Heading West to the Gulf Coast

[Duneraider]

Heading West across Florida to the Gulf:

We're heading out from Walt Disney World to the Florida Gulf Coast for 3 days camping on the beach.

We learned alot about Disneyworld.

With out a doubt, the best RV camping we've found anyplace.

Nothing even comes close for plain old camping.

But for motorsports camping, it's Dumont.

We can see why the camping alone without even visiting the WDW theme parks is big to East Coasters.

Many have their Golf Carts, and RV's custom painted in Disney Characters, and this kinda trip is their lifes passion. An annual, standing WDW reservation is their familys annual vacation.

The way to see the WDW theme parks is in the morning at opening, then collect fast passes, hit the waterparks through the afternoon, then take advantage of the late magic hours and re-visit the parks.

The Disney bars were something else. I've met some characters in my lifetime, but the Disney bars are excellent.

The Beach Bar at Typhoon Lagoon is dripping with beautiful girls of all cultures, from all over the planet.

Brits, Cubans, Southern Girls, French, Canadians, German, they all hang out there, and they are all chatty.

Most seemingly want to connect with someone for the nite. String bikinis are here to stay. Other swim suit styles come and go, but butt floss, like Levi jeans, will always be in style too.

I had several blisters on my right foot, so avoiding walking, I spent my fair share of time there with Alice who was tired of walking and turned the kids loose.

We met one guy and his wife that had every Disney Character tattoo'd someplace on their body. You name the character, they'd point to it.

I ran Meiko, then Cleo, Geppetos gold fish, and Dis-Honest John by them and yep,, they had the tattoos.

They own'd a computerized machine shop in Orlando and didn't have to sweat employment interviews with all the ink.

We met a group of airline & corporate pilots that stay at the resort often. They spend their off days meeting girls at the bars. The Typhoon Lagoon bar they say is the best daytime bar in all WDW. It's theee place from January through October.

The chix way out-number the guys and that's always good. The single moms have sitters already lined up for the evening.

Then the hook-ups made at the Typhoon Lagoon bar, will carry over to late nite hook ups at Pleasure Island which is full of clubs and nite life.

The single life is alive and thriving at WDW. It's on fire.

Food at WDW is vastly improved over our last visits.

The Bomma Buffet dinner at the Animal Kingdom resort was recomended to us here in DDR, and it's excellent.

Different Africian food from the norm, and they really pull it off well.

Nice atmosphere too.

A duck dinner, that is,, ya duck in then ya duck out and that's nice after a long theme park day.

Absolutely have your reservation conformation numbers along with you at WDW. Line 'um up on your computer up and print them and have them in hand when you arrive at the restaurant.

No clue why they loose the reservations, but they do.

Your conformation number will be essential in that case. You will not get seated otherwise no matter how sore you get. All the WDW restaurants are booked up and packed.

When you're sitting waiting to be called for your table and you're napping, other groups without reservations will hustle in and answer to your name to steal your table, so beware of that too. Expect it.

It's usually a New York City family with 6 O'clock Mugs for faces, dads with names like Jules or Duncan or Herme.

The pre-paid meal plan is excellent. It's good at all 135 restaurant at WDW.

The snacks can be those big, giantic candied apples, seemed all the treats were included,,, and all gratituities too.

Alice and I thought the MGM theme part sucked, but the kids loved it.

The Prime Time Diner is fun, but dinner there is 2 plus hours easily, the food bland. Very bland.

Gasoline and diesel is 50 cents a gallon cheaper on WDW property than minutes away in Orlando ($2.59 a gal).

That's it for now, if any tips and tales pop up on this leg, we'll check back in.

[vegas style]

clearwater beach west of tampa is my favorite beach. soft sand warm water nice

[offroadracer]

never been there heard about it

[Duneraider]

We're now in Destin Florida, West of Panama City on the panhandle.

We're camp'd on the sand on the beach.

The sand is pure white, a fine powder, absolutely beautiful looking out across the water.

A warm breeze flows in off the Gulf of Mexico.

Many people come up and say hello.

Local Southern folk from Mississippi, Alabama, and especially Louisana.

A nice change from the crusty east coasters.

They've camped here for 20 to 30 years they all tell us.

They all moved back a row when the park sharply raised the prices on the beachfront spots.

They usually want to know what Californians are doing here.

They notice our license plates:

"Don't you have beaches and Disneyland in California?" they sometimes ask.

I answer; "Sure, but the Civil War was fought in the South & East., and we have kin in Baton Rouge."

I then mention we're doing a hot lap around America, and they usually mention they'd like to do the same one day.

Often they mention Salinas Calif as a destination, so we'll have to review that furthur, that's a new one.

10 oz beers are the choice all around the campground.

"Yeah, we can get the 12 oz'ers, but we've always drank the 10'z. So the breweries specially can and send them here to select areas in Dixie"- we're told.

Traditions die hard in the South.

When I was a kid, the little green 7 oz bottles of Coke tasted better than the bigger bottles, but compairing them in this case might be a big stretch.

We had lots of credits left on our WDW dining plan, so my wife went to the gourmet markets at WDW and Pleasure Island marketplace and cashed them in on food.

Really good food.

2 sandwitches were as big as the Dunlops on Petes old ATC 90. We sliced them up, and served them to the neighbors when we checked in. Killer good.

The RV refer and freezer is stuffed and we'll be chowing it for at least the next week.

Fireworks are serious in the South.

Even the supermarkets sell stuff banned in most the rest of the country.

Multi stage mortars, cherry bombs, brutal and beautiful rockets sold at fireworks stands seemly most everywhere in the South.

There is always, everywhere, the one family that drops a weeks pay on Fireworks and a great show goes on all night.

The kids are rolling outta bed, so if weather permitting, we'll be on a days adventure in the Gulf of Mexico.

[Luvdunes]

It sounds like you guys are having a great trip.

That is one of our dreams to travel around the States and see the sites and get to meet the people.

[ash]

Sounds like a blast! I will be heading out for a long awaited vacation on the 20th. Although I would love to go to the other coast, we are settling for California (as always). Keep the stories coming!!

[Duneraider]

Today sends us west outta Florida to Baton Rouge Louisiana.

Wife has kin there and we'll stop by to visit.

Hangin' out on the beach in Destin, Florida was teriffic.

Boogie boarded with the kids, and went for a cruise & a Shrimp Fry with some friends we met a while back in Catalina.

Gulf water seem'd warm compaired to the cold water beaches in Los Angeles that will turn your feet purple.

The campground has two excellent pools. an excellent playground for the kids, and a singer & band atop a patio that was really good.

Lots of people just do laps all nite long around the park in their golf carts, stopping to gawk at anyone checking in. The gawking is unique to Florida we're told by the Louisiana folks.

Must be, we've never encountered it before until WDW, St Augustine and here.

Florida has many private beaches. Very rare in Calif, and no private beaches anyplace in Hawaii at all.

You can spot the Florida private beaches, they're empty.

Met lot's of Foreigners on the beach.

We've come to the conclusion in all our travels over the years the only foreigners in the world that will ever say they don't speak english are French Canadians.

They only say that because they think it's cool, but they do in fact speak english.

No one from anywhere else will ever say they don't speak it, foreigners will always try like hell to communicate.

Much stronger dog control at Southern campgrounds.

"Ya can't reason with drunks or dog owners" I was told once.

Starting to see no-dog campgrounds in the West. Fox's is a no-dog campground, but it's been happening here in the South for quite some time we're told.

It's either the barking or the owners not cleaning up after them that is the problem. Maybe 1 outta 10 owners will control their dogs barking and clean-up after them we hear.

That's pretty accurate I'd say from our experiences. Often the first chore at a campground when we check-in is cleaning up after someone elses dog.

WDW had mostly no dog loops, and very strictly enforced controls on the camping loops where they allowed dogs. A dog hotel was at the entrance to the campground, with a walking area with bags and shovels.

I missed one good pic in Durango. A sign said: "no second chances, irresponsible dog owners ejected first offense. They poop, you scoop."

Another weld has pop'd on a wheel so we'll be stopping off for yet another tire & wheel repair. Most likely when we roll through Texas.

4 year old trailer and the wheels are going south.

OK, off for two days of mostly travel & visit kin.

[Duneraider]

Mac Book lets you edit photos, but when loaded to a host gallery, they revert back to the un-edited pic.

Let's see if we can change all that:

One of many tight passageways one must navigate at the Mesa Verde Indian Cliff Dwellings NM. Rotated 90 degrees. Not a place for those who don't like tight places. I drag'd my beer gut through it, you can too! 7 year old Maynard.

Tunnel leads to the Balcony room, 500 plus feet from the canyon floor.

Rotated 90 degrees.

One of several long ladders one must climb to enter the Cliff dwellings.

The bottom of the ladder is 500 feet above the canyon floor. Half way up you get the picture how hairy the location is.

Our 7 year old climbing out using the orig indian hand and foot holes carved in the rock cliff facing.

The chains and wires aren't guides to help you climb, they're a net to catch you when you fall.

It's a hairy climb, not for those who don't like heights. It's the only way out, no chicken exit.

Rotated 90 degrees.

Pic rotated 90 degrees. Wife about to climb one of several hairy ladders exploring the Mesa Verde Indian Cliff dwellings. If you don't have a head for heights, this isn't the tour for you.

National Corvette museum, Bowling Green Ky.

Should be called the National c4 Corvette museum.

Pic rotated 90 degrees.

We're in Baton Rouge Louisiana. Truck is at the Goodwrench dealer getting a bad exhaust leak fixed and an oil change.

Steamy, pure Cajun campground across the street. Nice swampy place.

Had Cajun dinner and Cajun music last nite at a place called Beaujacques Rouge off a steamy side street.

We skipped the barbeque'd ground gater intestines in Pork stomach casing, and had some genuine ribs and shrimp.

Kids visiting kin.

100% Humidity, 98 degrees, sunny skys.

Water from the A/C is pouring off four corners of the trailers roof like garden hoses.

Next:

On to Carlsbad Caverns NM to see the Flying Hamsters (bats) exit the caves at dusk.

[Sincity_blondie]

Wow, sounds like an awesome trip so far. And can I say WOW, if you arent a writer, maybe you should be. very descriptive. Awesome!!

Wish I had the time & money to travel across country!

[Luvdunes]

How exciting! What an awesome thing for the family to do camp around the good o'l USA.

Thanks for sharing your pictures and stories, look forward to them.