DIS Dads Rocky Mountain Highs (a non-Disney Trip Report) - COMPLETE 2/17

[afwdwfan]

We were on a mission from God.

Blues Brothers!

Oh wait, that was like 2 TR's ago.

Carry on!

That photo is the sole reason we tend to favor the Holiday Inn Express when traveling. Mmmm…cinnamon rolls. So good! And so good for you!

I still think you need to take a whole tray and have them for lunch sometime instead of PB&J.

I mean, just think about it. If you had a tray of those things sitting in the van on a 104 degree day, it would be like they came right out of the oven!

And when I say half full, I mean the entire paved parking area was full. The overflow dirt/gravel parking area was still available.

Well, at least you could park somewhere. We went to Smoky Mountain National Park this summer and thought we actually had a good early start on the day for a trail we wanted to hike. We ended up parking along the side of the road near a drop off in an area that wasn't even intended for parking.

The good news??? We were still parked about a mile closer than a lot of cars along the side of the road when we left.

See those little dots on the rock face? Those are hikers on the trail. To see Delicate Arch up close, you have to climb that rock wall. That’s all there is to it. There’s no shade, no level spots on the trail to give you a break beyond the first quarter-mile or so.

They just need to make that parking lot a little closer. You could park a lot of cars on that rock face.

Why would I do that? Well, I have certain responsibilities as an American father. I have to teach my kids how to throw and catch a baseball, for example. I have to teach them how to mow the lawn, change a tire on a car, belch on cue, improve any food with bacon and cheese, fix things with duct tape and/or WD-40, ignore piles of clothing on the floor, and the pull-my-finger trick. Among those responsibilities is the need to teach my kids how to ambush people on a lonely trail. You know, in case bad guys are following you. Or maybe it’s someone you know, and you happen to have a filled-to-the-brim Super Soaker. Those types of situations.

The important things.

So, I needed to start Drew’s training, and there was no time like the present. We would disappear around a corner, wait for the kids to catch up, and then jump out with fingers blazing. After a few tries, Baby Drew proved to be a natural. He would point his index fingers at his brothers and sister and say, “Pchew, pchew!”

He can do that, but he can't walk up a rock face?

When you reach the top of the rock face, the trail narrows. Near the end, you have to walk along a ledge with a not-insignificant drop-off to one side. Julie wasn’t a fan of that and instructed everyone to hug the inside of the wall to our right. The rest of us, naturally, thought it was awesome.

You've got to drop a pebble off the side and see how long it falls.

Yet when I see a sight like this, I can’t help but think that there’s more to it than just geology and random chance. This looks like it was designed by a master artist to me.

There, that’s more like it. Oh, but wait—the focus is—


Sigh. Never mind.

You guys just have no luck with random people taking pictures.

When our turn came, I sent the kids out. Scotty was nervous, but Sarah held his hand the whole way. How many kids do you think get the chance to do this?

Cool pictures!

It was a group of Japanese women, suddenly surrounding me and Baby Drew. They were chattering and laughing and shouting to each other…and taking hundreds of photos of us. My initial read on this situation was that they obviously had never encountered such a devastatingly handsome man as me, and were overcome by my rugged good looks. But another, more accurate read would say they probably rarely encountered blond-haired, blue-eyed babies and thought Drew was the cutest thing ever. Or maybe baby backpacks were rare in Japan. I have no idea. I stood awkwardly and gave kind of a half wave for the photos. Drew sucked on his sippy cup and seemed nonplussed. Whatever that was, please let me know if you ever go to Japan and see products being endorsed by the local celebrities, Blond Angel Baby and Man Beaten With Ugly Stick. I will need to direct my attorney to sue for royalties.

Makes me think of this...

At the bottom of the trail, within that first quarter mile, there’s a side trail you can take to see petroglyphs, or as we like to call it: ancient graffiti. Being the completists we are, we took the side trail. You’re welcome.

I'm glad you made the effort to see this. That's pretty cool too. Maybe not quite as awesome as the arch, but still impressive.

All I know is: I make crude drawings of stick figures on a horse on these rocks, and I get arrested. Other people do it, and it’s preserved as a historic treasure. I hate double standards.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I am stopping by to say I have an update done!!!!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I am stopping by to say I have an update done!!!!

Then I guess I'd better get over there!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hit it.

+1

This is a truism.
I live by this rule... as often as I can.

Me too! I just don't take enough vacations. If I did, I'd probably weigh 300 lbs.

What??? No way! Forget it! Get goin.... Oh, nevermind. Because cinnamon roll.

Exactly. Resistance is futile.

That's always their excuse!

Buncha cheapskates, is what I say.

True.

And I'm sure I've been guilty of it myself at some point.

Trying, though. Really.

I am guilty as well. But I've learned so many times (the hard way) that there's always more to the story than meets the eye.

Duh. That was stupid of me. Of course it would be your back more than your legs.

Who are we kidding? At some point, everything hurts.

I do believe I have never done that or had it done to me.

Wow...and here I thought it was universal. I did it so often to the kids when they were little that Scotty would come up to me and reach for my hand and say, "I want to fart you, Daddy!"

My back hurt from just looking at that picture.

Yours too!

Now that truly is universal.

Sorry, dude.

Eh, it is what it is.

I asked Kay, who while no expert, does know a bit about their culture, figured it might be that too.
But she didn't really know for sure.

It certainly was a weird experience!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Cue the Dinks…

+1

They’re not gonn’a catch us.

+1

Let me splain. No. There is too much. Let me sum up

Man, you're rolling in the points here.

+1

To get white bread, toasted, dry, with nothin' on it and four whole fried chickens and a Coke
(well, technically the Coke would be a third mission but we’ll over look that).

That's quite the specific order.

Well that certainly beats the dry toast

I'd say so. Gimme the gooey cinnamon rolls anyday.

Uh-huh… they certainly didn’t have any of those at the Best Western we stayed at this weekend.

There's a reason why people staying at the HIE are portrayed as "smart".

Don’t they now make up one of the four essential food groups?

In my family for sure! Along with meat, potatoes and cheese.

OK, that might be better than four fried chickens.

I don't know...I do love me some fried chicken.

Make that baked chicken…

I'll take the arch in that case.

Yeah, given my current physical state and the fact that I’ll be even older when and if I get out that way…
this one probably ain’t happening. Glad y’all got to do it though.

We met a couple on the trail who were both in their 70's and said they did the hike every year. Don't let it stop you!

Well of course you did; I mean how could you not.
Opportunities of that caliber are not to be wasted

It ain't our first rodeo, for sure.

Well yeah, but you’d trained for that marathon by driving to a Walmat if I remember correctly so you should be good to go (metaphorically speaking).

This is true. So I felt prepared, I really did.

In all seriousness…
Yes, yes you do.

As long as "rest" isn't one of your priorities.

Yep… that’s a pretty good start on the master list.

Hey, maybe I can pull this fatherhood thing off!

Just make sure that they also have their trusty Red Rider carbine action 200 shot Range Model air rifles with them at the time; the ones with the compass in the stock.

Are you kidding? They'll shoot their eyes out!

OK, that’s not a bad bit of backup weaponry, but you don’t want to actually be aiding your advisory by helping to diminish the effects of the heat trap into which you have diabolically ensnared them.

So I should turn the gun on myself? This sounds like a trap.

And momma just rolled her eyes…


A true natural that boy.
I foresee endless amounts of annoyment on the horizon for the older ones at the merciless hands of this young’en.

Amazing how quickly he picked that up.

Save for the hike straight up a rock with a thirty pound backpack that is.
Not so easy…

That youngest child always gets spoiled the most.

Diffraction spikes are usually considered a bad thing (photographically speaking) but here they tell the story rather effectively.

Thanks! Julie actually did it on purpose for that photo.

Strike two…
Tam won’t be doing that one.
We’ll just have to check out the rest of the park.

The photo of us coming back down shows the width of that ledge and the dropoff a bit. There was enough room for people to pass each other.

See, now this is why you need to take me along with you when you on these trips.
I’d make sure you got the shot.

I think you're right. We'll take it out of the kids' college budget.

That’s quite the treasure right there.
One of several images they have of themselves in places most other folks only dream of.

I love this photo!

go figure…

Interesting cultural interaction, there, and I’ve seen similar occurrences involving even older kids as well. Pictures of people that physically appear different or are doing things that are different from their experience seem to be highly coveted on those islands; almost more so than images of the sites and places they encounter.

I have noticed that before. Many people at the Grand Canyon were taking photos of themselves standing in front of....

the tour bus.

I can fix that… just acquire one Flux Capacitor attached to a stainless steel device that produces 1.21 gigawatts of power while traveling at 88 mph and a set destination about 8000 or 9000 years back.

Then you could tag all the rocks you want. There would be an entire school of research dedicated to all those “Oblivious” petroglyphs just trying to decipher the meaning and intentions of that ancient and primitive culture.

1.21 gigawatts?! We'd need a, something on the order of a bolt of lightning!

Oh defiantly…
I don’t see us making that hike so a look at the stuff that we might be able to encounter ourselves would be a bonus.

There is a road that takes you to an alternate viewpoint of Delicate Arch, so you can avoid the hike. However, I have heard that the view is not nearly as good from there. I think Barry and his family chose that option (rather than carrying Ryder in a backpack--wise choice), so you could ask him if he thought it was worthwhile.

Oh my geeze! The view at the end of the hike are amazing! Absolutely amazing! Again, I'd be the one staying behind with Julie and Drew because of the whole heights issue that I have. I do have to say though that I did visit Mesa Verde and actually climbed down to see the cliff dwellings. That was back before I had kids and I was young and stupider.

If you can do Mesa Verde, you could easily do this! The climb was the hardest part.

I wish that I had known about your encounter with the Japanese women earlier. My nephew just returned from Japan and I could have had him on the lookout for merchandise featuring the two of you.

Darn, I missed my chance!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Blues Brothers!

Oh wait, that was like 2 TR's ago.

Carry on!

That's ok, I've been giving random useless points if you spot the movie quotes. And then not keeping track of points whatsoever. So here you go!

+1

I still think you need to take a whole tray and have them for lunch sometime instead of PB&J.

I mean, just think about it. If you had a tray of those things sitting in the van on a 104 degree day, it would be like they came right out of the oven!

Well, there are 8 on a tray and only 6 of us, so we don't really NEED an entire tray...but it doesn't hurt to have a backup cinnamon roll or two. You never know when it might come in handy, like duct tape. I like your thinking.

Well, at least you could park somewhere. We went to Smoky Mountain National Park this summer and thought we actually had a good early start on the day for a trail we wanted to hike. We ended up parking along the side of the road near a drop off in an area that wasn't even intended for parking.

The good news??? We were still parked about a mile closer than a lot of cars along the side of the road when we left.

I keep saying that Rope Drop works everywhere. It's getting more like, "If you ain't first, you're last."

They just need to make that parking lot a little closer. You could park a lot of cars on that rock face.

I just hope your parking brake works!

The important things.

We all have our priorities.

He can do that, but he can't walk up a rock face?

Spoiled rotten, I tell ya!

You've got to drop a pebble off the side and see how long it falls.

We may have dropped one or two...

You guys just have no luck with random people taking pictures.

Well, they make for funny stories. And irritating photos. But every once in a while we get a gem.

Cool pictures!

Thanks!

Makes me think of this...

Mr. Sparkle!

I'm glad you made the effort to see this. That's pretty cool too. Maybe not quite as awesome as the arch, but still impressive.

We've found that the question, "Would I get to see this on a normal day at home?" is a good standard by which to decide if something is worth the effort or not.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Disney December Getaway Update

We interrupt this TR to check in on the planning for the WDW weekend getaway my wife and I have been planning. We're going on the 2nd weekend in December, so it's fast approaching (Less than 2 months now!). We've gotten ADR's and FP+ reservations made now, so here's how we did:

Arrival (Thursday afternoon):

Check into Polynesian Resort
Dinner: Boma (1st time for us)
Plans: wander AKL, enjoy the Christmas decorations, keep their gift shop in business

Friday:

EPCOT day
Lunch: Biergarten (1st time for us)
Dinner: Trattoria al Forno (also 1st time)
Plans:
Do Test Track standby line at Rope Drop
FP+: Soarin', Spaceship Earth, Mission: Space
Illuminations at night
Check out Christmas decorations at Boardwalk
Meet-up with Alison and Fran?

Saturday:

MK Day
Keys to the Kingdom Tour (lunch included at Columbia Harbor House)
Dinner: Yachtsman Steakhouse
FP+: 7DMT, BTMRR (at night), Wishes
(I normally wouldn't have used an FP on Wishes, but I figured half the day is taken with the tour, and I'm happy if I don't have to hold a spot for over an hour for fireworks)
Check out Christmas decorations at Yacht & Beach Club

Sunday:

Park-hopping: AK in morning, DHS in afternoon/evening
Lunch: Flame Tree BBQ
Dinner: 50's Prime Time Cafe
Plans:
Try and do what we can at AK in about 2 hours. EE, Safari, trails, Dinosaur?
FP+: Lights, Motors, Action show, Star Tours, TSMM
Enjoy Osborne Christmas Lights at night
Check out Christmas decorations at WL and monorail resorts

Monday:

MK/Epcot
Rope Drop for EMH at MK
Lunch: Be Our Guest
FP+: Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, BTMRR
Hop over to Epcot after lunch
Frantically buy out gift shops so kids will let us back into house
Leave

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Man, you're rolling in the points here.

I like to collect useless things that no one else is bothering to assign value to.
(they’re kind of a metaphor for my life).

That's quite the specific order.

And Mat never even got around to cookin’ any of it up either.

There's a reason why people staying at the HIE are portrayed as "smart".

True… but the H-I-E in Dillsboro was already booked up…
had to settle.

We met a couple on the trail who were both in their 70's and said they did the hike every year. Don't let it stop you!

There’s a bit of a difference between those 70ish-rail skinny-regular hikers and my 50ish-portly-and somewhat sedentary frame.

Why are things so heavy in the future?
Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?​

Not to mention at least one of us has a very sever aversion to unprotected heights
(and the other one ain’t necessarily fond of them either).

As long as "rest" isn't one of your priorities.

Eh… that’s what the day job is actually for.

Are you kidding? They'll shoot their eyes out!

Oh no! Mom must’a gotten’ to both you and Miss Shields.
Mothers know nothing about creeping marauders...

So I should turn the gun on myself? This sounds like a trap.

I think you’d have appreciated it on the way up

That youngest child always gets spoiled the most.

I wouldn’t know anything about that…

Thanks! Julie actually did it on purpose for that photo.

And she did a nice job of it.
I suspected that was an artistic choice; good use of the skills.

I think you're right. We'll take it out of the kids' college budget.

Much more appropriate use those funds anyway.

I love this photo!

As each of them move on into their own worlds, y’all ought to present them with a set of framed copies of some of those really spectacular pictures (and a new unblemished map) that they can use to create a wall of past-and-future. Good incentive to keep traveling and to pass the experiences on.

1.21 gigawatts?! We'd need a, something on the order of a bolt of lightning!

Great Scott!

Disney December Getaway Update

That sounds like a wonderful trip sir.

There’s a decent chance I could find myself down there as part of a spring adults only getaway and if that happens there are a few ideas in there I may steal

 

[pkondz]

Who are we kidding? At some point, everything hurts.

Feelings.
The older I get the more jaded I get the less my feelings get hurt.

But everything else? Yeah.

I did it so often to the kids when they were little that Scotty would come up to me and reach for my hand and say, "I want to fart you, Daddy!"

Also looked over your December getaway plans and they look pretty durned good to me!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Looks like a very nice couple's trip for December! It will be here quickly! Just have to use the Santa Smiley whenever I can!

 

[franandaj]

That photo is the sole reason we tend to favor the Holiday Inn Express when traveling. Mmmm…cinnamon rolls. So good! And so good for you!

Those look delicious, but I'm not sure if it's my hypoglycemia or diabetes, but if I had that for breakfast, I would be in a sugar coma spiral within an hour. I would need a bunch of bacon or sausage or other protein with what you have planned. You guys are rock stars!

There’s nothing fancy about this hike. No tricks, no gimmicks, no shortcuts. It’s right there in front of you. One-and-a-half miles, straight up.

That sounds pretty darned difficult!

Sadly, it wasn’t long before we hit The Wall.

OMG! That photo looks excruciatingly hot!

We did the best we could. It didn’t take long before we needed to rest, and out came the water bottles. Looking back, you can see how quickly the elevation changes along the trail:

Yeah, I'm not sure I could carry enough water bottles for that trip. But I bet there also are not any convenient locations for a lady to get rid of excess water consumed either!

Even the baby was content to sit back and let me do the work. Imagine that!

Hey! Didn't he walk just fine the other day?

After all of that work, climbing rock faces and clinging to cliff edges, you turn one final corner. And you’re greeted with this:

Wow! That is definitely pretty stunning!

How many kids do you think get the chance to do this?

Not a lot. I mean first you actually have to get to Utah, then you have to hike all the way in there...I'm guessing your kids might be in the 1% on this one!

All I know is: I make crude drawings of stick figures on a horse on these rocks, and I get arrested. Other people do it, and it’s preserved as a historic treasure. I hate double standards.

Ha! All you need to do is find a place that it will be preserved for 10,000 years and you two will be revered for your artwork.

It's a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.

OK, I got this reference, but I see everyone else has already beat me to it.

That’s what happens when you go on vacation!

Meet-up with Alison and Fran?

I sure hope so! We should be at Epcot sometime after noonish if all goes as planned, so we’ll look you up!

Dinner: 50's Prime Time Cafe

Hey! We have the same reservation, but somehow I’m going to guess that yours is much earlier than ours. We are going to check out the lights first and then head to dinner just before 8PM.

 

[Dugette]

I can't wait to hear all about your December trip! Plans sound good. Polynesian and holidays are a great combo! We did the Keys to the Kingdom tour a few years ago and loved it (our tour guide was Rae and we LOVED her, in case she happens to be around for yours). Hope you have an amazing time!

 

[Steppesister]

Holy First Time Trying New Restaurants Spree! You have some GREAT ressies lined up and a lot I've not gotten to try yet either. I'm curious how you end up liking Trattoria and Yachtsman. LOVE that you're doing the Keys Tour. That's on my bucket list... so someday. And yeah, I totally agree; using your FP+ on Wishes is a pretty good idea. Pretty sure I'd do the same thing given the scenario.

 

[jedijill]

Love your December plans! You are going to have a great weekend!

Jill in CO

 

[glennbo123]

Loved the Delicate Arch chapter! That looks amazing, and it should after that hike! But appears to be totally worth it.

Your December trip plans look great -- especially the restaurant lineup!

 

[Leshaface]

How cool is that?!

But this is cooler. They are fascinating creatures.

A few minutes later, we saw cars jamming both shoulders of the road. Score! There had to be something worthwhile here. We parked on the shoulder and hopped out so we could walk down the road for a better view without jamming a lane or having to look through a mass of parked cars. We heard several people talking about “moose” right on the side of the road. I have to admit, I let that excitement get the best of me and started looking for moose. Later that night, I posted a photo of what we saw on Facebook and proudly announced that we’d seen several moose (or “meese” for the plural).

Okay now I feel like an idiot. So I knew those were Elk so I thought a Moose was hiding somewhere so I was trying to find it. Not realizing you thought the Elk were Moose

I love that you have taken several shots of them like this over the past trips.

I disputed the charge, of course, and tried to speak to a manager, but never could get a hold of one. I left contact info, and no one ever had the decency to call me back. Then we got home and had to deal with my father-in-law’s passing immediately, so I forgot about this issue. It never got resolved. So, I’m just resolving it by letting you all know there are other options for lodging in the area that I would recommend first.

Please tell me you wrote a review on TripAdvisor. So many people check out that site, it would make them away to check the bill before they leave and not get scammed out of money.

Amazing!

Once we finished the drive, we turned around and headed back to the visitor center. The kids had mostly finished their Junior Ranger workbooks, but they needed to attend a ranger program. Thankfully, there was one available at that time which sounded really awesome—our kids had the chance to look directly at the sun.

They’re all now blind.

Ok, not really. There was a ranger who set up a solar telescope, fitted with a special lens that allowed viewers to see the sun. And when I say “see the sun”, I mean see what it looked like 8 minutes ago, because that’s how long it takes light to travel from the sun to the earth’s surface. We each took a turn looking through the lens. It had a red filter, but you could clearly see a solar flare and a couple of sunspots. Pretty neat stuff.

That is very neat!

I got five for a family of six. Little Drew has shown signs of a possible milk allergy or lactose-intolerance.

Ugh that stinks.

But oh my gosh, how ridiculous cute is he?!

A 50/50 burger, if you’re not familiar with this particular slice of heaven, is a burger made out of a patty that consists of 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon. Yes, ground bacon. Yes, it’s absolutely wonderful for your heart.

And i'm sure you've heard the outrageous news that Bacon is linked to Cancer??...and I guess I don't care cause I had some this morning.

It was terrific! Because of the bacon content, the 50/50 burger tends to be a little saltier than your average hamburger, so the fried egg and apricot glaze served to balance that out. I also had a pint of the Breckenridge Vanilla Porter that was on top, and it was just a fantastic beer.

This sounds like the most perfect, complete meal.

Aside from the amazing views, this would be the second reason for wanting to live there. Amazing!

Look so serene.

This is an epic photo.

Let’s take another look at those lovely family photos. The composed shot:

Behind the scenes:

I always love when folks show the 'real' photos! I got 2 snarky comments last Christmas (not on the DIS) from when DS was crying hysterically from sitting on Santa's (aka DH's) lap and I thought it was hilarious because every picture I had seen on my FB and Instagram was of happy, smiling children. I thought i'd add something different to break up the monotony of smiles. Oh well, some people clearly 'got it'.

We took our time walking back to the car. Along the way, we found that even God Himself couldn’t resist planting a Hidden Mickey in the park.

Yes!

Cool view, but poor Horses

Baby Drew hadn’t quite gotten his full nap, so he was restless and a bit out of sorts. We ordered our food and then worked on entertaining him so he wouldn’t annoy the other diners. We were only having moderate success when the food arrived. Baby Drew loves spaghetti noodles, so we piled them nice and high in front of him and let him go to town. Naturally, this made a mess. At some point, the waitress noticed all of the stray noodle bits littering the floor and made some rude comment about the awful mess we created and that we should have brought a toddler in. Again, we got the sort-of-laugh-but-not-really, leaving us wondering, “Was that a joke?” Even the people at the table next to us made a comment like, “Wow, that was rude.”

Ick, i'd want to leave asap as well.

That photo is the sole reason we tend to favor the Holiday Inn Express when traveling. Mmmm…cinnamon rolls. So good! And so good for you!

Not fair! I've stayed at a couple HIE's and was never given Cinnamon rolls

I say this over and over. He is so cute! He really could be a Gerber baby. Enter him. College fund??

Oh, did I fail to mention that I’d be carrying 30 lbs. of baby straight up that rock wall? Yep, we sure do know how to vacation. At least one of us looks happy.

But you have to work off those Father's Day PB&J sandwiches somehow

Why would I do that? Well, I have certain responsibilities as an American father. I have to teach my kids how to throw and catch a baseball, for example. I have to teach them how to mow the lawn, change a tire on a car, belch on cue, improve any food with bacon and cheese, fix things with duct tape and/or WD-40, ignore piles of clothing on the floor, and the pull-my-finger trick.

Now wait a second. I've taught my son everything on this list minus the lawn and tire change. I'd like to think us American Mom's have a responsibility too.

You are right, glorious!

It was a group of Japanese women, suddenly surrounding me and Baby Drew. They were chattering and laughing and shouting to each other…and taking hundreds of photos of us. My initial read on this situation was that they obviously had never encountered such a devastatingly handsome man as me, and were overcome by my rugged good looks. But another, more accurate read would say they probably rarely encountered blond-haired, blue-eyed babies and thought Drew was the cutest thing ever. Or maybe baby backpacks were rare in Japan. I have no idea. I stood awkwardly and gave kind of a half wave for the photos. Drew sucked on his sippy cup and seemed nonplussed. Whatever that was, please let me know if you ever go to Japan and see products being endorsed by the local celebrities, Blond Angel Baby and Man Beaten With Ugly Stick. I will need to direct my attorney to sue for royalties.

This is great! I've read of this happening to Blonde haired people before and the fact that it happened to you...err, Drew, is amazing!

Disney December Getaway Update

Awesome! And a possible meet with Alison and Fran sounds like fun!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I like to collect useless things that no one else is bothering to assign value to.
(they’re kind of a metaphor for my life).

Does that mean you still have your 8-track collection?

And Mat never even got around to cookin’ any of it up either.

Well, they were on a mission from God.

True… but the H-I-E in Dillsboro was already booked up…
had to settle.

Dang it!

There’s a bit of a difference between those 70ish-rail skinny-regular hikers and my 50ish-portly-and somewhat sedentary frame.

Why are things so heavy in the future?
Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?

Not to mention at least one of us has a very sever aversion to unprotected heights
(and the other one ain’t necessarily fond of them either).

These folks didn't seem especially athletic-looking to us. Just proof that things can be conquered if you take enough time.

Eh… that’s what the day job is actually for.

Good point. That, and putting together TR's.

Oh no! Mom must’a gotten’ to both you and Miss Shields.
Mothers know nothing about creeping marauders...

C-plus??

I think you’d have appreciated it on the way up

'Tis true.

I wouldn’t know anything about that…

Trust me. It's true.

And she did a nice job of it.
I suspected that was an artistic choice; good use of the skills.

Much more appropriate use those funds anyway.

Absolutely! It's all about the value.

As each of them move on into their own worlds, y’all ought to present them with a set of framed copies of some of those really spectacular pictures (and a new unblemished map) that they can use to create a wall of past-and-future. Good incentive to keep traveling and to pass the experiences on.

I like this idea! I think I might need to write this down.

Great Scott!

+1

That sounds like a wonderful trip sir.

There’s a decent chance I could find myself down there as part of a spring adults only getaway and if that happens there are a few ideas in there I may steal

Excellent! I hope you get to pull that trip off. Feel free to "borrow" away.

Feelings.
The older I get the more jaded I get the less my feelings get hurt.

But everything else? Yeah.

I don't even know why my back hurts today. It just does.

Also looked over your December getaway plans and they look pretty durned good to me!

Thank you, sir!

Looks like a very nice couple's trip for December! It will be here quickly! Just have to use the Santa Smiley whenever I can!

So are you like me, in that you look for excuses just to try new smileys out?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Those look delicious, but I'm not sure if it's my hypoglycemia or diabetes, but if I had that for breakfast, I would be in a sugar coma spiral within an hour. I would need a bunch of bacon or sausage or other protein with what you have planned. You guys are rock stars!

For eating cinnamon rolls? Nah, I think most people would do the same.

That sounds pretty darned difficult!

It ain't no picnic!

OMG! That photo looks excruciatingly hot!

Just think about what it would be like in the middle of the day!

Yeah, I'm not sure I could carry enough water bottles for that trip. But I bet there also are not any convenient locations for a lady to get rid of excess water consumed either!

No, not really. But at the rate I sweat, I didn't have to worry about it!

Hey! Didn't he walk just fine the other day?

I know, right? We're really spoiling him.

Wow! That is definitely pretty stunning!

So worth the effort!

Not a lot. I mean first you actually have to get to Utah, then you have to hike all the way in there...I'm guessing your kids might be in the 1% on this one!

That makes it even cooler!

Ha! All you need to do is find a place that it will be preserved for 10,000 years and you two will be revered for your artwork.

It's about time my stick figures finally got recognition.

OK, I got this reference, but I see everyone else has already beat me to it.

That’s what happens when you go on vacation!

I'm guessing your vacation was better than compiling meaningless points!

I sure hope so! We should be at Epcot sometime after noonish if all goes as planned, so we’ll look you up!

I love it when a plan comes together!

Hey! We have the same reservation, but somehow I’m going to guess that yours is much earlier than ours. We are going to check out the lights first and then head to dinner just before 8PM.

I think we're supposed to be there around 4:00 or so. Not ideal, but we'll make it work. We figured we'd do the lights late at night.

I can't wait to hear all about your December trip! Plans sound good. Polynesian and holidays are a great combo! We did the Keys to the Kingdom tour a few years ago and loved it (our tour guide was Rae and we LOVED her, in case she happens to be around for yours). Hope you have an amazing time!

Thanks! I can't wait for the tour. Should be really cool. Did you go on any of the rides as part of the tour?

Holy First Time Trying New Restaurants Spree! You have some GREAT ressies lined up and a lot I've not gotten to try yet either. I'm curious how you end up liking Trattoria and Yachtsman.

Me too!

We wanted to try places that we wouldn't normally take the kids. And that were new to us, obviously.

LOVE that you're doing the Keys Tour. That's on my bucket list... so someday. And yeah, I totally agree; using your FP+ on Wishes is a pretty good idea. Pretty sure I'd do the same thing given the scenario.

I can't wait for the tour! We figured this was our best chance to try it out.

Love your December plans! You are going to have a great weekend!

Thanks! I sure hope so!

Loved the Delicate Arch chapter! That looks amazing, and it should after that hike! But appears to be totally worth it.

Tough hike, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Well, many heartbeats.

Your December trip plans look great -- especially the restaurant lineup!

Thanks! Can't wait to try them all out.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

So are you like me, in that you look for excuses just to try new smileys out?

Yes, that's what makes the DIS more expressive than FB!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Does that mean you still have your 8-track collection?

Mom and Dad had all those bad boys.
When I started driving it was all about cassettes
(and I had every one of them right up until the time that we had to downsize to pay for college.)

Good point. That, and putting together TR's.

Speaking of which...
I need to get over this mental block I've gotten myself into and crank mine back up

C-plus??

C plus! Eeeeeeeeheheehe!

♫ You’ll shoot your eye out; you’ll shoot your eye out ♫
Waaaaahahahahaha!

Excellent! I hope you get to pull that trip off. Feel free to "borrow" away.

25th anniversary...
very likely to happen (and I will be "borrowing")