheese.

Himself and anyone else who was watching. :lmao:

::yes::

My guess would have been that the Ninja Turtles were up to something.:confused3
Pizza Run!

FreezinRafiki

10-26-2011, 07:34 AM

EPCOT with thunderstorms is still better than 99% of all other places with thunderstorms.

True. Heck, even golfing in a thunderstorm is better than not golfing.

:faint: This is not making me optimistic about visiting in the summer...

Rope Drop is your friend. Unfortunately, we were traveling with some people that don't subscribe to that philosophy. :headache:

Wow, you really notice a lot when you're waiting an hour in line! :thumbsup2 Tell the truth: you drew that, didn't you?

I'm flattered that you think I'm that good of an artist...

Because it's a DeLorean going Ludicrous Speed! (how's that for mixing movie metaphors?)
Don't cross the streams, Mark.

I can independently confirm: no sound from the picture! Madison must have hit the Turbo Boost button.
We're already teaching her the basics of driving: Red light- stop. Green light - go. Yellow light - go faster.

By the way, nice job keeping the camera steady and avoiding blurry shots.

:thumbsup2

We love that sign! :thumbsup2

I hereby appoint you and your family Honorary Wisconsinites!

Well, at least she's not texting.

Or driving with one hand, the left elbow hanging out the window.

Good to know there's one ride you can still get on in the summer! :rotfl:

I still think they should install FP machines over there, just in case.

Do my eyes deceive me, or has the Beverly dispenser been removed from that machine? :eek:
Good eye. It was actually covered up on several of them. I think it was only working on the machines in the column farthest from the fountains. Must have been too popular and the dispensers were burning up. :confused3

5 1/2 cups? You know, that liquid spraying on the sidewalk does look suspiciously like Beverly.
I kept it all it. Which may not have been one of my wisest decisions.

Um...ok.

I guess all you can do here is take the picture.
And share it with the world!

I think you're right! This is known as the hydraulic gradient, and occurs when the flow of runoff builds up enough pressure head in the drainage system to...hey, where's everybody going? :confused3
You must be a hoot at parties. :sad2:

afwdwfan

10-26-2011, 07:40 AM

I haven't heard about the refurb. When is it?
I've seen it several places, but I don't really know if it is a confirmed refurb or still just rumor mill fodder. It looks like it's scheduled for April (after Easter) until sometime in September.

Rope Drop is your friend. Unfortunately, we were traveling with some people that don't subscribe to that philosophy. :headache:
::yes:: :headache:

We're already teaching her the basics of driving: Red light- stop. Green light - go. Yellow light - go faster.
Have we worked on what do do if she drives off a cliff? :confused3

Not that there's been any kind of a precedence set on a scenario like that or anything.

FreezinRafiki

10-26-2011, 08:11 AM

Goofy is awesome! I love his instructional videos.
Everything I've ever learned, I learned from Goofy.

But looking at cartoons is better than looking at the back of a strangers' head.
Unless that stranger's head has cartoons showing on it!

You were standing around indoors all this time while you had ponchos!?!?! You're not from Wisconsin, you're from namby pamby land, ya jackwagon.

The ponchos would have kept our heads and body dry, but the streams and standing water would soak our shoes. And then all day when we walked it would be slosh, slosh, slosh.
Besides, Bambi said we weren't going out in that. And even in Wisconsin, when the wife says no, we listen.

By the way, you that LOL means Laugh Out Loud. Well, when Bambi read that you called me a "jackwagon", she LSHTSCB. (Laughed So Hard That She Couldn't Breath).

:eek: Really???? All the times you've been there and you've never been on Maelstrom????
Its true. Never done Carousel of Progress, either.

Seriously... who references a Geico commercial... that's just lame. :rolleyes1

Someone else already did movie quotes. It was all that was left.

Looks like you were drinking something other than just Beverly. :lmao:

Ok, I'll admit it. The perfume was giving me a pretty good buzz.

In other words, the kids were being well-behaved while Bambi was dealing with immature antics from her husband and dad. :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

That's really not a very uncommon occurrence.

Can't wait to try it myself. It looks to me like it should be an inexpensive meal. :confused3 We'll probably just get a pizza to share though.

It's good food. Just getting the pizza will certainly save you some dough.

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

Ok, maybe not a coincidence, but that's still cool!

I really was!

I guess you can't plan for Canadians in kilts.
This needs to be on a fortune cookie somewhere. :thumbsup2
Casablanca! :thumbsup2 And yes, that is shocking.
-1:thumbsup2 (Don't worry, it's like golf - the lower the score, the better)

Looks somewhat different from a butterfly kiss.

Tastes different, too. I've heard.

And now that you've done the Maelstrom once, how often will you be going back? :rolleyes1
I'm glad they have Fast Passes for this ride.
You know, just in case I'm sitting in Akershus and my table is a bit wobbly, I can go over there and get on to slide under the table leg to balance it out.

There are no words. I think the poncho makes the outfit.

Erik the Red wore ponchos. True Story.

How can you stand it? I could barely breathe in that store.

Once you let the fog set in, its like you're walking on clouds. And while you still can't breathe, you also don't care anymore.

Whoa! That is huge! :eek:

I was waiting for all of the people behind them to break into an impromptu, extremely choreographed dance routine, but they never did. Probably because each kid was singing a different song.

I would say, "Cool!" but that doesn't seem appropriate. Good to hear that the food was good--I'm interested in trying that one.
The worst part about it was we were seating in kind of a side hallway. It looked like the glass panels could open, making the tables outside like they are part of the courtyard. However, the glass was closed, making it more of an echo chamber in there.

:sad1: I was hoping you guys would love it as much as we did. Oh well.

I was too. I'm sticking to the theory that it was at the end of a rough day. We'll give it another shot in the future.

That's still pretty cool. I've got to try that one of these days.

You've got my number. I'm sure Madison would love sit and talk for hours.

Well, at least you got to blast Chris with some obnoxious bagpipe music. So it's not a total loss.
:thumbsup2