#78 Mar 2015 Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

In DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS we were greeted with a replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Who remembers Mickey Mouse’s “Gosh, this is swell”?

Ralph tried out Hulk Hogan’s handprint.

Then Dave tried it.

Father and son share many traits but hand size is not one of them.

David Copperfield said it very well.

The older we were the more names we recognized.

A trip on "The Great Movie Ride" brought back memories of Mary Poppins

"The Duke" John Wayne

The Yellow Brick Road from the Wizard of Oz.

Danica found Cinderella’s slipper.

Then Danica and Lindsay found her carriage – the original from the movie, which was just released.

We watched a behind the scenes re-enactment of the filming of “Indiana Jones” with some extras who volunteered from the audience.

The “action” looks real BUT!

There is more than meets the eye. Among other things they are standing on shock absorbing mats.

In the exhibit “Walt Disney - One Man’s Dream” we were reminded how far reaching his vision took the world of imagination.

We were too tired to take in the evening show and fireworks but ended the day with a lovely sunset.

DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM “Kilimanjaro Safaris” took us on a safari ride through Africa where we found many animals co-existing in the jungle and savannah.

These animals roam freely in a natural habitat while Disney staff continues their research in order to protect and preserve them in their native habitat.

On the “Pangani Forest Exploration Trail” we saw silverback gorillas.

Look closely at this mother and you will see her baby clinging to the inside of her left front leg.

The “Festival of the Lion King” was bright and entertaining.

Lindsay and Danica joined in the celebration dance.

The finale was thunderous.

I was willing to try another roller coaster but not “Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain”. Lindsay, Dave and Danica flew past so fast I missed their train car as it careened out of the mountain.

Animal Kingdom is the only park without an evening show but once again nature put on it’s own show as we headed towards supper and bed.

#77 Mar 2015 Magic Kingdom and Fun Spot USA

We left Surrey January 18th and almost three months later arrived in Key West Florida, which was the most southern point in our journey. To that time we had driven

7,000 km (4,200 miles) in the RV
3,600 km (2,150 miles) in the Suzuki
10,600 km (6,350 miles) Total

Now it was time to start heading north.

March 20th we put the RV into storage and drove to Orlando for 8 days in our timeshare near Walt Disney World. That evening our son Dave, his daughter Danica (8) from Calgary, AB and our other granddaughter Lindsay (19) from Surrey, BC arrived at the Orlando airport. We had all looked forward to this week for many months.

That was a Friday and there is a very long-standing tradition in the Brewster family that Friday night is nachos. That Friday was also Dave’s birthday. We celebrated on the balcony of our suite in the warm balmy air. Of course, after the nachos came an ice cream birthday cake.

There are four theme parks in Disney World but the first experience must be the Magic Kingdom. That is where Walt Disney's dream started in 1955 in California.

We arrived just in time for the “Festival of Fantasy” Parade.

It was a trip showcasing Disney characters from then until now.

And everything in between.

This trip was to be an adventure for all of us. Ralph and I have never been interested in rides, however times have changed. In retirement we are more relaxed and like many grandparents we try to keep up with the grandchildren. “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” is a roller coaster ride through a gold-mining town on a runaway train.

Ralph closed his eyes at the beginning of the ride and stayed that way throughout the trip. He doesn’t know if he enjoyed it or not because he didn’t see it. However, I enjoyed it and was ready to go again – you never know until you try it.

Danica was upset at the end of the ride (she kept her eyes open) but later was willing to experience scary rides again.

Dave was prepared to try lots of rides to encourage Danica’s adventurous spirit.

Lindsay loves fast, nerve racking, scary, hair-raising rides so that ride was good but just a teaser.

“It’s a Small World” is a must to experience one of the original rides that expresses Walt Disney’s vision for “The Happiest Place on Earth”.

While waiting for “Peter Pan’s Flight” Danica rang the bell as Ralph, Lindsay and Dave watched.

Then they were sprinkled with Pixie Dust.

The Magic Kingdom experience ends with fireworks over Cinderella’s castle.

Disney is very expensive and doesn’t have the thrilling rides Lindsay tries to find. Fun Spot USA has free admission and is close to Disney World.

There is an adjacent classic car show some evenings. Danica tried to understand why the little boy leaning against the old car was so sad.

Lindsay got her scary ride fix as she was harnessed into a sling where she rode backwards to the top of a 300-foot tower.

When she released the ripcord she ricocheted across the water like a slingshot at 58 miles per hour (93 km per hour).

She screamed and had fun! The rest of us held our breath.

There was more excitement and Danica was ready with waves as they sped around corners.

#76 Mar 2015 Florida Keys - Sunsets and Dolphins

We were booked into a park in Homestead (near Miami) and explored the Everglades and the Keys from there.

A few years ago we took a bus tour from Fort Lauderdale to Key West. It was very informative but an overview due to time limitations and the distance.

Now we wanted to explore on our own. We “thought” that it would be less expensive to book a hotel for one night rather than an RV resort costing at least $100 per night. Fuel would be less expensive for the Suzuki than the RV. Well, the Suzuki certainly took less fuel than the RV would have. However, the cheapest hotel was $335 per night. Fortunately we were able to use points instead of US dollars at a 28% premium.

The Florida Keys are a string of islands connected by 42 bridges ending in Key West. This time the pen is pointing to the highway from Key Largo to Key West, a distance of about 130 miles.

The drive is spectacular with many small communities along the way.

The average depth of Florida Bay between the mainland (Everglades) and the Keys is 6 feet. This creates a fantastic range of water colours. These are true colours – not enhanced.

We stopped at the Dolphin Research Center, which was started in the 1950’s as Santini’s Porpoise Training School. In 1963 Hollywood learned about the Center befriending dolphins and made the movie “Flipper”. Some of his descendants are still at the Center.

In the late 1970’s the research at the Center was influential in persuading the International Whaling Commission to limit or stop hunting whales, a close cousin of dolphins.

The trainers work with the dolphins and learn how to stimulate each dolphin according to his/her personality.

They also play with the dolphins.

And work with sea lions.

The sunset in Key West is a prime attraction. Hundreds of people gather at Mallory Square to watch buskers, enjoy food carts and wait for the magic moment when the sun sets across the vast Pacific Ocean.

Cruise ships sail away just after the sun dips below the horizon.

The passengers on this jet would have a different but equally spectacular view of the sunset.

On the Square most people leave after the sunset and the outdoor tables are available. We had a late supper, savoured the dusk and watched the sunset cruisers drift past.

After supper we wandered past the Original Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Café.

The next day we returned for nachos for lunch – what a feast! Of course Ralph had Landshark beer and I had a margarita (or 2).

We took a trolley tour of Key West, which is the Southern Most Point in the Continental USA. The line up for a photo op was about an hour. We don’t know these people but they were having fun and we continued our tour.

A small version of the Marilyn Monroe statue was a popular spot.

The first European explorer to discover Key West was Juan Ponce de Leon in 1521. Fishing was the mainstay for many centuries until it was “discovered” by people such as Ernest Hemingway as a winter getaway. There are many beautiful, stately homes.

Some of them very fanciful.

Several churches dominate the skyline.

There is a recurring theme among the cities we have visited. If a building is not completed (painted) then the taxation is less.

On the way back we viewed the original boat from the movie “African Queen”.

This pelican was waiting for just the right fishing dive.

A glorious sunset and drive then back to the RV for our next adventure.