Doing WDW on my own again, a February 2012 PTR

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 13 FRIDAY OCTOBER 28TH, PART 3​

KANSAS DRIVING, OR AS MUCH AS I CAN DRIVE WITH ALL THIS ROADWORK!​

After crossing over the Kansas border I came across the first town, whose name was amusing to me.

I was able to drive for a while straight thru, snapping pics of the plains as I drove.

Can anyone guess what this is a picture of?

That is part of a wind mill! I don't know the term for it, but that is the piece at the top where the actually blades come from.

And then it came, the road work. Okay, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but it went on for miles at a time.

I don't know if you can see, but the little sign on the second picture shows that it was 2 way traffic for the next 8 miles. It was like that for about the next 100 miles. It would be 8-10 miles of 2 way traffic (one lane each way) driving on the West bound side as the East bound lanes were being worked on. Then going back to the East bound side for about 2 miles just to run into more roadwork and going back to two-way. Thankfully the traffic wasn't too bad, so we were moving the whole time at about 40 mph.

In between the roadwork I once again saw the wind mills I had seen on the drive west.

And, of course, COWS!

Around 5pm I stopped in Salina for lunch and gas, at the same place. There was a Pizza Hut in the gas station, so I grabbed an individual pizza (and took a potty break!) while I filled up my tank.

And then, more roadwork.

This time it only lasted a bit though before I had clear roads for the rest of the day.

The Russell Stover plant in Kansas.

The sun started to set around 6:30pm.

I drove a bit further, stopping in Topeka for the night, at their Super 8. If not for the last night's stay, this would have been the worst. This room was about as dirty as the prior night, but not as dirty. I think it was a little cheaper, and no one was rude to me, though I can't remember anyone being overly friendly either. I did get some more sleep that night than the previous night at least.

UP NEXT: MISSOURI AND THE NIGHTMARE THAT WAS ST. LOUIS

 

[mickeystoontown]

Girl, you put some serious miles behind you that day! And, the weather changes were crazy too.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Girl, you put some serious miles behind you that day! And, the weather changes were crazy too.

Yes I did! It was rather crazy with the weather. I left at 33 degrees, went down to 14 degrees with snow and ice all over the place, and wound up at 50 degrees and sunny.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Sorry about being absent. I keep forgetting to upload the last 2 days of the roadtrip to Photobucket, so I can't do any updates. I set myself a reminder on my cell so I won't forget it tonight, and can get the last 2 days of the trip and a recap up soon. I want to get a Disney update up with my plans, but am trying to get this Mini-TR done with first. I promise I will have another update up by tomorrow, and hopefully the Mini-TR done by the week's end!

Hope everyone has been having a good week!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Double Post

 

[aprilisis]

I'm really loving your photos! I can't wait to see more.
You'll be in WDW before you know it, too!!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 14 SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH​

MISSOURI AND THE LOVELY DRIVE BEFORE THE NIGHTMARE THAT WAS ST. LOUIS
​

I woke around 6am that morning and got on the road. The sun was starting to rise as I drove toward Kansas City, which only took about 30 minutes.

Soon I was crossing into Missouri! Three states down, six more to get through before I was in Maryland.

I hit road work early that day, but it didn't last long that time. But rest assured, it would be worse later that day.

I hit a little more roadwork about an hour in, but it was once again a short stretch and then over.

I soon had to stop for a potty break and to get a drink from the vending machine.

This rest stop had a very....interesting sink set up. See for yourself.

I have seen sensored sinks many times, but never one that looked like that and was built into the wall. To be honest it almost looked like I went in the men's room by accident, if you know what I mean!

I soon came to the first time I would drive over the Missouri River, and was able to get some good shots this time.

One thing I noticed in Missouri was the large amounts of billboards, grouped together.

It was interesting because there would be no billboards at all for miles, and then a ton all together, then nothing again! I continued driving on until lunch.

This isn't where I stopped for lunch, but I found it funny that Panera Bread is called St. Louis Bread Co. in Missouri.

I stopped for lunch in Lake Saint Louise, at the Hardees. I hadn't eaten at a Hardees in years, despite having many around me. I was getting sick of everywhere else by then though, so I figured I'd give them a try. The chicken sandwich wasn't bad actually.

UP NEXT: DRIVING IN CIRCLES IN ST LOUIS

 

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 14 SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH, PART 2​

DRIVING IN CIRCLES IN ST LOUIS ​

I soon made it to the outskirts of St. Louis, unaware of the torture that was to come.

My first mistake was to listen to my GPS when it tried to send me off Route 70 and onto the ML King Bridge to cross the Mississippi. It wasn't moving once I got down the ramp, but at first I thought that was because of the light at the bottom. Then I saw this:

Yup, it was closed off and there were people coming from 3 directions being sent down tiny side streets to try to find their way back to Route 70. Not only that, but the way that my GPS was trying to send me to get back on 70 East was closed due to roadwork! I wound up driving all around the city for an hour, having no idea where I was, with my GPS trying to send me down roads that were all closed. I did get some good shots of the city though!

I finally made it to 70 West, had to go back 3 exits and get off, then loop around and get back on 70 East, ignoring my GPS this time. Of course, everyone else was also forced to go this way, so it took me a total of 2 hours from the time I noticed the cops closing MLK Bridge until I finally made it across the Mississippi River.

I finally made it into Illinois, in a bad mood and desperately needing to stop for a potty break!

Thankfully it only took me about 10 minutes to get to that rest stop and then I got back on the road, trying to make up some of the lost time.

Interestingly, Illinois was where I finally was able to get a picture of some Bison!

The blue sky was able to lift my mood some, though it didn't last long, as I ran into more....

Once again though, it was only for about 3 miles and then over for the rest of Illinois.

I soon crossed into Indiana, with another 2 states behind me already that day.

UP NEXT: ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 14 SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH, PART 3​

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!​

I barely made it into Indiana when I hit road work. Only this time, it was most of the state. For 2 hours I would go slowly through 10 miles of roadwork, then fly for 2 miles, only to hit another 10 miles of roadwork. You can see the large amount of backed up traffic in some of the pictures. It did that all the way across the state, until Indianapolis, which is almost at the Ohio border. Just looking at the pictures makes me frustrated again, so I'm going to let them speak for themselves.

I stopped at Arby's for dinner just before Indianapolis, after the roadwork had (mostly) ended.

As I approached Indianapolis, I passed the airport.

And then the city.

There was a little road work around the city, but it didn't slow traffic much.

And I was able to fly the rest of the way through Indiana and into Ohio.

The sun was starting to set, and I had been hoping to be at least halfway through Ohio at that point, but I was barely a few miles in due to all the delays.

I drove an extra hour to try to make up some of the time, before finally stopping in Zanesville. Here's I had the nicest hotel stay of the whole drive, both there and back, but also the most expensive. Like a good Diser, I took several pictures of the room before crashing for the night.

NEXT TIME: HOLY FOG BATMAN!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was a little crazy, but alright. I'm doing a happy dance today though, because in about 2.5 weeks I will be on my way to WDW!

I should be back tonight to do the last day of my Mini-TR, and maybe the recap too, though that may be held off until tomorrow, depending on time! Hope you all have a good Monday.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 15 SUNDAY OCTOBER 30TH​

HOLY FOG BATMAN! ​

I'm sure you can guess from the title that there was a VERY thick fog when I woke up that morning. It was so bad you couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of you in some places, which was going to make driving fun. NOT! I stopped at the McDonalds in Zanesville for breakfast, and then tried to make it out of town to get back on Route 70 E. I say try, because it was slow going due to the reduced visibility.

Every half hour or so it would start to clear up some to where you could see down the road.

But then, it would get foggy again. I'm sure it was because I was on the edge of the Appalachians, and the altitude was changing as I drove, but it was annoying! Especially when I hit closed lanes (due to roadwork not being done in the fog!) and could barely see.

I don't remember exactly what the temperature was, and I didn't take a picture of my car's thermostat, but it was definitely below freezing. I know that because the fog was freezing itself on parts of my car as I went through it! You can see some of the ice that formed on my side mirror here:

There was no rain, sleet, etc falling, that was just the condensation from the fog freezing onto my car. Kinda scary not that I think about it.

After a few hours I crossed a bridge and was in West Virginia.

Morgantown, WV, or at least the best pic I could get as I drove past!

It really cleared up again as I drove into WV, but didn't last long. I was only in WV about 10-12 minutes before I crossed into Pennsylvania.

As you can see, there was a lot of snow on the ground, which is crazy for PA (and MD!) in October. I bet April remembers that storm, as I know it hit MA too. Soon after crossing into PA the fog returned.

As it had in Ohio, it would occasionally clear up, only to get foggy again a few miles later.

This is not a good picture at all, but was a horrible sight. It was foggy so I didn't realize what had happened until I was passing it, but you can kind of see a bridge in my side mirror. I don't know exactly what happened, but one of those things that looks like a bridge pylon/support (the large one, right of the truck with yellow lights) is actually a dump truck. It looked like it just went over the bridge (probably due to the fog/snow) and landed straight down, cab first and was standing straight up in the air. I can't imagine the driver survived with how smashed down it was, but I pray they did.

After that the sky cleared pretty much completely up, so I was able to get some great shots of the PA landscape covered in snow.

The sky!

And more beautiful landscapes.

UP NEXT: MAKING IT HOME!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 15 SUNDAY OCTOBER 30TH, PART 2​

MAKING IT HOME!​

Right around this time I entered the PA Turnpike, though I don't remember exactly where it happened. I didn't get to see much in PA on the way out to Utah, since it was around 3am-5:30am as I drove through, and dark out. So, I was a little surprised to see Wind Turbines on a ridge!

Then I went throught the Alleghany Tunnel again.

And cows! One of the only constants through the drive cross-country is there were always cows to be seen!

By this time I really had to stop for gas, a potty break and lunch! It was around noon, and I had wanted to stop for a little bit, but the first 2 service centers on the turnpike were closed for remodelling. I was not getting off at an exit, as it would have cost me anywhere from $10-25 in fees, and I'd still have to pay the $7.50 I had to pay no matter what to get off the turnpike. I finally found a service center open, and stopped, along with everyone else who was on the road!

After a potty break I decided to eat at the Sbarros inside, since nothing else seemed appetizing. I got a slice of cheese pizza and a drink, and then left.

There were no tables since everyone had to stop there, so I just ate in my car and then filled my gas tank before getting back on 70. Shortly after that the turnpike ended and I paid my $7.50.

Right after you pay to get off the turnpike you are forced to drive two blocks through a town that exists only to try to get the tourists to eat, fill up their gas or sleep there. Then you can get back on Route 70 East.

I got a few more pictures, and went through more roadwork before making it into Maryland!

There was snow in Western Maryland too, though it was less than Pennsylvania. It slowly reduced down to no snow though as I got out of the mountains and back down in altitude.

Going under the Appalachian Trail.

I finally got off of Route 70 around 1:15pm and got onto the highway that would take me to my town.

Finally around 2pm I got off the highway and onto the road that I love off of, in my hometown! This is the last picture I took, waiting at the last light on my drive, about a mile from my house.

I made it home, unpacked my car, unpacked all my clothes and started laundry. It took me most of the day to get everything unpacked and organized. Oh, and of course spent lots of time with Phoenix and the cats, who all were very happy to see me!

NEXT TIME: RECAP

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh my goodness! The fog was intense. I bet your knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel. I do NOT like driving when it's that foggy.

The pictures of the drive were gorgeous as always. I love looking at all the different States through pictures.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Oh my goodness! The fog was intense. I bet your knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel. I do NOT like driving when it's that foggy.

The pictures of the drive were gorgeous as always. I love looking at all the different States through pictures.

I was pretty scared. I was terrified that at any moment a deer or broken down car could be in the lane and I wouldn't have time to stop once I saw it.

It was amazing to see the country change as I drove across it. Pictures can't do it justice really.

 

[KatMark]

Here; will try to read before I head to airport.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Here; will try to read before I head to airport.

Glad you made it over. I hope you have a fantastic time in WDW

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Kinda Disney Update:
On Saturday I was in the Disney Store at my local mall getting a couple more shirts for my upcoming trip banana and noticed that Lady and the Tramp is being re-released on February 7th. I pre-ordered it, since I don't already have it for some reason. It came with 4 large lithographs and a couple of coupons I can use while in WDW. So, I'm happy with that purchase


Actual Disney Update:
I am ready to burst! These next 2 weeks need to fly by, cause I am ready to be in WDW NOW! Then that week I'm there needs to go by very slow. I have all my plans laid out for each day, and I will probably be back tomorrow to start laying those out.


Real Life Update:
I'm hoping to get the Recap for my Utah trip up tonight. I tried last night, but my Mom had an allergic reaction to a medication and was taken to the hospital, so I wound up in the emergency room waiting room half the night instead. She is just fine and was released early this morning and is home doing fine, but I obviously couldn't get the update up after that, I just went to bed. And today my work computer is being weird, so I don't want to try to get Photobucket, the DIS AND my computer all to co-operate.

 

[mickeystoontown]

First off, glad to hear that your mother's reaction to the medication wasn't so bad that they had to admit her. I know that you were scared for her though as any good daughter would be.

Second, yay for ordering Lady & The Tramp and getting goodies to go with it! I so wish we still had a Disney Store in our mall. I miss it so!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

First off, glad to hear that your mother's reaction to the medication wasn't so bad that they had to admit her. I know that you were scared for her though as any good daughter would be.

Second, yay for ordering Lady & The Tramp and getting goodies to go with it! I so wish we still had a Disney Store in our mall. I miss it so!

My Mom has reactions to a lot of meds, so I wasn't surprised when my Dad called me, and this was actually one of the lesser reactions. She did suddenly pass out though, and took several minutes to wake up, so they wanted her to get checked at the hospital to be safe. They wound up just taking blood to test (which came back fine), giving a bag of fluids and some pills that would absorb the remaining meds in her system so she wouldn't have any further reactions. When I talked to her a few hours ago she said she was tired, as she had trouble falling asleep after leaving, and was still a little itchy, but otherwise felt fine.

There are 3 malls within 30 minutes of my house. All 3 used to have Disney Stores, but only one does now. That mall is very popular though, and the Disney Store is always PACKED when I'm there. So I'm optimistic it will stay open.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

RECAP, PART 1​

I'm going to start this recap with some of my favorite pictures from the drive there and back.

Sunrise in Ohio, October 16th

The Sky in Missouri, October 16th

Wind Turbines and Cow, Kansas, October 17th

My first view of the Rockies, Colorado, October 17th

My first sighting of snow, Colorado, October 17th

Snowy Rockies shot, Colorado, October 17th

Colorado Plateau, Colorado, October 18th

Driving View, Utah, October 18th

Welcome Center at BFAS, October 18th

Disney Barn at BFAS, October 19th

Angels Rest at BFAS, October 19th

Wheezey at BFAS, October 19th

Natural Tunnel on the way to Bryce Canyon National Park, October 20th

Hogs Back, Bryce Canyon National Park, October 20th

Bryce Canyon HooDoos, October 20th

Sprocket on our sleepover, October 20th

Wild Turkeys at BFAS, October 21st

Dixie and I at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, October 22nd

Caves in Angel Canyon, October 24th

Chipmunk at Zion National Park, October 25th

Zion National Park, October 25th

Deer outside Zion, October 25th

Windchimes at Angels Rest, October 26th

Piute State Park, Utah, October 27th

Utah, October 27th

UP NEXT: MORE RECAP