25NOV16 - Disney World, FL (epcot)

Friday’s (25NOV) drive to Clermont, FL, on the outskirts of Orlando was uneventful & we arrived at our RV park at lunch time.  After setting up camp we hustled over to Disney’s Epcot Center to meet Rebecca, Raymond, Jaxson & Mason (aka kids & grandkids).  Two BLOG entries ago we described Disney’s recent “good” deal for military personnel, & our decision meet them at Disney World.  See below BLOG link for 2009 visit to Disney World, along with many photos from that visit.

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2009/12/03-10dec09-disney-world-fl-via-quincy.html

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

We met them at the Future World area & w/our Fast Passes immediately headed into the “Turtle Talk w/Crush” interactive video (still excellent).  The grandkids liked Crush, but they really loved the aquarium displays.

What are fast passes?  These are daily passes that allow ticket holders to make reservations for three shows or rides of their choice.  This insures that you will quickly board three attractions without standing in lengthy lines (some over two hour wait).  And if the ride or show has problems that force you to miss your time, you get to use it for any show or ride without reservation.

Next up was the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival - three short 3D animation films.  Dan thought the neatest was a very old B&W Mickey Mouse.  The old film has been restored & digitized.  It starts out w/Mickey chasing his foe Pete (aka Peg-Leg Pete, Pistol Pete, Black Pete) who has kidnapped Minnie.  During the chase, Mickey breaks thru the screen & lands on the stage.  Now he is in full color & 3D.  As the characters move from screen to stage & back, they change from 2D B&W, to 3D color.  Very impressive, although the grandkids did not like the 3D projections coming at them.

We then stopped for dinner at English pub “Rose & Crown”.  We would not recommend eating at any of Disney eateries unless you $$$.  For example - a soft pretzel is $5, shaped like Mickey’s head $6, & w/cheese $7.  To economize the kids had a Disney meal “plan” for one meal a day & two snacks - definitely recommended.

The rest of our time at Epcot was spent on:

---The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride - ok

---Spaceship Earth ride – slow & boring, but grandkids liked it

---photo op w/Hero 6 – note Disney characters no longer walk thru the park for pictures because of “crowd control” problems, now you stand in line at designated locations for long periods (you can use one of your Fast Pass to save time)

---Soarin ride – still the best

---Illuminations water/laser/light/firework show – excellent; crowded but not as bad as Magic Kingdom fireworks

19-24NOV16 - Florida & Various (happy turkey day)

Saturday morning, 19NOV, we attempted to depart Rebecca & Raymond’s driveway but discovered a broken relay/fuse in the starting system.  With the help of the next door neighbor, Mr Troy, Dan was able to remove the part to begin a search for a replacement.  None of the auto stores had anything like it, & all the truck facilities in the area were closed (but they would dispatch a service truck $$$).  Dan managed to get to the one open truck facility five minutes before closing, to get the part.  Four hours later we were finally on the road.  Meanwhile during this time, Rebecca started putting up X-mas decorations.  Our first stop was the air force FamCamp in Biloxi, MS, where we have stayed many times.  That evening was dinner at Mary Mahoneys Old French House, last visited this FEB.

Sunday we headed out The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint for BBQ lunch.  The Shed is nationally known & renowned.  We tried to eat there in OCT 2013; but mistakenly did not go to the original!  So this time we insured we made it to the original establishment.  Very, very goodJ!

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2013/10/09-13oct13-biloxi-ms-cruisin-coast.html

http://theshedbbq.com/

Then we headed to the William M Colmer visitor center of the Gulf Islands National Seashore Florida/Mississippi in Ocean Springs, MS (the longest National Seashore in the USA).  Question - why are none of Alabama barrier islands part of this National Seashore?).  As usual we started by viewing the National Park Service film; followed by a little hiking on the CCC trail to foundation remains of the CCC camp.

Over the years we have seen almost all of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, even though spread over two states.  Back in DEC 2008 we visited Fort Barrancas at Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL.  And in DEC 2010 we visited Fort Pickens, & Naval Live Oaks Area outside Gulf Breeze, FL.  today we also discovered the USA’a first “quarantine” station was Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi.

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2009/01/28-31dec08-biloxi-ms-pensacola-fl-happy.html

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2010/12/27-31dec10-biloxi-ms-navarre-fl-happy.html

https://www.nps.gov/guis/index.htm

Monday morning head to Navarre, FL, to visit our good friends Chuck & Anneke Guldenschuh.  Who we try to visit whenever we are in Florida.  After setting up camp we head to their house for reminiscing & dinner (no Mexican train dominoes this time).

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2016/04/01-14feb16-various-florida-visiting.html

Tuesday, 22NOV, we got back on I-10E to drive in-directly to Disney World outside of Orlando, FL.  Spending night in Lake City, FL.  Wednesday we took back roads to St Augustine Beach, FL.  Our intention was to stay two nights before heading to Disney World.  Our first two choices for RV parks were full, forcing us to stay at number three – not the best.

After setting up camp we headed to the beach for a walkabout & driving the Toad on the beach.  Our intention was to have dinner at Salt Water Cowboys, which we discovered back JAN 2014.  Even though website said they were open, we discovered they were closed due to hurricane damages from Matthew & Nicole back in October.  Most damage suffered by St Augustine was from high water, not wind; & many businesses are just reopening (including our RV park)!  So dinner was at Mango Mangos – excellent!

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2014/01/10-15jan14-st-augustine-fl.html

http://www.mangomangos.com/

Late Thursday (HAPPY TURKEY DAYJ!!!) we headed into St Augustine for a walkabout.  Our last visit was with wall-to-wall tourists.  This time St Augustine was almost empty & with lots of free parking.  First we walked the pedestrian street completely geared to tourists (can you say ice cream, gelato, fudge, t-shirts, post cards, etc, shops - one after the other?).  After a light lunch we walked thru the old town.  The few businesses there, were closed for the holiday.  (see above BLOG link for many more photos of St Augustine)

One historical photo we discovered on our walk was at the site of an infamous “civil rights” picture from 1963 taken at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in St Augustine.  Sit-ins at segregated lunch counter had started in 1960 & spread thru-out the south.  What was different about the St Augustine incident, was the participants were high school students.  Who were incarcerated in reform school (aka jail) for six months, before a national outcry forced their release.  A local Civil Rights Museum has created a “Freedom Trail” throughout St Augustine commemorating the civil rights movement in St Augustine.  Now that we know about the trail, we hope to follow it on our next visit.

http://www.accordfreedomtrail.org/

Then it was back to the RV & the evening Thanksgiving potluck sponsored by the RV park.  We were fortunate to sit at a table w/a French Canadian couple Jaki & Jean-Paul Fafard.  It was an excellent time, with new RV friends madeJ

01-18NOV16 - Houma, LA

Tuesday, 01NOV, was mostly spent recovering from yesterday’s Halloween sugar rush.  On the recent drive from Washington to Louisiana we noticed that our dash heating system was not working.  If you have followed our BLOG, you know we have had many problems with our dash AC system.  And you also know the dash AC/heat system won’t cool/heat the RV, but is critical for defogging the front window.  So now we have AC, but no heat?  For the next few days Dan tried to figure out why the dash heat doesn’t work.  Even learning how to test a five prong relay in the AC/heat systems.  So far no luck?

For the next couple of weeks we focused on finishing two house projects Rebecca & Raymond were working on.  They are in the process of sprucing up their master bathroom.  Due to the age of the house, some drywall repairs were needed.  So Corrie focused on spackling, sanding & priming the drywall.  Next, the doors to the shed Dan, Raymond & Joe had built in JAN 2012, had deteriorated.  Raymond had built new ones; so Dan caulked, primed & painted them.

During this time we also accomplished:

---medical check-ups (& flu shots)

---grandson Jaxson spending night in RV (he thought it was pretty neat to keep Opa up past midnight)

---taking Jaxson to skate park

---Corrie shopping for excess Halloween costumes

---rain finally returns to New Orleans after almost two months

---a short visit with the Daryl & Darne Brue (they were our best friends/neighbors when we had a house in Houma)

---Dan taking Jaxson to “Elmo Makes Music” produced by Sesame Street Live, as part of a school field trip.

http://www.sesamestreetlive.com/

Monday, 14NOV, we headed to the Navy’s Morale, Welfare, & Recreation office in New Orleans.  But first we stopped for lunch at Café 615 (house of da wabbit); a New Orleans institution since 1949.  During lunch Dan discovered the Navy’s MWR was closed on Monday, so back to the Houma & the RV.  Tuesday we went back to MWR & finally got our Disney World tickets (turns out their office was not in New Orleans, but down the Mississippi river in Belle Chase!).  So even if they had been open yesterday, we weren’t close to them.

http://dawabbit.net/home.html

Why Disney tickets?  Because once again Disney has a phenomenal deal for military families, like our visit back in 2009.  If you review the below BLOG link, you will noticed we left Disney back in DEC 2009 with a severe case of musophobia & thought we wouldn’t be back.  But since son in-law, Raymond, is a member of the Louisiana National Guard he & our daughter, Rebecca, decided to purchase the Disney discount tickets & take the kids, Jaxson & Mason.  Although we had our fill of Disney, we agreed to meet them there & to be part of the grandkid’s “first” visit to Disney.

Their plan was to visit Disney for four days, starting on black Friday (ie the day after turkey day).  Although we thought another date might be better, we agreed to drive the RV to the Orlando, FL, & meet them there.  Since we are “retired”, we decided to leave week earlier & take our time driving.  Friday, 18NOV, not much done, just getting RV ready for tomorrow’s departure.

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2009/12/03-10dec09-disney-world-fl-via-quincy.html