Mindy wanted to spend an extra day with Kathy, which left my schedule open to hang around the area.
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#Fairof10000Foods - Day 6 /
Our last real day of the trip, with the exception of the run back to Ohio, which doesn't count.
Read More#Fairof10000Foods - Day 5 /
We packed up, had breakfast at the hotel (a better one than in MN) and headed toward our first stop--Crystal Cave in Spring Valley.
Read More#Fairof10000Foods - Day 4 /
The Twin Cities are crowded, and the complex series of construction projects doesn’t help getting around.
Read More#Fairof10000Foods - Day 3 /
We were up early, skipping breakfast at the hotel as there was a big day of eating ahead of us.
Read More#Fairof10000Foods - Day 2 /
After checking out of our WI hotel, we drove over to Kathy's, where we moved our stuff to her larger vehicle and headed northwest.
Read More#Fairof10000Foods - Day 1 /
Normally, the drive to Milwaukee is pretty routine. However, with Mindy's family either in the midst of or having already moved away from the area, I doubt we will be making this drive very often going forward.
Read More#Fairof10000Foods - Day 0 /
We're driving up to Milwaukee to meet up with my sister-in-law Kathy, and then the three of us are heading up to Minneapolis. We'll also be making stops at Roadside America sites and posting throughout. We head out tomorrow.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 12 and Wrap-Up /
It's our last push to home, and due to the winter storm that just passed thru, we made as few stops as possible. In 24 hours, we went from the mid-70s to single digits.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 11 /
It was time to bid Florida goodbye, and begin the hike North.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 10 /
Last day at the parks. We picked up Janet and Bill--the best thing about knowing a Disney employee and getting in free is the fact that you don't have to “rope drop”. Just get there whenever.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 9 /
Today was kind of miscellaneous. Our sister and brother-in-law began the arduous journey to Chicago after closing up the AirBnB.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 8 /
As previously mentioned, today was a down day. Much of it was spent sitting in or by the pool and noshing.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 7 /
More theme parks today, starting with the grandaddy of them all (at least in Florida)--Walt Disney World.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 6 /
It’s back to the theme parks--specifically, Universal Orlando.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 5 /
This was another quiet day for me, based on the planned activity. The group was going to a wildlife preserve, which meant traipsing around marshes on a cloudy rainy day, and leaving at 6a to boot. My rule of thumb is that, on vacation, I don't get up earlier than necessary. So I laid back and used the pool and spa.
Meanwhile, Mindy piled into a car for an hour drive to a few wildlife viewing locations. Our first choice reserve was closed for the day (drat), but we drove the Black Point Wildlife Drive and saw so many fancy birds (herons and egrets and lots of others).
Read More#parkhopping - Day 4 /
After another soak in the hot tub, we headed over to Disney Springs, which is a large shopping and dining area just outside the parks. It’s basically a mall, except you go thru a metal detector to get in. Unlike the parks, it's free.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 3 /
After two days of driving, including a mess of slowdowns the night before, I was beat. That and the fact that the group was going to Animal Kingdom (which really didn't pique my interest), plus I would not have gotten in cheap (our old friends Bill and Janet can only get so many people into Disney at a time), so I made the call to hang out at the Airbnb for the day.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 2 /
After a quiet night at a decent hotel, we were off and running, starting locally in Columbia, SC.
Read More#parkhopping - Day 1 /
My sister-in-law Kathy and her daughter Trish drove down from WI yesterday, with Trish taking an Uber to the airport in the wee hours. So we left early, around 8a. We made good time today--it helps with three drivers.
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