The Beach, Goats and Kool-Aid

Today was another wonderful day on the beach.  We did laundry in the morning, and headed to the beach about noon.  We thought the storms that have been blowing in each afternoon would cut our trip short, but they never hit us. 

The waves were bigger today, so Erin and I boogie-boarded!!  She did great!! 

We had some unusual neighbors at Rocky this time. 

Here is our campsite.

and here are our neighbors.  

Yes, those are goats!!!  This ranks up there with our strangest neighbors.  But, their owners are nice, and it makes for a good blog!

Now, on to the Kool-Aid.  One of Erin's summer league swim coaches would color her hair every week with Kool-Aid.  Erin liked it, and has been bugging Jen to let her do it.  Well, tonight was the big night.  We don't have the results yet, but here is the what she looks like during the process.

I will post pictures of the final result in the morning!!!

Tomorrow is our last full day of our Florida vacation before we start the journey home.  It has been wonderful.  I could stay here another 3 weeks!!  We have a running joke that if a swim coach position ever opens up in one of the area schools, we won't be able to turn it down.

We plan on going to the beach one last time.  I will try and get some good pics to post.

Destin

We are now safely tucked in at Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, or Rocky for short.  This is one of our favorite parks.  We have stayed here each time we have come to Florida.  It is relatively small, with only 42 RV spots, but the crew here takes wonderful care of the park.

The best part.....it is only $17 dollars a night!!  It is the cheapest state park we have ever found.  And....it gets you into its sister park, Henderson Beach State Park in Destin, for free.  Henderson is where we go to the beach most of the time.  We have to cross a toll bridge to get across to Destin, but it only takes about 10 minutes to get to get there.

Tuesday we got up, had coffee and breakfast, and left the Caverns.  It was only a 2 hour drive to get to Rocky.  We checked in and set up camp.  A storm blew in right after we set up, so we didn't go to the beach.

On Wednesday, we hit the beach!!!  We got there about 10am, and left about 3pm.  It was great to be back.  Storms started rolling in again, so we came back to the RV and relaxed.  We went to a little Mexican restaurant we always go to when we are here for dinner.  The margaritas were even better than I remembered!!



A few days ago, while we were at the aquarium, I wrote about a call I had to take.   Well....my counterpart at work, the coach for the girls team, resigned on Monday.  He is taking an opportunity to make more money since he has 3 girls to put through college....and the first one starts in 2 years.

So, I am now the head coach of both teams!  This will be a change for me, but I am excited about the opportunity.  Also, my great friend Mark Babich has accepted the assistant coach position.  Mark and I were co head coaches of a summer league team this year, and had a great time.  I know we are going to have a great run at Kingwood Park.

We still have a few days at the beach before heading back.  I will take some pictures today to post.  I hate posting without having pics.

Florida Caverns

Good News - the generator ran all night!!!  No stops, no problems what so ever!!!  What is even better is that it ran 7 hours, and still had 1/4 a tank of gas left.  That means I can sleep through the night and not worry about putting more gas in it at 3am.

I am still getting to know this machine, since we got it right before we left for Florida.  I can say....I REALLY like having the freedom it gives us while on the road.

Ok....enough about the generator!!!

We left the walmart about 8am, and arrived at Florida Caverns State Park about 12pm.  The park is located in Marianna, Florida.  It is a nice town, a little larger than I expected.  One interesting thing about visiting state parks is you never know what is around them.  Some are located in the middle of a town and some are in the middle of nowhere. 

We got tickets for the 1:30 cavern tour.  It was a nice cavern.  Not too challenging for Erin, but there were some low, tight areas you had to squeeze through.  The temperature was a dry 64 degrees, it felt great!

The walk down into the cavern

We will stay here tonight.  Tomorrow, we head to the BEACH!!!  We will stay 5 days in Destin before heading back to reality.

We Met WINTER.....and.....

We arrived at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium about 2:30pm.  It closes at 6pm, so we had plenty of time to look around.  There was one issue to deal with....Cats...we had the cats with us, and it was too hot to leave them in the truck.  So, we turned to the generator.  If you remember, we had generator issues on our way to Florida, so I was a bit nervous.  Even though I tested it several times, I was still unsure.

But...it worked great.  I guess full really does mean spilling out the top!!!  We fired up the genny, put the cats in the RV, and went to meet Winter.  When you walk up the aquarium, the first thing you notice is that construction is about to happen...

It really is a small aquarium that had been inundated by visitors to see Winter.  Everything was temporary, from the restrooms to the ticket booths.  But, you could tell they are about to expand.  I'm sure their yearly budget has taken a jump since the movie!!!

Just as we were going in, a thunderstorm hit.  I had to run back to the RV and cover the genny, so Jen and Erin went in and started looking around.  I ended up on a call I had to take for about an hour as they looked around, so I missed some of the details.  But, WE MET WINTER!!!  It's true, she doesn't have a tail!!!

One of Erin's favorite things was petting the Stingrays!!  They were fixed so they couldn't sting you, and they were pretty cool!!!  Even though you can't see her face, that is Erin petting the ray.  She also got to talk to one of Winter's trainers, Heather.

 

We noticed there were some cameras sitting near Winter's holding tank.  We thought something was up, then Jen spotted Cozi Zuehlsdorff....she is the actress that played Hazel Haskett (the little girl) in the movie.  She was there to shoot a promo for the aquarium!!!

So, we got to see her and Winter together and watch them shoot the promo!!!

Overall, it was a very successful surprise trip!!  Erin had a great time.  We left the aquarium, got some dinner, and headed North.  We are currently Boondocking in a walmart parking lot in Chiefland, Florida.  The generator continues to work, so we have AC, TV and coffee in the morning!!!  Having the genny opens up a new range of places we can RV.  It's awesome just to pull over somewhere and have power!!!

Tomorrow we are heading to Florida Caverns State Park for one night, then on to Destin for white sand, blue water and cold drinks!!!!

Disney - Day 16

Today ends our 17 day Disney Adventure!!!  We started it the way we began, with a visit to Downtown Disney.  We got up, had some coffee, and packed up for the trip to Clearwater.  At 9am, we headed to DD.  Erin and I grabbed some breakfast at one of the shops, and Jen and Erin traded pins one last time.  We left about 10:30am, since checkout at Fort Wilderness was at 11:00am.

At ll:15, we headed out!!!

Wow, 17 days...looking back, it was a great trip!!!  It does not feel like we did over two weeks of Disney.  We were able to spend plenty of time at each park and not rush through them, and spent a third day at two of them.  We enjoyed the water parks and downtown disney, plus had some down time built in.  I'm not sure if we will do another 17 day trip to Disney World, but I am very glad we did it on our first trip. 

Now, off to our next adventure...the Clearwater Marine Aquarium!!!  Erin does not know where we are going.  We will not tell her until we get there.  Hopefully, all goes well and we get to see Winter!!!

Disney - Day 15

Not much to report today.  We slept in and relaxed.  I was able to do some cleaning and organizing of the storage compartments.  Unfortunately, I found a pretty good leak.  I think some caulk will fix the problem.  Luckily, the damage is in the storage bay. 

Erin and Jen rode their bikes around and explored the park.  I will go into more detail on the park when we settle in somewhere tonight. 

We will be heading to Clearwater tomorrow.  Hopefully we will be able to see Winter.

Disney - Day 14

We are now tucked in at Fort Wilderness (FW)!!!  It is a very nice park, with a lot of stuff to do right here. 

We got up this morning, had coffee and breakfast, then I went to the RV store and bought a new weight distribution hitch.  I won't go into my two paragraph RV Geek explanation of this.....It's a special hitch we pull the RV with.

The one we have been using was from our last RV, which was much smaller and lighter.  I tried every adjustment I could make, but its time had come.  With our current 34' RV weighing in at about 10,500 - 11,000lbs (depending on load),  we needed a hitch made for that much weight.  I spent a little over an hour assembling the hitch, then we packed up and headed to Fort Wilderness.  The hitch did great!!!

What we read was true, there is plenty to do here.  After we setup, Erin and I went to the pool while Jen did laundry.  We stayed there a few hours, then came home and cooked burgers on the grill.  After dinner, we headed out to the campfire movie.  They show a Disney movie on a nice, large screen every night.  Tonight's feature was The Lion King, always great to see!!!  Before the movie, they have a sing-a-long and light campfires for smores.  We plan to do that tomorrow, then watch Tangled.

Tomorrow we will go exploring and find all FW has to offer.  I'm sure we will hit downtown Disney at some point.  One nice thing is that there is Disney Boat and Bus service to and from FW, so that will be nice.

I am looking forward to the trip to Clearwater, and surprising Erin with getting to see Winter.  Hopefully it works out.  But, what I am really looking forward to is sitting on the beach at Destin and not doing anything!!!

Disney - Day 13

This was our last day in the theme parks, but not at Disney.  Tomorrow we will head to Fort Wilderness, the RV park in Disney. 

We spent today at Magic Kingdom.  In my opinion, it really is what Disney is all about.  That's probably due to Erin's age and her loving the princesses so much.....but, for whatever reason, I enjoy MK more than the other parks.  It just makes me happy being there, and seeing Erin enjoy it so much.

Today was nice in another way.....no lines!!!  We rode and saw everything the first two days at the park, so we were able to just walk around and explore.  Erin and Jen began playing a sorcerer quest game the first 2 days at MK.  You get can get game cards from a booth each day.  You have to fight villains from the Disney movies.  The fun part is......the "portals" are hidden, and you have to search them out. 

This is a normal window display at one of the shops.

But when you hold your card up to the little brown box just below the window, the game starts.

The fun part is that some of the portals are very well hidden.  Only a small mark on the sidewalks tell you where they are.  The game sends you all over the park looking for the portals.

Jen and Erin played for a few hours and had a lot of fun.  Again, it was nice not to have the pressure of doing all the "stuff" and just enjoy MK.

Erin got to take a picture with Princess Aurora, Fairy God Mother, find a bean stalk, see a few parades, get spit on by a camel....a fake one, of course! 

Well, our park marathon is now over.  We are looking forward to enjoying Disney at a more relaxed pace.  We are looking forward to Fort Wilderness!!!  From what we have read, there is plenty of stuff to do at the park, you don't have to leave!

Part of me is sad to see this chapter of our adventure come to an end.  Erin is at the age where Disney truly is Magical!!!  It was so fun to see.  I hope I get to see her enjoy it the same way at least one more time.

Disney - Day 12

Today we returned to Hollywood Studios for our 3rd day at this park.  There were a couple of rides and shows we didn't get to do the other days.  We also got to do the Star Wars ride again.  Always a favorite!!

We saw the Muppets in 3D, watched a stunt car show, watched the story of Walt Disney, watched American Idol, took some some pictures, and got some goodies!

Here are a few pics from the day!!!

 Wow, that is a big hat!

One of Erin's Pics.  I think she is getting pretty good!

The old guys from the Muppets!

I was fired up about this one!  Lighting and Mater!!!

 What do you mean these are just stuffed animals????

(another one of Erin's pics)

Oh!!!  This is the real Phineas and Ferb!!!

Stunt show was great!!!  I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy watching all the action!!!

 At the end of the show, a rain storm blew in.

Nothing like a Disney Candy Apple!!

and the largest Pixie Stick I have ever seen!!

Tomorrow will be our last day in the big theme parks.  We will return to the Magic Kingdom so Erin can see the Castle and the Princesses one last time.  It will be nice to return.  The other parks are nice, but nothing compares to Magic Kingdom.

On Friday, we will leave the RV Park we are currently in and move to Disney Fort Wilderness.  It is the RV park on Disney property.  From what we have read, there is plenty to do there.  We will spend 2 nights there, relaxing and recovering from 13 straight days of Disney Parks!!!  We will hang out at Downtown Disney some and enjoy one last water park trip.  

Then....we have a change of plans.  We were planning to start heading towards Destin, spending two nights at Florida Caverns State Park.  But, we are going to head to Clearwater, Florida instead.  Home of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and home of Winter, the dolphin from the movie Dolphin Tale!

Erin loves this movie, and since we are only a couple of hours away, we are going to surprise her with a trip to see Winter!!!  Not sure where we will be staying yet.  But, the generator seems to be working now, so we will find a place! 

Disney - Day 11

Day 11 was a down day.  Jen stayed at home all day and rested her feet.  Erin and I slept in, and went to Blizzard Beach, Disney Quest, and then back to Blizzard Beach to finish off the day.  Erin and I had a great day.

Tomorrow we will head back to Hollywood Studios for our last day there.  We have a couple of shows and rides left to do.  Then, Thursday will be our last day at the big theme parks.  We will still have a couple of water park days left.  We will end where we started, at Magic Kingdom.  Not sure what we will do, but we will let Erin see the Princess Castle and the Disney Magic one last time!!

Disney - Day 10

Today marked our 10th day at Disney.  We spent our second day at EPCOT.  While not our favorite park, there was plenty to do.  Erin has been showing an interest in taking pictures with the "big" camera.  So I shortened the strap, and let her carry it and take pictures.

She did a great job taking care of it, and learned very quickly how to use many of its functions.  She did get many puzzled looks from people passing us!

Erin also got to take pictures with the "Fab 5" Disney characters.  The Fab 5 are Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto.

We saw a few shows and rode a few rides.  One of the shows was from 1986 called Captain EO.  It featured Michael Jackson.  They brought it back after his death and included some behind the scene footage.  It was pretty funny to see, but still pretty good.

Outside of the EO show, there was a very cool water fountain.  Erin called them "water worms".  It is streams of water that "jump" to and from the blue circles on the ground.  It is really a cool fountain if you think about the properties of water and gravity....then watch them jump!!!

We spent the rest of the day exploring the different countries at EPCOT.  It was fun to explore the shops and look at all the food and drink from each country.  Erin did a great job.  It started to rain later on in the day.  Luckily, Jen packed the umbrellas, so we were good. 

We left EPCOT and went to Disney Quest.  It is a 5 story arcade located in Downtown Disney.  Lets just say....I was in Heaven!!!  The nice thing is our tickets get us in, so we don't have to pay the entrance fee.  Once in, all games are free.  I'm sure I dreamed of unlimited arcade games when I was a kid...and now...here I am!!!   They have new 3D games, kids games, old arcade games, and everything in between.  We will be returning to this place!!!!