Beavis n Butters: Marathon Trip 09 *Updated with Pictures*
- Thread starter Gobbles!
- Start date
DAY 3:
We woke up the next morning and headed out to Epcot.
Some of us were more excited than others...
This time, we used the OTHER annual pass we had to get our parking entry. We have to keep them on their toes, you know. We parked in Amaze 38. Upon entry, we made a beeline to Soarin’ to get our fastpasses. Once we all had gotten our passes, we decided to sign up for the ‘behind the seeds’ tour of the Land. We had a cunning plan to use our annual passes to get a discount. Turns out that we could have used any number of things to get a discount, as we showed our annual passes, and the cast member noticed our DVC passes. He told us we could get a discount for that too. I was super stoked. Then I paid with my Disney Visa. There’s a discount for that too. They were almost paying us to do the tour! And then the kind cast member let me know that I could only use one discount. D’oh! I decided to cut down on the paperwork, and use the Visa discount. He agreed that that was probably the best course of action. Anyway, we signed up for the 10:30 showing and then…
We woke up the next morning and headed out to Epcot.
Some of us were more excited than others...
This time, we used the OTHER annual pass we had to get our parking entry. We have to keep them on their toes, you know. We parked in Amaze 38. Upon entry, we made a beeline to Soarin’ to get our fastpasses. Once we all had gotten our passes, we decided to sign up for the ‘behind the seeds’ tour of the Land. We had a cunning plan to use our annual passes to get a discount. Turns out that we could have used any number of things to get a discount, as we showed our annual passes, and the cast member noticed our DVC passes. He told us we could get a discount for that too. I was super stoked. Then I paid with my Disney Visa. There’s a discount for that too. They were almost paying us to do the tour! And then the kind cast member let me know that I could only use one discount. D’oh! I decided to cut down on the paperwork, and use the Visa discount. He agreed that that was probably the best course of action. Anyway, we signed up for the 10:30 showing and then…
While we were waiting for our fastpass time to come up, we decided to head over to The Seas
(which I could swear used to be living. Now they’re not. So sad, but at least Nemo and Friends are there. Whoever Friends is) to explore during the time gap.
In order to get in, the three of us squeezed into a single clam (pretty big clams, I must say) and snuck in. On the way in, we found out that Nemo had gone missing, and we tried to help reunite him with his dad. Lucky for him we came along. We were also spotted by a starfish, who wanted us to help him escape, because he couldn’t stand the songs that the other aqualife were singing. Poor guy. He’s stuck there, literally.
The observation area was pretty cool. We got to see dolphins, manatees, and other various sea creatures.
No sea turtles, though. Also, we got to see the outside of the area where Beavis and I had our wedding reception.
Last, we took a picture that we take every time we visit the Seas (living or not). There is a picture displayed on the wall, of Beavis’ aunt. We always take a picture of the two of them together. Oddly, her aunt doesn’t seem to age very quickly.
(which I could swear used to be living. Now they’re not. So sad, but at least Nemo and Friends are there. Whoever Friends is) to explore during the time gap.
In order to get in, the three of us squeezed into a single clam (pretty big clams, I must say) and snuck in. On the way in, we found out that Nemo had gone missing, and we tried to help reunite him with his dad. Lucky for him we came along. We were also spotted by a starfish, who wanted us to help him escape, because he couldn’t stand the songs that the other aqualife were singing. Poor guy. He’s stuck there, literally.
The observation area was pretty cool. We got to see dolphins, manatees, and other various sea creatures.
No sea turtles, though. Also, we got to see the outside of the area where Beavis and I had our wedding reception.
Last, we took a picture that we take every time we visit the Seas (living or not). There is a picture displayed on the wall, of Beavis’ aunt. We always take a picture of the two of them together. Oddly, her aunt doesn’t seem to age very quickly.
With the photo opportunity complete, we headed back to catch the ‘Behind the seeds’ tour. We arrived about 15 minutes early, as is our custom, and waited as the tour group formed. When the time came for the tour, we were led through the backstage area, and learned about the different technologies being used at Epcot to grow things. It was very interesting, informative, and educational. One of the low points of the tour, however, came when we were asked to introduce ourselves and say where we were from…
As a little bit of back story, Beavis and I met in college at the University of Arkansas (that’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas). After graduation, we moved to Celebration, Florida, for about a year, before I got another job in Oklahoma City, where we now live. As a graduate from a school in the Southeastern Conference (which uses the common acronym SEC, and is not to be confused with the Securities and Exchange Commission), I know enough to support SEC schools, which includes the University of Florida. The University of Florida had recently (the previous night) won the NCAA football national championship by destroying the University of Oklahoma (ok, more like merely outscoring them). The U of O (which everyone calls ‘OU’ for some reason) is based out of Norman, and the residents of Oklahoma have mixed feelings about the university anyway. We, as total outsiders, found ourselves in a win-win position in that we could claim the SEC if Florida won, and claim our state of residence if OU won. Unfortunately, we underestimated the fact that nobody would believe us if we claimed Florida as being in our conference, when we were in fact living in Oklahoma. Should have seen that coming I guess. So, there was a very awkward pause and a lot of knowing looks flashed around toward our general direction when we stated we were living in Oklahoma. Don’t worry, I’m not bitter.
As a little bit of back story, Beavis and I met in college at the University of Arkansas (that’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas). After graduation, we moved to Celebration, Florida, for about a year, before I got another job in Oklahoma City, where we now live. As a graduate from a school in the Southeastern Conference (which uses the common acronym SEC, and is not to be confused with the Securities and Exchange Commission), I know enough to support SEC schools, which includes the University of Florida. The University of Florida had recently (the previous night) won the NCAA football national championship by destroying the University of Oklahoma (ok, more like merely outscoring them). The U of O (which everyone calls ‘OU’ for some reason) is based out of Norman, and the residents of Oklahoma have mixed feelings about the university anyway. We, as total outsiders, found ourselves in a win-win position in that we could claim the SEC if Florida won, and claim our state of residence if OU won. Unfortunately, we underestimated the fact that nobody would believe us if we claimed Florida as being in our conference, when we were in fact living in Oklahoma. Should have seen that coming I guess. So, there was a very awkward pause and a lot of knowing looks flashed around toward our general direction when we stated we were living in Oklahoma. Don’t worry, I’m not bitter.
Anyway, the rest of the tour was pretty awesome, and we got to learn about hydroponics and other ponics, while standing ‘behind the seeds’.
For a lot of the tour, we got to watch as people on the ‘Living with the Land’ ride rode by.
I think some of them were convinced that we were cast members acting like tourists. We had many pictures taken of us. And we were in for a very cool treat when we were given a sample of their specially grown cucumbers. Probably because we looked as cool as cucumbers.
Also, either because we were stupidly lucky or because all tour groups get to do it, we got to feed the alligators! I must say, I’d hate to get in the way of that feeding frenzy.
Anyway, to sum up the Behind the Seeds tour, it is pretty cool. A lot is learned about different plants and growing methods.
Pollution and pesticides are bad. DON’T TOUCH THE PLANTS. Gators are cool, and eat pellets. If you are an SEC fan from Arkansas living in Oklahoma, you still live in Oklahoma. Get over it or just move. As a side note, we aren’t moving.
Once the tour was complete, we were towards the end of our time window for our Soarin’ fastpasses, so we walked right down the fastpass queue and got on the flight in a relatively short manner. This flight took us over a lot of really cool scenic Californian real estate. We even flew over some orange groves. I have since heard that those weren’t really orange groves, and then I heard they were, and then that they were actually a subdivision of houses that were cleverly DISGUISED as orange groves. If you go to the Disneyland boards, you can get in on that discussion. All I know is it looked a whole lot like trees to me, and smelled like oranges. What more can you ask for? Oddly, I never knew the ocean ALSO smelled a lot like oranges. But it obviously wasn’t an orange grove, because it looked a lot like the ocean. So there’s that.
For a lot of the tour, we got to watch as people on the ‘Living with the Land’ ride rode by.
I think some of them were convinced that we were cast members acting like tourists. We had many pictures taken of us. And we were in for a very cool treat when we were given a sample of their specially grown cucumbers. Probably because we looked as cool as cucumbers.
Also, either because we were stupidly lucky or because all tour groups get to do it, we got to feed the alligators! I must say, I’d hate to get in the way of that feeding frenzy.
Anyway, to sum up the Behind the Seeds tour, it is pretty cool. A lot is learned about different plants and growing methods.
Pollution and pesticides are bad. DON’T TOUCH THE PLANTS. Gators are cool, and eat pellets. If you are an SEC fan from Arkansas living in Oklahoma, you still live in Oklahoma. Get over it or just move. As a side note, we aren’t moving.
Once the tour was complete, we were towards the end of our time window for our Soarin’ fastpasses, so we walked right down the fastpass queue and got on the flight in a relatively short manner. This flight took us over a lot of really cool scenic Californian real estate. We even flew over some orange groves. I have since heard that those weren’t really orange groves, and then I heard they were, and then that they were actually a subdivision of houses that were cleverly DISGUISED as orange groves. If you go to the Disneyland boards, you can get in on that discussion. All I know is it looked a whole lot like trees to me, and smelled like oranges. What more can you ask for? Oddly, I never knew the ocean ALSO smelled a lot like oranges. But it obviously wasn’t an orange grove, because it looked a lot like the ocean. So there’s that.
Once we had landed with our seatbacks and tray tables in their upright and locked position, we decided to get some lunch, which we got from the ‘Sunshine Seasons’ restaurant. The three of us decided to eat asian cuisine. As usual, those details will be in the forthcoming dining review. After having sufficiently fed, we headed over to get fastpasses for Test Track. Actually, to be more specific, I headed over to get the passes, while my dear wife and mother-in-law were assumed to be heading back to the seas to see Turtle Talk, because MataMata is really into Turtles. As it turned out, after I cunningly and quickly carved my way through the crowd, I got the fastpasses and turned around in time to see the rest of the group coming towards me. They had decided they didn’t really want to walk all that way over to the seas, so they just went with me. I guess in my cunningness, I forgot to be quick, because they weren’t very far back.
...I pause to bring you a message from our sponsor in the sky...
I'm not quite sure what he is trying to sell...Perhaps...
...And now back to the show...
Fastpasses secured with Beavis, our group travelled onward to the great country of MEXICO.
We got there, of course, using the land bridge through the Odyssey. In Mexico, we rode the awesome ‘Fiesta’ ride. There was no wait. It was awesome. Unfortunately, the ride wasn’t working properly. Donald decided to be Donald, and got himself separated from the group. Typical. I swear that happens every time we try to ride that ride. After the fiesta, we shopped the local wares,
and headed north, to NORWAY!
...I pause to bring you a message from our sponsor in the sky...
I'm not quite sure what he is trying to sell...Perhaps...
...And now back to the show...
Fastpasses secured with Beavis, our group travelled onward to the great country of MEXICO.
We got there, of course, using the land bridge through the Odyssey. In Mexico, we rode the awesome ‘Fiesta’ ride. There was no wait. It was awesome. Unfortunately, the ride wasn’t working properly. Donald decided to be Donald, and got himself separated from the group. Typical. I swear that happens every time we try to ride that ride. After the fiesta, we shopped the local wares,
and headed north, to NORWAY!
This time, because we were coming in from the south, we made a trip to the Stave Church, to see what there was to see. At this point I would like to express my regret that we are unable to post any pictures yet. [Ha HA! Alas, pictures!] This would be a great opportunity to show the timidity and trepidation involved in entering such a hallowed place. For those of you who don’t know, you actually ARE allowed to go inside there. I promise. But I’m not saying what you’ll find in there. That’s for you to find out.
Also, while in the south of Norway, we stopped to take our picture with one of the super awesomest (I know, not a word) runners in the world. From Norway. Grette Waitz. It was very appropriate, as she is a marathon runner, and we were there for marathon running. Again, wish I could post pictures. [And we can now!] She chased me out of Norway.
Then I realized she wasn’t really moving, and came back into the country more than a little bit embarrassed. While there, we stopped again at Beavis’ very favorite spot, and decided it was time to make the leap in commitment: we bought the lotion. And the perfume. And a very loud handbag, that is reversible (although it looks a little bit inside-out either way. It feels really nice though). So I guess the handbag would be the third thing that is loved. But the handbag was actually just free as part of a package deal. They really knew how to get rid of those bags. Anyway…
Also, while in the south of Norway, we stopped to take our picture with one of the super awesomest (I know, not a word) runners in the world. From Norway. Grette Waitz. It was very appropriate, as she is a marathon runner, and we were there for marathon running. Again, wish I could post pictures. [And we can now!] She chased me out of Norway.
Then I realized she wasn’t really moving, and came back into the country more than a little bit embarrassed. While there, we stopped again at Beavis’ very favorite spot, and decided it was time to make the leap in commitment: we bought the lotion. And the perfume. And a very loud handbag, that is reversible (although it looks a little bit inside-out either way. It feels really nice though). So I guess the handbag would be the third thing that is loved. But the handbag was actually just free as part of a package deal. They really knew how to get rid of those bags. Anyway…
We decided to dig a hole...
or two...
to CHINA!
We went into the Terra Cotta warrior museum and scoped the area out.
At first I was somewhat startled to find a massive army of small tan people.
Then I realized they were actually the terra cotta warriors. Yeah, I should have seen that one coming. Next, we went through the gift shop, where it is ok that everything is made in China. Beavis is a very big fan of the giant panda, and always loves to browse the panda memorabilia.
We found a few new and interesting panda items to add to her collection, purchased, and headed out to the bridge to the African outpost. It was cool, as always. You could almost call it a ‘coolpost’.
or two...
to CHINA!
We went into the Terra Cotta warrior museum and scoped the area out.
At first I was somewhat startled to find a massive army of small tan people.
Then I realized they were actually the terra cotta warriors. Yeah, I should have seen that one coming. Next, we went through the gift shop, where it is ok that everything is made in China. Beavis is a very big fan of the giant panda, and always loves to browse the panda memorabilia.
We found a few new and interesting panda items to add to her collection, purchased, and headed out to the bridge to the African outpost. It was cool, as always. You could almost call it a ‘coolpost’.
Across the ‘coolpost’, we got to the land of beer and pretzels. No, not Africa. GERMANY!
This area is dear to me, as I spent seven of my formative years in Germany in various cities as a child. So, we shopped the German shops, and I heard one bewildered vacationer ask a very patient and friendly cast member, ‘why is there a duck billed platypus for sale in Germany? That’s just silly!’ or something along those lines. Although I didn’t hear his answer, I can confidently answer the question for any of you who may be wondering. The duck billed platypus, while not indigenous to Germany, has ancestral roots in Luxembourg. Luxembourg, of course, had to cede what is now known as Germany at the end of the first World War. That is when the beloved Luxembourg duck billed platypus was removed from Luxemborg, on an exodus to Australia.
Let me make it clear that in no way, shape, or form is that remotely true. The real reason is that Steiff, a toy company that is very famous for their stuffed animals, is based in Germany and decided to make a duck billed platypus. They also sell pandas. Pandas are from China. Eh, German kids need cool animals too.
Wait a minute. Let's take a closer look at that one again...
A dog riding a horse?! Germany already has cool animals!
On our way out of Germany, we passed the train garden that was the site of the terrible derailment two nights before. Fortunately, thanks to the quick thinking and hard work of MataMata, the proper calls were made, and the train derailment was fixed.
From my understanding only minor injuries were sustained. Whew.
This area is dear to me, as I spent seven of my formative years in Germany in various cities as a child. So, we shopped the German shops, and I heard one bewildered vacationer ask a very patient and friendly cast member, ‘why is there a duck billed platypus for sale in Germany? That’s just silly!’ or something along those lines. Although I didn’t hear his answer, I can confidently answer the question for any of you who may be wondering. The duck billed platypus, while not indigenous to Germany, has ancestral roots in Luxembourg. Luxembourg, of course, had to cede what is now known as Germany at the end of the first World War. That is when the beloved Luxembourg duck billed platypus was removed from Luxemborg, on an exodus to Australia.
Let me make it clear that in no way, shape, or form is that remotely true. The real reason is that Steiff, a toy company that is very famous for their stuffed animals, is based in Germany and decided to make a duck billed platypus. They also sell pandas. Pandas are from China. Eh, German kids need cool animals too.
Wait a minute. Let's take a closer look at that one again...
A dog riding a horse?! Germany already has cool animals!
On our way out of Germany, we passed the train garden that was the site of the terrible derailment two nights before. Fortunately, thanks to the quick thinking and hard work of MataMata, the proper calls were made, and the train derailment was fixed.
From my understanding only minor injuries were sustained. Whew.
In ITALY,
we went in for a closeup view of the gondola, before going back to the mini-trevi to dispose of more of our money.
Mission accomplished. We also ducked into the perfume room while MataMata stayed outside to breathe in the fresh air. We talked about pretending to be Italian Paparazzi and then thought, 'When in Rome'...
After our sneaky pictures, we headed onward toward … the USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!
Sorry I get carried away sometimes. The USA (USA!! USA!! Ok, sorry, last time) is our very favorite Epcot country to…
walk through without stopping and notice how it is so American. We have seen the show many times. We like it. The singers are great (we saw them perform the national anthem at the capital one bowl when we went to see Arkansas play that one time). But we weren’t feeling it today, so we trucked on through to… JAPAN!
While in Japan, we admired the gardens,
and stopped for some food. Also, we went through the Tin Toy museum and then shopped through the Mitsukoshi department store. Sadly, the Iron Chef items are no longer sold there, but it’s always fun to see the foods and sakes and other cool stuff they sell.
we went in for a closeup view of the gondola, before going back to the mini-trevi to dispose of more of our money.
Mission accomplished. We also ducked into the perfume room while MataMata stayed outside to breathe in the fresh air. We talked about pretending to be Italian Paparazzi and then thought, 'When in Rome'...
After our sneaky pictures, we headed onward toward … the USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!
Sorry I get carried away sometimes. The USA (USA!! USA!! Ok, sorry, last time) is our very favorite Epcot country to…
walk through without stopping and notice how it is so American. We have seen the show many times. We like it. The singers are great (we saw them perform the national anthem at the capital one bowl when we went to see Arkansas play that one time). But we weren’t feeling it today, so we trucked on through to… JAPAN!
While in Japan, we admired the gardens,
and stopped for some food. Also, we went through the Tin Toy museum and then shopped through the Mitsukoshi department store. Sadly, the Iron Chef items are no longer sold there, but it’s always fun to see the foods and sakes and other cool stuff they sell.
The next stop we made, as many of you could guess, was… MOROCCO!
Here, we stopped to eat at the Tangerine Café. We’ll rave about how awesome it was in the food report (we should probably get on that…). Then we left, and headed to … FRANCE!
In France, we stopped to watch some guy freeclimb his way up a stack of chairs.
Way more impressive than I just made it sound. Next, we were in the mood for ‘Impressions de France’. Well, MataMata was in the mood for it, so we went for it. It was a very comfortable theatre, with a 180 degree view of the French countryside and soothing music. The narrator spoke longingly of his native country, and we were all lulled into a very comfortable and meditative stupor. It was great. After we were properly impressed (de France?), we headed to the shops and… shopped. Then it seemed like a good time to eat again, so we crossed the chunnel to… THE UK!
Here, we stopped to eat at the Tangerine Café. We’ll rave about how awesome it was in the food report (we should probably get on that…). Then we left, and headed to … FRANCE!
In France, we stopped to watch some guy freeclimb his way up a stack of chairs.
Way more impressive than I just made it sound. Next, we were in the mood for ‘Impressions de France’. Well, MataMata was in the mood for it, so we went for it. It was a very comfortable theatre, with a 180 degree view of the French countryside and soothing music. The narrator spoke longingly of his native country, and we were all lulled into a very comfortable and meditative stupor. It was great. After we were properly impressed (de France?), we headed to the shops and… shopped. Then it seemed like a good time to eat again, so we crossed the chunnel to… THE UK!
In the UK, we stopped for fish and chips at the fish and chips place. You know the drill… dining report. Then we went through the heraldry shop, and the Twinings Tea store.
While we were in the UK, we heard a nearby cry for help. Beavis and I were wearing our Incredibles!! Shirts, so we took advantage of the UK phone booths to change to our heroic alter-egos.
Next thing we knew, we were in the third pointy point of the US, UK, Canada triangle… CANADA!!!
(What? You can't tell it's Canada?)
Once in Canada, we realized that there was no cry for help, and it was merely a clever literary device I used to brag about having Incredibles!! Shirts. What can I say, I’m petty like that. Canada is a great place to explore, with the lovely gardens, castle, and cool shops. Also, they have Martin Short on circle vision! And it’s the site of Canadian roulette, which we won’t speak of, except to say that it will be discussed on our forthcoming ‘dining review’. I feel like a rock musician on a talk show. Always plugging that album, you know?
While we were in the UK, we heard a nearby cry for help. Beavis and I were wearing our Incredibles!! Shirts, so we took advantage of the UK phone booths to change to our heroic alter-egos.
Next thing we knew, we were in the third pointy point of the US, UK, Canada triangle… CANADA!!!
(What? You can't tell it's Canada?)
Once in Canada, we realized that there was no cry for help, and it was merely a clever literary device I used to brag about having Incredibles!! Shirts. What can I say, I’m petty like that. Canada is a great place to explore, with the lovely gardens, castle, and cool shops. Also, they have Martin Short on circle vision! And it’s the site of Canadian roulette, which we won’t speak of, except to say that it will be discussed on our forthcoming ‘dining review’. I feel like a rock musician on a talk show. Always plugging that album, you know?
After our Canadian exploration, we decided it was about time to head to… FLORIDA!!!! It was a smooth trip, and we arrived with very little incident. Once back at Epcot, we made our way to Club Cool, where we got some free samples of the international soft drink sensations that Americans are too petty to put up with. My personal favorite is MezzoMix. But I grew up in Germany. Beavis really likes Kinley. We can’t remember what MataMata liked, but she probably liked the Chinese one.
After properly hydrating (remember, we are here for a race), we headed out to the Test Track.
Can you find the hidden Mickey?
How about now?
Once we got there, we were assigned to a test vehicle, and shown all about how cars are tested for quality. Sadly, we rounded a corner and found that they had taken my Saturn Vue, repainted it, and ran a crash test on it. Now we don’t have any means of transportation around Disney, or any way to get home.
After properly hydrating (remember, we are here for a race), we headed out to the Test Track.
Can you find the hidden Mickey?
How about now?
Once we got there, we were assigned to a test vehicle, and shown all about how cars are tested for quality. Sadly, we rounded a corner and found that they had taken my Saturn Vue, repainted it, and ran a crash test on it. Now we don’t have any means of transportation around Disney, or any way to get home.
After our test track experience, we headed over to MouseGear to look for things to buy for our coworkers who were stuck back at home.
We have coined a phrase, ‘smells like Innoventions’. If any of you have an idea of what this might mean, let me go on and say that MouseGear smelled a lot like Innoventions. As Johnny Depp would say, “Ew! No one would BUY it!” (we use that phrase too).
Next up, Spaceship Earth.
The golf ball. The golph ball (that’s golf with a ph). Whatever you want to call it, go ahead and call it that. It’s a great ride. But we already covered that part. I will note that MataMata broke the proper ride etiquette for the taking of the picture, and in her excitement she leaned too far forward. The resulting picture ended up getting a little bit buggy. So, remember: take a good picture.
We have coined a phrase, ‘smells like Innoventions’. If any of you have an idea of what this might mean, let me go on and say that MouseGear smelled a lot like Innoventions. As Johnny Depp would say, “Ew! No one would BUY it!” (we use that phrase too).
Next up, Spaceship Earth.
The golf ball. The golph ball (that’s golf with a ph). Whatever you want to call it, go ahead and call it that. It’s a great ride. But we already covered that part. I will note that MataMata broke the proper ride etiquette for the taking of the picture, and in her excitement she leaned too far forward. The resulting picture ended up getting a little bit buggy. So, remember: take a good picture.
After our experience in the golf ball,
we left the park to discover the creative path towards our imaginative journey of explorations that amazed us on row 38, where we found our car. Apparently, the nice people of Test Track had fixed it back to like-new ish condition, and repainted it to a lovely Chili Pepper Red. Our next stop: the Beach Club. Here, we got in line for Beaches and Cream. You know, more on that somewhere else… After that life altering experience that you just HAVE to read about on my new album… er the dining review… we headed back to OKW for the evening, to get some sleep before… THE BIG RACE!
we left the park to discover the creative path towards our imaginative journey of explorations that amazed us on row 38, where we found our car. Apparently, the nice people of Test Track had fixed it back to like-new ish condition, and repainted it to a lovely Chili Pepper Red. Our next stop: the Beach Club. Here, we got in line for Beaches and Cream. You know, more on that somewhere else… After that life altering experience that you just HAVE to read about on my new album… er the dining review… we headed back to OKW for the evening, to get some sleep before… THE BIG RACE!
Hoosier Mom
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Would you mind if I asked how were the lines and the weather? We are hoping to go 2nd week of January next year. Thanks! Enjoying your report.
Now it is time for the actual ‘running’ report part to come in to play. Typically, the night before our races, we make sure we have everything we need (i.e. shoes, clothes, race number) in one place, and assembled so that we don’t have to worry about it during the 3 hours that we’re waiting around at the starting area before the race starts. That’s right. Three hours. We lay out our shirts, with our race numbers neatly pinned to the front, on top of our race shorts so that it looks like an invisible person may be wearing the clothes.
A very flat invisible person.
And we take our magic time chip (for those of you who don’t run these events, there’s a radio frequency identification chip that is assigned to each runner to keep track of them. That way, a runner who starts at the back can have an official time that is accurate, and the race people know that you actually hit all the checkpoints in the race and didn’t cheat by cutting the course or taking the monorail) and securely fasten it to our shoe. To do this, we use a secret technique (a zip tie). (It is at this point that Beavis, who is watching me type, is hysterically laughing about my paragraphs inside of my parentheses. Well, not hysterically, but she’s laughing).
A very flat invisible person.
And we take our magic time chip (for those of you who don’t run these events, there’s a radio frequency identification chip that is assigned to each runner to keep track of them. That way, a runner who starts at the back can have an official time that is accurate, and the race people know that you actually hit all the checkpoints in the race and didn’t cheat by cutting the course or taking the monorail) and securely fasten it to our shoe. To do this, we use a secret technique (a zip tie). (It is at this point that Beavis, who is watching me type, is hysterically laughing about my paragraphs inside of my parentheses. Well, not hysterically, but she’s laughing).
I'm glad you asked. In general, the wait times were considerably shorter than what was posted. We have great fun timing each line, and I don't think we were ever in a line in which the wait time exceeded what was posted. That's a good thing. Having said that, there was one big name ride that we did not try (Toy Story Mania. The fastpasses were gone when we got there, and there was an 80 minute wait).
We've gone at all times of the year, and found that this is a great time of the year to go. The crowds are pretty light.
As with any time of the year, the big name rides can be counted on to have a heftier wait time. But as long as you plan out fastpasses, you should be good.
The weather is kind of a tricky question. First of all, it's Florida, so you have to pack for any weather. Also, it is a bit relative to where you are coming from. Every time we go for the marathon, the weather ranges from about 40 something in the morning to 86 in the afternoon. But there have been years when we didn't go to run, and the temperature was a bit cooler. Sometimes the low is around 60. I'm talking too much. The point is: plan according to the weather about a week out, ALWAYS bring a jacket or coat, and wear layers. Pants are also a good thing, for just in case.
We also get out our temporary ponchos ready. These ponchos are actually big trash bags that we will put on in the morning. The bags hold the body heat in a little body heat cocoon. It’s nice and warm, relatively speaking. Beavis was brilliant enough to use TWO trash bags: one for a poncho, and one for a pair of pants. It looked a little bit like a giant diaper. But it was warm. It looks pretty funny, but it gets the job done.
Those items lay out with the other essential clothing, a light breakfast, ‘running food’ (which is not really food, strictly speaking), and room keys and stuff like that. By the time we got everything laid out, it was 9:45pm. And so we went to sleep, only to be awakened 4 hours and 45 minutes later to get ready for… the HALF MARATHON!!!
Those items lay out with the other essential clothing, a light breakfast, ‘running food’ (which is not really food, strictly speaking), and room keys and stuff like that. By the time we got everything laid out, it was 9:45pm. And so we went to sleep, only to be awakened 4 hours and 45 minutes later to get ready for… the HALF MARATHON!!!
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