DaveInTN

We're like the Olive Garden of camping....when you're here, you're family.

That's great, Lorna. I could give several examples to add to this list that would demonstrate the community that has developed here. And in case any lurkers or newbies think this is a "closed group" that is tight knit and wouldn't open their arms to them...I can tell you there are Fiends created every day, some that dive right in and sit around at grand gatherings laughing it up seated next to someone who's been around forever. There are a handful of Fiends that were at those early gatherings at the Fort, but most of us were not and are still members of the community, which is more like a family to me. And still other Fiends have not had the opportunity to meet any other Fiends at all in person, but they are still members of the community too by participating on the boards. Whether or not someone considers themselves a Fiend is up to them. There's no membership fee, no application, no tests or initiation. Just a desire to be part of a great group of people.

That's great, Lorna. I could give several examples to add to this list that would demonstrate the community that has developed here. And in case any lurkers or newbies think this is a "closed group" that is tight knit and wouldn't open their arms to them...I can tell you there are Fiends created every day, some that dive right in and sit around at grand gatherings laughing it up seated next to someone who's been around forever. There are a handful of Fiends that were at those early gatherings at the Fort, but most of us were not and are still members of the community, which is more like a family to me. And still other Fiends have not had the opportunity to meet any other Fiends at all in person, but they are still members of the community too by participating on the boards. Whether or not someone considers themselves a Fiend is up to them. There's no membership fee, no application, no tests or initiation. Just a desire to be part of a great group of people.

That's great, Lorna. I could give several examples to add to this list that would demonstrate the community that has developed here. And in case any lurkers or newbies think this is a "closed group" that is tight knit and wouldn't open their arms to them...I can tell you there are Fiends created every day, some that dive right in and sit around at grand gatherings laughing it up seated next to someone who's been around forever. There are a handful of Fiends that were at those early gatherings at the Fort, but most of us were not and are still members of the community, which is more like a family to me. And still other Fiends have not had the opportunity to meet any other Fiends at all in person, but they are still members of the community too by participating on the boards. Whether or not someone considers themselves a Fiend is up to them. There's no membership fee, no application, no tests or initiation. Just a desire to be part of a great group of people.

That's great, Lorna. I could give several examples to add to this list that would demonstrate the community that has developed here. And in case any lurkers or newbies think this is a "closed group" that is tight knit and wouldn't open their arms to them...I can tell you there are Fiends created every day, some that dive right in and sit around at grand gatherings laughing it up seated next to someone who's been around forever. There are a handful of Fiends that were at those early gatherings at the Fort, but most of us were not and are still members of the community, which is more like a family to me. And still other Fiends have not had the opportunity to meet any other Fiends at all in person, but they are still members of the community too by participating on the boards. Whether or not someone considers themselves a Fiend is up to them. There's no membership fee, no application, no tests or initiation. Just a desire to be part of a great group of people.

YMCA!
Moving right along...when I left off we were well into our 2nd travel day. We had stopped the night before in Troy, AL, and by late afternoon we had made the Florida Turnpike. I always like hitting that milestone, because you know you are about an hour away from the Mouse House. But over the years, my family has developed a love for a particular milestone that indicates it is time to start searching the horizon for castles, giant golf balls and haunted hotels.
We saw this.

That's the YMCA that sits at the juncture of the Turnpike and 429. And when you see it, you are close!
Hooray!!! Everyone sing with me....Y-M-C-A! It's fun to stay at the the....
ok, enough of that.
I often will get off of 429 at the first exit, and take 535 down to Vista Blvd, coming in the "back door" to Disney. But this time I stayed on all the way to this exit.

Western Way!!

Why the exit sign doesn't say "Western Way", I don't know. I can be confusing. But knowing what we were looking for, we made it.
And in just a short moment, we were greeted with this.


Seriously, after a long drive, isnt' that the greatest sight in the whole world??
More sights along the way....

This sight ranks right up there too....


Notice how quiet those toll booths were during the late afternoon of 12/22. That wouldn't be the case in 48 hours.
Ok, scratch everything I said above. THIS is the greatest sight evah!

Yackety yack, here's the guard shack.

Check in was piece of cake. We were directed to an empty lane at check in, and it went very smoothly. I had checked in online and our documents and KTTW cards were all ready. And I got one of my requested sites too....524. I was a happy camper!
I got backed into the site on the first try and was unhooked, plugged in and had a beer in hand faster than you can say Zippidy Doo Dah. Before too long, we were heading down to the Settlement to order our GAG and get in some good porch time.
I have a personal rule against taking GAG pictures since they did away with steak fries. Actually, I forgot the camera at the camper, so no porch or GAG pics. But you know what fried chicken looks like. And you know what the porch looks like.
After eating, the girls ran off (except Anna) to do stuff, and INC and I had our first fiend encounter of the trip...we saw TCD's twin on the porch. I asked them where their Dad was, and they pointed us inside Trails End. (Andrew, you need to train them better...they gave you up too easily). So we got to chat briefly with TCD and the twins. We then headed back to 524...our home for the next 2 weeks, and settled in somewhat early. We had plans for hitting Epcot the next day, so we needed some rest.
And that puts behind us the drive and the setup....which means I can proceed to get into the "meat" of the photos starting with our next post. And by meat, I mean POOD FORN and ANNA pics!
Coming up....The Reason For The Season.

Oh, poor Bob In The Box...left on that island for another year.

Now that we are all aboard, let's get moving.
The girls had a half day of school on Friday, Dec 21, so we left home right after they got home. We were on the road at exactly noon CT. My plan was to take the route south through Alabama on I-65, hopping over to 231 in Montgomery and down from there. More often than not I take the Atlanta route, but being the weekend before Christmas, I didn't want to pass through Atlanta at 5pm on a Friday. So Alabama it was.
Everyone was excited to hit the road. This trip was highly anticipated by all!

We didn't need to make a potty stop until we crossed the AL border. We hit our usual rest area...the Welcome Center with the rocket!

Don't you just love my artful picture taking...getting the trailer AND the rocket in the same shot?
Talented, I tell ya.

I was really Jonesing for a cup of coffee at this point, and the rest area had a coffee machine. I think a cup was a buck or maybe $1.50. I only had a $5, so the machine gave me change and I got some of those new $1 Presidential coins. Cool! I hadn't seen those yet, even though I don't think they are that new. I also got an old Susan B Anthony dollar coin. Had no idea those were in circulation.
It doesn't take much to thrill me.
Anyways, we drove on and I enjoyed the coffee. We made it through Birmingham and Montgomery, and by 6:30 I was ready to stop. It was BLACK out, and getting quite cold. We were in Troy, AL at that point, so we stopped at Deer Run RV park, which was recommended by TNBob. It was a decent place to stop for the night, and had the cleanest bath houses we'd seen in a while. Nice!
I snapped a few pictures in the morning before we pulled out.
Our site.

The outside of the bath house / rec hall.

There was a bit of highway noise at the pull thru sites...this was how close we were to Hwy 231.

But it wasn't enough noise to keep anyone awake.
The check in building.

And that's enough of that.
We continued south on 231, and within an hour or so we hit Dothan.
On our last trip south, we followed the TnBob bypass of Dothan. But this time I wanted to grab breakfast and gas, so we went through town. As it turns out, there is a Sam's Club in Dothan with a Chick Fil A right in front of it. Sweet!!
I filled up the tank at Sam's while INC and the girls headed inside the CFA.

One disappointment....INC and I wanted their oatmeal (which is the bomb), but they were out that morning. So I got the next best thing...Chicken Minis!!

I got INC a bagel sammich.

Gwen got her usual chicken biscuit.

Being early, and being Saturday, there was little traffic in Dothan, so before long we were at the Florida border and on I-10.
This shot is called "Minnie In My Mirror"....or Objects in your Mirror May be Minnier Than They Appear. :rofl2:

We drove, and drove, and drove. One thing I don't like about the Alabama route...it seems to drag on for me. But we made progress, and before too long we saw the landmark that always stands for my family as proof that you are almost there.....coming up.

Epcot would not have been my speed. I really don't like people.
And maybe the foreigners are just fans of crappy French cars.
Remember the Renault Fuego?

I would do that, but not for my man card. Anna adores IASW. Just watching her face on that ride is worth the torture.

Oh, poor Bob In The Box...left on that island for another year.

You're just an apologist for the cartel. Are they paying you in Caramel Macchiatos?

Yes, Rita, you can drive up to Ober Gatlinburg. But the only way to the top of the Alpine Slide is a chair lift.
And it appears the happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations...I just started my Christmas trip report!

Yes Andrew, didn't I tell you? Disney hired me to redecorate the Magic Kingdom in Accounting-Chic. It's all the rage in Europe, you know.
And you are still wrong with the guess. Pick another Town Square building. You guys are narrowing it down.

Maybe in his first official decision he will get rid of that ridiculous portrait hanging in New Fantasyland.

Convince me I shouldn't put you on my ignore list.

So that's how he gets people relaxed enough to spike them.

Good guess, but this is my calculator.

I thought it meant "damnforthesamepriceicouldhavedonethehoopdedooreview"

I thought it meant "damnforthesamepriceicouldhavedonethehoopdedooreview"

Is this Lou-Ping tour taking us to the Poly? I have a reservation at the Lou-Ow.

You guys keep this up and you'll be able to finance your trips with the Pay Per View receipts.

You guys keep this up and you'll be able to finance your trips with the Pay Per View receipts.

Just what do you women get into that would effect Starla negatively?
Scratch that question. I don't want to know. I still have a fairly healthy amount of respect for some of you.

This is going to be just shameless.