DaveInTN’s Off-Site, Off-Topic, Off His Rocker Trip Report (Updated w/FINAL DAY)

[DaveInTN]

Well Fiends, as many of you know we snuck off for a top secret trip to Disney last week. And I mean TOP SECRET! Even our kids didn’t know we were going. In fact, about the only person that had an inkling was Al, who I saw in Buffalo a couple weeks back and told him we were hoping to get back for one more trip before our AP’s expired. I also wanted a “change of scenery” for It’s Not Cindy and me, as we’ve been so consumed with our stop-and-go adoption process that I thought it would be good to step away for a bit and enjoy a week with our girls at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Why the secrecy? Well, it wasn’t really our intention to keep it “secret”. It’s just that we weren’t really sure we’d be able to make the trip up until the last couple of days. Didn’t want to get the kids worked up for nothing. So, we told them and our families that I had a business trip to make to St Simons Island, GA. And since we sold our MH over the summer, we simply loaded up the van as if it were any old road trip.

Well, enough background info. What did we see and do? Where did we stay? And most importantly…what did we eat??? Here are some of the things you can expect in this report:

• Those are the Georgia Beach Mountains
• I Miss Forting Around
• Ohhhhh-HANA!
• A Visit With Tom on Jackwagon Run
• Disney’s 5th Theme Park
• Goodbye Tri-Circle-D Farm
• Food & Whine
• Please Don’t Let Them Sing to Me

And, no DaveInTN trip report would be complete without an update on my favorite little apple-munching whack job…

• Still Elusive….Still A Biotch!

And so, without any further delays, let’s load up the Family Fun Bus and hit the road!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

So all that buildup and just a couple lousy pictures of the back of your van?

 

[DaveInTN]

Jim, I've finally figured out why I like you so much. You remind me of my mean, drunk Uncle.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Loved the TR Dave, great stickers,


umm, could you elaborate on the report just a smidgen more ?

 

[liv luvs disney]

So all that buildup and just a couple lousy pictures of the back of your van?

I love Jim 'cause he just says what he's thinkin' with no apologies.

Now Dave, please type away and post more pics.

 

[liv luvs disney]

Loved the TR Dave, great stickers,


umm, could you elaborate on the report just a smidgen more ?

And I love Frank 'cause he's just Frank. How can you not love him?

Now back to the reportin', Dave.

 

[DaveInTN]

Friday, October 15th

We pulled out of our driveway a bit past 10am on Friday the 15th. I planned on driving about half way the first day, stopping around Macon. The van was full, with the 6 of us, our two dogs, the bunny in its cage, and all our stuff. And even though they were just tagging along on a business trip (or so they thought), the kids were excited to be getting away from home.

We packed a lunch and stopped for a picnic at a rest area along Nickajack Lake on I-24 near Chattanooga.

Most rest areas aren’t as beautiful as this one.

After lunch, we stopped briefly at Shipp’s RV in Chattanooga to look at a travel trailer I’ve been viewing online…the Outback 301bq. This is a great floorplan for a large family. We really liked it, and when the time is right we may seriously consider this trailer. But, that won’t be until sometime later next year at the earliest.

We breezed through downtown Atlanta, and arrived at the Residence Inn near Macon in time to get settled into a room and head across the street to Logan’s Roadhouse for dinner. Let the kids swim in the hotel pool before turning in for a good night’s sleep.

Saturday, October 16th

The next morning we hit the road by 8:00. Now, if we had really been going to St Simons Island, we would be turning southeast at this point of the trip rather than continuing south on I-75. Fortunately, my kids don’t pay much attention to those things. They did, however, find it a bit odd when we entered Florida. But I had told them that we needed to dip into Florida briefly to get where we were going in Georgia.

When we hit the Turnpike, I thought they’d question things. Nope. Then we started seeing billboards advertising Disney and other Orlando attractions. Nothing. We turned onto 429…nothing. Finally, one of my kids saw the Contemporary in the distance. I said it was a beachfront hotel that resembled the Contemporary. They bought it. And then I hit a snag. One of my kids spotted Everest. Uh oh, think fast Dave. I told them that was just one of the Georgia Beach Mountains. And this is where the jig was up. It turns out my kids aren’t stupid. And they actually had figured it out way back near Ocala…knowing that you really don’t cross through Florida to get back to Georgia. They didn't want to say anything so as not to be presumptious. And a part of me was actually relieved to know that they aren’t dumb! Yay!

And so, just a few moments later we turned off of 429 on 192 and, within minutes, were pulling into the driveway of our home away from home for the next week.

Coming up…I Miss Forting Around

 

[proudmomof4]

Yay, another TR, I'm in.

 

[starbuc71]

Dave, you have a beautiful family. Looking forward to your TR, I bet it will be a good one

 

[mnsprk]

Dave, you have a beautiful family.

Hope to meet all of you in person soon. If not at the Fort maybe the next time we stop in Nashville.

Now on with the TR!

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

The next morning we hit the road by 8:00. Now, if we had really been going to St Simons Island, we would be turning southeast at this point of the trip rather than continuing south on I-75. Fortunately, my kids don’t pay much attention to those things. They did, however, find it a bit odd when we entered Florida. But I had told them that we needed to dip into Florida briefly to get where we were going in Georgia.

When we hit the Turnpike, I thought they’d question things. Nope. Then we started seeing billboards advertising Disney and other Orlando attractions. Nothing. We turned onto 429…nothing. Finally, one of my kids saw the Contemporary in the distance. I said it was a beachfront hotel that resembled the Contemporary. They bought it. And then I hit a snag. One of my kids spotted Everest. Uh oh, think fast Dave. I told them that was just one of the Georgia Beach Mountains. And this is where the jig was up. It turns out my kids aren’t stupid. And they actually had figured it out way back near Ocala…knowing that you really don’t cross through Florida to get back to Georgia. They didn't want to say anything so as not to be presumptious. And a part of me was actually relieved to know that they aren’t dumb! Yay!

I love this! So funny. You've got such a wonderful family, Dave!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

The one kid in the back seat needs to control her enthusiasm a little bit.

That is a great trailer for a big family. The best part is the master bedroom is on the opposite end of the bunk house.

 

[BRDof3]

I like that Outback, I must admit. I'd like it even better parked at the Fort in a loop full of Fiends.

 

[DaveInTN]

great stickers,

Gee, wonder where I got those??

I love Jim 'cause he just says what he's thinkin' with no apologies.

And I love the Ignore feature.

Yay, another TR, I'm in.

Thanks for putting yourself through this.

Dave, you have a beautiful family. Looking forward to your TR, I bet it will be a good one

I hope you didn't bet much.

Hope to meet all of you in person soon. If not at the Fort maybe the next time we stop in Nashville.

Now on with the TR!

I hope we meet real soon too! And I vote for the Fort.

I love this! So funny. You've got such a wonderful family, Dave!

Thanks!

The one kid in the back seat needs to control her enthusiasm a little bit.

That is a great trailer for a big family. The best part is the master bedroom is on the opposite end of the bunk house.

She just turned 13. Nuff said?

And after having a motorhome, we REALLY like the rear bedroom of this Outback. Similar concept to what we were used to.

I like that Outback, I must admit. I'd like it even better parked at the Fort in a loop full of Fiends.

Agreed.

 

[anolefan]

Very cool, can't wait for more.

I love that floorplan with the bedroom slide.

I'm pretty sure we have stayed at that Residence Inn a couple of times on our trips to visit my brother. Does it have the indoor pool?

Carry on

 

[DaveInTN]

I'm pretty sure we have stayed at that Residence Inn a couple of times on our trips to visit my brother. Does it have the indoor pool?

Yep, and it also has a decent sitting area outside with a gas firepit...although the firepit wasn't working. But it was a nice evening, and I enjoyed a beer out there with my DW.

 

[4mickey2]

well.... here we go again with a tr that just leaves us hangin'...

i bet it was hard for those kids not to let the excitement show when they knew where they were heading. i couldn't of kept quiet. i would of been yelling as loud as i could "we're going home!"....

more please....

 

[DaveInTN]

Sunday, October 16th (cont)

When we decided to sneak in a Disney trip this fall, we knew we’d be staying off site. The cost to board our 3 pets, not to mention the trauma, was prohibiting us from looking at on-site accommodations. I had booked a large suite at a Residence Inn, as they allow pets, but the thought of leaving them alone in the room with housekeepers coming in wasn’t appealing for us. So, even though we had never rented a home from an individual, I started a Google search to see what was out there.

I stumbled upon a website called vrbo.com, which features vacation rentals by owner. You can search by area, features and whether they take pets (most do not). I found a couple that interested me and emailed the owners, eventually settling on one where the owner gave me a great deal as it was last minute. We got a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home with a private pool for less per night than we paid for our last Fort campsite. And it was literally 5 minutes from World Drive! It wasn’t the Ritz….or the Fort for that matter….but it served us well.

All in all, we enjoyed having the run of the house, including the space to spread out a bit and the pool to swim in. It’s Not Cindy loved having a washer and dryer right there to not have to drag everything to a laundry room. But…it wasn’t the Fort. Not even close. We missed the evening looping, the morning walks, the peaceful coffee under the awning, and getting to the parks without driving. But heck, we were still at Disney.

We settled into the house on Saturday afternoon, and I ran to the store to get some essentials. Like beer. Oh, and milk and coffee creamer too. We took a dip in the pool, and then got ready to head out for our kick off dinner at …..’Ohana!

I love the Polynesian.

We had never had dinner at ‘Ohana, and I was really looking forward to it. I love a lot of what they serve, including potstickers, wings and all the grilled meats and shrimp.

Overall, I enjoyed the food. Like most Disney restaurants, the quality was ok…not terrible but not terrific either. People say that ‘Ohana used to be fabulous, but since I never ate there in those days I’ll just be satisfied with what I got. Plus, my youngest DD got into the dancing.

After dinner, we hopped the monorail for the MK! This is our first ever trip this time of year, so we had never seen the Halloween decorations before. They are beautiful!

We stayed for a couple hours, starting with the flying carpets, then we walked through the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

We finished our evening riding BTMR and then drove back to the house.

Coming up next….Ohhhhh-HANA!

 

[Lil' Lisa]

Yay!!! A DaveInTN trip report!!!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Still waiting for the 13 yo to crack a smile.