Vacation

We took a long weekend mini-vacation this weekend and decided to stay pretty close to home. Last time we did this we headed to Niagara Falls. Before that, Pittsburgh. So this was different. We decided to see the sights that West Virginia has to offer.

I’m not much of a Mountain Man. I don’t fish, I don’t hunt. But even so it was nice to see some natural beauty. We took a ride on the “New Tygart Flyer” and rode to a secluded waterfall. See the previous post for a pic.

Then on Saturday night we saw a show at the “American Mountain Theater.” The show has only been running for a couple of weeks now, and it’s a brand new experience for West Virginia. There’s nothing else like it around. The show reminds me a lot of the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge, with a lot of singing and a little comedy. The AMT crew does an impressive job and they have a good foundation to build upon. The entertainment was great. Top notch musicians and a family-friendly atmosphere make this show a can’t-miss.

We visited Smoke Hole Caverns, Seneca Rocks, Spruce Knob and Blackwater Falls to round out our Sunday. I will post pics soon.

- Posted by MobiBlogr from mobile phone.

We are riding back to Elkins aboard the New Tygart Flyer, one of the trains of the West Virginia Mountain Rail. It’s been a pleasent ride, with a great visit to the High Falls of Cheat.

- Posted by MobiBlogr from mobile phone.

“So, here we are 10 years later. Ten years ago at this time, we were in the sky, flying high.”

It’s been a long time since our big england ‘97 trip. The seven world travelers had a great time touring the British country side and visiting with family members. Some of the funny things about that trip are still fresh in my memory. A lot of the Stupid Sayings… and, well, just a lot of the vocabulary from those three weeks still find their way into everyday conversation.

But all the memories revolve around friends and family having fun. And there will certainly never be another vacation like england ‘97.

Cheers!

My, how plans change! Well, we didn’t make it back to the Magic Kingdom on Friday. In fact, we didn’t get to any park Friday. Right after checking out, the kids decided they wanted to head straight for Daytona Beach. The original plan was to go to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours and then head east.

But once they heard “beach” it was over. So we headed east. We drove for about two hours and found a hotel right on the beach. The weather was a little rough for beaching it, with an awful lot of wind and somewhat chilly temperatures. But the kids got to play in the water and in the sand. That was nice.

We walked along the beach and entered a shopping plaza where we saw Shrek the Third. The kids had a good time.

Now we are back home and are trying to get settled back in. I am sorting through the 448 pictures I took and will try to post the best ones to flickr. I also have about four hours of video to examine and edit. I am waiting (impatiently) for Pinnacle to release Studio version 11. And then I can make DVD’s.

One more stat that I think is funny: We have driven to Disney World twice in the Jeep, which now has 71,065 miles. Well, from my house, Disney is a round trip of 1,792 miles. Meaning that 3,584 of those 71,065 miles are from Disney trips alone. So, 5% of our driving in the Jeep has been to Disney World. One out of every 20 miles driven belongs to a Disney trip. Freaky.

Well, it’s nice to be home, but I always feel empty and lost after returning from a vacation. I hate to see them end. I always work on a list of things to look forward to when coming home. I have three things on it, and one is done. Of course, I can still work on Photoshopping some images before Studio 11 comes out!

I always feel a little guilty about going “off-site” to visit Universal Studios when I stay at a Disney resort. It’s like I’m saying “Yes, what you all do at Disney is just great, but I feel the need to spend extra money and go out of my way to ride these rides.”

Anyway, with SpongeBob and Shrek involved, Universal was a must-see. My kids are 8 and 5, so SpongeBob is like a third child to me. I must admit I was a little disappointed when I learned about the demise of the “Nickelodeon Studios” at Universal. I knew way back when I ordered tickets that it no longer existed, and that area is now used for the upcoming “Blue Man Group” shows. But it still sucked.

One thing I didn’t know until today that did bum me out: The “Back to the Future” ride is closed. Something else is being built there that will open in 2008. The “Back to the Future” store is still open, toy cars are still sold in the Universal Store, Doc Brown still drives around the park, and the theme song still plays throughout the park, so I hope the new ride revolves around BTTF in some way, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I may look into this more when I get home, so y’all may know more about the ride’s status than me.

[Update: Wikipedia says that the "Back to the Future" ride was closed on March 30, 2007. The area is being re-used to create a new Simpsons ride. Yuck.]

Anyway, on to the good stuff: Jimmy Neutron ride: Cool! Shrek 4-D: Same as Shrek 3-D DVD I already have, but with way-cooler effects. I rode MIB: Alien Attack for the first time ever. My score was 35,675. Not great. But still fun. Twister, Earthquake, Terminator 2 3-D, Jaws, are among the past favorites I’ve enjoyed, and still do. We had a good time today…

Ryan got his face painted and the kids met Shrek and Fiona (who reminded us to see the new Shrek movie, which starts tomorrow). They also met Bullwinkle, who they were introduced to for the first time, ever. Funny to think my own kids no nothing of Bullwinkle and Rocky. “Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!” Oh, well. Need to look for classic DVD’s.

We did a couple of the kiddie rides in the Kidzone, but most of our time was spent either waiting in line or riding rides. Oh, we also saw the “Animal Actors” show at 5:00 today. Not bad, but short.

Tonight is our last night on Disney property. Tina says I look like I’ve lost my best friend! She knows I hate the end of vacations! We still have one more day of tickets to use tomorrow and we’re thinking about going back to the Magic Kingdom since that’s where the kids had the most fun. Plus, they haven’t met many characters, so we can do that at Mickey’s Toontown Fair.