Monday February 8th 2016

After breakfast this morning, I set out for the gulf coast of Florida. My rough destination was the sponge docks of Tarpon Springs. I’ve been there before and wanted to see if it was anything like I remembered.
Getting there proved to be a bit of an adventure. The highway part of the trip was fine but once I reached Tampa progress slowed to a crawl. This area of Florida seems to have cornered the market on traffic lights. Between the mid day traffic and an over abundance of red signals, it was very slow going. I finally made it to the gulf coast and worked my way north to Tarpon Springs.
The sponge dock area of the city turned out to live down to my expectations. I remembered it as a small area with lots of shops and restaurants. What I found was a narrow road with side walks full of people on both sides of the road. Parking was three dollars for the day. I’m not sure if it was the aggravating drive getting there or just me being overly frugal, but I didn’t park and walk around. Instead I took a couple of photos from the car and continued on. Tarpon Springs was to much of a tourist trap for my tastes.

Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks

The boats are tied up parallel to the road. You can book sight seeing, dolphin watch and fishing trips on many of the boats. In front of the boats are shops and kiosks. One kiosk selling sponges had an ATM right beside the buckets of sponges. I’m guessing you might need it to afford some of them.

Kiosk selling Sponges – Note the ATM

After my brief trip through the Tarpon Springs dock area, I continued north on US19 a few miles. I had looked into staying at a couple of RV parks in this area. I’m glad I was unsuccessful. This area is to built-up with strip malls and congested. I returned east on route 50 to Clearmont an on down US27 back to the RV park. The route 50 area is back to more natural Florida scenery.

Sunday February 7th 2016

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. I’m watching the game as I write this blog entry. I don’t really have any preferences in this game. Since the Denver Broncos knocked the Patriots out of the contest I should probably be cheering for the Panthers, but I really don’t know anything about the team. Cam Newton is the only player I know anything about, and that is not all that favorable. So I’m neutral.
This afternoon I when over to Disney Springs. My plan was to get lunch at Cookes of Dublin. They have pretty good fish and chips. Unfortunately, all of Disney Springs was mobbed. The line at Cookes was out the door and down the walkway. I returned to my RV home for a couple of grilled hamburgers.
While I was at Disney Springs, I took a few pictures of the changes Disney is making. Once they complete the additions all of the former Downtown Disney will be surrounded and thoroughly updated. The changes are advertised to be completed in the Spring of 2016, Given the current state of completion, I doubt it.
A whole new area called Town Center is being added to the existing Marketplace, West Side, and The Landings areas. The Landings is a renamed and updated Pleasure Island. It originally had a separate admission at night, but that ended a few years ago along with the entertainment.
The Town Center Area and a new bus transportation area are taking up a large portion of the parking. To offset the loss of parking lot, two parking garages are being built. The first garage has been completed near the West Side area. The other garage will be up near the marketplace. Open surface parking is still available beyond the West Side area.

New Bus Area under construction.

The picture above of the New Bus Area was taken from the new parking garage.  The 2nd incomplete garage can be seen beyond at the top of the picture and a new building in the Town Center area is at the left.   It sure doesn’t look like it will be complete in the spring.

Planet Hollywood dome.

The Planet Hollywood restaurant closed shortly after the new year. The spherical building is being updated into the Planet Hollywood Observatory.  The building really needs an update as the paint had faded and the magic was gone.   I understand all of the memorabilia inside will remain.

Balloon Ride

The balloon ride, located between the West Side area and the Landings area is new since I visited in 2008.  I wonder how much use it gets.  If the wind is blowing with any strength they keep it on the ground.   It seems like most days this winter have a significant wind blowing.  Today had gusts of 30 mph.

Amphicars at the Boat House restaurant

The Boat House restaurant has 8 antique Amphicars that you can ride complete with a captain/chauffeur.  You know it’s expensive when they don’t post a price list.  A search on the Internet seems to indicate that it costs $125 for twenty minutes.  There are three seats available in the car.  I don’t know if it’s $125 for all three or per seat.   Either way, I like looking at the cars but don’t need to ride one.

If you want to shop or you want to eat, Disney Springs is a good destination.  It will be a lot easier to deal with when all of the construction is complete.

Saturday February 6th 2016

It has rained all day here in Florida. It was not a day for outside activities. I stayed in and worked on a home improvement task.
The medicine cabinet that is built into my RV home has only two fixed shelves. They would be perfect if I wanted to store a bunch of ten inch tall bottles, but most items I store in a medicine cabinet are not that big. I needed to add another shelf.

Medicine Cabinet – Before

I looked for plastic or metal shelve dividers or platforms, but couldn’t find any narrow enough to fit the cabinet. A little minor cabinet carpentry was needed. Knowing that this was a possibility I had brought some supplies with me. The most difficult part of the task was digging my tools and the supplies out of the basement storage areas of the RV. A little cutting, a little glue and some time clamped in place is all it took.

Medicine Cabinet – After

I still need to buy some English Chestnut stain to cover the bare wood. The new shelf will significantly increase the storage space in the medicine cabinet. If I need more, I can divide the top shelf too. I’ll give this setup a try for a few months.

Friday February 5th 2016

It was Florida cold today. That’s what I’m calling it when the locals are complaining about the cold. They bundle up in layers and start every conversation with a complaint about the temperature. To most of the country, 55 degrees in February would be a heat wave.
The source of today’s adventure was the General James A. Van Fleet Rail Trail. This is a 29 mile paved section of converted railroad bed. It’s set up for biking and hiking. Today I chose to walk the part of the middle section of the trail in the Green Swamp area. My bicycle stated at the RV park. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do before I left and it’s a lot of work to put the rack and bike on the car. Next time I’ll take the bike.

General James A Van Fleet Rail Trail

The trail starts out in a cattle grazing area, proceeds into an area of denser trees, then gets into the swamp area. The trail is straight and flat. I walked out about two and half miles if the markers can be believed then returned.
I saw very few signs of wild life on the first part of the walk. The cattle were making noise but I didn’t hear any movement in the woods or bird sounds. At one point I did see a circling raptor in the air above the trees. I’m not sure if it was a hawk or possible a bald eagle as I think its head was white. Either way, its presence may be the cause of the silence in the woods.
Once I reached the swamp area the wildlife increased. I saw many small birds that I don’t have the knowledge to identify. I need to learn more about bird identification so I have a little better idea what I’m looking at. One thing I did recognize is an alligator in the water beside the trail. It was taking advantage of the bright sun to warm up in the cool temperature. This is the first alligator in the wild I’ve seen this winter.

On the way back to car I may have seen a feral pig. Some distance down the trail behind me, what I though was a fat brown dog crossed the trail quickly. I turned around to get a brief look at the animal. When I was reading the tail guide later, it indicated that feral pigs were common in the area. So maybe.
I’ll bring my bicycle next time I visit the trail. I need to be able to cover more distance in less time. A 5 plus mile hike is OK, but 20 mile bike ride would be better.

Thursday February 4th 2016

I was fooled by the weather forecasters today. When I went to bed last night the TV weather forecast called for a cold front to pass through the area starting at 10AM this morning. It was advertised to contain heavy rain and thunder showers for a few hours. This morning the storm front was going to happen in the afternoon. At 7:30PM, as I write this blog entry, the first real rain is starting to fall.
I didn’t have any real plans for today, but the impending weather resulted in a very laid back day. I read various articles online while the TV drowned on in the background. What’s on the TV doesn’t matter. I always have a TV on. The background noise is just a necessary part of my existence. If the TV isn’t on I can settle for talk radio, preferable sports talk. When I’m really desperate it might be music, but that doesn’t fill the bill of background noise as well.
One thing about having the TV on is that I was continuously updated on the approaching cold front. Every half hour of so the local stations would tell you which county was about to be impacted. Florida is very county oriented. Cities and towns are a much more limited form of government and identification. Just because a community has a post office with its name on it, doesn’t mean it is an incorporated form of government. It just means it is a Census Designated Place. Now you know one of the things I was reading on the internet. I find it very different than New Hampshire and Massachusetts where the only thing the county seems to do is run the courts and the jails.
All of this comes down to shame on me for allowing the possibility of a little rain to keep me in my RV home most of the day. It’s not anywhere as bad as the snow predicted tonight in New Hampshire. I bet that forecast would cause me to stay in too

Wednesday February 3rd 2016

The weather continued to be conducive to playing tourist, so I went to Disney’s Magic Kingdom this afternoon. I want to get in as much Disney as I can before the northern school vacations and college spring break times start driving the crowd density through the roof. I probably have another week before that influx of visitors starts.

Approaching the Magic Kingdom on the Ferryboat from the parking lot.

I have been to the Magic Kingdom every few years since my first visit in 1972. A lot has changed since my last visit in 2008. The all new expanded Fantasy Land was under construction during my last visit. Now it adds new attractions and changes the layout of that side of the park. I walked through the area, but didn’t ride the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster or the Under Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid.
In general, the lines were long and the crowds difficult to navigate. This park seems to have more big family groups that like to stop in the middle of everything to decide what to do next. If they drive the same way the highways would be a continuous traffic jam. Someone in the group should be smart enough to move the conversation to the side of the walkway. (End of Rant)
This morning, when I decided to go to the park, I used the My Disney app on my phone to set up Fastpass for 3 rides. A Fastpass allows you to bypass the lines by showing up at a pre-assigned time. My Fastpasses were for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride, The Jungle Cruise and The Pirates of the Caribbean. Other possible attractions were out of available Fastpass times. Disney Resort guests can reserve Fastpass times up to 60 days in advance so I’m at a disadvantage. I really don’t know if I like Fastpass, but it’s available so I’ll use it.
In addition to my Fastpass attractions, I rode the It’s a Small World attraction and visited the Haunted Mansion. My main reason for going late in the day was to see the Main Street Electric Parade and to watch the Wishes fireworks at the end of the evening.

Dragon Float in the Main Street Electric Parade

The Main Street Electric Parade has all of the floats and the performers decked out in lights. It is a very colorful presentation as it makes its way up main street. It is followed a few minutes later by the fireworks display over the castle. Other than being close enough to see the lights on the castle, I think the fireworks are better from much further away. You can see them better and you aren’t surrounded by thousands of people squished into the walkways around the castle.
I want to go back to the Magic Kingdom to see other things. I really like the theme and density of attractions at the Magic Kingdom, but the distance from the parking lot and the overall crowds detract from my enthusiasm. I’m not sure when I’ll go back. It will either be next week or sometime in March.  Who knows, my plans are made in jello.

Tuesday February 2nd 2016

Today was a routine day. Get up, make coffee, and have breakfast watching TV. Today this was followed by a walk around the RV park. The distance around the park is not long, but the walk is enough to get the day started.
Back at my RV home, I sit outside under the awning. The outside TV is on, but I’m not paying much attention. I use the time to catch up on the news and useless information from the internet. The weather today is perfect for this lazy approach. The temperature was in the 70s with a light breeze.
During the afternoon I went for a drive to Celebration to drop off some mail at the post office. Celebration, is Disney’s version of a master planned community. They planned and started the community in the 90s. Today they have very little direct involvement.
Celebration has lots of little villages of single family homes, town houses, multilevel condos and apartments. The architecture is very eclectic including designs from several major architects. It doesn’t look like any of the other tract developments going on in central Florida. The downtown area has a mixture of an old town feel and art deco. Signage is apparently heavily restricted. I did not know I was in front of the post office until I saw someone come out with a package. Also, the Bank of America across the common area from the post office had only a very small sign in the window. You need to know where your going or have plenty of time to wander around to find you destination.

Main road leading from the town center to the lake in Celebration Florida

There are banks, offices, boutique shops, a theater and lots of restaurants. People, who appear to be residents as opposed to tourists, are walking around, sitting on benches and just generally enjoying the area. From that perspective, I would say the master plan has worked. The residential villages are spread out over a large area with open space and parks between them. I did not see much new construction going on, but there was ample space prepared for future expansion.

Monday February 1st 2016

Today was a tourist day. With the sun shining brightly and the temperatures in the 80s, I headed out about 10 for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I wanted to see the park again before Disney starts some of the changes they have announced for the park.

Lights, Motors, Action Stunt show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

It was a long, but fun, day at the park. I stayed until the evening fireworks show so I didn’t get home until about quarter of nine. During the day I road the Toy Story Midway Mania Ride and the Great Movie Ride. I also saw several shows including Muppet Vision 3d, Indian Jones Stunt Spectacular, Beauty and the Beast Live, Fantasmic and the Lights Motors Action Stunt show.
The Lights, Motors, Action Stunt show is one of the attractions that Disney is closing to make way for new attractions based on Star Wars and Toy Story. It is probably a good business move for Disney as the show must be very expensive to maintain. They have a limited number of shows each day and the facility takes up a large amount of space. I enjoy the show every time I see it and will miss it.
One interesting observation about the Hollywood Studios experience is that it has many more kids in attendance than I saw at either Animal Kingdom or EPCOT. This is probably because Disney has made a major effort to draw the families to the park. It has theme areas for Pixar, the Disney Channels and Disney movies I’ve only vaguely heard about. I really don’t remember so many happy kids at this park in the past.

Sunday January 31st 2016

It was a warm day today. The temperature was in the low 70s, but the sun never broke through the cloud cover. I headed out mid day to do some exploring to the east.
Once I got through the cities of Kissimmee and St Cloud, rural Florida was exposed. As the buildings thinned out, the cattle ranges began. I passed through acres and acres of land with grazing beef cattle. Florida is the 12th biggest cattle ranching state in the US and the leading producer of calves for use on ranches across the US. I sure saw plenty of young cattle which cause me to look up the facts about the Florida cattle industry. Thank-you internet.
I had a loose goal of Kelly park on Merit Island to watch the kite boarders and sail boarders having fun on the Banana River. I had enjoyed watching them on a previous excursion to the coast. Unfortunately weather conditions were not conducive to those activities. I had to settle for just people and boat watching.
From Kelly park you can see the cruise ships docked at Port Canaveral. They tower over the landscape. Today there were three ships in port. As it was approaching their departure time, I headed over to the Port to watch the ships depart.

Two Carnival cruise ships ready to depart

Port Canaveral is a very busy cruise ship port. It has several cruise ships in port most days. Today, the Carnival cruise ships the Sensation and the Sunshine along with the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas were in port. Many people gathered in the Cove section of the port to watch the ships get underway.
These huge vessels are very impressive as they maneuver in the confined harbor. It is remarkable that they can leave the docks turn around and get out to sea without the assistance of tug boats. They didn’t even run over any of the many weekend sailors in small crafts heading for the canal into the Banana and Indian Rivers.

Wood Stork?

The day was not without its wildlife viewing. While waiting for the cruise ships to depart, we were entertained by many brown pelicans patrolling the harbor for their lunch. The dock was patrolled by a couple of wood storks (I think) looking for handouts from the fisherman.  I’m going to have to get better at bird identification.
I continue to enjoy this coastal area and will be back to see more.