Jumping, Dancing & Jamming Our Way Through Walt Disney World! I'm With the Band Now!

[Cory's Gal]

Hi Lisa! I have read a couple of your past TR so I was excited to see you started a new one! Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

I can't believe how high those floodwaters are, we had some flooding up here in MN but nothing like that! I like the idea of spotting odd things along the road and the water towers too! I will have to keep that in mind when we take car trips this summer!

So nice you are able to enjoy a wonderful family vacation all together before Lacey gets married Can't wait for the next update!

~Beth

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sounds like this will be a fun report... I'm in!

Thanks for joining in! We are a pretty fun loving family and I like to take lots of pictures so I hope I can keep you entertained.

I'm joining in. I've read bits and pieces of your other TRs and they always make me do this: . I'm sure this will be more of the same!

The way you feel about Lacey moving to Tennessee sounds like my mom. I want to go to Florida for grad school next year and she keeps freaking out that I'll be 1500 miles away.

Hunter has gotten really tall!

I'm excited to see more pictures of Caribbean Beach, it always looks so pretty.

Welcome to the latest report! I think I'm going to handle Lacey moving pretty well. She's already lived away from home for three years in Georgia so I should be okay with Knoxville. Hopefully, you'll get to go to grad school in Florida. It'd give your mom a reason to come visit.

Thanks!! We really enjoyed POFQ. Our vacatin plans are CHANGING!!!! Again. We're not going this year now. Not to Florida/Disney, anyway. We'll be taking a short trip to Virginia/Washington DC. Then next year - either May or October, haven't decided yet - we'll be making a Disney trip. And I haven't decided which resort for that! It'll either be Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs..... Trying to decide now.

My word, your plans certainly have changed. I'd love to go to Virginia/Washington DC. Lacey's been to DC and hated it but, she was working at a conference so she didn't get to see a whole lot either.

Oooh, if you go in May do you know what dates? We are going May 23rd through June 2nd. I'd love it if our dates overlapped and we could meet each other.

OK, all caught up!

I did recognize some of those other TR!! You have a very creative style -- I love it!

That is too funny about your daughter skipping school ... to go to church prayer meeting. If only that would be the worse thing our kids would do!

Love the picture of you and your DH! You both look so cute together!

I love writing and, fortunately, I have a pretty funny family so it's not hard to write about all of our adventures.

Yeah, I didn't know what in the world to do when Lacey's principal called and said she was skipping school. Then, I found out she was going to prayer meeting. You CAN'T punish a girl for that!

Can I join in?

We are staying at CBR for the first time in October and I am really excited! I saw your pictures on the CBR picture thread so I thought I would come over and join in! I caught your last trip report at the very end, so I'm glad I got in early this time.

Well of course you can join in! Believe me when I tell you that pictures do not do the CBR justice. It's so much prettier in person. What I wouldn't give to be swaying back in forth in one of those hammocks right now!

Page 5 already? OMG! Well, better late than never. Cannot wait for your 1st installment!

Welcome! As you said, better late than never. You didn't miss much anyway besides the intro.

I had really good friends growing up that were PKs and we always had fun getting them into "trouble"! LOL But like you said good honest fun....nothing criminal!!

That is really funny about Hutner too! Madison giggled all the way to the bus stop. Too cute!

John did the typical rebellious PK things like speeding tickets, having a drink or two here and there, staying out past curfew. Not bad things per se but they were definitely bad in his parents' eyes.

Hunter was smitten too! Ahhh, to be young again.

Hi Lisa! Yes! We are planning a Disney trip! We've decided to head back again next April for the F&G Festival. We're so excited...we really missed not being able to go this year. Oh and the boys are getting so big. Nick is as tall as I am and of course loving it! Noah isn't far behind either. Here's a couple pics from our quick weekend trip in April.

Oh my word! The boys have grown up so much! Isn't it amazing how they are turning from little boys into young men. Kinda makes a mama sad in a way.

I am so excited that ya'll are going back to Disney. You did see that the 2012 rates are out already didn't you. I can't believe that they released them this early. It's usually August when they come out. You simply must give me the details when you figure out where you're staying, dates, etc.

 

[jenseib]

Tomah is a little more than 2 hours southwest of me. I live in Manawa.I guess if there is something we're know for, it's the big Mid-Western Rodeo every July (first weekend). Don't tell DH, but some of those cowboys are yummy

Darn. Probably too far then. I don't think we are going, but then again, he's famous for last minute decisions. Last time we went we had a car with us as well (usually do just the truck that pulls the trailor) and Claire and I took off for the day and went over to the Mall of America. Skip thought we were crazy for driving over 2 hours to get there, but I told him we were actually probably the closest we would ever be, so we wanted to go and see it. A girl I know from a parenting board lives there and she met up with us and we spent part of the afternoon together shopping. It was a fun day and we didn't get back to Tomah till late, and Skip was sleeping. It was a really nice getaway.

 

[GrammyJudy]

I have been waiting for you trip report...can't wait to hear all about it. I am one of your biggest fans! LOVE your reports make me feel like I am there

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yeah! The drive has begun!
What a GREAT idea to put shoes in the see-thru comforter bag!! I never thought to do that....will do from now on!!!

For some reason I didn't see the updated pic of Hunter...I kept seeing readers comment on how much he has grown....WELL, I saw the pic of him in the van....OMG....he has grown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW...he's turning into a very handsome young man!

Looking forward to reading more...

When I bought my last comforter, I told John I was going to save the bag. He looked at me like I was nutso. It's perfect for putting all your shoes in and, if they happen to get dirty (or perhaps stinky) during the trip, they don't get dirt all over the rest of your stuff.

Can you believe how much Hunter has grown! The boy is now taller than me!

Looks like a great day to start a road trip! Sunny and gorgeous.

And I was thankful for that sunshine! Last year's trip was raining and I hate driving in the rain.

The drive seems to be going pretty well so far. That twisted truck looked pretty funny. I would have been nervous driving next to that.

I was giving the van the gas when I got next to the truck. I wasn't driving anywhere near that thing.

That river flooding was really something wasn't it? it was high enough near my house that it closed my husband's work for a couple weeks.

Oh my! How close are you to the Mississippi?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Great start! great idea on the van....I always wish my parents would let us use their's for the trip....although, our next trip will only be the three of us so our car will be fine as long as the luggage fits....

awesome MS river pictures, too bad you were on the outside lane but great shots from where you were! our water was no where near as high as up that way. I remember as the cruise ship was pulling out I told Danny look at St Louis Catherdral it looks like the river is as high as it's spears.

I was not used to driving Mama's van but it wasn't too bad. It did give us more leg room though.

I couldn't believe how high the Mississippi was. it was scary!

Great start!!!

Awesome idea of the water towers! That had to be fun!

As always, I love all the pictures! It makes me feel like I'm on the trip with y'all!

I wish I had more pictures of our random things but we would spot them and be past them before I could take a picture.

Great Start! That's crazy how high the Mississippi water is.

I know! I couldn't believe the water!

Great start! I LOVE road trips! Great random pictures, specially the one about the church that ran into a lighthouse.

Q

The lighthouse church looks so odd to me.

Great start! Glad to hear you were able to get out of work a bit early and there were clear skies!

I was happy to leave work early even if it wasn't super early. I'll take any extra time I can get.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Great start! That must have been so crazy to see the water so high! I'm glad to see you had clear skies so far for your road trip!

(oh, and I'm totally the person in the car breaking into the snacks while still in the driveway. One time my friends and I were driving home for a few hours, and I kept complaining that I was hungry. Hungreeeeee.

And so forth.

It wasn't until a long time of this (no my friends aren't cruel, we were just not passing any restaurants for awhile) that someone FINALLY remembered that we had chips and snacks in the car. That were conveniently located under my seat. And had been for all that time )

We usually take bets on how quickly Hunter will take out: 1) the DVD player and, 2) the snacks.

There's something about knowing there are snacks in the car that make you suddenly hungry.

WOW, Hunter has for sure grown alot since last year! What a nice start for your trip. I love all the random photos.
Anyone for a road trip, Lisa sure makes it look like fun!

I know! He's growing like a weed! I try to make the drive as fun as possible. Of course, most of my group was asleep while I was driving but that was okay too.

I can't believe how high those waters were. I've seen some pretty bad floods, but that's crazy right there, wow! Luckily you weren't there when it happened. Anyways, I love the little half EPCOT ball you saw, so awesome you found something like that And the spilled paint can was pretty awesome as well. The things you can find on long driving trips. I think its great you get photos. Hopefully those photos are just as good as the photos you took in Disney Can't wait to see what else you found on the road trip!

I simply could not believe the flood waters. And, they had gone down some! I love looking for all those random things. It makes the drive so much more fun.

What a great idea to take pictures of water towers. I always plan to do things like that and then I end up forgetting.

Yeah, I sometimes forgot too or we'd already be past one before I'd remember.

It's crazy how high the water is in that picture.

Seeing John all stretched out in the back seat made me think of something that's bothering me. DH's DD (12) likes to sit in the middle of the back seat. When she's tired, she'll lie die on her side to sleep, so her head is on the seat close to the door. I hate it when she does that, as I'm always afraid that if we get hit sideways her head will take the brunt of the impact. (I was into a car accident 3 years ago and that's exactly where we got hit). Is it just me being an over-protective (step-)mother or do I have a reason to be worried?

I remember when we were kids and my parents wouldn't even let me lean against the car door. They always told me it wasn't safe because it could come open. So, I am like you. I wouldn't like it too much if her head was that close to the door.

My first trip we took my Mom's Chevy Lumina minivan and drove through the night, starting at 10pm. I had the back seats and my younger sisters had the middle bench. My youngest sister (named Lisa ) couldn't sleep so she talked the entire way down. None of us got a minute of sleep.

I love the pictures! The Mississippi River definitely looks high! I have only seen it once, and it was further north (I don't remember which state), but that looks very high. And I like the different shots of odd things, that is something I would definitely do. In fact, I'm driving from MD to Utah this October (over 3 days) and will probably do just that

We are all chatterboxes too. Well, at least everybody but John. He talks but only when it's a subject that's interesting to him. Most of the drive, he was catching up on his sleep.

You definitely need to look for odd/random things while driving. It's amazing what kind of stuff is out there.

Yay, so happy you started. You are kind of maiking me want to go on a road trip. I haven't been on anything very far lately...but of course once we did go, I would complain the drive is too long. LOL!
I keep hinting to Skip to go to Wisconsin for a tractor pull, but he keeps saying no, so I guess we aren't. But that usually is a fun trip.
I love the water tower idea. That sound like a fun way to pass the time.

I really don't mind road trips at all. Even though we live in a semi-large city, there's nothing to do besides shop, eat and go to the movies. So, if we want to do anything, we have to drive at least two or three hours to get there.

 

[Bridora]

And, a few pictures of the crops and the irrigation system they use:

Growing up out in the country, we passed many fields and farms that used those for irrigation. My brother was always afraid of them and called them the monsters. They were pretty creepy looking, especially lit up at night!

Great start on your trip report! I can't wait to read more and figure out why we didn't see each other...

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hi Lisa,
Great start! I love the pictures of the luggage/snacks ready for loading into the van - it's exciting to me when we pack up our car to go to WDW, after all the months of planning and counting down the days it's finally time to go! I also enjoy all your random road trip pictures - it does make it seem like I'm really along for the ride with your fun family. You are making me excited for our upcoming trip!

I'm so glad you got to take one last trip with Lacey before she gets married - maybe on an upcoming trip you'll have to request 3 rooms connecting/close together. One for you, John and Hunter, one for Lacey and Jesse and one for Mama.

I am all about pictures and I love it when somebody else appreciates them along with me.

I mentioned to Hunter one day that this was our last trip to Disney with Lacey. He immediately said "No it's not. Jesse can come too."

I love a van for a road trip! Much more comfy for five people than a sedan. I just got rid of my old van, though. We'll have to see how our next road trip goes -- four people in a Subaru Outback!

We have a Taurus and you'd think there's not a lot of room in it but there is. Especially in the trunk. I could fit a refrigerator in there. LOL! However, I didn't want to cram 5 people in my car so the van worked out well.

My father was a semi driver and without talking to him I can tell you that that trailer is actually legal. The company would have inspected it and the truck weigh stations would have inspected it. The only drawback is that they cannot haul anything in it. They were probably transporting it to get it fixed. Great start to the trip by the way.

That's scary! I certainly didn't want to drive anywhere near it and passed it as quickly as I could.

Great update! Hunter has grown so much in a year! I love your photos of the random things & all of the water towers. I have to say- I love your reports of the drive as much as the reports in Disney!

Aww, that's nice. I had to take pictures of something during the long drive.

Great Start! I love all the pics of random items you found along the road. What a great way to keep busy on a long road trip.

You know, you can only talk about so much while on the road for so long. Finding those random things helped perk up the conversation.

Yay!!! You've started. Something good to do with my time until we leave for our Disneyland (oh, sorry, I guess it's supposed to be a Southern CA vacation) vacation.

Welcome! We've talked about going to Disneyland and I even bought a guidebook or two. Are you planning on doing a trip report when you get back?

I'm so glad your trip started with some sunshine after last year's rain. How nice that your kids helped so much with the getting ready to go process...I wish mine were so helpful! Maybe someday!

I love all the water tower pics. What a great idea!

LOL.....5 minutes into the trip John is sleeping! When is his phone going to ring??

Lacey and Hunter were a great help getting all of the little things done at the house. Lacey is definitely a hard worker. You can give her any task and she'll get it done. Hunter, on the other hand, has to be told a few times before he'll get up and do it.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at John's resting and telephone habits this trip.

I meant to mention a little tidbit of info you may or may not know: you passed through Start, LA where Tim McGraw is from but you also passed through Star, MS where Faith Hill is from. It is just south of the Richland/Florence area on HWY49. The only thing really marking Star is a convenience store and a red light.

We have a friend from Rayville that grew up with Tim. She goes to the fundraiser every year and we keep saying we are going to go but have yet to make it. She gets back stage....I really need to make that effort to go!!

I tried getting a picture of the Star, Mississippi sign because I knew that's where Faith is from. I also wanted to take one in Magee since that's where Gerald McRaney is from.

Oh honey, you've GOT to go to Rayville and Tim's fundraiser. I would jump on that chance in a heartbeat and I'm not even a super big fan of his.

Hi Lisa! I have read a couple of your past TR so I was excited to see you started a new one! Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

I can't believe how high those floodwaters are, we had some flooding up here in MN but nothing like that! I like the idea of spotting odd things along the road and the water towers too! I will have to keep that in mind when we take car trips this summer!

So nice you are able to enjoy a wonderful family vacation all together before Lacey gets married Can't wait for the next update!

~Beth

Welcome Beth! The flood water was astounding to me and I can only imagine how the local residents felt.

It was so nice to spend quality time together as a family because I know that we won't see Lacey much once she moves to Knoxville. I see lots of trips to Tennessee in my future.

I have been waiting for you trip report...can't wait to hear all about it. I am one of your biggest fans! LOVE your reports make me feel like I am there

Hey there and welcome! I hope I can keep you entertained with my family's antics.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Growing up out in the country, we passed many fields and farms that used those for irrigation. My brother was always afraid of them and called them the monsters. They were pretty creepy looking, especially lit up at night!

Great start on your trip report! I can't wait to read more and figure out why we didn't see each other...

I can see how he would have thought they were monsters/aliens. Like I said, I looked for ya'll all over the place. Are ya'll going back next May? We've already set the dates: May 23rd to June 2nd.

 

[ddstratton]

We have a Taurus and you'd think there's not a lot of room in it but there is. Especially in the trunk. I could fit a refrigerator in there. LOL! However, I didn't want to cram 5 people in my car so the van worked out well.

We had a Taurus, too! We drove it on one of our Smokey Mountain vacations, with the four of us. We had enough space. I think the trunk on that was larger than the trunk/hatchback area on my Outback! If we end up going in May, we might overlap a few days! I'm not sure if it'll be May or October, though. DH and I both have birthdays near the end of October...

 

[mickeystoontown]

We had a Taurus, too! We drove it on one of our Smokey Mountain vacations, with the four of us. We had enough space. I think the trunk on that was larger than the trunk/hatchback area on my Outback! If we end up going in May, we might overlap a few days! I'm not sure if it'll be May or October, though. DH and I both have birthdays near the end of October...

I am always amazed at how much we can get in my trunk. And, really, we have a pretty good bit of leg room in the car too.

You'll have to keep me updated on your plans.

 

[Woth2982]

Loving the start of your report! I love taking road trips with my friends. We don't take a lot of pictures on the road for whatever reason, so I am loving all your road photos!

 

[Marshay]

All caught up! Love the pics of 'kooky' things along the way!

That water was high-- the barges seemed nearly even with the bridge (ok, not really but I can tell)

Also, like the way you escorted the client out the door so he wouldn't stay to talk! You got a vacation to do!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Loving the start of your report! I love taking road trips with my friends. We don't take a lot of pictures on the road for whatever reason, so I am loving all your road photos!

Thank you so much! I have my camera with me 75% of the time because I love taking pictures.

All caught up! Love the pics of 'kooky' things along the way!

That water was high-- the barges seemed nearly even with the bridge (ok, not really but I can tell)

Also, like the way you escorted the client out the door so he wouldn't stay to talk! You got a vacation to do!!

The water was extremely high and it was super scary. I can't imagine what the residents of Vicksburg were feeling.

Oh yeah, the client was one who would have stayed and talked if I had them him. I had a vacation to start so I was gently nudging him out the door.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Once we had filled our tummies and our gas tank, we hit the road again and, at 10:35 p.m., we were in Mobile, Alabama, home of my friend, Dana (a/k/a racefanof88). As we approached the city, I tried taking a few pictures of the buildings but this is how they turned out:

Yeah, not so good. Fortunately, my tunnel pictures turned out better:

Being the dorkarama that I am, I had to blow the horn and the kids, being dorkarama offspring, held their breath. Yeee haw! It's country come to town! Seriously, we weren't that bad. I mean, we have been to the bright lights and big city and have even swum in a cement pond before. (And, yes, I know there is no such word as swum just thought it'd bring out a laugh or two.)

Workers in the tunnel:

Ooops, sorry Mr. Workermen, I hope I didn't blow out your eardrums with my horn honking.

As we drove across the water and on towards Pensacola, Florida, John and I talked about how badly damaged the bridges were after Katrina. It was horrible. When we went to Disney that trip, they were rebuilding/repairing the bridges and they were almost nothing but metal and pilings. When we drove across them, your car kinda wobbled back and forth. It was a bit unnerving.

We were approaching Pensacola, Florida and we quickly took a poll. Should we stop in Pensacola or go on to Crestview? Everybody voted to go to Crestview so we continued on. It was 12:44 a.m., when we pulled into the Jameson Inn in Crestview, Florida. I know because I have my handy dandy notebook with me and that's what I wrote down.

John and Mama went in to get rooms while the rest of us waiting in the van and started gathering up all the stuff that had somehow gotten strewn around. They came out a few minutes later and we had rooms beside each other and they were $86.00 each. We got a AAA discount and Mama got a Senior discount. John can always get them to lower the price somehow so that's why I always send him in to do the sweet talking.

Because we knew that we would be staying somewhere overnight, we had packed an overnight bag so that we wouldn't have to unload everything. Smart thinking huh! What? Ya'll do the same thing? Heck, I thought I was being smart.

Anyway, we get to our rooms and Lacey decided she'd sleep in Mama's room. Even though we were all tired, I was of a sane enough mind to remember to take pictures of the room. Who am I kidding? I would have been taking pictures even if they had drug me into the room and laid me down on the bed because I was so tired.

Room pictures:

More pictures. See I told you we were tired. Just look at our drooping eyelids and sagging shoulders. It was now after 1:00 a.m. for goodness sakes!

Mama asked what time we wanted to get up and I said I had no idea. I didn't want to get up too early but I also didn't want to get up late. I think we finally decided on 7:30 a.m. Lacey and Mama went off to their room and John, Hunter and I fell into bed. With the television playing of course. I don't know why we always do that but we do.

The next morning, we all went down to the continental breakfast to see what was offered. They had three or four types of cereal (all sugar free of course so Hunter didn't want any), bagels, bread, biscuits, sausage gravy, bananas, oranges, apples, waffles, milk, orange juice and apple juice. We made ourselves toast, waffles and warmed biscuits. It was okay. Nothing spectacular but it filled us up. While we were eating, we saw a USA Today newspaper and I looked to see who had won Dancing With The Stars. Even though we knew she wouldn't win, we were rooting for Kirstie Alley.

We finished up our breakfast and went back upstairs to get our bags. John and Mama turned in our room keys while Lacey and I started putting our stuff back into the van.

*** Continued in next post


[/IMG]

 

[mickeystoontown]

The Jameson Inn:

I looked down and saw a penny on the ground. I have a knack for finding change on the ground and my family is always amazed when I find it. It's not like I am staring at the ground/floor constantly but I somehow find coins anyway.

When John and Mama got to the van, Lacey and Hunter told them I had found a penny and we declared that to mean we would have good luck the rest of the trip.


We were back on the road at 8:54 a.m. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping and we were itching. Itching to get to Walt Disney World! We hit the interstate and didn't stop until somebody, probably me , had to make a pit stop.

The rest areas in Florida are always so nice and clean. And, a lot of them have security which is an added bonus.

Wait, I forgot something. When we were getting out of the van, Mama reached down to get her purse and said "the floor's wet". I felt of the carpet too and it was a little damp. Not overly so but it was definitely wet. Oh crap! I tried to play it off as if it were nothing. John said it could have been that the air conditioning was dripping because it was so hot outside. We had that happen in one of our other cars so we hoped that was what this was.

On with the pictures. Mama holding her wet-on-the-bottom purse:

Despite the fact that we hadn't gone very far, (See this YOU ARE HERE map....Crestview, is waaaaay over to the left and we are at the arrow) it felt good to get out and walk around.

What's a Mickeystoontown trip report without a picture of John on the phone?

He was checking in with his brother. I can't remember the details but I do remember that they had gone to Florida a day or two before us and they had run into severe storms. Storms so bad that they had to pull off the interstate and wait for the hail storm to pass. He chatted with him while we stretched our legs.

I'm not real good at standing still so I walked around to see what was in the news stands and found this:

And 15 cents in change lying on top of the machine.

It was time to load up and start driving again. The kids were goofing off as usual.

As we drove along, I continued my search for water towers. This one says something or other Park (I think..or does it say something or other Beach?):

This one does say something or other Distribution Park:

Hunter acting silly.....too bad most of his face is too shaded to see. He was probably making some sort of weird face:

Here's a tower with a weather station advertisement on it:

Looks like we were entering Madison County about this time:

**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

Remember me talking about the water on the floor? Well, we were now noticing that it was getting a bit hot in the van. I turned the air up a notch and the air didn't seem very cool to me. I thought it was because Mama's van windshield is bigger and the sun was beaming down.

We continued on and saw some crops growing in the fields:

Finally, we made it to Live Oak and were ready to start our way down Florida. Up until now, we were going across Florida.

I think I am remembering correctly that we stopped somewhere along this part of the drive for lunch and to get gas. My notes say we stopped at 12:00 Noon but they don't say where. Once we had eaten and topped off the tank, we were back on the road and the van seemed to be getting hotter and hotter inside. The air was a blowin' but it wasn't a coolin'!

We drove with the air on full blast and we were sweating. John was in the back with his shirt off. Hunter was wiping his upper lip. Lacey had her shirt tucked under. Both my back and Mama's back were sticking to the seat. This wasn't going to work! About 2:30 p.m. or so, we started looking for a air conditioning repair shop. There was no way we could drive the rest of the way with little to no air. The air that was blowing now was just that AIR. Not cool air. I guess I should say that I was actually 3:30 p.m. because our clock was still on Louisiana time, not Florida time. We still had at least two hours of driving ahead of us and we were scared the shops would be closing soon. We had to find something fast or suffer the rest of the way there.

Anyway, after driving a little while and not seeing any repair shops, Mama spotted one up on a little hill off to the left side. We were driving along a four lane divided highway so we had to go on a little and then turn back around. The repair shop was advertising an air conditioning check on their sign outside. This was a good sign! John and Mama went in while we waited outside with the van and all of our stuff. A lady came out and wrote down the VIN and other information on the van door. She said they were going to work us in. Yay!

It was 3:10 p.m. (4:10 p.m. Florida time) when we pulled in. The people there were very friendly and so helpful. They said that there was a place by some valve that was leaking and they tightened it up and were going to recharge the air conditioner with freon. I got one of their business card and told them that I was going to give them glowing reviews on the Disboards. (Ummm, I need to find the card so I can give everybody their name and address.) They had the van fixed and we were on the road at.......get this...3:35 p.m. (4:35 p.m. Florida time). Can you believe that?

Oh my gosh! We had air conditioning again and it was downright frosty in the van now. The last leg of the trip passed by fairly quickly.

The Citrus Tower and a museum which I think is called the President's Museum (but I could be wrong about the name):

Look at all these houses built so closely together:

Giant ice cream cone:

This fruit stand is pretty unique. It's a pick-it-yourself stand. They take you out in the orchards in this giant truck so you can pick the oranges yourself:

Notice the big shark in the picture? I don't know how that fits in with picking your own fruit but it's there nevertheless.

Finally, finally, we saw a sign saying Disney World exit 1 mile:

I can't believe that I didn't take any picture of the wild and wacky buildings on Hwy. 192. I was probably still feeling blissful from the sweet cold air and knowing we were almost to Disney.

Before long, we were seeing these signs:

And, this, one of the most beautiful sites I had seen so far:

More pictures as we continued on down World Drive:

And, then, TA-DA! We were turning into the Caribbean Beach Resort and telling the guard at the guard station our names. She directed us to the Custom House.

Sweet Mother of Pearl, we were home!

**Up next: Checking in and getting settled

 

[hcoker1]

Thanks for sharing your trip with all of us, I'm really enjoying reading about your driving adventures and can't wait to see how the rest of the trip goes.


I think I've managed to convince DH that we we should go back to the World next March Break and he says that as long as we've saved, okay. YEAH!

 

[TinksThree]

We had air issues about the same place on the way home...but we did nto have to stop. Thank goodness! It was hot when it started acting all kooky on us!!

Just reading about your drive down makes me want to hop into the car right now!!!