Day 55: Off on a Safari to the Animal Kingdom

Today we are headed off to another park in the Disney World complex, the Animal Kingdom. We have never visited this park but we have heard good reports about it. The center of the park is an attraction called the Tree of Life. Although it is not real, it is a massive structure that contains many intricate carvings and tunnels beneath.

Here is an example of the beautiful animal carvings that cover the entire base of the tree. As you can see, while the carvings are very large in proportion to Emily, they are very detailed.

Of course all kids know who Winnie the Pooh is! Ryan and Becky's kids are no exceptions and they wanted to get the official picture with him. The experience also made Becky feel young at heart.
While we stood in line for lunch, the kids participated in an African ritual - the banging of the drums that sent their parents looking for Ibuprofen for relief.

The most popular attraction at this park is the African Safari. We picked up Fast Pass tickets upon our arrival in the morning so we would not have to stand in the long lines later in the afternoon. We were loaded into large Safari trucks where we sit about 5 feet above the ground. We rode through creek beds, over hills and next to water falls to see the many large compounds that housed African wild animals, such as Giraffes, Elephants, Lions, etc. For the 1/2 hour ride, they really made you feel that you were on an African safari.

Following the safari, we took a train and stopped by the petting zoo so the kids could experience animals close up.

While the kids found more photo ops with characters, Ryan and Gary enjoyed having their picture taken with a more attractive character - Pocahontas!

The finale for the day was a 1/2 hour Lion King stage production with wonderful music and beautiful special effects.

Day 54: Disney Hollywood

The trek goes on. Today our mission is to check out Disney Hollywood, formerly MGM Studios. There is a chance of rain today so we brought along rain ponchos.
















A Lot of the characters in the Disney movies are dressed up in full costume so when the kids exit the rides they get to meet them. A couple of the kids (big and little) were thrilled to meet Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story.

Even the big kids, Ryan, got a kick out of some of the picture opportunities, especially those to do with Star Wars. Remember Star Wars came out over 30 years ago.

Paige and Emily thought that Grandma was a star too. Here they are presenting her with an Oscar.
It has also been over 20 years since Indiana Jones started, but it was one our favorites. The big kid couldn't resist trying out the hat and whip.

One of the top and newest attractions for Disney Hollywood is the Toy Story ride. On this 3D attraction you ride in a cart on a track. Each participant has a gun that shoots electronic bullets and rings towards multiple targets and are awarded points for each one. It was fun to compare our scores as we exited the attraction. Marc was a real sharp shooter on this ride and wanted to go back for a second ride.

Day 53: The Magic Kingdom

All the kids have been talking about the Magic Kingdom so we decided to head there this morning. Originally we were going to wait for the temps to cool down but now they are forecasting rain for tomorrow.


The park is very full today. We thought the spring breaks would be over by now but we forgot about Easter week break for some schools. The kids each tried there hand at driving. Thanks for the guide rails running under the cars. Here is Ryan with Mark driving.

Aaron loved the Jack Sparrow character so he bought a Pirates of the Carribbean hat. It's really neat, it has dreadlocks built into it.

I mentioned it was pretty warm, the temps hit the high 80's today so the girls are cooling down with a couple of Bomb Pops.

This evening Kathy suprised us all by preparing Cincinnati style Chili. She even had the official bibs from Skyline Chili of Cincinnati that she picked up at their restaurant in Ft. Myers.

After dinner, we headed to the musical review and campfire furnished by Fort Wilderness. The kids got to do marshmallows over the fire before the sing along and movie.



Gary even surprised Kathy by having the Chippendales show up. Unfortunately, they were the Chip & Dale cartoon characters and not the ones she expected.

Day 52: First Day at Disney

There are a couple of ways to get around to the various parks. This morning we are taking the bus to the transfer station and pick up the bus to the park. We purchased the 4-day pass so we could see all 4 parks.


Today we are in Epcot. They have added several new attractions since Kathy and my last visit.



Test Track has always been one of my favorites, the speed and acceleration is super. Ryan got a very dizzy and had to sit down following the ride.



Here are Page and Emily with there first souvenir purchase, a couple of Chinese umbrellas.

Day 51: Ryan, Becky & Kids Arrive

This morning we headed to Disney's Ft. Wilderness campground. The kids don't arrive until 8:30 this evening so we are going to set-up camp and go shopping for groceries. This campground is first class. The sites are each on circles and large enough to accommodate the largest of motorhomes. The cost is as bad as Key West, $108/night. They have transportation to all the parks and resorts. We have 2 sites reserved, one for our motorhome and one for the 30 ft trailer we rented for Ryan/Becky & family.




They flew to Orlando via Allegiant Airline. Unfortunately they only fly into Orlando's Sanford Airport. There is no free shuttle to Disney as at Orlando International. So we fired up the motorhome and picked them up this evening.

Day 50: Exploring Mt. Olive Shores

We decided to head over to the sales office here at Mt. Olive Shores this morning to learn more about the unique concept of this community. You start off by purchasing a lot; the prices run between $50,000 to $175,000. Of course the more expensive ones are larger and on one of the two lakes. The minimum size lot size is 75X100. In order to park your motorhome on the lot you must install a paver brick driveway and patio with utilities. Here is one pictured below with the addition of a gazebo.



Some owners chose to add a garage to the pad and others build a winter vacation home such as the one below. There is no time frame for building on the lot.



About 30 percent of the owners live in the gated community full time. There are some very nice homes here with prices in the $600,000 range. Here is one that Kathy and I both liked. If you look closely you can see a nice courtyard at the entrance.

Day 49: Mt. Olive Shores - An RV Community

Last night while searching for a place to stay I came across a deal we couldn't pass up. A 3-day, 2-night stay at a plush RV resort. It's about 20 miles from Disney World where we will be staying with the kids beginning Friday. The RV resort is called Mt. Olive Shores North and sits on two 100 acre lakes. Here is a shot of our site.



This is really a class place. The concept is fairly unique. Each of the homes contain a carport or garage in which you park your motorhome. You can start with a parking pad, them progress to a storage building, then to a complete home. Here is one I saw while riding my bike.



Tomorrow we are going to check out the resort more thoroughly.

Day 48: A Visit to the Cincinnati Reds Stadium

Kathy caught up on some laundry this morning while I worked on some bills and paperwork. Following lunch we drove to Sarasota to check out the Reds Stadium and pickup a gift for our grandson's Aaron's birthday.



Later in the afternoon we caught up on some reading at the pool.

Day 47: The Pirates vs. the Reds

We headed out to the ball game at noon today with Tom and Marilyn. Marilyn's brother, who also lives in Bradenton, has spring training season tickets for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's out of town today so the four of us are using his tickets to see the Pirates play the Reds. Here's a shot of Tom & Marilyn in front of Tom's favorite place at the ballpark, the concession stand.



The Pirates are pretty hard up this year so we thought we would try out for the team while we are in Bradenton.




This evening we went to a very popular restaurant on Anna Maria Island, "The Sandbar". We arrived before sunset for cocktails and to see the beautiful sunset. Even though it was Monday evening this place was packed. It's easy to see why, the food was great!




Thanks Tom & Marilyn for such an enjoyable day and pleasant evening!

Day 46: On to Bradenton

We packed up this morning under the threat of thunderstorms. The last time it rained here was in December. As we pulled away the rain started to fall. It was welcomed by everyone especially the fireman fighting the brush fires this week. The rain was quite heavy all the way to Sarasota. We arrived in Bradenton about noon today.

We are staying at Manatee RV Resort about 3 miles from Kathy's brother Tom and his wife Marilyn's house. They moved here about 5 years ago and simply love it. Here is a shot of our site from across the lake.



It's a wonderful park with a approximately 200 sites. About 20% are permanent trailers. The pool is Kathy's favorite feature, as you can see below it is quite nice.

Day 45: Our Last Day In Ft. Myers Beach

The winds have been really strong her for the last several days so we have held off going to the beach. Well today is our last day in Ft. Myers Beach so we decided its now or never. The winds were blowing 20-30 mph and the waves we coming way up on the shore. The kite suffers loved the strong winds. There were four of them out in front of us zooming across the water and jumping 10-15 ft in the air.


The strong winds didn't deter the the beach goers. Here's a shot of a female heard heading south.


We decided to celebrate our last evening by going to see Frank Torino at Salty Sam's Caribbean Grill. Keith and Betty and Patsy joined us for dinner and the show. Patsy and I took a stab at the jitterbug as Frank sang an Elvis medley.

Day 44: A Summer Home for Barhopper

This morning we drove to the Charlotte Beach area to drop off K&B's and Greg and Sandy's cars at the marina where their boats are being hauled and stored for the summer. Their each heading north on Monday towards the marina to prepare for the haul out.

Here's a shot of the narrow canals that lead back to the haul out site.

I understand the cost for the storage is $6/ft per month for 4 stands, extra stands, haul-out and electricity are extra. Here's a shot of the lift canal with the boatyard in the background.


For lunch we stopped by "Harpoon Harry's" at Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda. The girls loved the village because of all the shops to wander through.

Following the drive back to Ft. Myers Beach we drove over to check out a house that Kathy and I have been looking at buying. It's in foreclosure and needs some work, but it's probably going to go for 50% of it's pre-recession value.

Day 43: A Winter Home

The weather and scenery here in Ft. Myers is so wonderful it has had Kathy and I thinking about buying a winter home.



Over the last several weeks we have looked at a dozen or more homes and condos. The prices have really come down. They're still high compared to Iowa but a little more in line with reality. For example a 1200 sq.ft. home, not on a canal was selling for $375,000 now has dropped to $250,000. Fixer uppers start at $200,000. Manufactured homes, (trailer homes) going for $150-300,000 are all over the area in large developments. Some of these developments have great amenities, tennis courts, dance hall, exercise rooms, boccie courts, etc.

Today we headed over to Cape Coral to check out the homes. It's a beautiful area with wide streets and great homes. Unfortunately, Cape Coral has been hit hard by the recession. They have the highest foreclosure rate in the nation. Some homes are going for 50% or less of their asking price from 2 years ago. But, as I said the original prices were we overvalued.

This evening we stopped by Bonita Bills and Dixie Fish Company with K&B to check out the local music and have a few before dinner drinks

Day 42: Biking on Sanibel

There is a stray cat that has taken a liking to our scooter each morning. I think it's because the foot board is black and provides warmth in the cool early morning hours.



Following breakfast we loaded up our gear, picked up Betty and drove to Sanibel Island to explore the area on our bikes. The island is 12 miles long and 5 miles at its widest point. There are loads of upscale homes and condos over looking the bay to the east and Gulf to the west. The wind was blowing from the southeast at 15-20mph but the beaches were still inviting for a walk to the lighthouse on the southernmost point.



We discovered an RV park on the island and ventured in to check it out. It's a very nice place with a maybe 100 sites. They even have a fenced-in animal habitat for the residents to visit. The cockatoos and others birds are fun to watch and a couple of them talk very well. The girls got a wolf whistle from one of them and another asked "do you want a peanut".



Following a great lunch at the "Island Cow" we finished our ride having covered 18-20 miles, all of it on bike trails.

Later that evening K&B joined us for cocktails and dinner at the MH. As many of you know Betty loves to play cards so we wrapped up the evening playing several hands of "313" and "Widow's Hand". Kathy, who has been complaining that she never wins, won every game we played. Betty went home vowing vengeance.

Day 41: Pool & Cocktails

Just an average day in Florida. We spent the afternoon at the pool catching up on the novels we have both been reading. Kathy is finishing a Grisham novel, "The Appeal" and I just started Michael Connelly's "Blood Work". The pool is great, the temperature is about 88-90. I love it warm.




This evening we met up with Keith & Betty and some of their friends at Jimmy B's for cocktails. Several years ago K&B met this group of boaters at Moss Marine, a marina here in Ft. MB, where they lived aboard their boat for the winter. Judy and Bob, and Lynnn and Harlowe are from Vermillion, S. Dakota, Sue and Larry are from Minneapolis. The three couples now spend their winters at Ft. Myers Beach. Of course Patsy, Rex, Greg and Sandy were also there. What a fun group!