The ABCs of Starting Over- OR to KY Roadtrip + WDW 50th Ann. Trip 9/28-10/4; Day 6 and REPORT COMPLETE!

[vamassey1]

Thank you so much for posting this report. I really enjoyed it. It amazes me how much we agree on so many things. I had several chuckles.

You're next few months are going to be so fun. I'll be following along on FB.

Enjoy your much deserved travels and fun.

 

[DVCjj]

Your trip reports and adventures are truly amazing. Such an very interesting life and a spectacular way of presenting it to read. Thank you.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm so glad you tacked the 50th onto this already stellar TR! I enjoyed and learned so much on the road to your new home, and finishing up with a TR of our favorite home-away-from-home was the icing on the cake.

Have the most amazing travels before jumping back into work/school/life stuff. I'll be on FB checking out your pics in the meantime, and can't wait for another Steppe TR down the road!

XO!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

(The risqué Centuion

(Renaissance Santa, checking his list)

Your captions for these photos made me chuckle.

 

[franandaj]

Well, I'm catching up now. I made it all the way to page 47 and halfway through this report (meaning I've seen you make it home)

By now we were feeling a bit travel weary and to be honest kind of just ready to be “home”. However, we had a few adventures left to enjoy and were determined to make the very most of them.

I get that. I probably would have hit that point well before two weeks.

Tired from a long drive and early morning, we headed back to the shack and were out fairly quickly.

So you really did sleep in a shack???? You are much braver than me!

And now, for the news you may have been waiting for. You may have guessed that since I found time to quickly write up a chapter, I have indeed passed (with an exemplary score no less!) my giganimous, big, scary exam for Pathophysiology.

Yay! for passing that!

And at long last I’ve made it to our last day on this EPIC cross-country road trip- the final saga of fleeing Oregon and becoming a Kentucky Woman.

Yay! again for finally making it home!

Today's journey would let us knock off 5 more states on our long list: Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky!

That's probably how I would have done a lot of the drive, multiple states in one day cause, I couldn't do 2 weeks of road trip like that.

the cashier asked if I was a first responder or healthcare worker.

“Why yes, yes, I am!”

“Great, you get in free today- you and your guest!”.

YAY!

Yay! (lot's of yays in my quoting)

we'd hit Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky. 13 states and well over 3,000 miles.

That's a lot of states and a lot of miles.

I just don't know yet if I've decided to do or not do my Disney 50th Anniversary Trip part.

There is the beauty of being behind! I know that you are doing that report!

And I think I read somewhere that you are going back in just a few days from now.

 

[franandaj]

Well now I'm going to be up to page 48 after this quote!

I don’t know if it’s possible to get much up of my WDW 50th Anniversary Trip, but I’m mostly packed for my upcoming travels to here and there and find myself with some very rare free time to write up some chapters to entertain you with. Well, at least I hope they’re entertaining! Who knows anymore!

Well the pictures are fun to look at, even if you don't remember anything else!

for a single it’s a bit more to take a Lyft but the same price for 2 or more travelers than to take the Mears. The time it saves me is worth the money, so I generally splurge for a few Lyfts during my trips now.

We're kind of stuck. We can't do Uber or Lyft since they pretty much won't take a scooter much less two. Then again we can hardly fit three of us in the car to go to the airport which we did on the last trip so Naked Jim could come pick us up and drop us off at the airport. We do pretty well with the Mears transport since we have four large suitcases, two scooters, and four carry ons.

So, stay tuned. These chapters may come rapid fire, so buckle up, Caballero(a)s! Ye-haw!!

This is what Mark was talking about when he said, "Liesa has been putting up 50 chapters a day." I really haven't had the time to even log here to look at anything.

I’ve done the Behind the Seeds Tour a couple of times and would highly recommend it but, sadly, it is not one of the tours that has started back up. Another one that died a tragic Covid death.

Well I'm glad I got to do it. Sad that it hasn't come back, it was quite informative and interesting.

Figment. Nothing stirs up an appetite like the Smell Lab. Well, ok, maybe not very appetizing, but it’s a cute ride, nonetheless.

I haven't been on this ride in years! I need to do it again sometime. If I ever get back there....

 

[franandaj]

Page 48 conquered!

But not without being just silly enough to actually enjoy It’s a Small Mexico.

Another ride I haven't been on in forever!

former Akershus.

I didn't realize that one never came back. I knew they killed any bit of authenticity that it had, but didn't realize that it hasn't come back except as an ad for Blue Shield.

Crispy-fried Pepper Shrimp with Spicy Sichuan Noodles for $7.50 sounded pretty darned good.

Now the time I had that one it was pretty good. Sorry you lost your shrimp.

No more CMs to interact with back in there now; everything is boarded up, doors are closed, it's all just shuttered.

It seems that Americans are just afraid of anything that isn't known to them. I loved the restaurant in Morocco but it was dead when we ate there.

Methinks this is getting not a lot of interest, but I shall press on nonetheless if only to say I am not a quitter. If you're here and reading, I'd love to see a howdy!

Well, it's a month late, but here's a howdy!

We basically linked up with 3 other boats to make a 4-boat raft then each party was free to move around the boat to pour another drink, chat with each other, and dig into the yummy snacks provided.

That sounds pretty cool. I'm ready for a drink right now! Unfortunately, I'm going to have to wait a while.

And then it was time to get back to the Grand for a good night's sleep after a long travel and Disney day.

Wow! You did a lot after arriving!

 

[KathyM2]

Back here after ages...trying to reconcile what I see on FB with where you are now lol....trying to see if you have another TR going yet or not lol Hope all is well!!

 

[buzzrelly]

Mary Ellen and I both started with a Bloody Mary and it did not disappoint. I get one about once a year and this one sure went down easy. It was perfectly spicy and came with a generous garnish of a brekkie appetizer- shrimp, bacon, olive, and celery. Yummy!! Obviously, I had some coffee too.

​

Ooooohhhh...that looks really good. Will definitely have to put that on a "Mike" list, although every time I add a Bloody Mary to that list, they disappear!

I loitered in the Oasis Area for a bit, and was thrilled to see Annie the Anteater out and about. It's not often that she is; I think I've honestly only ever seen her one other time in all my years

Aw, she's sweet. I've never seen her!

This was certainly a unique one in the lineup and really fun to see turn out in the end. I'm still trying to figure out a way to bind them, or display them, or somehow or other do something with them.

Very talented!

All good things must come to end, as they say. Even week-long Disney trips made of fairy tales. I wished AK well until I could see her again and hopped a bus to EPCOT to finish off my wonderful trip.

Your AK pics are making me even more excited to be there in a few days!

And one last bit of silliness...

​

Perfectly, Liesa!

I'll be trolling the boards for a few more days and then I'm off on some very exciting travels for a few months.

Have fun! Can't wait to hear all about it when you return!

 

[afwdwfan]

Well, I started multi quoting on Friday and they're all gone now. In any case, thank you for sharing the cross country trip back home and the Disney visit afterwards. And congratulations on your academic progress! I actually spent a week in Louisville this summer for a cattle show. I guess I wasn't too far from you if you were at UL, but obviously was a little (way) behind on keeping up with your updates here.

 

[franandaj]

I'm taking advantage of you're being on another vacation to catch up. Page 49 conquered.

I was up early, as you can see, and made my way to the park long before the tapstiles were open. I like to ride FOP first thing with minimal wait, say hi to Mauvi Navi at It’s a Small Moon, do a safari if the line hasn’t gotten too insane, then take it easy the rest of the day. The trails are my jam as well as the Conservation Station… so let’s see how I did!

It looks like you got just about everything done, except the Conservation station.

EE had no wait for a single rider,

It was down when I was there.

And then it was 11:00. And we all know what that means!

8 SPOONS, Baby! ​

I finally got to try this and it was very good, albeit not very filling.

Nevertheless, my basket of pot stickers and some Fuji Apple Sake hit the spot and gave me the energy to explore more of the trails of this incredibly detailed park.

Looks yum!

at 3:40 I decided to leave for the day and go back to the Bungalow to enjoy what it had to offer before my evening plans.

Cool! Loved the Bungalows!

Our bungalow was the 2nd from the left and super duper convenient.

I think ours was somewhere in the middle.

The Kitchen:

We made quite a few meals in there. Spaghetti the first night.

I made that mistake once and went in the wrong gate thinking it would go through the entire length of the bungalows. It does not. That was annoying.

Yeah, very important where you enter and exit.

Parrillada - Del Mar (serves 2) Serves Two) Grilled Shrimp, Fish and Scallops served with Vegetables, Esquites, and Corn Tortillas. $12 to Substitute Snapper for fish; $30 to Substitute NY Strip for fish $68 (@franandaj , isn't this what you guys had?)

Yes! This is what we got, but ours looks like it was bigger than yours. I think we got six shrimp and six scallops. Nope. I just checked the picture, same amount. I think they gave us more corn.....

Dinner was the clear winner of the evening...

​

I'd never eaten at this restaurant before but it's a nice option for Mexican and one of the better EPCOT options overall.

I'd only been there for the Tequila paired lunches during F&W, but they were so good that we decided to go back for dinner.

Just at that moment, the music (new, glorious music!) swelled and a dazzling new show called "Beacons of Magic" premiered.

That sounds like a neat show. Sad I missed it.

And it was worth having to wait 30 or more minutes for a bus after it too.

I thought you could take the monorail back to the Poly or the TTC.

Irritated and stuck behind far too many people. But whatcha gonna do?

It's like Covid never existed except people are still wearing masks.

I headed for MMRR and took a wild ride on Goofy's Train into the cartoon world. Such a cute and zany ride!

I'm so excited that this is opening in DL soon!

Ironically, the line for a coffee would have taken longer than getting on TOT took. UGH. I passed trudged on.

That's why I always make my coffee in the room. You don't have anyone to wait for, but Fran is always so slow that I have time to caffeinate before leaving the room.

 

[franandaj]

I was extremely thirsty and risking some nasty dehydration. Not cool!

You don't keep a pocket water in your pocket?

Peka Tuna Poke Raw Tuna tossed in a Spicy Sriracha Dressing and served with Green Papaya Salad, Pickled Mushrooms, Fresh Herbs, and Crispy Garlic $17.99

That sounds pretty good! I'll have to remember that one.

*Steppe's Side Note*

Did I mention I have a strict "NO burgers" policy at Disney? I can get a burger at home any day of the week and I love to use vacation time as opportunities to try new things that I wouldn't normally order or make at home.

*End of opinionated Side Note* (carry on)

I have that as an "unofficial" policy. If we are in a pinch and starving we might split one. Or if we are dining at Sci Fi I'd probably have one, but for the most part Disney doesn't have the best burgers, unless you're dining at a certain place where said burgers cost $33. Then you're talkin'!

When you can actually score a '50's retro, atomic era chair, it's a great little lounge to cool your jets in.

I've never been in there when the place isn't totally packed, so I've never been able to score a chair or a drink for that matter!

I took a bus (rather than a Lyft) because... and this is such an odd reason I know!,.... I really love the music loop at the DHS Entrance and Bus Corral area.

I've never even noticed!

I had a very special dinner with Steve and Su-Lynn planned for TOLEDO!!

Wow! How neat!

The 3 of us got the:

Chef's Signature Dinner for Two Flight of Four Pinxtos, The Spanaird, Chuletón Bone-In Rib-Eye, 'The Toledo Tapas Bar Dessert'- $129 and it was plenty for all of us and then some.

I'm trying to figure out what restaurants I want to eat at on my next trip and so I checked out the menu. We would probably get the same thing, but I don't think Fran would like the menu.

Is Su-Lynn even here on the DIS anymore?

Nope....not really.

I ordered a Spanish Coffee which was absolutely delicious and perfect to end my evening with. But Holy Toledo; was it strong! I'm glad I took a Lyft back to the Poly after my fun evening with everyone.

​

I love the 43 licor!

Ride Remy on opening day (for the regular plebes like me) and grab a few 50th Anniversary (dated Oct. 1st) merch items.

I keep forgetting that this TR is over a year old!

Remy was virtual queue only and I was lucky enough to grab Boarding Group 17 at exactly 7:00AM!! GO ME!!!!

I'm so glad they've dumped the virtual queues!

The app had said 165 minutes, so it was quite a lot quicker than that!

It always was!

Once I got to the loading corrals, the ride theming became really intense. It's VERY well done and the "show" starts immediately when you load.

Such a cute ride!

Fisherman’s Seafood Pie – $6.75

So good! I need a trip back for F&W!

Baked Lobster Dip with Old Bay Chips (gluten/wheat friendly; new) — $5.50

This sounds really good too!

They regaled me with tales of fist fights over plastic cups, shouting matches, and other terrible guest behaviors. I am SOOOOO glad I'd made the choice months earlier to skip that potential mayhem and stick with EPCOT for the morning hours which had some equally nice 50th options.

Yeah, I'm so glad that I rented my reservation for that day, the pictures looked brutal.

A round of Casey Nuggies was in order. Mobile Order, that is! It took 20 minutes from order to pick-up-ready-time

We like those too

And I know that the TR is still continued, but I'm tackling it a page at a time and now I'm done with page 50!

 

[jwwi]

Well, that is some TR. I loved reading about your cross country trip to KY. So many interesting places and sights!

Enjoyed the 50th portion too.

Best of luck on your NP courses. I’m a happily retired RN.

 

[pkondz]

Caught up. Thank you for posting your adventure. Enjoyed reading every bit of it.