Florida Vacation Memories

The mere fact that I've found time to add an update to my blog is proof that my vacation is over and I'm back to the usual routine of day to day life in Canada.

I recently arrived home after spending two weeks in Florida visiting my brother and sister-in-law and seeing the sights. I thought I'd share a few of the highlights of the trip with you and hopefully you'll enjoy them.

My uncle Mel and I left around 4:00 a.m. on Friday March 16th with much anticipation and a little trepidation as well with the knowledge the trip could be rough. Sure enough we starting running into the bad weather at the New York / Pennsylvania state line and it got worse from there. The snow was awful and the driving conditions were horrendous, however we kept going as best we could. We had to stop a couple times to remove the snow and ice build-up from the front of the van as it was causing the engine to overheat. It wasn't until we were off Interstate 81 and part way across Interstate 66 (just West of Washington in Virginia) that the snow turned into rain. You might think that's a good thing except we went from a blizzard to a monsoon with strong winds and torrential rain blinding us until we reached North Carolina. We had been on the road for over 15.5 hours and I'd had enough for the day so we stopped for the night in Kenly, NC. My hands were sore from gripping the steering wheel so tightly all day. Saturday morning we were on the road shortly after 3:00 a.m. and the drive into Florida was much better and we arrived at 3:00 p.m. at Scott and Erin's doorstep.

I'll spare you every little detail of the trip as I don't want to bore you to death but I'll give you a few of the more memorable moments. First off, Scott and Erin were fantastic hosts and their home is beautiful. My only criticism would be that I didn't see any pictures of me hanging on the walls or in any picture frames around the house. I didn't venture into their bedroom so I'm sure they must have them all located in there. Scott even let me cut his grass that first week which I enjoyed very much. It gave me an excuse to get outside and work on my tan. The meals were excellent and Mel and I were certainly spoiled.

The first Sunday we all went shopping at the Ellenton Outlet Mall and it worked out great as I was able to buy almost everything I had hoped to purchase on the trip. The first week Scott and Erin had to work a fair bit and that worked out well. Mel and I did a little shopping, running around and lounging around as well which was perfect for me. I enjoyed doing very little and it was probably a good thing because the weekend would make up for it.

We left for Orlando on Friday morning and went to Disney World, the MGM Park to be exact. I'd never been to this park before and it was a lot of fun. The only controversy of the day happened shortly after we arrived and Erin had purchased her $13 bottle of sunscreen. We decided to go on the Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. I should preface this by telling you that I'm not a big fan of roller coasters but I can handle a mild one like Space Mountain without any loops or corkscrews. Scott assured me that the ride was very tame and there were no surprises. Well, shortly before we entered the building an announcement came over the speaker to remind everyone of the intense ride and that it included a corkscrew and loops. Needless to say my heart rate increased dramatically and I let Scott know I wasn't pleased with his sneaky ways. I'd like to tell you I remember the ride vividly however my eyes were shut most of the way around it. We took off like a shot going 0-60 in a matter of 2 seconds and pulled five G's on the very first loop. I don't remember much after that as I was just trying to not have a heart attack. I survived but just barely. The rest of the rides and shows were much more to my liking.

After we left the park we checked in to the Hilton Hotel across from Downtown Disney, refreshed ourselves and went for supper and checked out the stores and shops in Disney Market.

On day two we went to Epcot. I'd been there before but it had changed a fair bit. The first ride we went on was Mission Space. Now I'm very interested in shuttles and space exploration so this was right up my alley but when I heard that a couple people had died on the ride, the heart kicked into high gear again. Looking back now, having survived, it was an awesome ride. The centrifuge spins to let you experience the G's during take off and also a simulated weightlessness. It was very cool and intense. After that it was off to ride on Test Track which was very entertaining as you hit high speeds on high banked corners. It was pretty cool. The rest of the day we enjoyed other rides and the many different countries represented. My feet were killing me by the time our two days were done there but it was worth it.

On the following Monday, Scott, Mel and I got up early and went golfing at Stoney Brook at Heritage Harbor which is located right at the end of Scott's street. It was a nice course set amongst the many houses with lots of water, sand and wildlife. Sadly, my golf game was lacking and I had a tough time enjoying myself. I think I lost about a dozen balls and my vocabulary got a serious workout. Despite my terrible game we still had fun but damn was it a hot day.

Other activities during our final week included a visit to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. This place was amazing. I'm not a huge fan of art work but I couldn't help but be impressed by the hundred's of pieces in Ringling's collection. The actual home that the Ringling's built was amazing and the guided tour was very interesting. I would recommend you check it out if you're ever in that area.

Scott, Mel and I also got up early one day and went to the Myakka River State Park which was very cool. Here we walked though the forest and climbed the tower in the canopy tour which gave a great scenic overview of the entire park. We also photographed many alligators and different birds. Being somewhat of a nature buff, I really enjoyed this. Sadly we didn't run into any rattlesnakes or panthers.

We left for home around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning which meant we missed out on the community Easter egg hunt but at least the drive home had much better weather. We did run into rain in Pennsylvania but I've come to the conclusion that the sun must never shine in that state.

All in all it was a super trip and we had a lot of fun but all good things must come to an end. I was hoping we'd come back to find the weather much warmer in Ontario but that wasn't the case as the forecast called for flurries and below normal temperatures the week of our return.

NOTE: If you'd like to view more photos from my trip, please click on the 2007 Bundy Photos link on the right. Also, below is a video someone shot of the entire Test Track Ride.