Ok, let's see if I still know how to do this.
When we last left our two morons, it was after Wishes on the night before we check out.
And due to my resourcefulness, I had managed to "over-imbibe", which isn't easy to do at a park that sells no alcohol or drugs.
Now, before I continue, a disclaimer here;
I am not manic-depressive.
Nor do I suffer from depression.
I am also not psychotic, schizophrenic, psychophobic or even psychedilic.
I'm just nuts!
And Friday morning, check-out day had my emotions flying all over the map.
I'll explain:
Once on a trip in May of '05, we took a semi-long trip, but the first time we really broke it up into short, split stays.
It went 2 days in a crappy Days Inn in Tampa so we could try Busch Gardens for the first time, then drove to Universal's Royal Pacific for 3 nights there, followed by 3 nights at the Dolphin and ending with 3 nights at Riverside.
On the last day, I kind of lost it during the "Little Mermaid" show at MGM, I was hit with a feeling of incredible sadness that the trip was over and it lasted a couple of hours. To me, it just seemed that we never really "settled in" anywhere on the trip, no need to unpack the suitcases cuz we won't be there long enough. Plus the first part in Tampa was pretty crappy, and having 3 nights at the Dolphin and 3 at Riverside just wasn't enough Disney for me, especially when you have a transfer day in the middle, and have to leave before the sun comes up on check out day.
Either that or because I ran out of vikes.
I'm kidding, take it easy!
So, every time we have driven down, we have always left before sunrise to get a decent start on the way home.
Every time except this one.
Since we were unable to land any kind of cheap Disney romms to tack onto at the end of the trip because of President's Day, we decided to take an extra day getting home, which meant we don't have to leave at the crack of dawn.
That morining I woke up and was immediately hit with that "Oh yeah, time to drive" feeling, then the cobwebs cleared, and it was, "Oh wait, we're going to Animal Kingdom first".
Then I step outside and the eviction notice is on the door handle.
It was a really strange feeling after we packed up. We are loading up the car to go home and the sun is out!
But we're going to the Park, first.
?
It was,
bad feeling
good feeling
bad feeling
bad feeling
good feeling
The plan is really just to finish off the trip watching Finding Nemo, and get out of the park at noon and hit the road.
And of course, today is just gorgeous! Sunny, high 78, a complete and total tease to vacationers who suffered temperatures in the 20's just a few days ago but have to leave now.
We got to the park about 20 minutes past opening and rode Primevil Hurl and Dinosaur before it was time to get in line for Nemo, the Musical.
Standing in line, I kept bumping into Smidgy, which apparently irritated her enough to make her move away.
I couldn't help it, not my fault!
You see I was born with flat feet. And after all the surgeries on the right foot, it got even flatter.
You know how when you get out of a pool and walk back to your chair what your footprint looks like on the dry concrete?
Well mine looks something like somebody dropped a Porterhouse there.
Flat isn't the word for them, more like concave. I'm like a hobby horse.
Just rock, back and forth.
And today it was breezy! I tried to turn sideways, but it didn't help.
Luckily, they opened the doors and let us in early, maybe a cast member took pity on those standing near me.
The show was great, as usual, even took a few pictures that I would post if the stupid computer WOULD LET ME!
At 11:00 we hit Flame Tree just as it opened and split a rib basket and an order of onion rings, it was perfect, just enough and we got a terrific table right next to a picturesque lagoon inhabited with flamingos, and of course, ducks.
At quarter to noon we took the long way out past EE, I wanted to hit one more smoking area that over looked the lake before we left for good. \
There we met an interesting woman, born in Pittsburgh, raised in Finland she now lived in Argentina. She was a one woman UN council.
As my smoke burned down, Diane said, "Well, ready Freddie?"
"Nope, not till I finish my smoke."
Then, when I snubbed it out, she turned and started walking.
I lit another one.
"What are you doing", she asked.
"I said not till I finish my smoke."
"Steve, we have to get going!"
"Nope, might as well get comfortable, got a good half a pack left."
She turned to the Pittslandiatina woman for help who just shook her head, "Hey, if the man doesn't want to go, nothing you can do."
"Steve, we..........."
"Nope, not leaving, gonna stay here. Want the keys? I'll meet you at home."
"Gonna stay here all night too? Where do you plan on sleeping?"
"Anywhere." "I know, I'll sleep in the Conservation Station after the park closes. Nobody will know I'm here."
"Right, the only way to get there is by the train, which won't be running after the park closes. So how do you plan on getting back there?"
"Hitch."
Well, this little charade wasn't getting me anywhere and reluctantly I gave in. By a couple minutes after noon we were once again rolling, unfortunately, this time north.
That night we stayed in a little motel called the Great Inn, in Perry Georgia.
No, we didn't take the Alabama route home.
This was a bit depressing in itself because we have stayed here before, but it was on the way down, now we're going in the wrong direction when we leave.
The next morning was Saturday, we slept later then normal and blew through Atlanta. I might have mentioned before, but there is one part of the trip that cracks me up.
When you approach Chattanooga, you start out in Georgia, then get the big "Welcome to Tennessee" sign.
Then you're back in Georgia.
Then you're back in Tennessee!
All with the big welcome or "leaving" signs.
I always thought the signs should say:
"Welcome to Tennessee"
"Just kidding, you're in Georgia"
"Ok, not kidding now, you REALLY are in Tennessee"
Must have cost the states a fortune building all the "Welcome Centers".
That night we
had taken the Illinois route to avoid snow in Indiana, and stayed in an Econolodge in a town named Effingham.
Really.
Who names these towns?
Doesn't that sound like something you would mutter on Easter when the main course slides off the platter onto the floor?
And this motel was a riot!
The coupon we got from the rest area was for a one bed room. Double beds were extra. But the clerk didn't have any "one bed" rooms, only doubles.
So he would give us a two double beds room, for the single double bed room if we promised we would only use one bed.
HUH?
Got that?
Ok with me.
We unloaded what we needed, then found out that the lightbulb over the bed was out, so was the one over the table.
Ok, Diane went to the office to get new bulbs while I went and filled up the ice bucket, by now I was in serious need of a Manhattan.
She came back empty, they either don't have any or this clerk doesn't have access to them. So what does he do?
He has another room for us, but it's a King Bed Suite. Yes, you can have it for the same price. So we moved.
I open the door, hit the switch on the wall, and nothing happened. Walked to the bed, hit the switch next to it,,,,,,,, nothing!
The one over the table worked. Ditto for bathroom and vanity. But the lamp near a recliner and table,,,,nada.
"Ok," I said to her, "Now what?" "Now we're up to 3 burned out bulbs!"
She thought for a second, "No problem."
She still had the key to the other room, and went back and took the remaining light bulbs that worked out of the sockets and replaced them with the dead bulbs from our "suite" room.
When she got back I realized after unpacking again that I left the full ice bucket in the other room, and of course this room didn't have one. So I went back to the other room for that too.
I think by the time we left next morning, half of the first room was by now in our suite room.
This all did come with an expensive cost though;
If Smidgy doesn't like the pillows in a motel, she will go out to the car and get her "sqwooshy" pillow to use. (yes, this is proof you don't always need a "u" after a "q")
Well, the sqwooshy got left behind, now she had nothing for in the car.
Pity.
coming up, thoughts and overall impressions on the trip
I am also amused by your sarcasm, love it. 
We are trying not to think of our last day there, it's like 
you have lots of Dis trips & good times still to come.
I can't believe you have already gone on another trip since then! I hope you are both feeling well and getting ever closer to moving down south. 
Double Ditto that 
The only cure for that is to just live there. I hope that happens for you and Smidgy sooner rather than later! 
