Squirrels, Ducks and Coconut Butts!!! A Wish Trip Report *LATEST UPDATE 05/2011**

[that's nice]

Great pics. St. Augustine looks so nice!

I CANNOT believe Tessa took a morning stroll... right out of the room!


Coconut butts!!!! Classic!

 

[yinyanggirls]

After leaving St. Augustine our plan was to make a couple more stops in the area before heading north to Charleston, where we were sleeping that night. First stop was to be the Kingsley Plantation just outside of Jacksonville. (If you like history you will love the links you can browse through here - http://www.nps.gov/timu/historyculture/kp.htm) The family who owned this plantation lived here starting in 1814 (their house is the oldest plantation house still standing in FL). There were several reasons I wanted to see this. It is a National Historic Site, not a tourist spot with recreated actors and a petting zoo. It has 23 of the original 32 "tabby" slave cabins that have been, and still are being, excavated. I thought this would be such an educational spot to visit and get to see one little aspect of these people's lives. Not far from there is Amelia Island and American Beach. (http://www.nps.gov/timu/historyculture/ambch_history.htm)

AB is the "First African American beach" est. in 1935 as the land was purchased by a black-owned business and open to black visitors, and eventually sold in lots to the black population. (Even though blacks were "free" they were prohibited from entering public places - including beaches - until this one was purchased by them). I was so excited to let the kids out to play in the sand, and feel a little part of history at the same time! After the plantation and the beach we were going to stop for dinner somewhere in Savannah and then get to Charleston at bedtime. Here is how the rest of our day ended up playing out...

When we left St. Augustine, Heather volunteered to sit in the back with the kids since I was the one who knew where we were going and Tim was driving. In an attempt to help her feel a little more adult, we moved Tessa's carseat to the third row so Heather could sit in the middle with Phoebe. We were cruising along I-95 and after crossing the St. Johns River via the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge, I saw a sign for the Kingsley Plantation.

Bridges in the southeast are so cool...

The GPS either didn't tell us or we weren't paying attention. I don't remember. As we moved further north and away from the sign I saw, we tried to see if there was an alternate route to get there without turning back. Two exits later I saw the "Timucuan Reserve" on the map listed near "Cedar Point" and recognized those as part of the whole National Historic area.

As soon as we exited the freeway I looked back at Tessa, who had gotten very quiet all of a sudden. I saw her blowing spit bubbles and from the look on her face I knew - she was about to throw up. I yelled at Tim to stop the car, I reached down and grabbed a plastic bag, turned around to hand it Heather and right then she blew. On the side of the road we cleaned up what we could and then we tried to decide on the best plan to finish the job. Tim suggested the CVS he saw on the corner but I couldn't imagine carrying her and her car seat through the store like that. I looked at the map and it showed us only a few miles from our destination, so I suggested we deal with it until we got there, hoping that they would have some camping type facilities, maybe outdoor showers or a spigot at least? I traded seats with Heather who was already nauseous. We drove on, windows down, until we reached the end of the road. We had arrived at Cedar Point which was nothing more than a boat launch. If you want to laugh look at this map (http://www.nps.gov/timu/planyourvisit/upload/timu_preserve_map_2005_sm.pdf). We were at Cedar Point and wanted to be at the plantation....
Zooming out on the GPS I saw that there were a bunch of islands between us and the plantation and absolutely no roads, bridges, etc to connect the two. Now our priority is just to find some water somewhere to clean up Tessa, and the van. We went back down the road to where I had seen a City Park sign. There were driveways to get into a nature area that had some trails, but no facilities of any kind. There was a park ranger type house, but it was all gated off and looked empty. We drove up and down some side roads trying to find anything that could improve our current situation. At one point we passed a man who was out in front of his house washing his truck, with is horses and dogs chilling out in the front pasture. We joked about stopping to ask him for his hose. We continued on and kept striking out. It was getting very stinky in the van and poor Tessa is just sitting in it. We turned back down the road and saw the man still outside in his yard. I told Tim to stop and for about 10 seconds he and Heather argued with me about how humiliating it would be until finally reason (or the smell?) convinced them to stop and ask. The man was incredibly friendly and joked about his own kids and having been through the same kind of thing before. We sprayed Tessa down, naked, in his front yard, with COLD water from the hose. Poor girl. We sprayed the car seat as well, and after getting her dried off and into some fresh clothes, stowing the car seat in the back with all the luggage (like trying to make a jigsaw puzzle fit) we got back on the road to head to the freeway. No history lessons today.

Literally a couple of minutes later I smelled something bad and realized Phoebe had made a stink in her diaper. Still in the middle of nowhere, we stopped on the side of the road to change her, because we did not intend on stopping anywhere else until we got to the hotel. Tim and I did our team effort routine, but as soon as he lifted her out of the seat I saw that she had leaked out all over her shorts and the seat. At this point we all broke out in hysterical laughter. Still laughing, we changed her as best we could, standing on the side of some road in very northern Florida. Phoebe and Tim got some chigger bites from standing there and we had to put Tim's t-shirt on the (semi) cleaned seat to shield it from Phoebe's skin. We laughed so hard we cried.

Knowing we had about 4 hrs of driving in front of us, we stopped when we saw an Arby's in Jacksonville. While Tim waited for the food, I took Tessa in to the restroom to use some soap to get a little bit cleaner for our long drive. Back in the van, we settled in for the drive. The kids slept a little bit, watched movies and in a final desperate attempt to entertain her, I dug out some of the glow bracelets we had received from our Big Give friends.

We arrived in North Charleston around 10pm at the very nice Wingate by Wyndham hotel. This one was reserved in Heather's name so she went to check in and when she asked about a roll away, they offered to move us to the suite (we had reserved two doubles) which had a king and a fold out couch. She didn't mind sleeping on the sofa bed so she accepted their offer and changed it. It turned out to be a fabulous room for our big group. Very similar to this one, except the bathroom door was by the front door:

We were so relieved to be there. Since Tessa had napped we decided to let her swim but the pool was cold. She swam in the bathtub instead. Tim threw the car seat cover in the laundry (which happened to be next door to our room, so convenient!) and then went and bought some Lysol wipes to detail the van a little better. I rearranged the room a bit, to accommodate our group better, by moving the arm chair next to the sofa bed, as a "guard" for Phoebe in case she rolled over. She and Heather slept in the sofa, while Tim and I put Tessa in between us, hoping for a little added security in the morning. We also parked Phoebe's wheelchair and locked the brakes directly in front of the door. Did it work?

 

[yinyanggirls]

Hey Tim! I just missed you. We must have been typing/reading at the same time. You'll catch up again, someday.

OK... I think I missed a few of your updates.... GRRRRRRRR There... i did it for you! LOL

Leaving GKTW must of been so sad....

I hope we get to go back someday to visit!

Love the pic of you guys in front of Epcot!!!!

Giving Tessa the Beverly!!!!! That was just plain wrong!!!!

She has snuck into our sodas a few times, but she's generally wary of "adult" drinks. When she wants to sip an alcoholic beverage we tell her it will make her sleep for a long, long time. She calls them "sleepy drinks". I figured Beverly would just help her to remember that many adult drinks are not very good.

Love this one....

So you liked the slushy?

How could you tell?

Was the KP mission worth it? I wonder if it would be over Juliana's head... plus I'm not even sure we will do the WS on her Wish trip.

Time to read about the rest of your trip...

We figured it wouldn't hurt to try the KP mission. If she got bored we would have let her quit, but I think she liked it. She (like all kids, I'm sure) loved having her own "kimmunicator" (phone) and it gave her a purpose for exploring the world. Although, Tim had to help her every step of the way, so be prepared to be part of the mission too. Since you guys have been to Epcot/WS I wouldn't feel bad skipping it or just doing some stuff in the front part of Epcot. There wasn't anything that my kids loved so much that I would want to go back right away.

Great pics. St. Agustine looks so nice!

I CANNOT believe Tessa took a morning stroll... right out of the room!

Coconut butts!!!! Classic!

What can I say? We're a classy family.

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

I'm sorry about the car ride at least the hotel was nice and they gave you an upgrade!

 

[dawnbu40]

UGH! That car trip sounds horrible for all of you!
I hope the precautions kept Tessa in the room and that the next day was much,much better!

 

[Charleston Princess]

What an ordeal of a car ride to get from St. Augustine to Charleston!!!

 

[GeminiAngel]

Just got home from a week long trip in Galvestion.
OMG! Those were some action packed updates!!!
You need to keep a tether on Tessa!

 

[kdzbear]

Oh, I have been in a similar position to your car trip. I can relate. My oldest was 3 when we flew to New York and on landing for the first leg of the trip she threw up all over everything. We did not have a change of clothes with us and we had checked our luggage. She not only manage to cover herself, but also grandma and me. I know that finding somewhere to clean a child in the middle of nowhere is no fun. I am sorry you missed your history lesson. I would have loved to have seen the pictures and learned with you! I hope the return trip home gets better!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

WOW I am so sorry you had a hard first leg of the trip! But somehow I am picturing our family and your family going on a trip and for some reason NOT making it to our distination Im glad the guy was nice and let you use his hose. I'm in awe how you guys could laugh.I so would but my hubby would have REALLY hit the fan. He has always been that way if we make a wrong turn or get lost. I'm used to it now but it is rough. I'm not a huge fan of travelling but he loves it. I find that a bit backwards

Poor Tessa bless her heart! I hope you all got a good nights sleep!

 

[Mom2mitokids]

Hi Melissa,

Just got done reading the Tr report. What a great story. You are a great story taler. I loved all the beautiful pictures you took. I need to take some lesson from you.

 

[that's nice]

OH my!!!! The dreaded car sickness!!!!!!

How nice of the man to set you spray down Tessa... Oh and poor girl getting a wash down with cold water!

After Phoebe's issue, you have to either laugh or cry... seems like you did em both! LOL

What no pics of your Arby's food??????

How sweet of you guys to get upgraded at the hotel!!!! SWEET ROOM! Good Idea blocking the door!

 

[All7OfUs]

With 5 kids we've had many a car trip just like you've described. It's AWFUL, but sure makes like interesting!

Sounds like you used the resources you had very well!

And you had a SWEET hotel room to rest in afterwards.

 

[yinyanggirls]

I'm sorry about the car ride at least the hotel was nice and they gave you an upgrade!

We were sad to leave that room after only two nights.

UGH! That car trip sounds horrible for all of you!
I hope the precautions kept Tessa in the room and that the next day was much,much better!

That was the only time we ever had a problem since getting her those sea-bands. Thanks goodness!

What an ordeal of a car ride to get from St. Augustine to Charleston!!!

Seriously! All of the problems happened before we were even out of FL!!!

Just got home from a week long trip in Galvestion.
OMG! Those were some action packed updates!!!
You need to keep a tether on Tessa!

Ooooo, I love Galveston! Haven't been since before H. Katrina. Is it doing well now?

Maybe we can buy a kid version of a house arrest anklet?

Oh, I have been in a similar position to your car trip. I can relate. My oldest was 3 when we flew to New York and on landing for the first leg of the trip she threw up all over everything. We did not have a change of clothes with us and we had checked our luggage. She not only manage to cover herself, but also grandma and me. I know that finding somewhere to clean a child in the middle of nowhere is no fun. I am sorry you missed your history lesson. I would have loved to have seen the pictures and learned with you! I hope the return trip home gets better!

Oh no!!! At the airport!!! That would be hard. I guess you could all buy some cheesy souvenir tshirts at the gift shop.

WOW I am so sorry you had a hard first leg of the trip! But somehow I am picturing our family and your family going on a trip and for some reason NOT making it to our distination!

It's a wonder we got anything accomplished!

Hi Melissa,
Just got done reading the Tr report. What a great story. You are a great story taler. I loved all the beautiful pictures you took. I need to take some lesson from you.

Thanks! I love taking pics. Can't stop me. Thankfully digital is cheap.

What no pics of your Arby's food??????

Yeah, I didn't think anyone really wanted to see all of that.

How sweet of you guys to get upgraded at the hotel!!!! SWEET ROOM! Good Idea blocking the door!

We had tons of room. It was awesome!

With 5 kids we've had many a car trip just like you've described. It's AWFUL, but sure makes like interesting!

Sounds like you used the resources you had very well!

And you had a SWEET hotel room to rest in afterwards.

Five. Makes me shudder. I used to want five.

 

[yinyanggirls]

I am looking on the DIS for info on DisneyLAND and CA Adventure. I thought I'd go ahead and ask if any of you have been to both. If you could only do one, which would it be?

My DH and I grew up in OC, CA and have been to DL thousands of times. (okay, maybe hundreds, but we've got it memorized). The kids have been once, and then MK of course, which is very similar. Do we stick with DL, knowing the kids will like it, or try CA ADV? We have GAD/GAD vouchers and since we are doing so many other amusement parks on the same trip I was thinking we will be too tired to upgrade to parkhoppers or three day passes or anything like that. We have family in OC, so we are very likely going to be there many more times in years to come.

Also, restaurants? We just might be there on Phoebe's bday and the only "special" place I know about is Blue Bayou (that looks out over the PoTC). It might be too fancy for our kids though. Any thoughts?

Do you contact the restaurant if you want to order a cake or is there a main bakery? (I should have taken notes, Tim!)

 

[that's nice]

Do you contact the restaurant if you want to order a cake or is there a main bakery? (I should have taken notes, Tim!)

I know NADA about the Cali parks. I know there are a few different cake lines to contact in WDW... did you check the DL board on here? I'm sure they can answer your question fairly fast!

 

[yinyanggirls]

I know NADA about the Cali parks. I know there are a few different cake lines to contact in WDW... did you check the DL board on here? I'm sure they can answer your question fairly fast!

Yeah, I'm crusing around the DL portion, but I've never been very good at navigating this place. I kinda just stick stay in my own little world in the Wish Trip thread.

 

[All7OfUs]

Hi Melissa! I've been to both, (worked at DLR for a spell) but would have to say, even though I"m more familiar with CA, Orlando is just better, all around. It's WAY bigger! and there's WAY more stuff to do. Let's face it, there's no EPCOT in California! Nor any AK!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Hi Melissa! I've been to both, (worked at DLR for a spell) but would have to say, even though I"m more familiar with CA, Orlando is just better, all around. It's WAY bigger! and there's WAY more stuff to do. Let's face it, there's no EPCOT in California! Nor any AK!

Oops, sorry! I must've worded it weirdly. I'm asking if anyone has opinions on DL vs. CA adventure. Since it is a separate ticket, I'm not planning on doing both. I'm definitely leaning more towards DL, because it seems bigger and just has so much to do, and all the classics. But since I've never been to CA Adventure I guess I don't know what I'm missing.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Sadly, I have no idea about what California Adventures has to offer. I have been to Disneyland many, many years ago, but that was long before CA came into being. Good luck deciding! What other amusement parks are you planning on doing?

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

I don't know much about DL or CA but I have read a couple of trip reports. At one of the hotels they have Goofy's Kitchen which is like Chef Mickey's and they also have a character breakfast at the Plaza Inn which is in DL.