[at-l] Trip Report

[rbenhameda@home.com (Rami)]

Sept. 13 - 18 Ind. - Fla.
Trip route:  Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom to Disney Studios to Epcot =
loop


This was a long trip for my little girls, but they were troopers.  Here =
we go:

Thursday the 13th was supposed to be a pack and then relax day, but with =
the airports the way they were, we decided to make it a pack and =
review-the-options day.

We decided to drive to Fla. from Ind. at 5:00 in the afternoon and got =
underway after some stops for last minute supplies and dinner.  We later =
learned that the airport was closed around 6:00 in the evening so we =
high-fived for choosing wisely.

16 hours later when I was still driving, I was trying to figure out how =
to un-high five for choosing poorly.

We pulled into our camp site at the Disney Institute "villas" to the =
rain that only Florida and a tropical storm can produce.  I think the =
drops were about the size of marbles.  We were lucky to have missed most =
of the strong winds.  We only saw one downed tree, but the "mice" were =
busily dismembering it and removing it from view.  They even brought in =
dirt and sod to cover the hole.

After setting up camp, we hiked over to the lake at downtown Disney, =
caught some fish and dined on the waters edge.  I hadn't realized that =
both salmon and tuna populated that area.  We also shot and cooked (for =
the girls) a wild hot dog and a small flock of chicken nuggets.=20

Later that night, after watching a spectacular show of southern lights =
over the peaks of mt. Cinderella's-castle, we turned in.

Day two was one of our longest days.  We woke early, had a small =
breakfast at camp and hitch-hiked to the trail head at magic kingdom.  =
We spent a few minutes in light rain through out the morning, but that =
cleared and we had a great sky for the afternoon. =20
We took the tomorrowland to frontierland route with some (several =
repeat) side trail trips to Space Mountain.  The only one who didn't =
summit was Jade who is 4.  She intends to make a summit attempt within 2 =
years.
We were pleased to meet Buzz Lightyear on the first leg of our hike, and =
we spent several minutes with him at star command.

On our way to Frontier Land, we became lost and ended up at the haunted =
mansion.  That was a little dicey at first, but by the end of our stay =
there we were all giggles including Jade.

Frontier Land brought two summits for our after lunch enjoyment.  First, =
we had Splash Mountain which provided us with a nice climb and the most =
wildlife of our trip.  It was a rather damp descent however and we were =
wise to have worn our poncho's.
Our last peak for the day was Big Thunder Mountain.  Jade and I held off =
while the others made for the summit there.  Jade needed a bit of a nap =
and I was just the guy to help her with it!  We finished the day with a =
short side trip to adventure land where we were fortunate enough to =
catch a jungle cruise and a ride on Aladdin's carpet before dinner.

After a big dinner, we all decided that we needed to walk it off.  We =
made for an area called the boardwalk where we walked by the water's =
edge.

Day three brought a harrowing trip to Asia, and Africa.  Our Day started =
with a bug watching visit to the tree of life.  We then made for Asia to =
do a bit of river rafting on the Kali River.  That turned out to be =
Jade's favorite part of the trip.  After several trips on the river, we =
made our way to Africa for a safari.  At the end of the day, we found =
ourselves in some foul weather at Typhoon Lagoon in the midst of some =
heavy waves.  We were able to escape our the waves after a while and did =
some snorkeling with the fishes before returning home for dinner and =
bed.

Day four was the last day of our trip b4 returning home.  We had done =
almost everything except visiting with some friends.  First we met with =
R2D2 and C3P0 to catch up on old times and a short trip to Endor.  Later =
we went to see Indiana Jones at work.  I was called down to help him on =
the job and we all got a kick out of that.  Big laughs all around.  In =
the afternoon, Susan, Carmen and I decided we were up to a little =
technical climbing so we made for the peak of tower of terror while Jade =
stayed with friends to visit Pocahontas, Mulan, Aladdin, jasmine, =
princess Kita  from Atlantis, and some others.  The three of us were =
happy to see that we were up to the challenge and successfully summited =
the tower!

After dinner that night in Mexico, and dessert in Paris, We settled in =
for a little Illuminations before hitting the return trail.  We had =
already broken camp earlier in the day so we pushed north as far as we =
could before getting a room at a hotel. =20

The return drive was less exciting than the drive down, but we made good =
time.

We don't know when we'll be taking that route again, but we sure enjoyed =
it.  We think it's our favorite family trip.  The only drawback I could =
find was the high trail registration and camp fees.  I would prefer to =
camp in the back country rather than in a campsite like that, but what =
can you do???

Hope you enjoyed it and if I can answer any specific questions, don't =
hesitate to ask.


=20
noble path
--------------------------------
- Still round the corner there may wait
a new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I=20
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

-F.B.=20


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