Across the Country in 6 Days!

Due to the Polar Vortex that was gripping the nation, we decided to drive to Florida from California quickly. We basically said that we weren't going to stop until we could wear flip flops again. 

Along the way, we finally saw sand dunes in the desert!  We had thought that all of the desert, or at least a vast majority of it, would be very sandy and filled with saguaro cacti.  Again, another misconception bites the dust! 

 

 The route that we took closely followed the boarder between the US and Mexico for much of the way.  You can see the small fence between the two countries, on the other side of these boarder patrol cars.  We totally thought that we'd see a family walking across the boarder at any time...we never did, but we kept looking.

We were in the truck for about 12-15 hours each day.  My new phone has a huge screen, and we were grandfathered into unlimited data with our carrier, so Mae was able to watch movies on Netflix the whole way.  Crossing the country isn't the time to worry about screen time.  :)

 

We did take one full day off, in Biloxi, Mississippi.  The day was beautiful and we were right next to the Gulf of Mexico.  We were very impressed by the wide sidewalks, palm trees, and white sand beaches.

 

 

It was nice to walk barefoot on the beach again.  The white powdery sand holds a special place in my heart after our 9 years spent living on the Gulf down in Florida.  We asked some locals if the beach improvements were made with Exxon money after the oil spill.  They told us that some of it was, but most of it was Hurricane Katrina money.  It's amazing how long it takes a town to rebuild and replant after a devastating storm.  The news doesn't mention it any more, but the people are still living with the aftereffects.

 

 

We spent the day making sand castles, walking around and resting up.  We were more than ready to arrive in Florida.  Ahh... our first rest stop in the Sunshine state.

 

As an extra special treat, George booked us into Disney's campground for a week.  Maddie was off exploring the woods behind our spot at Fort Wilderness before the RV was even unhooked!

 

We were very happy to be in Florida.  The plan was to stay in the Kissimmee area until the end of March and then mosey up the East Coast in April and May.

Disney, a little at a time

We had an amazing trip to Florida.  We played very hard. Who knew having that much fun could be so tiring? We spent at least 10 days at Disney World.  We spent 5 hours or less, in a park each day we were there- as a general rule... there was that night we stayed for fireworks...  Limiting the time we were in the parks allowed us to really enjoy the time that we were there.  We had time to revisit our favorites and play on the playgrounds that are scattered within the parks.  We were there during the Flower and Garden Show at Epcot, they bring in a number of playgrounds, just for the event.  I suggest grabbing a beverage, and finding a seat under the cabana while your little one plays!

Disney is known for it's superior customer service.  We encountered a few cast members who really made our trip memorable.  After stumbling upon Pocahontas in the Animal Kingdom, we were told that her line was closed.  We were all disapointed, but continued eating our snacks.  While we were hanging around we were told that if the line moved quickly enough, Mae may be able to see her.  Not only did Mae get to see her, she had a whole conversation with her about how much they had in common, as Mae loves the Earth just like Pocahontas does.  After a bunch of hugs and pictures Pocahontas asked Mae if she'd like to see her favorite tree.  Off they went!  Pocahontas took her by the hand and brought her to view the Tree of Life.  They discussed their favorite carvings before posing for more pictures!  I mean how magical is that?

Another special encounter with a cast member happened the same day in the Animal Kingdom.  We were soaked after riding the river rapids ride I suggest that you always have a change of clothes and/or a bathing suit, there is almost always an opportunity to get wet in any of the Disney parks.  After changing clothes

we met Daddy by the White Cheeked Gibbon exhibit.  While we were watching the family of apes play on their structure we were approached by Jon.  He proceeded to spend half an hour with us, telling us all about the primates.  Jon answered all of Mae's questions.  He told Mae what he'd gone to college for after she told him that she wanted to help the animals when she grows up.  It was an amazing experience to chat with such a knowledgeable animal expert one on one.

We would never have had these special moments if we'd been running from one fastpass ticket to the next.  Disney has so much to offer, it's best explored slowly, so that you can get the highest quality experience out of your time there. It's hard to fight the urge to spend every waking moment in the parks, but it's so much more fun if you do.  I know it's expensive, but there is a treasure trove of memories just waiting to be created if you can do Disney, a little at a time.