Kentucky

From South Carolina we headed west through Georgia to Columbus, where we had dinner Monday night with friends.

Lily and Walter got to know each other as we drove.  

Tuesday we turned north and drove through Tennessee, then stopped in Kentucky for the night. Wednesday we stopped and visited the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park. This park preserves Sinking Spring Farm, where Lincoln was born. The memorial building contains a recreation of the log cabin in which he was born. 

We stopped near Louisville for the night, and had dinner at the Hard Rock there (No. 19), then drove around the downtown for a bit.

Leaving Florida

 

Saturday morning we enjoyed breakfast at Trail's End, the restaurant at the Fort Wilderness Campground. We walked around the old River Country area, then we took the boat into the Magic Kingdom so Jennifer could say goodbye to a few friends and coworkers and we could enjoy a few attractions.

That night we caught the Wishes fireworks show.  

We left Florida Sunday morning and drove to South Carolina, where we picked up Walter, another Sheltie.

Pandora

 

Once in Florida, we began packing Jenn up and checked into Fort Wilderness. We then spent Friday at Animal Kingdom and Saturday at Magic Kingdom.  

At Animal Kingdom we were able to spend some time in the new land based on the movie Avatar - Pandora. The Navi River ride was nice, but the Flight of Passage ride was phenomenal. It simulates riding a “banshee” through the alien landscape of Pandora. 

That night we watched the new Rivers of Light show. It was pretty good, but no where near Fantasmic!

Trailer Trip Part 2

Tuesday we continued on into Texas, stopping in Austin to visit friends and stay the night. We went up to the Oasis at Lake Travis for dinner. 

By the time we reached Louisiana Wednesday, the weather was getting worse. We decided to continue driving through the night and get to Florida a day earlier than planned before the worst of the storm hit Mississippi and Alabama.  

There was a lot of rain and lightning, but we made it to Florida early Thursday morning, then continued on to Walt Disney World.

Trailer Trip

Our first stop was at Fort Rock State Park southeast of Bend. We then drove through the Sheldon National Antelope Refuge and stopped for the night in Winnemucca Nevada. 

Sunday we continued east into Utah and stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats to stretch our legs. Then we drove to Moab for the night.  

Our next stop was at the Four Corners Monument, where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona meet. Owned by the Navajo Nation, the monument is surrounded by stands where tourists can buy native American art and small items. 

We continued on into New Mexico, passing Ship Rock, and stopped for the night.

Spring Update

 

Besides our trips to Disney World, nothing too exciting happened this spring. Lily got bigger, and Susan and I drove back and forth over the passes between Bend and Portland to spend time together. We made short trips down to Fresno in California and up to Seattle, but didn't get to do anything fun during them.

Last month, Bryan got to do a cast preview of the new Pandora, World of Avatar area at Animal Kingdom. He was impressed with the details and the look of the land, and said the Flight of Passage ride was amazing. 

I interviewed for and was hired for a position for ODOT in Bend, and started on June 1st. Although I'll miss my co-workers in Beaverton, I'm looking forward to not driving over the pass weekly.

As Jenn's Disney College Program was coming to an end, we planned a trip out to Florida with our trailer to bring her back. Saturday, we loaded up and headed out through the Oregon Outback on our eighth trip across the U.S.A.