jedijill
Chiefs fan living in Bronco country
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2005
Anyone else secretly celebrating May the 4th at work today?
I'm wearing my Admiral Akbar shirt right now!
Jill in CO
The Dry Heat Expedition (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Disneyland)--UPDATE 6/12 (KSC and DTD)
- Thread starter Captain_Oblivious
- Start date
I'm wearing my Admiral Akbar shirt right now!
Jill in CO
glennbo123
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 10, 2008
Awesome Jill!!
Misskitty3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
I have finished your trip report and really loved it!
First, Baby Drew is absolutely precious! His smile is absolutely adorable! Sarah, Dave and Scotty look like they are having such a great time! I especially loved that you and your wife arranged the horseback riding and golf trips. It is also very cool that your kids are such enthusiastic learners at the National Parks...too bad the ranger outside of Sedona didn't have any enthusiasm.
I am in awe of your families abilities at touring Disneyland in one day!! Seriously amazing!!
Our family agrees that Slater's 50/50 is awesome! We ate there almost 3 years ago and DS still mentions it as one of his favorite burgers. I think the one we went to was in Anaheim Hills. We had a lot of fun coming up with creative names for our burgers.
I have noted to skip Joshua Tree park and just enjoy the trees from the side of the freeway. Very helfpful info!
i am curious how you felt about ending your trip with Disneyland? For us, I was thinking of starting with Disneyland and we need 3 days minimum but 4 is better! My thought is after 4 days @DL we would be ready for a nice long car trip and the sitting down for several hours would be really nice.
If you are staying in Phoenix and then staying at the Grand Canyon, is staying over in Sedona not necessary? I have been to Sedona once about 20 years ago and we did it as a day trip from Phoenix and walked through the cute town of Jerome too. Sounds like Sedona has really grown though.....
Lodging at the Grand Canyon.....for a family, if you had all options available, would you choose the cabins?
Thank you for sharing your trip with all of us!
First, Baby Drew is absolutely precious! His smile is absolutely adorable! Sarah, Dave and Scotty look like they are having such a great time! I especially loved that you and your wife arranged the horseback riding and golf trips. It is also very cool that your kids are such enthusiastic learners at the National Parks...too bad the ranger outside of Sedona didn't have any enthusiasm.
I am in awe of your families abilities at touring Disneyland in one day!! Seriously amazing!!
Our family agrees that Slater's 50/50 is awesome! We ate there almost 3 years ago and DS still mentions it as one of his favorite burgers. I think the one we went to was in Anaheim Hills. We had a lot of fun coming up with creative names for our burgers.
I have noted to skip Joshua Tree park and just enjoy the trees from the side of the freeway. Very helfpful info!
i am curious how you felt about ending your trip with Disneyland? For us, I was thinking of starting with Disneyland and we need 3 days minimum but 4 is better! My thought is after 4 days @DL we would be ready for a nice long car trip and the sitting down for several hours would be really nice.
If you are staying in Phoenix and then staying at the Grand Canyon, is staying over in Sedona not necessary? I have been to Sedona once about 20 years ago and we did it as a day trip from Phoenix and walked through the cute town of Jerome too. Sounds like Sedona has really grown though.....
Lodging at the Grand Canyon.....for a family, if you had all options available, would you choose the cabins?
Thank you for sharing your trip with all of us!
Captain_Oblivious
DIS Dad #257, Galactic Salad Dodger
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
Well said!!
And actually, history is full of people who had friendships with people living far away. Just look at the books being published with the correspondence of famous people. It used to be called pen friends. Today it is just a different word, same old concept though.
Very true! And most people like me were too lazy to keep the letter-writing going.
Captain_Oblivious
DIS Dad #257, Galactic Salad Dodger
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
Thank you for reading along! The horseback riding and golfing was pretty special, but I think those little extras are going to be exceptions to the rule unless I get a raise in the near future...still, we're blessed to even be able to get out and see these sights.
I love that my kids look forward to these trips. I hope that always continues!
Thanks! And yet, there's so much I would love to have seen that we didn't have time to do. Clearly, 1 day is not nearly enough!I hope they all had "bacon" in there somewhere. Mmm....bacon...
Unless you need a National Park passport stamp. Then, head for the visitor center, get your stamp, and turn right around!
Well, keep in mind that the way the loop set up for us, we were coming from Phoenix. It's a long 5-hour drive to the coast. The only thing worth doing that for, to us, was Disneyland. Otherwise we would have finished with some National Park sites in the desert, which really felt anti-climactic to us after the sights we'd seen before. So we thought Disneyland would be a better ending. We don't mind being exhausted at the end of a trip--it's kind of what we expect. I like to save the best stuff for last. This is why we're doing Yellowstone near the end of the trip this summer.
Sedona is about 2 hours from Phoenix, so you could easily do it as a day trip. It's grown, but the distance is still the same and it would be very do-able.
The cabins are nice because they're a very short walk from the rim. It's neat to say you stayed near the edge. However, they're just as spartan as the rest of the rooms there. No TV, no A/C, etc. We couldn't stay in them due to the size of our family. But I think if you offered us the choice of staying in a cabin near the rim or in a standard motel room in a big parking lot, the cabin would win easily. Just make sure you make reservations as early as possible!
Thanks for reading it!
Captain_Oblivious
DIS Dad #257, Galactic Salad Dodger
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
As I sort-of-but-not-really promised, I thought I’d give a quick mini-review of my whirlwind weekend in Florida, where I served as Security Guard/Mooch for Scotty’s birthday trip from his grandparents.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
It was a dark and stormy night. By which I mean it was early morning, with fair skies. Scotty and I woke up at 5:30 a.m. in order to get an early start. We had to drive from my house about 30 minutes south to my parents’ place in Dover, Delaware. From there, we’d all drive together to BWI airport south of Baltimore, about an hour and a half away. Our flight departure was scheduled for around 10:30 a.m.
We were flying Southwest Airlines, and my dad had made all of the arrangements. If you are unfamiliar with Southwest, you are able to check into your flight online 24 hours before the departure time. Southwest has open seating, and the first to check in are put in the first groups of people to board. They generally board in 3 groups: A, B, and C. If you checked in as soon as the window opened, you used to be able to board with the A group. But since airlines never tire of finding ways to squeeze a few more dollars out of your pocket, they started selling off the early boarding positions as well as reserving them for the “business class” passengers willing to pay more for the seats. Now, the best you can usually hope for is a chance to board at the beginning of the B group.
I had not checked in, but I wasn’t worried about it because my father was handling all of the arrangements for the trip. He had booked the flights, rented a car, made hotel reservations, etc. It was actually a nice relief not to be the one in charge of all of the travel details for once.
It should therefore arrive as no surprise, then, that as of 6:00 that morning, my father had not checked us in for our flight.
Two thoughts on our predicament:
1. Great! Middle seats for everybody!
2. Someone is going to have a very interesting seat-mate in Scotty.
The ride to the airport was uneventful. When we finally got checked in, my boarding pass read: C-47. (There are 60 slots in each group.) I figured I’d have to find a friendly person who was willing to switch seats to allow Scotty and me to sit together.
My parents hatched a plan for our arrival. When we landed, my father and I would retrieve the bags and get the rental car. My mother and Scotty would head for McDonald’s to grab some cheeseburgers and fries for everyone for lunch. To save additional time, they’d go ahead and buy some bottles of soda for everyone to have with their lunch now.
In Baltimore.
With lunch 2 hours away in Orlando.
With many bottles of soda available, I’m sure, for purchase at overpriced airport rates in Orlando.
It’s been a while since I had basic thermodynamics in school, but I’m pretty sure that an object removed from a cooled environment will begin to draw heat from the air around it until it, too, reaches that ambient temperature of the surrounding area. However, being the mooch on this trip, I knew better than to argue. So I placed my order, and off my mom went to find sodas for everyone.
When we finally boarded the plane, Scotty and I miraculously found aisle seats available across from each other. So we grabbed them and sat down. Scotty was next to two old ladies who seemed to struggle to grasp the concept of buckling the seat belt, or even to have any clue what the flight attendant was saying to them. I was next to a…well-proportioned gentleman for whom the middle seat was somewhat inadequate. So, Scotty spent his two hours next to two old women taking a nap, and I spent them being pushed out into the center aisle.
Still, we survived. Upon landing in Orlando and taking the Not-A-Monorail to the main terminal, we set off on our assigned tasks. In time, we were all seated in our rental car, leaving the parking garage while my mother passed out the warm sodas and three cheeseburgers she’d bought.
For four people.
Either she’d messed up the order or they’d stiffed her at the counter (thus negating Joe Pesci’s theory regarding the counter vs. drive-thru window). My father, exasperated, took one for the team and had a lunch of French fries and some peanut-butter crackers he found in his carry-on bag.
We settled in for a 2-hour drive. Our destination was the World Golf Hall of Fame near St. Augustine, FL, about 25 miles south of Jacksonville. They were offering a discount to people with tickets to the Players Championship that made it a fairly good deal. Admission included the exhibits, a shot at the “challenge” hole, and a round on their 18-hole putting course.
Scotty looks very happy to be here. I think we were all happy after 4 hours of being cramped in airplane and car seats.
Warning: the rest of this post concerns a museum totally devoted to golf. If you are subject to narcolepsy, please click the “back” button on your browser now.
Inside the Hall of Fame, you’ll find exactly what you would expect to find in a golf museum. Several exhibits show the history of the game, beginning with its roots in Scotland. You have a chance to walk over a replica of the bridge over the Swilcan Burn at the oldest golf course in the world, in St. Andrews, Scotland. This is probably the first time it’s been photographed with someone wearing a bright orange Philadelphia Flyers t-shirt.
There’s also a putting green where you can try out the clubs and balls of the old days. Oddly enough, I found that I putted just as well with this equipment as I do with modern technology. Which is to say I couldn’t make any putts.
Here are a few old-time golf clubs, which again I don’t think would seriously affect my game one way or the other. I can’t quite make out the titles, but I’m pretty sure they were called the fried egg, the griddle, and the waffle iron.
And no, I have never attempted to play golf with a real waffle iron. I suspect it might be easier. And you might get a waffle out of the deal.
Eventually, you reach the room commemorating all of the Hall of Fame members. Here are Jack Nicklaus and Old Tom Morris, Sr., representing probably the most famous and the oldest member, respectively.
They had a few exhibits showing the trophies and/or items awarded to major championship winners. Scotty decided to pose with a green jacket, typically awarded to winners of the Masters.
This jacket is typically considered a sign of golfing royalty if you wear this jacket. Of course, no one will admit that without the Augusta National logo, not a single person would be caught dead wearing a jacket this color. It would be like raiding your great-grandfather’s closet.
Lately, there seems to have been a trend of Masters champions wearing their jackets in unexpected places. Phil Mickelson was once caught wearing his jacket as he took his kids through a drive-thru lane at a Krispy Kreme donut shop, while Bubba Watson once wore his to a meal at the Waffle House.
A view from the observation deck high above the museum shows the “challenge” hole. In my preview for this trip, you might recall I had introduced the famous “island” hole at the TPC Sawgrass course. This challenge hole measures the exact same distance from tee to green, and your admission allows you one shot to see if you can hit the green.
Looking to the west, there is an actual golf course that surrounds the Hall of Fame. Which seems appropriate.
The Claret Jug, awarded to British Open champions.
Here’s another putting green, which runs at the same speeds as modern pro tournament greens. We used the latest in putting technology to prove, without a doubt, that none of us is a good putter.
A special exhibit for South African Gary Player, with trophies from all 4 of golf’s major championships. Only a handful of golfers have achieved this career “grand slam”.
Finally, each member of the Hall of Fame has a permanent exhibit in the form of a locker, with various mementoes from their careers. Here’s one for Phil Mickelson:
Ok, I’ve stalled long enough. You want to know how we did with the island green, don’t you? That’s really all you care about. Fine. I thought you would all be above laughing at the misfortune of others, but apparently none of you have the grace to—wait, others’ misfortune? Actually, that is kinda funny. Never mind.
First up was Scotty. He chose a junior-size driver. Scotty stood to the side, taking a few practice swings. He lined up his shot, set his feet, drew the club back…
…and hit a line drive right into the pond. Ker-sploosh.
Next up was my mother. She chose a women’s 3-wood as the club of record. She set her feet, swung the club back, took a mighty rip…
…and lined one into the pond. Ker-sploosh.
I was next up on the tee. The yardage was 141 yards, into the wind. I chose an 8-iron.
I just want to say, I’d been up since 5:30 a.m. I’d been wedged awkwardly into an airline seat next to a portly fellow for 2 hours, and then spent another 2 hours in a hot Florida rental car with a dark interior. It was getting late in the day, and the wind was picking up, and it was directly against me. I hadn’t warmed up at all, so my swing was very stiff.
Just keep that in mind.
I lined up my shot, took a couple of practice swings to try and loosen up, then stepped to the tee and drew back my club, and then transferred all of that potential energy into the kinetic blur of a mighty, forceful, descending blow…
Well, look at that. I don’t have a photo of my swing. I mean, I can’t swing a club and take a picture, you know. Darn.
Anyway, I made solid contact, but I pulled it to the left a bit. The ball hovered in the air, no doubt being held up by the breeze. It reached its apex, then began a lazy descent back to earth, picking up speed as it went.
It landed safely on the green.
No, really! There it is, on the left side:
Ha! You thought I’d drowned my shot, didn’t you?
Bragging rights. Mark: 1. Rest of Family: 0.
The last shot was my father. Not to be outdone by his son, the Old Man confidently selected a 7-iron and swaggered to the tee. He didn’t even need more than one practice swing, deeming himself ready to let fly, no doubt aiming to get his shot closer to the pin than mine. With all of the experience of years of practice, he took a smooth, silky swing…
…and cold-topped it. Look closely at the photo, and you can see the ball hopping straight up in the air, right in front of his head. It bounced a few feet and didn’t even make it to the pond.
In Scripture, the 5th Commandment is to honor thy father and mother. I am a loving son, proud of my parents and grateful for the generosity and guidance they have showed me through my formative years and continue to show me today. I chose to protect my father’s dignity in this case, and chose to react to that abject failure with quiet stoicism.
For about a tenth of a second, anyway. Then I bust a gut laughing. Come on, seriously? A pond that big, and you can’t even hit that?
We moved on to the putting course, which is basically mini-golf without the windmills, chutes, ramps and other stuff that makes it more interesting. Also, every hole was a par 2. So unless you could sink long putts, there was no way to finish under par.
But that’s ok. Scotty had a blast.
We drove from there to St. Augustine to check into our hotel. St. Augustine holds the distinction of being the oldest permanently-settled town in the United States, having been established in 1565 by Spanish colonists. There’s a great fort and preservation of the Old Town here that I had explored with the rest of the family back in 2012 (link if you are bored and want to check out the place).
Remember, I had left all of the travel arrangements up to my father. As we drove into town, he told us to look for a Best Western. I knew from previous stays that there was more than one, and he said he couldn’t remember which one he’d made the reservation for.
We passed one on the outskirts of town, and he was pretty sure that wasn’t it. O-kay.
In town, we saw another Best Western on the main road. No, he said, he was pretty sure the reservation was for the one near Old Town where we’d stayed before.
We found the third Best Western near Old Town, right where he said it would be. Great. We pulled into the parking lot and dug out the papers with the confirmation number.
Whereupon we discovered that none of those 3 Best Westerns was the correct hotel. He’d made a reservation at a hotel in the town of St. Augustine Beach, several miles away along the coast. Oops.
Anyway, we eventually found the right place and checked in. We got the keys to our room and entered, and immediately my mom decided the room was way too moldy and musty due to the Florida humidity, and we needed a room on the 2nd floor. So they went back to the front desk and asked for a different room. We got a room on the 2nd floor, trudged up the stairs, and moved our belongings into a room that smelled equally musty.
I do love my parents, but there’s a reason we don’t travel together much anymore.
They don’t do as much research into restaurants as I do, so we ended up eating dinner at some random Italian place they chose due solely to the fact that they’d seen it on the drive in. I was a little leery considering the parking lot was practically deserted, but it turned out fine. We were seated next to a loud trickling fountain. It almost sounded as though it had a leak. I looked through the menu. (Trickle) The waitress poured water. I admit I’m not a whiz at Italian, (trickle) since it’s not my #1 language, (trickle) but I do love the food (trickle) and if that pasta isn’t properly drained, I can get really pi—
Man, I really needed to use the bathroom.
Scotty really wanted a cheese pizza, so I ended up splitting that with him. That boy can crush a pizza. He easily ate four slices. I have no idea what I will do when he’s a teenager.
Soon we were back in the hotel, calling it a night. We’d be up early the next day for our day at The Players Championship.
Coming Up Next: Just what you wanted! More golf!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
It was a dark and stormy night. By which I mean it was early morning, with fair skies. Scotty and I woke up at 5:30 a.m. in order to get an early start. We had to drive from my house about 30 minutes south to my parents’ place in Dover, Delaware. From there, we’d all drive together to BWI airport south of Baltimore, about an hour and a half away. Our flight departure was scheduled for around 10:30 a.m.
We were flying Southwest Airlines, and my dad had made all of the arrangements. If you are unfamiliar with Southwest, you are able to check into your flight online 24 hours before the departure time. Southwest has open seating, and the first to check in are put in the first groups of people to board. They generally board in 3 groups: A, B, and C. If you checked in as soon as the window opened, you used to be able to board with the A group. But since airlines never tire of finding ways to squeeze a few more dollars out of your pocket, they started selling off the early boarding positions as well as reserving them for the “business class” passengers willing to pay more for the seats. Now, the best you can usually hope for is a chance to board at the beginning of the B group.
I had not checked in, but I wasn’t worried about it because my father was handling all of the arrangements for the trip. He had booked the flights, rented a car, made hotel reservations, etc. It was actually a nice relief not to be the one in charge of all of the travel details for once.
It should therefore arrive as no surprise, then, that as of 6:00 that morning, my father had not checked us in for our flight.
Two thoughts on our predicament:
1. Great! Middle seats for everybody!
2. Someone is going to have a very interesting seat-mate in Scotty.
The ride to the airport was uneventful. When we finally got checked in, my boarding pass read: C-47. (There are 60 slots in each group.) I figured I’d have to find a friendly person who was willing to switch seats to allow Scotty and me to sit together.
My parents hatched a plan for our arrival. When we landed, my father and I would retrieve the bags and get the rental car. My mother and Scotty would head for McDonald’s to grab some cheeseburgers and fries for everyone for lunch. To save additional time, they’d go ahead and buy some bottles of soda for everyone to have with their lunch now.
In Baltimore.
With lunch 2 hours away in Orlando.
With many bottles of soda available, I’m sure, for purchase at overpriced airport rates in Orlando.
It’s been a while since I had basic thermodynamics in school, but I’m pretty sure that an object removed from a cooled environment will begin to draw heat from the air around it until it, too, reaches that ambient temperature of the surrounding area. However, being the mooch on this trip, I knew better than to argue. So I placed my order, and off my mom went to find sodas for everyone.
When we finally boarded the plane, Scotty and I miraculously found aisle seats available across from each other. So we grabbed them and sat down. Scotty was next to two old ladies who seemed to struggle to grasp the concept of buckling the seat belt, or even to have any clue what the flight attendant was saying to them. I was next to a…well-proportioned gentleman for whom the middle seat was somewhat inadequate. So, Scotty spent his two hours next to two old women taking a nap, and I spent them being pushed out into the center aisle.
Still, we survived. Upon landing in Orlando and taking the Not-A-Monorail to the main terminal, we set off on our assigned tasks. In time, we were all seated in our rental car, leaving the parking garage while my mother passed out the warm sodas and three cheeseburgers she’d bought.
For four people.
Either she’d messed up the order or they’d stiffed her at the counter (thus negating Joe Pesci’s theory regarding the counter vs. drive-thru window). My father, exasperated, took one for the team and had a lunch of French fries and some peanut-butter crackers he found in his carry-on bag.
We settled in for a 2-hour drive. Our destination was the World Golf Hall of Fame near St. Augustine, FL, about 25 miles south of Jacksonville. They were offering a discount to people with tickets to the Players Championship that made it a fairly good deal. Admission included the exhibits, a shot at the “challenge” hole, and a round on their 18-hole putting course.
Scotty looks very happy to be here. I think we were all happy after 4 hours of being cramped in airplane and car seats.
Warning: the rest of this post concerns a museum totally devoted to golf. If you are subject to narcolepsy, please click the “back” button on your browser now.
Inside the Hall of Fame, you’ll find exactly what you would expect to find in a golf museum. Several exhibits show the history of the game, beginning with its roots in Scotland. You have a chance to walk over a replica of the bridge over the Swilcan Burn at the oldest golf course in the world, in St. Andrews, Scotland. This is probably the first time it’s been photographed with someone wearing a bright orange Philadelphia Flyers t-shirt.
There’s also a putting green where you can try out the clubs and balls of the old days. Oddly enough, I found that I putted just as well with this equipment as I do with modern technology. Which is to say I couldn’t make any putts.
Here are a few old-time golf clubs, which again I don’t think would seriously affect my game one way or the other. I can’t quite make out the titles, but I’m pretty sure they were called the fried egg, the griddle, and the waffle iron.
And no, I have never attempted to play golf with a real waffle iron. I suspect it might be easier. And you might get a waffle out of the deal.
Eventually, you reach the room commemorating all of the Hall of Fame members. Here are Jack Nicklaus and Old Tom Morris, Sr., representing probably the most famous and the oldest member, respectively.
They had a few exhibits showing the trophies and/or items awarded to major championship winners. Scotty decided to pose with a green jacket, typically awarded to winners of the Masters.
This jacket is typically considered a sign of golfing royalty if you wear this jacket. Of course, no one will admit that without the Augusta National logo, not a single person would be caught dead wearing a jacket this color. It would be like raiding your great-grandfather’s closet.
Lately, there seems to have been a trend of Masters champions wearing their jackets in unexpected places. Phil Mickelson was once caught wearing his jacket as he took his kids through a drive-thru lane at a Krispy Kreme donut shop, while Bubba Watson once wore his to a meal at the Waffle House.
A view from the observation deck high above the museum shows the “challenge” hole. In my preview for this trip, you might recall I had introduced the famous “island” hole at the TPC Sawgrass course. This challenge hole measures the exact same distance from tee to green, and your admission allows you one shot to see if you can hit the green.
Looking to the west, there is an actual golf course that surrounds the Hall of Fame. Which seems appropriate.
The Claret Jug, awarded to British Open champions.
Here’s another putting green, which runs at the same speeds as modern pro tournament greens. We used the latest in putting technology to prove, without a doubt, that none of us is a good putter.
A special exhibit for South African Gary Player, with trophies from all 4 of golf’s major championships. Only a handful of golfers have achieved this career “grand slam”.
Finally, each member of the Hall of Fame has a permanent exhibit in the form of a locker, with various mementoes from their careers. Here’s one for Phil Mickelson:
Ok, I’ve stalled long enough. You want to know how we did with the island green, don’t you? That’s really all you care about. Fine. I thought you would all be above laughing at the misfortune of others, but apparently none of you have the grace to—wait, others’ misfortune? Actually, that is kinda funny. Never mind.
First up was Scotty. He chose a junior-size driver. Scotty stood to the side, taking a few practice swings. He lined up his shot, set his feet, drew the club back…
…and hit a line drive right into the pond. Ker-sploosh.
Next up was my mother. She chose a women’s 3-wood as the club of record. She set her feet, swung the club back, took a mighty rip…
…and lined one into the pond. Ker-sploosh.
I was next up on the tee. The yardage was 141 yards, into the wind. I chose an 8-iron.
I just want to say, I’d been up since 5:30 a.m. I’d been wedged awkwardly into an airline seat next to a portly fellow for 2 hours, and then spent another 2 hours in a hot Florida rental car with a dark interior. It was getting late in the day, and the wind was picking up, and it was directly against me. I hadn’t warmed up at all, so my swing was very stiff.
Just keep that in mind.
I lined up my shot, took a couple of practice swings to try and loosen up, then stepped to the tee and drew back my club, and then transferred all of that potential energy into the kinetic blur of a mighty, forceful, descending blow…
Well, look at that. I don’t have a photo of my swing. I mean, I can’t swing a club and take a picture, you know. Darn.
Anyway, I made solid contact, but I pulled it to the left a bit. The ball hovered in the air, no doubt being held up by the breeze. It reached its apex, then began a lazy descent back to earth, picking up speed as it went.
It landed safely on the green.
No, really! There it is, on the left side:
Ha! You thought I’d drowned my shot, didn’t you?
Bragging rights. Mark: 1. Rest of Family: 0.
The last shot was my father. Not to be outdone by his son, the Old Man confidently selected a 7-iron and swaggered to the tee. He didn’t even need more than one practice swing, deeming himself ready to let fly, no doubt aiming to get his shot closer to the pin than mine. With all of the experience of years of practice, he took a smooth, silky swing…
…and cold-topped it. Look closely at the photo, and you can see the ball hopping straight up in the air, right in front of his head. It bounced a few feet and didn’t even make it to the pond.
In Scripture, the 5th Commandment is to honor thy father and mother. I am a loving son, proud of my parents and grateful for the generosity and guidance they have showed me through my formative years and continue to show me today. I chose to protect my father’s dignity in this case, and chose to react to that abject failure with quiet stoicism.
For about a tenth of a second, anyway. Then I bust a gut laughing. Come on, seriously? A pond that big, and you can’t even hit that?
We moved on to the putting course, which is basically mini-golf without the windmills, chutes, ramps and other stuff that makes it more interesting. Also, every hole was a par 2. So unless you could sink long putts, there was no way to finish under par.
But that’s ok. Scotty had a blast.
We drove from there to St. Augustine to check into our hotel. St. Augustine holds the distinction of being the oldest permanently-settled town in the United States, having been established in 1565 by Spanish colonists. There’s a great fort and preservation of the Old Town here that I had explored with the rest of the family back in 2012 (link if you are bored and want to check out the place).
Remember, I had left all of the travel arrangements up to my father. As we drove into town, he told us to look for a Best Western. I knew from previous stays that there was more than one, and he said he couldn’t remember which one he’d made the reservation for.
We passed one on the outskirts of town, and he was pretty sure that wasn’t it. O-kay.
In town, we saw another Best Western on the main road. No, he said, he was pretty sure the reservation was for the one near Old Town where we’d stayed before.
We found the third Best Western near Old Town, right where he said it would be. Great. We pulled into the parking lot and dug out the papers with the confirmation number.
Whereupon we discovered that none of those 3 Best Westerns was the correct hotel. He’d made a reservation at a hotel in the town of St. Augustine Beach, several miles away along the coast. Oops.
Anyway, we eventually found the right place and checked in. We got the keys to our room and entered, and immediately my mom decided the room was way too moldy and musty due to the Florida humidity, and we needed a room on the 2nd floor. So they went back to the front desk and asked for a different room. We got a room on the 2nd floor, trudged up the stairs, and moved our belongings into a room that smelled equally musty.
I do love my parents, but there’s a reason we don’t travel together much anymore.
They don’t do as much research into restaurants as I do, so we ended up eating dinner at some random Italian place they chose due solely to the fact that they’d seen it on the drive in. I was a little leery considering the parking lot was practically deserted, but it turned out fine. We were seated next to a loud trickling fountain. It almost sounded as though it had a leak. I looked through the menu. (Trickle) The waitress poured water. I admit I’m not a whiz at Italian, (trickle) since it’s not my #1 language, (trickle) but I do love the food (trickle) and if that pasta isn’t properly drained, I can get really pi—
Man, I really needed to use the bathroom.
Scotty really wanted a cheese pizza, so I ended up splitting that with him. That boy can crush a pizza. He easily ate four slices. I have no idea what I will do when he’s a teenager.
Soon we were back in the hotel, calling it a night. We’d be up early the next day for our day at The Players Championship.
Coming Up Next: Just what you wanted! More golf!
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Flossbolna
Sea days are just so relaxing!
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2006
Yeah!!!
Hmmm, I remember that!! And the funny thing is, that this is one of the things you learn in school that are actually useful later in life: Because you know that if you want a cold drink on a warm day, don't carry it around with you in the warmth!! Must have been a long time since your mother was in school....
Sorry for that!! You should have put your small child in the seat with so little space!!
Yes! You as an engineer know that is not a monorail!! I think it is actually just a fancy electric bus... Not even a duo-rail (is that a thing? I guess it would then be called a train).
poor guy! I am a bit surprised that your mother did not pack pbj sandwiches, I thought that that would have been a long standing family tradition in your family.Wow! Scotty has grown since last summer!
I think it is just due to your incredible skills that you could not see the difference! Who needs modern technology when they are a genius anyway?
Nice contrast between the green and the orange!
I think he just wanted to try out their waffle irons for putting...
This looks very pretty!
Finally, each member of the Hall of Fame has a permanent exhibit in the form of a locker, with various mementoes from their careers. Here’s one for Phil Mickelson:
That looks like a neat exhibit!
See, I was right when I was talking about your superior talent above!
I can see that - it is surprising how well your travel planning skills turned out. You definitely did not get it from them!
Oh! I see hard times coming for you! He will eat up your travel funds...
Cinderella's Fella
DIS Dad #215 Maryland, The Land Of Merry!
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2008
SoccerDogWithEars
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2005
Hey congrats on making the shot! I think you definitely get bragging rights for the next year or so.
But I would love a course that's all long putts! Granted, my golf experience is limited to one time at a driving range and numerous cheesy side-of-the-road mini golf places, but I'm actually pretty decent on the long putts. And Joe isn't, which means I'd beat him. So I'm all for it.
Seriously, we have a running record of mini golf from the start of our relationship. Currently we're tied (much to my annoyance). One time we actually did tie the round, and we both just stared at each other because neither one of us could rub it in. Can't you tell we love each other dearly?
Sounds like you guys had a great time at the Hall of Fame!
I feel your pain about the hotel and dinner though, because I'm just like you. I have nightmares where people road trip and decide to "just find a hotel along the way." Shudder.
But I would love a course that's all long putts! Granted, my golf experience is limited to one time at a driving range and numerous cheesy side-of-the-road mini golf places, but I'm actually pretty decent on the long putts. And Joe isn't, which means I'd beat him. So I'm all for it.
Seriously, we have a running record of mini golf from the start of our relationship. Currently we're tied (much to my annoyance). One time we actually did tie the round, and we both just stared at each other because neither one of us could rub it in. Can't you tell we love each other dearly?
Sounds like you guys had a great time at the Hall of Fame!
I feel your pain about the hotel and dinner though, because I'm just like you. I have nightmares where people road trip and decide to "just find a hotel along the way." Shudder.
pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
Clever. I may use that.
Of course! What else could it mean?
Is that not the norm in the States?
Uh, huh....
Nope. No surprise.
That's okay. That's what flight attendants are for.
Oh. Forget I said anything.
I'll pick Scotty's seat, thanks.
Oh, no. Not at all.
(all orders are 4 cheeseburgers)
Drive-thru: Welcome to Mickey D's. Can I take your order? (Give him 3! We'll split the change!)
Counter at airport: Welcome to Rotten Ronnie's. Can I take your order? 4 cheeseburgers? Where are you folks off to today? Orlando? That leaves pretty soon right? (Give him 3! We'll split the change!)
zzzzzzzz.... whazat? wha?
Oh, no. Pretty sure Arnold Palmer wore one just like that.
Pretty sure.
Sure. I believe you completely.
I mean, what else could they be called???
"See? I'm just a regular guy, like you. Except I'm wearing this jacket that says I'm still better than you."You said it, not me.
I might've thought it... but I didn't say it.
Real men can do both.
Nice shot!
You must've been completely impossible to live with after that.
Nope. Saw it coming... to land safely on the green.
Took me a while... but I see it!
I should hope so! These moments are golden!
I knew that. Because my mom always wants to go there. Not some dirty old theme park.
Of course.
I hear ya.
Me too!BRB.....
okay I'm back.
You will go broke trying desperately to keep him from starving.
MEK
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 8, 2005
Great first day to your father - son - parent adventure!
Glad you and Scotty got to sit across from each other, even if it meant you were hanging in the aisle.
So I would say your dad is pretty boss for eating french fries and peanut butter crackers for lunch. He was ready for some good ol' Italian cooking by the time dinner rolled around.
That Golf Hall of Fame looks super cool. I mean - I'm not a huge fan, but it still looks pretty interesting. Congrats on making that shot despite all the obstacles. You know your dad missed his because he wasn't properly nourished. 
So there are FOUR Best Westerns in St. Augustine. Good to know. That must have been fun!
Looking forward to more!
Glad you and Scotty got to sit across from each other, even if it meant you were hanging in the aisle.
So I would say your dad is pretty boss for eating french fries and peanut butter crackers for lunch. He was ready for some good ol' Italian cooking by the time dinner rolled around.
That Golf Hall of Fame looks super cool. I mean - I'm not a huge fan, but it still looks pretty interesting. Congrats on making that shot despite all the obstacles.
You know your dad missed his because he wasn't properly nourished. So there are FOUR Best Westerns in St. Augustine. Good to know.
That must have been fun! Looking forward to more!
Steppesister
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
But was it sultry...?
He got it from me first. Or not. I probably stole it from somewhere else first.
MAGICFOR2
Condimentessa
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2005
I was just thinking the same thing! Pen pals were encouraged when I was a kid. It was supposed to help broaden your knowledge of the world, I think. Now it's more fun because you can share it with more people
ETA I missed a quote here , or I was typing in my sleep. I was talking about your parents meeting your imaginary friends
Nice start to the trip! I can't relate to a golf museum but I do know about moldy motels and hole in the wall restaurants, and travel with parents. Makes for some special memories.
ETA I missed a quote here , or I was typing in my sleep. I was talking about your parents meeting your imaginary friends
Nice start to the trip! I can't relate to a golf museum but I do know about moldy motels and hole in the wall restaurants, and travel with parents. Makes for some special memories.
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pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
What?!?!? So you're both thieves????
Great, so now I'm an accessory.
(Funny. That's what my wife calls me.)
Kids today don't know what a pen pal is.
Kids tomorrow won't know what a pen is.
Misskitty3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
Well, keep in mind that the way the loop set up for us, we were coming from Phoenix. It's a long 5-hour drive to the coast. The only thing worth doing that for, to us, was Disneyland. Otherwise we would have finished with some National Park sites in the desert, which really felt anti-climactic to us after the sights we'd seen before. So we thought Disneyland would be a better ending. We don't mind being exhausted at the end of a trip--it's kind of what we expect. I like to save the best stuff for last. This is why we're doing Yellowstone near the end of the trip this summer.
Sedona is about 2 hours from Phoenix, so you could easily do it as a day trip. It's grown, but the distance is still the same and it would be very do-able.
The cabins are nice because they're a very short walk from the rim. It's neat to say you stayed near the edge. However, they're just as spartan as the rest of the rooms there. No TV, no A/C, etc. We couldn't stay in them due to the size of our family. But I think if you offered us the choice of staying in a cabin near the rim or in a standard motel room in a big parking lot, the cabin would win easily. Just make sure you make reservations as early as possible!
Thanks for reading it!
Thank your for the reply!
I agree, Disneyland would be really fun to look forward to after a road trip! That is a great idea!
Great tips on Sedona and the Grand Canyon lodging too!
franandaj
I'm so happy, I could BOUNCE!
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2009
It sounds like you're off to an enjoyable start despite the familial glitches. That's got to be really frustrating for you who plans things incredibly well to have such rookie moves played like not checking in for the flight or remembering WHICH Best Western the reservation was made for. Sorry you had to suffer on the plane like that. I understand your pain because I am in that situation (usually in the middle seat) when we travel not on points (meaning not in First Class).
Nice of your Dad to take one for the team at lunch. I mean how does it end up that there are only three sandwiches for four people? And sorry your Mom didn't understand the laws of thermodynamics. Perhaps she just doesn't understand the appeal of cold beverages.
Even though I'm not a golf fanatic I enjoyed your synopsis of the museum. I'm glad you landed a good shot> I was happy to learn that the sport was launched in Scotland. I would have even liked to know more about how it was launched, but that's not your job.
I too like to do more research into restaurants, so you don't go in blind. Sorry the room was musty, but when you don't research, that's what you get. I'm glad you could stomach the Italian restaurant. I think that's the difference between generations. Those who are internet savvy take care of things like research for restaurants. My parents are older but my mom is internet savvy. My dad not so much. she will make sure where she is going to dine, my father, he will rely on my mom.
I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the trip. I think you do!
Nice of your Dad to take one for the team at lunch. I mean how does it end up that there are only three sandwiches for four people?
And sorry your Mom didn't understand the laws of thermodynamics. Perhaps she just doesn't understand the appeal of cold beverages. Even though I'm not a golf fanatic I enjoyed your synopsis of the museum. I'm glad you landed a good shot> I was happy to learn that the sport was launched in Scotland. I would have even liked to know more about how it was launched, but that's not your job.
I too like to do more research into restaurants, so you don't go in blind. Sorry the room was musty, but when you don't research, that's what you get. I'm glad you could stomach the Italian restaurant. I think that's the difference between generations. Those who are internet savvy take care of things like research for restaurants. My parents are older but my mom is internet savvy. My dad not so much. she will make sure where she is going to dine, my father, he will rely on my mom.
I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the trip. I think you do!
Lynne G
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2009
Nice pictures. My DD is still whining about museums on our trip. Yeah, well, we have many museums in our town, and she's been to all of them without a whine. Oh, I guess because she was a kid then and not the teen she is now.
Musty smelling rooms are not my favorite either. Smoke smell is even worse, well maybe as worse.
DH just said we should see the Grand Canyon. Hmmm. DS wants his graduation present to be a trip to Hawaii, so maybe a stop there for a few days, to break up the long flight. I flew from Detroit to Osaka, and that was almost too long a flight. After the third movie, I was ready to get off. Plus, I see no real direct flights from the east coast. Will be reading part of your trip again.
Musty smelling rooms are not my favorite either. Smoke smell is even worse, well maybe as worse.
DH just said we should see the Grand Canyon. Hmmm. DS wants his graduation present to be a trip to Hawaii, so maybe a stop there for a few days, to break up the long flight. I flew from Detroit to Osaka, and that was almost too long a flight. After the third movie, I was ready to get off. Plus, I see no real direct flights from the east coast. Will be reading part of your trip again.
eandesmom
I'm with Beast
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
LOL! I can't stand SW. As a general rule it is not worth the savings.
YAY! Warm soda! I'm sure the BWI airport sodas were MUCH cheaper.
Sure you weren't traveling with my FIL?
Well maybe she thought someone was going to share?
His confirmation info didn't have an address ahead of time? Oh my.
You'll go broke. Trust me on this.
I just broke down and ordered Evan a queen size bed for his birthday. Both E's are still sleeping in twin beds which is just cruel, they are almost 6 feet but OUCH!
Steppesister
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
Well not everyone can be perfect. 
Captain_Oblivious
DIS Dad #257, Galactic Salad Dodger
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
Yeah!!!
Wow, it's nice to be wanted!
Hmmm, I remember that!! And the funny thing is, that this is one of the things you learn in school that are actually useful later in life: Because you know that if you want a cold drink on a warm day, don't carry it around with you in the warmth!! Must have been a long time since your mother was in school....
My mom will occasionally get ideas in her head that you just cannot shake. Even if every fact in the world proves that idea wrong. I've learned it's best not to start an argument.
In retrospect, yes! I think I was just so happy to find two seats that close together for me and Scotty that I just grabbed them without really looking at the seat-mates.
I think it's just an aerial tram. It looks cool, though.
If it were a longer trip, we might have had to go the PB&J route.Yes! But Sarah is really growing like a weed. Julie just informed me that she needs practically an entire new wardrobe for the summer.
Obviously you have never seen me play golf.
Nice contrast between the green and the orange!
They look so good together, don't they?
There's a good theory. I might putt better with that thing.
It is! But I think they over-developed. Many of those storefronts down there are empty. It looks like they planned for a huge senior community centered around the golf courses and museum, but it doesn't appear to have grown as they had hoped.
I think so, as long as you have an interest in the history of the game.
I think it just proves the saying that even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut.
Usually they're better than this! I think I actually do model my trip planning on them. I just think they're forgetting some of the details that they normally would have covered. And they would never plan where to eat. Finding fun/unique restaurants was never that important to them. They would be just as likely to eat in a chain restaurant along the way.
The travel funds seem to keep dwindling every year! Between no raises, teenage wardrobes changing, teen and pre-teen eating habits, and diapers, I fear for the future of our vacations! Hopefully Julie will still be able to substitute teach now and then.
I will definitely take advantage of that.Well, I can certainly understand that line of thinking. Maybe you should take him down to St. Augustine...
This is the hallmark of a good relationship. Cutthroat competition. My DW has yet to beat me at mini golf. And I know it just eats at her. Just like the time she beat me at Toy Story Mania.
I think we did!
I could never leave it to the last minute like that!
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