Side trips to avoid the storm

Because we are careful about the weather when traveling, we decided on one last sight-seeing side trip on the way home. Inspired by a TV documentary, we veered off the main highway to visit Plains, GA, home of President Jimmy Carter. At the National Historic Site, we visited what was the High School, now the Visitor Center, arriving just in time to hear President Lincoln address a large group of students. He was quite impressive and very knowledgeable of the history of Lincoln's lifetime.

We also stopped in town to purchase some Carter Peanut products.

Following morning we stopped to see Stone Mountain, just outside Atlanta, GA. Grandpa B had always wanted to see the carvings of the Confederate Heroes....General Robert E Lee, General Stonewall Jackson, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Like I was inspired by my grandparents to visit various places, he was reminded of his relatives trips to the South. "They used to go to Florida and get inexpensive  new dentures and glasses along the way. These days we go to FL to buy RV's, " he joked!!

Our last night on the road we will stop in Akron, OH. Before leaving there Monday AM, we will stop into Sister Ignatia Chapel at St. Thomas Hospital to offer our prayers of gratitude for our good fortune, safe journey and happy adventure.

Homeward bound in our new Rig

This last week of our adventure has been full and busy!

Our last 5 days in FL were spent at Lazy Days, the largest RV dealership/campground in the US. We had gotten two free days when we visited their booth in Hershey, PA last summer. When I say big, that's no joke! This place sells an average of 900 RV's per month!! We got free breakfast and lunch each day, as well as time in the pool and jacuzzi.

So while I visited a friend in Tampa for the day, Grandpa B went RV shopping. He loves to shop! We had no intention of buying, but he found a deal we simply could not resist. So we traded the 2006 Coachman for a 2010 Georgetown with only 2100 miles on it! Previous owner had it only 5 months, and traded it on a diesel model, so he took the initial hit on the lost equity. And we got an extra free day to transfer our stuff into the new RV. Exceptional customer service made the whole thing a very pleasant operation, and we would definitely recommend Lazy Days to anyone interested in going to Tampa to buy an RV.

And Thursday afternoon, we started on our homeward journey. Just love the full windshield for sight-seeing.
So, here she is:

Have not come up with a name for her yet, but she is definitely "Beyond our Wildest Dreams"!!

Strawberries and sponges

I had hoped to get a photo of the "World Famous" Parkesdale Farms strawberry shortcake, but it was a bumpy adventure getting there yesterday. First of all, we had left RV and toad unattached, as RV needed fuel and maneuvering both vehicles in most gas stations is difficult, at best. So we each set our GPS and headed off separately. Well, they didn't match routes, so we were confused, to say the least. But as I approached the Farms, a motorcycle accident occurred just ahead of me, tying up traffic and adding to the confusion. So I cell phoned  Grandpa to wait at a nearby lot while I stood in a long line to order 2Shortcut Plus desserts for take out. Worth the wait! Yummy, fresh and huge.
www.parkesdale.com

 Today we spent the afternoon in Tarpon Springs, where the Greek community grew around natural sponge diving. The sponge dock area is a tourist attraction noted for ethnic restaurants, shops and harbor cruises. We also saw the Greek Orthodox church, St. Michael's Shrine, the bayous surrounding a lovely park and gracious homes. A Greek sampler platter including flaming cheese (Oopa!) followed by Greek pastries, and we were back at camp with full tummies and happy exhaustion.
www.spongedocks.net

Farewell to Mickey & Co.

Wednesday afternoon we took a stroll on Disney's Boardwalk. This is actually an area of Vacation Disney, with time share units among the 25,000 rooms available in Disney resorts throughout the property. Surrounding this small lake, which has boat connections to Epcot and Magic Kingdom, are Boardwalk, Beaches, Dolphin and Swan resorts. Along the boardwalk are shops (Disney retail is everywhere throughout the properties), snack bars, restaurants and nigh clubs for adults.

Thursday we did Disney Hollywood where Grandpa B rode the Tower of Terror Elevator. We took the back lot tour, saw the Little Mermaid show and the Beauty and the Beast Musical.

By now, we'd reached the Disney saturation point, and merrily went down the road to Winter Haven.
Here, where Cyrpess Gardens once thrived with it's water skiing shows and lush gardens with Southern Belles, a Legoland Park is being constructed. With that, I believe, Florida should become the Most Amusement Park state!

This afternoon we're going to explore Spook Hill in Lake Wales, hoping to find out if cars really do glide uphill on this road!

P.S. Yes, they really do!

And then we happened upon a wonderful seafood restaurant! Great gumbo, coconut shrimp with a Key Lime Hot Pepper dipping sauce (God, I wanted that recipe! Citrus-y sweet with a nice after bite of pepper) and lovely fried calamari with fresh marinara sauce.

Epcot

Tuesday morning we began our day at Epcot, where we saw Captain EO, rode the Future in the Space Dome, went Soaring, took a boat ride through hydroponic greenhouses, rode through Nemo's world in a clam shell, watched as Crush the Sea Turtle, animated, interacted with the children in the audience, had Mexican lunch in an Aztec pyramid, then rode Test Track! OK, that last one did me in! So we returned to the RV for a nap and to let my upturned stomach settle.

We returned to Epcot in the evening, where Bernie got some wonderful night time photos.

At 9 PM, tired and aching from 2 days of walking through the parks, we watched amazed as the fireworks, laser show, digitalized globe, and music filled the night air!

Today, we are too tired to do another park, so we'll save Disney Hollywood for tomorrow.

Doing Disney

Disney World is Amazing....and Exhausting!

We arrived here on Sunday, early afternoon, set up on our campsite, and decided to first explore Fort Wilderness. This is what one expects of an RV Resort! There are horses and ponies for riding, a marina, boats, bikes and Segways to rent, a pool with Splash pond, planned activities like crafts and games, and every evening a Campfire sing-a-long with Chip and Dale followed by an outdoor movie.

Bernie delights in seeing little ones enjoy themselves, and in offering to take family photos.

Monday morning we set out for the Animal Kingdom, which neither of us had ever been to. Imagine the very best Zoo ever, designed by imagineers as well as environmentalists, and you have the basic idea of Animal Kingdom.

Face-painting is a Disney art form here.

We enjoyed traveling through the African and Asian "jungles" to observe the animals, whom we noticed were much more active and engaging than in normal zoos. We attended a bird show and I got to play in the Africa band!

Best of all were the Musical shows, Finding Nemo and The Festival of the Lion King!

And, of course, a Disney Character Parade.

After a 10 hour day at Animal Kingdom, we fell into bed exhausted!

Sunset on the Beach

We have been hoping to watch a sunset on the beach since being in the Keys, knowing that on the Gulf Coast we would get our opportunity.

It was a challenge to find a seafood dinner, not because of the number of restaurants, but by the traffic,  crowds and prices. We’d missed “early birds” by mere minutes, and refused to pay $25 for a meal that 5 minutes earlier was only $10.99! But we did find a place that was affordable and amicable. Every license plate in the parking lot was out-of-state, and we chatted with folks from New England while waiting for our meal.

Then we raced to find a parking spot accessible to the beach! It may not have been the most beautiful sunset ever, and there was a very chilly north wind blowing right down the beach, but we enjoyed the soft white sand, found a sea shell, and connected in a way that only seems to happen when we share a sunset.