I was out of bed at 5:30am. Everyone up, van packed, and on the road at 8am.
This time the three families were traveling within 30 minutes of each other with
us in the lead. We passed through Florida, Georgia, the Carolina's, and into
Virginia before stopping around 7pm.
We were almost creamed by a tracker
trailer as we approached the Virginia border. Someone was coming down an exit
and the semi didn't see we were next to him passing. He immediately yanked it
into our lane. I slammed on the brakes and went into the shoulder of the road at
75mph. We all slam forward as the antilock brakes engaged. The semi missed us by
inches.
After crossing the Virginia border, we entered the Blue Ridge
Mountain Range at dusk. Driving through the mountains are scary enough during
the day and is a nightmare at night. Finding the hotel was a welcomed site!
Relocating To Disney
Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Friday, June 27, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
2012: Universal
Calamity occurred when, on the way to Universal Studios we stopped at Wendy's
drive thru and ordered my oldest son two hamburgers and fries. Instead of
hamburger he received cheeseburgers, which he won't eat. And while not paying
attention, his little brother ate all his fries. He was starving when we arrived
at the hotel but the only remedy was a $15 hamburger-not a chance! He had to
wait until we arrived to the park and ate dinner.
We checked into the Loes Royal Pacific. The only reason we stayed here was because guests in a Universal Hotel get "fast pass" for lines, otherwise we would have fiund someplace cheaper. Just to park my van in the parking lot and walk a mile to the hotel cost me $18! The hotel was beautifully and incredibly themed, however the theming seemed confused. Is it Hawaii? India? Indonesia? I couldn't tell.
The hotel is very large and it was a long walk to our room. When we arrived at the room we found it smelt like bleach. So we hiked all the way back to the front desk and asked to be moved.
The new room was very small, considering we spent hundreds of dollars. The bed was very hard with just a piece of foam over it. I would spend the night with a red blinking light on the ceiling keeping me awake. And although we didn't know it when we arrived, the shower dripped all night long. There was no refrigerator or microwave, although I doubt there would have been room for it.
As we settled into the new room, my youngest announced he lost his 3DS that he had got for Christmas. Was it in the first room? The lobby? After a long hunt, we remarkably found it behind a bench in the lobby.
We headed off to Universal Islands of Adventure (which includes Harry Potter) arriving around 5pm, and had a good time. We haven't spent a lot of time at Universal. We visited 23 years ago, and then six years ago I attended an event that rented out the park, but that has been all.
Our first ride was the Cat in the Hat. After being in the speed pass lane for fifteen minutes they announced they were having a "great" delay. We stuck it out and eventually did get to ride it.
The best part of the park was Harry Potter. We drank Butter Beer and ate Chocolate Frogs and we twitching from sugar overload. I am not sure they cod have made the stores any smaller if they had tried
We stayed late and closed down the park. Overall it was a good experience and I wouldn't hesitate to return someday if I could afford it.
We checked into the Loes Royal Pacific. The only reason we stayed here was because guests in a Universal Hotel get "fast pass" for lines, otherwise we would have fiund someplace cheaper. Just to park my van in the parking lot and walk a mile to the hotel cost me $18! The hotel was beautifully and incredibly themed, however the theming seemed confused. Is it Hawaii? India? Indonesia? I couldn't tell.
The hotel is very large and it was a long walk to our room. When we arrived at the room we found it smelt like bleach. So we hiked all the way back to the front desk and asked to be moved.
The new room was very small, considering we spent hundreds of dollars. The bed was very hard with just a piece of foam over it. I would spend the night with a red blinking light on the ceiling keeping me awake. And although we didn't know it when we arrived, the shower dripped all night long. There was no refrigerator or microwave, although I doubt there would have been room for it.
As we settled into the new room, my youngest announced he lost his 3DS that he had got for Christmas. Was it in the first room? The lobby? After a long hunt, we remarkably found it behind a bench in the lobby.
We headed off to Universal Islands of Adventure (which includes Harry Potter) arriving around 5pm, and had a good time. We haven't spent a lot of time at Universal. We visited 23 years ago, and then six years ago I attended an event that rented out the park, but that has been all.
Our first ride was the Cat in the Hat. After being in the speed pass lane for fifteen minutes they announced they were having a "great" delay. We stuck it out and eventually did get to ride it.
The best part of the park was Harry Potter. We drank Butter Beer and ate Chocolate Frogs and we twitching from sugar overload. I am not sure they cod have made the stores any smaller if they had tried
We stayed late and closed down the park. Overall it was a good experience and I wouldn't hesitate to return someday if I could afford it.
Friday, June 20, 2014
2012: No Seasons
Our 2012 trip involves visiting Boca Raton, Ft Lauderdale, and then going to
Universal. oyr time at Ft Lauderdale has been great. Beach volleyball, mini
golf, ping pong, arcade, $4 Sundaes, and pool. Finished it with a great meal at
The Chart House restaurant on the water way. I ate way too much... and then they
brought us a free desert - I could have entered a food coma, passed out and
dropped right into the waterway.
It is odd to see Christmas decorations at local businesses because it really feels like July and the decorations seem out of place. It is an odd combination of summer days and Christmas Trees. of Santa and bikinis. Of surf boards and sleighs. When we visited my friend in Boca Raton, he said that without the seasons, you tend to forget about the holidays. It is great weather all year long and the seasons just blend together.
Tomorrow we plan to get up early, pack everything, hit the road, and head to Universal Studios for two nights. It sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
It is odd to see Christmas decorations at local businesses because it really feels like July and the decorations seem out of place. It is an odd combination of summer days and Christmas Trees. of Santa and bikinis. Of surf boards and sleighs. When we visited my friend in Boca Raton, he said that without the seasons, you tend to forget about the holidays. It is great weather all year long and the seasons just blend together.
Tomorrow we plan to get up early, pack everything, hit the road, and head to Universal Studios for two nights. It sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
Thursday, May 29, 2014
2012: Boca Raton, Florida
Several days earlier I was digging my van out of snow. Today, I was eating
breakfast at the pool, enjoying an 85 degree day
In the early 1990's I hired a guy to work for me and we quickly became friends. We worked together for 16 years through various organizations. Then, in January 2007 he decided to move to Boca Raton. In the book Marley and Me, the main character lives in Boca Raton. One day his boss makes him go on vacation. In the book the author asks "When you live in paradise, where do you go on vacation?"
We spent the day touring paradise with the friend I haven't seen in 6 years, then had dinner. We walked on a pier, hit a bar, and then took a driving tour past all the mansions. He told stories of how he fishes along the shore and all the strange creatures he has hooked over the years. As a result he refuses to go into the water more than ankle deep because he knows what is swimming out there!
Oddly, a year after visiting these beaches? There were video of schools if sharks swimming along the beach and around swimmers. I guess he was right! Ankle deep is deep enough for me now.
Long after this trip was over I still remembered eating breakfast outside at the pool in the middle of winter!
In the early 1990's I hired a guy to work for me and we quickly became friends. We worked together for 16 years through various organizations. Then, in January 2007 he decided to move to Boca Raton. In the book Marley and Me, the main character lives in Boca Raton. One day his boss makes him go on vacation. In the book the author asks "When you live in paradise, where do you go on vacation?"
We spent the day touring paradise with the friend I haven't seen in 6 years, then had dinner. We walked on a pier, hit a bar, and then took a driving tour past all the mansions. He told stories of how he fishes along the shore and all the strange creatures he has hooked over the years. As a result he refuses to go into the water more than ankle deep because he knows what is swimming out there!
Oddly, a year after visiting these beaches? There were video of schools if sharks swimming along the beach and around swimmers. I guess he was right! Ankle deep is deep enough for me now.
Long after this trip was over I still remembered eating breakfast outside at the pool in the middle of winter!
Saturday, May 24, 2014
2012: Broken Toe
Some of my favorite times on vacation are when I go to the gym, walk around the
hotel's neighborhood, or take long hikes up and down the beach. All those
things, I have determined, are difficult to do when you have a broken toe. It
would be nice if I could say I broke it during a wild volleyball game or jumping
off the pier. No. I walked into a chair. But it was a very large stealthy
chair.
There is nothing you can do for a broken toe other than take aspirin and drink heavily - both of which I have done in excess.
Today was beach, bikinis, hula dancers, and margaritas. I'm not looking forward to trading this for a snow shovel next week.
There is nothing you can do for a broken toe other than take aspirin and drink heavily - both of which I have done in excess.
Today was beach, bikinis, hula dancers, and margaritas. I'm not looking forward to trading this for a snow shovel next week.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
2012: Fire Alarm
While Our home town is measuring snow in feet, temperatures are in the low 70's
today in Ft Lauderdale.
Our hotel in Boca Raton might have been the best. Our first group of friends we were traveling with went to Cape Canaveral and stayed in a creepy hotel out of a 60's horror movie, but they made the best of it by watching Star Trek on their laptop. Our second group of friends stayed at the Swan at Disney but arrived late and their reserved room was gone. They were given a room that didn't fit their family. After settling in, the fire alarm went off at midnight and they had to evacuate. The next morning they had to fight for refunds at Swan and for a better room. Considering the experiences of our travel mates, we did OK.
Yesterday we needed some groceries so I pulled into a store named "The bazaar" near Boca Raton. We walked in and my daughter immediately said "this place smells like a combination of **** and cinnamon". It was some kind of ethnic store with raw meet laying out. It was scary so we immediately left.
Today we toured the Ft Lauderdale area before checking into the hotel - a large room with two bedrooms, living room, and kitchen!
Ft Lauderdale is like on a different planet. It is so very different from anything I am used to in the north. It is completely beach focused - from people riding bicycles with surf boards strapped to their back, expensive restaurants with patrons in their beach attire, yachts, ferrari's, porches, and lines of beach front condos towering into the sky and stretching down the beach mile after mile.
The plan for tomorrow is do do absolutely nothing. It sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
Our hotel in Boca Raton might have been the best. Our first group of friends we were traveling with went to Cape Canaveral and stayed in a creepy hotel out of a 60's horror movie, but they made the best of it by watching Star Trek on their laptop. Our second group of friends stayed at the Swan at Disney but arrived late and their reserved room was gone. They were given a room that didn't fit their family. After settling in, the fire alarm went off at midnight and they had to evacuate. The next morning they had to fight for refunds at Swan and for a better room. Considering the experiences of our travel mates, we did OK.
Yesterday we needed some groceries so I pulled into a store named "The bazaar" near Boca Raton. We walked in and my daughter immediately said "this place smells like a combination of **** and cinnamon". It was some kind of ethnic store with raw meet laying out. It was scary so we immediately left.
Today we toured the Ft Lauderdale area before checking into the hotel - a large room with two bedrooms, living room, and kitchen!
Ft Lauderdale is like on a different planet. It is so very different from anything I am used to in the north. It is completely beach focused - from people riding bicycles with surf boards strapped to their back, expensive restaurants with patrons in their beach attire, yachts, ferrari's, porches, and lines of beach front condos towering into the sky and stretching down the beach mile after mile.
The plan for tomorrow is do do absolutely nothing. It sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
Thursday, March 27, 2014
2012: Race To The Finish Line
I woke with a single purpose (leave early) derailed by only one thing (free
hotel breakfast). I am normally not allowed to eat Sausage Gravy. And while I am
not admitting that I did eat it, if I had I would report that it was simply
incredible.
Just as you cross into South Carolina on i-95 you will find South of border. This was established 70 years ago when a county to the north had outlawed alcohol and people crossed the border to get their fix. The exit was also the main exit for Myrtle Beach, so their business grew to include a restaurant, camp ground, and hotel. When fireworks were illegal in North Carolina, they started a giant fireworks business and eventually grew to create an amusement park and other attractions.
When I was growing up, South of the Border was legendary. Then.. They allowed alcohol to the north, fireworks became common, and they opened a highway that goes most of the way to Myrtle Beach. South of the Border became a ghost town dump. But we still stop there and hit the souvenir stand every trip we make.
The race was back on. We sailed through North Carolina and into Georgia. The first family closing the gap and our stop at South Of The border only helped them. The further south we went, the less snow on the ground, the bluer the sky, and the warmer the temperature . Near the Georgia border we saw the first palm tree of our trip! We pulled off in Georgia for lunch: Linda ran into McDonalds to get lunch, I left her to go get gas. We didn't synchronize it very well and she was left standing at the curb for five minutes waiting for me, but we hurried!
I am proud to announce that we crossed the Florida first! Race results: The first family, who had started three hours back and in last place, had cut 140 minutes out of the gap to cross in second. The second family, who pulled off the road early last night but left their hotel early this morning? Was three hours behind us and crossed into Florida third.
To celebrate our victory we ate dinner at a Waffle House (we don't have these up north). Afterwards we decided the loser family should have ate Waffle House - it was horrible.
From Daytona, everyone was heading in different directions: Second family were going to Disney, First family to Cape Canaveral, and we were going to Boca Raton to meet up with a long time friend. The plan was to have all three families come back together and meet on Sunday at a resort in Ft Lauderdale. After a few days at the beach we would all head to Orlando. It sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
Just as you cross into South Carolina on i-95 you will find South of border. This was established 70 years ago when a county to the north had outlawed alcohol and people crossed the border to get their fix. The exit was also the main exit for Myrtle Beach, so their business grew to include a restaurant, camp ground, and hotel. When fireworks were illegal in North Carolina, they started a giant fireworks business and eventually grew to create an amusement park and other attractions.
When I was growing up, South of the Border was legendary. Then.. They allowed alcohol to the north, fireworks became common, and they opened a highway that goes most of the way to Myrtle Beach. South of the Border became a ghost town dump. But we still stop there and hit the souvenir stand every trip we make.
The race was back on. We sailed through North Carolina and into Georgia. The first family closing the gap and our stop at South Of The border only helped them. The further south we went, the less snow on the ground, the bluer the sky, and the warmer the temperature . Near the Georgia border we saw the first palm tree of our trip! We pulled off in Georgia for lunch: Linda ran into McDonalds to get lunch, I left her to go get gas. We didn't synchronize it very well and she was left standing at the curb for five minutes waiting for me, but we hurried!
I am proud to announce that we crossed the Florida first! Race results: The first family, who had started three hours back and in last place, had cut 140 minutes out of the gap to cross in second. The second family, who pulled off the road early last night but left their hotel early this morning? Was three hours behind us and crossed into Florida third.
To celebrate our victory we ate dinner at a Waffle House (we don't have these up north). Afterwards we decided the loser family should have ate Waffle House - it was horrible.
From Daytona, everyone was heading in different directions: Second family were going to Disney, First family to Cape Canaveral, and we were going to Boca Raton to meet up with a long time friend. The plan was to have all three families come back together and meet on Sunday at a resort in Ft Lauderdale. After a few days at the beach we would all head to Orlando. It sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
Sunday, March 23, 2014
2012: Canon Ball Race To Florida
I woke up satisfied with my decision to leave a day early. I estimated our
friends, still in New York, would spend most of the day watching the storm out
their living room window while I sailed through Virginia. By my estimation, i
would hit Florida a full day before everyone else! I was very proud of
myself.
I decided to look at The Weather Channel to see how buried in snow upstate New York would be. I was dumbfounded to learn the storm tracked farther east than forecasted and, for the most part, missed our home! I drove through the dangerous blizzard for nothing!
I check with our friends and learned they had left at 8am! My advantage was lost and we risked the real possibility that our friends might actually pass us and get to Florida first!
Well. Now it was on. A full fledge cannon ball race, Gilbert-style. There was no way I was going to let the either of the two families of friends get to Florida before me! We had no time to waste! The family tore down the hotel arcade while I unburied the van from a foot of snow and almost a quarter inch of ice. It normally takes our family 2 hours to get ready to leave in the morning, but I am very proud to report that we were ready to go in only 165 minutes flat! :-(
We flew down the highway out of Pennsylvania, through Maryland, through West Virginia, and into Virginia. My driving philosophy is to go ten miles above the speed limit. I think our friends must just use the speed limit as a rough approximation. The first family of friends left fifteen minutes behind the second. By the afternoon, not only had the first family passed the second, they were closing the gap on us!
We decided to cut East to Fredericksburg and pick up I-95 just south of Washington DC, a bold move considering everyone else was heading south on I-81. Everything was going perfect until we neared i95. Traffic around Washington DC is impossible - the beltway is six lanes of traffic in both directions fully congested 24x7. I made the mistake of going through the beltway one year - never again. We now bypass Washington DC by going through Fredericksburg. But for some reason today the traffic out of Washington DC had I95 backed up all the way to Fredericksburg Virginia. I lost an hour crawling toward the on ramp at 5mph.
My wife, Linda, serves many roles on family trips. Foremost, she is the stewardess - providing little pouches of peanuts, complementary beverages, pillows and blankets, and anything any passenger needs. Secondarily, she is my navigator. Her college degree is in travel and tourism and she is an expert at navigating old school - with maps spread across the dashboard, trip tickets, and tour books. I have tried to convince her to try to use new age technology (like that expensive iPhone 5 she got for Christmas) as a GPS, but she likes her old ways. And with those old ways, we spent an hour waiting to get onto I95 while Linda hunted for an alternative route. Finally, I took her iPhone, pulled up the maps application, and in one minute I had our alternative route on the screen. We had lost as hour, but we were back in the race.
We have our pit stops down to a science - like a fine race car crew. Bathrooms, dollar menu, dump the garbage, fuel, go! Even so, every pit stop seems to take 20-30 minutes! Every time we stopped, our lead in the race eroded.
We passed through Virginia until we hit Richmond during rush hour. We could either take the bypass (which would add 30 minutes) or take our chances and go straight through the city. If we got caught in a traffic jam, the first family would pass us and get to Florida first! We had to bet everything and drive straight into the heart of the city during rush hour!
Gilbert luck is an oxymoron that never rings true. Yet for some reason, we sailed through Richmond at top speed. I weaved and I sometimes cut two lanes to zip through an opening. I drove the family mini van as if it were a high performance Ferrari. Cries from the back seat as the kids grabbed barf bags did not dissuade me from my challenge. Luggage, flying across the back of our van, did not stop me. We would make it through Richmond! And we would cross into Florida on Friday first!
With Richmond behind us we sailed into North Carolina. Destination? Lumberton North Carolina, 12 miles from the South Carolina border. With a unhealthy supply of Long John Silver's hush puppies and a diet Monster energy drinks, I drove through the dark evening, quickly passing any slow car by the left or the right - whatever it took.
Finally, we made Lumberton at 915pm. Daily race finals? First family closed the gap from 3 hours behind us to only 1 hour. The second family who were originally in second place, were now 3 hours behind us.
My concern is with getting to the Florida state line first on Friday. If the first family woke up one hour before us? They could pass us! So my plan? Hit the road early while the first family is still asleep. I am setting my alarm clock for 5 am! This sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
I decided to look at The Weather Channel to see how buried in snow upstate New York would be. I was dumbfounded to learn the storm tracked farther east than forecasted and, for the most part, missed our home! I drove through the dangerous blizzard for nothing!
I check with our friends and learned they had left at 8am! My advantage was lost and we risked the real possibility that our friends might actually pass us and get to Florida first!
Well. Now it was on. A full fledge cannon ball race, Gilbert-style. There was no way I was going to let the either of the two families of friends get to Florida before me! We had no time to waste! The family tore down the hotel arcade while I unburied the van from a foot of snow and almost a quarter inch of ice. It normally takes our family 2 hours to get ready to leave in the morning, but I am very proud to report that we were ready to go in only 165 minutes flat! :-(
We flew down the highway out of Pennsylvania, through Maryland, through West Virginia, and into Virginia. My driving philosophy is to go ten miles above the speed limit. I think our friends must just use the speed limit as a rough approximation. The first family of friends left fifteen minutes behind the second. By the afternoon, not only had the first family passed the second, they were closing the gap on us!
We decided to cut East to Fredericksburg and pick up I-95 just south of Washington DC, a bold move considering everyone else was heading south on I-81. Everything was going perfect until we neared i95. Traffic around Washington DC is impossible - the beltway is six lanes of traffic in both directions fully congested 24x7. I made the mistake of going through the beltway one year - never again. We now bypass Washington DC by going through Fredericksburg. But for some reason today the traffic out of Washington DC had I95 backed up all the way to Fredericksburg Virginia. I lost an hour crawling toward the on ramp at 5mph.
My wife, Linda, serves many roles on family trips. Foremost, she is the stewardess - providing little pouches of peanuts, complementary beverages, pillows and blankets, and anything any passenger needs. Secondarily, she is my navigator. Her college degree is in travel and tourism and she is an expert at navigating old school - with maps spread across the dashboard, trip tickets, and tour books. I have tried to convince her to try to use new age technology (like that expensive iPhone 5 she got for Christmas) as a GPS, but she likes her old ways. And with those old ways, we spent an hour waiting to get onto I95 while Linda hunted for an alternative route. Finally, I took her iPhone, pulled up the maps application, and in one minute I had our alternative route on the screen. We had lost as hour, but we were back in the race.
We have our pit stops down to a science - like a fine race car crew. Bathrooms, dollar menu, dump the garbage, fuel, go! Even so, every pit stop seems to take 20-30 minutes! Every time we stopped, our lead in the race eroded.
We passed through Virginia until we hit Richmond during rush hour. We could either take the bypass (which would add 30 minutes) or take our chances and go straight through the city. If we got caught in a traffic jam, the first family would pass us and get to Florida first! We had to bet everything and drive straight into the heart of the city during rush hour!
Gilbert luck is an oxymoron that never rings true. Yet for some reason, we sailed through Richmond at top speed. I weaved and I sometimes cut two lanes to zip through an opening. I drove the family mini van as if it were a high performance Ferrari. Cries from the back seat as the kids grabbed barf bags did not dissuade me from my challenge. Luggage, flying across the back of our van, did not stop me. We would make it through Richmond! And we would cross into Florida on Friday first!
With Richmond behind us we sailed into North Carolina. Destination? Lumberton North Carolina, 12 miles from the South Carolina border. With a unhealthy supply of Long John Silver's hush puppies and a diet Monster energy drinks, I drove through the dark evening, quickly passing any slow car by the left or the right - whatever it took.
Finally, we made Lumberton at 915pm. Daily race finals? First family closed the gap from 3 hours behind us to only 1 hour. The second family who were originally in second place, were now 3 hours behind us.
My concern is with getting to the Florida state line first on Friday. If the first family woke up one hour before us? They could pass us! So my plan? Hit the road early while the first family is still asleep. I am setting my alarm clock for 5 am! This sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
Friday, March 21, 2014
2012: Driving Into The Blizard
The mathematical formula seemed simple: instead of A-B then B-C, we would do B-C
then A-B. instead of sleeping and then driving through a snow storm, we would
drive until we hit the snow storm and then sleep. It sounded like a good logical
plan. Except, we had slept less than 5 hours of the past 48.
Five people packing for a 12 day journey takes a lot of luggage! And since it is winter in the North and summer-like in the south, we need to pack for multiple seasons. The result was a van busting 35 bags! All packed and ready to go at 4am.
Next stage of the plan? Wake up at 6am (we would sleep later) and leave. That brilliant planning was lost when we slept through the alarm clock. We didn't wake until 8am when the telephone wrung. It was one group of our friends. They decided to wait out the storm in New York and leave Thursday evening. That was a luxury we didn't have - we have reservations and plans in Boca Raton for Saturday. We needed to leave. And our coalition of early departers was falling apart.
9am, now 3 hours behind schedule. I started loading the 35 bags into our mini-van. The storm was set to hit our town at 3pm, but I could already see snow flurries in the air! It wasn't until 11am that the van was packed, the kids were awake and loaded into the van, and we were headed down the road. It was then we heard from the second group of friends: they decided to wait the storm out too! We were on our own. And the storm, still four hours away, was swirling on the southern horizon.
We passed out of New York and into the Allegany Mountain range in Pennsylvania. It was in the mountains that we hit snow. The roads quickly covered and cars were fish tailing and flying off the road. Traffic bunched up and slowed to fifteen miles an hour. We were deep in the blizzard on the side of the mountains. There were no lanes and tractor trailers seemed to only obey the laws of tonnage. Repeatedly we would get stuck behind a slow moving car crawling uphill and have to switch into the dangerous passing lane to get around. All the while I wondered if that guard rail would really keep my van from tumbling down the side of the mountain if I lost control. After 90 minutes of white knuckle driving we made it to the middle of Pennsylvania, a town named Williamsport. Williamsport was our first goal, our second goal was to continue to Pennsylvania's southern border. We decided not to press our luck and pulled into a Williamsport Holiday Inn.
At 3:30 we were comfortably in our hotel room and immediately turned the room into an arcade to wait out the storm: Wii, computers, droids, and I-devices for everyone.
Our plan was to relax, get to bed early, and head out early tomorrow. We should wake up to the tail end of the storm and just need to drive through some freezing rain and high winds. It sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
Five people packing for a 12 day journey takes a lot of luggage! And since it is winter in the North and summer-like in the south, we need to pack for multiple seasons. The result was a van busting 35 bags! All packed and ready to go at 4am.
Next stage of the plan? Wake up at 6am (we would sleep later) and leave. That brilliant planning was lost when we slept through the alarm clock. We didn't wake until 8am when the telephone wrung. It was one group of our friends. They decided to wait out the storm in New York and leave Thursday evening. That was a luxury we didn't have - we have reservations and plans in Boca Raton for Saturday. We needed to leave. And our coalition of early departers was falling apart.
9am, now 3 hours behind schedule. I started loading the 35 bags into our mini-van. The storm was set to hit our town at 3pm, but I could already see snow flurries in the air! It wasn't until 11am that the van was packed, the kids were awake and loaded into the van, and we were headed down the road. It was then we heard from the second group of friends: they decided to wait the storm out too! We were on our own. And the storm, still four hours away, was swirling on the southern horizon.
We passed out of New York and into the Allegany Mountain range in Pennsylvania. It was in the mountains that we hit snow. The roads quickly covered and cars were fish tailing and flying off the road. Traffic bunched up and slowed to fifteen miles an hour. We were deep in the blizzard on the side of the mountains. There were no lanes and tractor trailers seemed to only obey the laws of tonnage. Repeatedly we would get stuck behind a slow moving car crawling uphill and have to switch into the dangerous passing lane to get around. All the while I wondered if that guard rail would really keep my van from tumbling down the side of the mountain if I lost control. After 90 minutes of white knuckle driving we made it to the middle of Pennsylvania, a town named Williamsport. Williamsport was our first goal, our second goal was to continue to Pennsylvania's southern border. We decided not to press our luck and pulled into a Williamsport Holiday Inn.
At 3:30 we were comfortably in our hotel room and immediately turned the room into an arcade to wait out the storm: Wii, computers, droids, and I-devices for everyone.
Our plan was to relax, get to bed early, and head out early tomorrow. We should wake up to the tail end of the storm and just need to drive through some freezing rain and high winds. It sounds like a perfect plan, what could go wrong?
Thursday, March 20, 2014
2012: Trip to Florida
Back In 2012 we went to Florida with some friends
in January right after Christmas. We went to Boca Raton, Ft Lauderdale, and
Orlando. Lets travel back in time:
~~2012~~
We probably went a little overboard on the kids for Christmas. Because we are going to Florida we decided to keep Christmas light this year. The children gave us their Christmas list and we started shopping and before we knew it? We had too much. But that really wasn't the problem. Every year we play a game. We hunt the house for anything we can wrap and give as a present. I have been given Season Two of Magnum PI for four years in a row! That's the game: you never know if you are opening a cool present, a dud, or something you forgot you had.
Over buying plus the present game left us wrapping presents until 4am on Christmas Day. And then we had to quietly sneak around the house depositing presents, eating the cookies that were left for Santa, and slipping into bed without waking the children.
All of my children believe in Santa Claus. Even the 18-year-old. We made it clear to them: Santa only brings presents to those who believe, and when they were ready to stop receiving those presents, they simply needed to tell us they no longer believed. If you asked my 18 year old if she believes in Santa, she will smile and say "absolutely!"
At 9am our bedroom door burst open and the kids ran in dragging stockings that are almost as tall as they are. Bringing up the rear of the child parade were our cat and dog who wanted to help with the excitement.
And so unwrapping of the presents starts in our bedroom at 9am, moves to the living room, and continues until noon at which point we take a much needed break. I don't want to give the impression our kids are spoiled, although they are. They get some great presents. But most of the presents are part of our game. My daughter loves stuffing, so, I gave her two boxes of turkey stuffing. I received my annual box of Girl Scout cookies, and my oldest son received a giant can of chocolate pudding. An unopened package of pens, a roll of life savers, the sock you thought you lost - anything we can find to wrap? We do.
At noon we take a break to eat and then go back at the unwrapping. By 2pm, we are exhausted and nearly at the end. A giant pile of spent wrapping paper is mounded in the center of the living room and the boys take turns diving into it and getting lost in the paper. Finally the children are opening boxes and assembling their toys while I am looking for that bottle of wine I bought and wrapped and gave to myself.
We have been looking forward to a vacation in Florida after Christmas. With Christmas dinner plates cleared, I went to work assembling toys while watching The Weather Channel.
Our plans are to start the drive to Florida on Thursday, but we kept Wednesday in reserve should the weather be bad and we needed to leave early. What I was watching on the Weather Channel: a blizzard was headed our way! A storm was working up the east coast - directly following our path! Winter storm alerts were in effect from Wednesday 4pm through Thursday 1pm! This could knock more than seven hours out of our driving plans.
Our only hope? Head out as early as possible on Wednesday and hit the storm head-on. Hopefully we would be far enough south so we wouldn't get much snow. We should go as far as we can make it, then pull off.
We called our friends who were going with us to discuss our plans and everyone agreed. Our only problem? With all the work and preparation that went into Christmas - nothing is packed for the trip. With little sleep and a blizzard charging toward us we spent the night packing so we can make an early start in the morning. Sounds like a perfect plan - what could go wrong?
~~2012~~
We probably went a little overboard on the kids for Christmas. Because we are going to Florida we decided to keep Christmas light this year. The children gave us their Christmas list and we started shopping and before we knew it? We had too much. But that really wasn't the problem. Every year we play a game. We hunt the house for anything we can wrap and give as a present. I have been given Season Two of Magnum PI for four years in a row! That's the game: you never know if you are opening a cool present, a dud, or something you forgot you had.
Over buying plus the present game left us wrapping presents until 4am on Christmas Day. And then we had to quietly sneak around the house depositing presents, eating the cookies that were left for Santa, and slipping into bed without waking the children.
All of my children believe in Santa Claus. Even the 18-year-old. We made it clear to them: Santa only brings presents to those who believe, and when they were ready to stop receiving those presents, they simply needed to tell us they no longer believed. If you asked my 18 year old if she believes in Santa, she will smile and say "absolutely!"
At 9am our bedroom door burst open and the kids ran in dragging stockings that are almost as tall as they are. Bringing up the rear of the child parade were our cat and dog who wanted to help with the excitement.
And so unwrapping of the presents starts in our bedroom at 9am, moves to the living room, and continues until noon at which point we take a much needed break. I don't want to give the impression our kids are spoiled, although they are. They get some great presents. But most of the presents are part of our game. My daughter loves stuffing, so, I gave her two boxes of turkey stuffing. I received my annual box of Girl Scout cookies, and my oldest son received a giant can of chocolate pudding. An unopened package of pens, a roll of life savers, the sock you thought you lost - anything we can find to wrap? We do.
At noon we take a break to eat and then go back at the unwrapping. By 2pm, we are exhausted and nearly at the end. A giant pile of spent wrapping paper is mounded in the center of the living room and the boys take turns diving into it and getting lost in the paper. Finally the children are opening boxes and assembling their toys while I am looking for that bottle of wine I bought and wrapped and gave to myself.
We have been looking forward to a vacation in Florida after Christmas. With Christmas dinner plates cleared, I went to work assembling toys while watching The Weather Channel.
Our plans are to start the drive to Florida on Thursday, but we kept Wednesday in reserve should the weather be bad and we needed to leave early. What I was watching on the Weather Channel: a blizzard was headed our way! A storm was working up the east coast - directly following our path! Winter storm alerts were in effect from Wednesday 4pm through Thursday 1pm! This could knock more than seven hours out of our driving plans.
Our only hope? Head out as early as possible on Wednesday and hit the storm head-on. Hopefully we would be far enough south so we wouldn't get much snow. We should go as far as we can make it, then pull off.
We called our friends who were going with us to discuss our plans and everyone agreed. Our only problem? With all the work and preparation that went into Christmas - nothing is packed for the trip. With little sleep and a blizzard charging toward us we spent the night packing so we can make an early start in the morning. Sounds like a perfect plan - what could go wrong?
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Planning the To Do List
In 14 weeks, we leave to spend 37 days at Disney. There is so much we need to
do, and so little time to do it!
T minus 14 weeks
-Money diet. We need to save as much as we can for this trip!
T Minus 13 weeks
- Buy trading pins online
T Minus 12 weeks
- Disney Restaurant Reservations
T Minus 11 weeks
- Plan the drive home (stopping at Hershey and Gettysburg?)
T Minus 10 weeks
- Plan our day trip to see our friends in Florida
- Plan a day at Universal Studios
T Minus 9 weeks
- Plan a day trip to go to a beach
- Research the new bands for annual passholders
T Minus 8 weeks
- Plan what groceries we will be buying
- Plan the morning checklist for the Family Vacation Trip Guide Book
- What rides do we want to ride: Magic Kingdom
T Minus 7 weeks
- Get the park schedules (open, close, parades, etc)
- What rides do we want to ride: Epcot
T Minus 6 weeks
- Plan a day-by-day, park-by-park plan for the Family Vacation Trip Guide Book
- Decide what towns we would like to visit. What real-estate agents will we talk with.
- What rides do we want to ride: Hollywood Studios
T Minus 5 weeks
- Clothes shopping
- Water shoes: clean up or buy new?
- What rides do we want to ride: Animal Kingdom
T Minus 4 weeks
- Backup and empty all of the cameras
- Buy video games for the drive
- Get a TripTik from AAA
T Minus 3 weeks
- Check our Disney card reward points
- Print the packing list
- Print the Family Vacation trip guide book
- Decide what DVDs we will take with us
T Minus 2 weeks
- Hair cuts for everyone
- Refill all prescriptions
- Van oil change and checkup
- Check the weather for July
- Buy snacks for the drive down
T Minus 1 week
- Pack, pack, and more packing!
T minus 14 weeks
-Money diet. We need to save as much as we can for this trip!
T Minus 13 weeks
- Buy trading pins online
T Minus 12 weeks
- Disney Restaurant Reservations
T Minus 11 weeks
- Plan the drive home (stopping at Hershey and Gettysburg?)
T Minus 10 weeks
- Plan our day trip to see our friends in Florida
- Plan a day at Universal Studios
T Minus 9 weeks
- Plan a day trip to go to a beach
- Research the new bands for annual passholders
T Minus 8 weeks
- Plan what groceries we will be buying
- Plan the morning checklist for the Family Vacation Trip Guide Book
- What rides do we want to ride: Magic Kingdom
T Minus 7 weeks
- Get the park schedules (open, close, parades, etc)
- What rides do we want to ride: Epcot
T Minus 6 weeks
- Plan a day-by-day, park-by-park plan for the Family Vacation Trip Guide Book
- Decide what towns we would like to visit. What real-estate agents will we talk with.
- What rides do we want to ride: Hollywood Studios
T Minus 5 weeks
- Clothes shopping
- Water shoes: clean up or buy new?
- What rides do we want to ride: Animal Kingdom
T Minus 4 weeks
- Backup and empty all of the cameras
- Buy video games for the drive
- Get a TripTik from AAA
T Minus 3 weeks
- Check our Disney card reward points
- Print the packing list
- Print the Family Vacation trip guide book
- Decide what DVDs we will take with us
T Minus 2 weeks
- Hair cuts for everyone
- Refill all prescriptions
- Van oil change and checkup
- Check the weather for July
- Buy snacks for the drive down
T Minus 1 week
- Pack, pack, and more packing!
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