By Amanda - 3/20/07

Have you ever wondered how Disney makes movies or how Disney animators create the characters that we see in the movies and television shows today? These things and more are what Disney’s MGM Studious is all about.

When we first entered the park, we pinpointed the two most popular rides, the Rockin’ Rollercoaster and the Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror. Tower of Terror had the longest wait time, so we got a Fast pass for that, and headed over to Disney World’s fastest rollercoaster. Rockin’ Rollercoaster reaches speeds of 60 mpg within the first eight seconds of the ride! Not only is it fast, but it also has sudden turns, as well as three upside-down maneuvers. Here’s the best part, it is almost completely in the dark. That means that you can’t see where you are going to when you go upside down. I actually think that it is easier to go upside down when you can’t see, versus knowing when it happens. It was GREAT...but Mom and Grandpa didn’t think so.

After we finished riding MGM’s biggest attraction, we began walking towards the Tower of Terror. We actually had to wait for a little while because it was raining. Once it stopped, we made our way to the front of the line. Once you are let out of your line, you begin your tour of this deserted hotel. Why is it deserted, you ask? The story goes like this: One stormy night, five customers were in a hotel elevator, going up to their rooms. Lightening struck that section of the hotel, cutting the power. The elevator’s five occupants disappeared, never to be found.

After hearing this story, you begin your trip in that haunted elevator. First, you see a little bit of the hotel, and then you begin your descent. Up you travel, only to be dropped to the ground. Again, you are hauled up, and again, you are dropped. Now comes the climax….you climb 199 feet to the top of the tower, and then you plummet the whole 199 feet to the ground. We’re lucky that Rachel didn’t fly out of the seat!

Once we finished riding the thrill rides, we walked around looking in some of the shops. Then we watched a show depicting the idea of Mushu, the dragon in Mulan. Each Disney character is drawn many times by different artists before reaching the final product. Also, after watching the film, we were able to see progressions of several other Disney characters such as Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story movies, and Ursula in the Little Mermaid.

When we finished looking at the different characters, we were able to design our own Disney character and we could put our voice into a movie. It was neat to see the different stages that a character goes through before it makes it to a film.

After finishing the animation progression, we went over to the Muppet’s 3-D show. I didn’t know any of them except for Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. The show is about Kermit, and he is trying to show you the Muppet Studio. Every time he shows you a different area, something gets destroyed, mangled, bumped, or crashed. That’s the Muppets for you!

The last thing that we did in MGM was stop to get Sorcerer Mickey’s autograph. He is one of the only characters in the park, but most of them are in Magic Kingdom. It was a great day of thrills, speed, and charm.

By Rachel - 3/19/07

We went to Disney’s Wide World of Sports today. The game was the Atlanta Braves vs. the Cleveland Indians. Disney’s Wide World of Sports is the Spring Training field for the Braves. When we got there, we looked at a few things and then entered the baseball stadium. While we were waiting for the game to start, I got an autograph from the Brave’s Manager, Bobby Cox! It wasn’t until the fifth inning that somebody scored, and it was the Braves! The game ended with the Braves winning 6-0. For supper, we went to the Hoop-Dee-Doo-Revue. The Hoop-Dee-Doo is a dinner and show and is located in Fort Wilderness, the Disney Campground. The dinner was family-style. Family-style is basically an all-you-can-eat buffet brought to your table. The theme of the food and show was cowboy-ish, and it lasted about 2 ½ hours. It was funny!

By Amanda - 3/19/07

The Atlanta Braves have their spring training camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. This is where we went today. The Braves played the Cleveland Indians in the game today, and they won 6-0. Rachel got an autograph from Manager Bobby Cox. He is so great, and he really enjoys his job. You can see it in the way he acts and interacts with people, especially children.

We went back to the townhouse for a little ewhile until it was time for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. We had to go to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground for the show. This is a dinner show attraction with a wild west theme. The performers’ stagecoach “happens” to break down in front of the theater, so they put on their show there. I don’t thinkw e stopped laughing, except to eat our dinner…which was delicious, by the way!

By Rachel - 3/18/07

We have finally come to Disney World! We started out going to Epcot Center. The first ride we rode was Soarin’. Soarin’ takes you all over California like you’re flying in a hang glider. Then we went to Test Track to get Fast Passes. While we were waiting to use our Fast Passes, we went to Mission Space. When you get in line, they give you slips of paper so they know if you’re riding the intense or less intense ride. At first, Mom got us all intense passes, but then Mom thought Grandpa wouldn’t like it and she didn’t know if she would, so they did the less intense. When we got into the box or whatever you call it, I was the Navigator, Sis was the Pilot, and Dad was the Commander. Grandpa was the Commander too, and Mom was the Engineer. After that, we went to the Advanced Training Lab. There you could send video postcards, play on a small playground, and other things. We went on Test Track. The wait was 70 minutes, but since we had a Fast Pass, we only had to wait ten! In your “unfinished” car, you see and do some of the things that a test dummy goes through. When we were on the ride, we went in heat and ice areas, bumpy roads, mountains, and BLAZING fast speeds with sloped turns. How fast did we really go? How about 100 miles an hour? We went back to the townhouse to eat supper and drop off Grandpa. Then we went back to Epcot. We did a few more rides and then went to some of the countries in World Showcase. The first thing we did was Innoventions, which is in Future World with TONS of stuff to do such as building a rocket. We waited in line for five minutes, and then we got to go build one. But there was a downside to it. Instead of a computer, they used a glass top and I guess they projected it on the glass. Well, they had a step but still I couldn’t see up on the glass. We had to rush to get to “Honey, I shrunk the Audience” which is a 3-D movie and you get shrunk because of one man’s invention. When you exit, you can go right to a slow moving but funny ride. The ride takes you with a projection of the professor of “Imagination Institute”. No, it is not real, but still the professor was the creator of Figment, a little dragon that won’t hurt you. But on your ride, you are at least supposed to learn stuff about the five senses, but you get into Figment’s imagination. Even his house is upside down! You have at least seen a picture of Epcot’s big “golf ball”, right? Did you know that there is a ride in there? The ride is Spaceship Earth. It is a slow ride that takes you through time and tells you when different ways to communicate were made. After that, we went to World Showcase. We didn’t get to see all the countries. We actually went in Germany and Norway. Norway has a cool ride. On your ride, you get chased away from trolls and almost fall down a waterfall. On your way out, you get to watch a short movie about Norway. Then we went to find a place to watch Illuminations, the laser and light show at Epcot. It was really neat!

By Amanda - 3/18/07

Today, we visited one of Disney’s older parks, the home of the large “golf ball”…Epcot Center. Epcot is divided into two parts, World Showcase and Future World. Despite the park’s age, there are new and exciting attractions in both parts of the park. We spent most of our day in Future World because it contains the most attractions.

We arrived at the park about a half hour after it’s opening, and we decided to do the most popular attractions before they became too busy. Our first stop was Soarin’, a hang-gliding simulator. Once you are fastened in, your seat moves up to a movie theater size screen, and the ride begins. You “fly” over famous California sites such as the Napa Valley, Monterey Bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge. As you glide over and around the scenery, your seat rotates so that it feels like you really are gliding. You also fly over an orange grove and you can smell the orange trees. It’s awesome!

After exiting the ride, we got a Fast pass for Test Track, and then we went to Mission: Space. On this adventure, you and three other people are on a mission to pilot a space shuttle to Mars. Each person is assigned a position; Commander, Pilot, Navigator, and Engineer. I was the Pilot. After you fly yourself to Mars, you get to go to the Advanced Training Lab. Here, you can rescue astronauts, send video postcards, and race a spaceship against another team. It is so much fun!

We walked over to Test Track, one of the fasted attractions at Disney World. It reaches speeds of 100 mph. The name of this attraction comes from what happens on the ride. It is like you are on an automobile test track, and you go through a series of tests. Some of these tests include heat test, cold test, combustion test, off-road test, and speed test. The speed test is where you reach the high speeds. It is really neat to see what your car goes through before it reaches the sales lot.

After riding the major rides, we decided to go back to the townhouse to rest because we were going back to Epcot for the fireworks show in the evening. There, we ate supper and watched the race until it was time to leave.

We arrived at the park around 5:30 p.m., so we still had time to visit some attractions before Future World closed. We stopped by Club Cool to sample some Coca Cola products from around the world. Some of them were good, but most of them were terrible!

Since Future World closes at 7:00, we headed over to World Showcase. We rode some of the attractions in the different countries, and then we got our seats for the fireworks and laser show. There were a few minutes of fireworks, and then there was a salute to all countries. It was a thrilling (and loud!) ending to a great day.

By Rachel - 3/15/07

Yesterday, we got to Kissimmee, near Walt Disney World. Mom did laundry and we went swimming. Today, we went to Sea World. We got in and wasted about a half an hour, then went to the Clyde and Seamore show. Clyde and Seamore are Sea Lions and there is an otter in the show. We went to see and touch Sting Rays after the show. You just don’t touch the stingers. We also went to go touch the dolphins. Sis fed the dolphins. She touched raw fish. YUCK! The dolphin’s skin is odd…it’s hard. Later, we also went to go see the dolphin nursery, but you couldn’t touch them. It was the same with the baby sting rays. If you have heard of Sea World, then you’ve heard of Shamu and Namu. They have a new showed called “Believe”. Well, another whale gave birth on Monday, 3/12 at 4:42. But there was a slight problem. The baby and mom were in the tank where they usually do “Believe”. Instead, we didn’t get wet from the show and we got to see them swim around in circles. The baby was so CUTE! Then we went to Wild Arctic. To get to the Arctic, you can walk or take a helicopter ride. We took the ride. We waited about 15 minutes, but we didn’t get on a real helicopter; it’s a simulator. Then when that was done, we went to look at Beluga’s. We couldn’t see much of them though. We also went to see polar bears and walruses. The polar bears weren’t very happy looking. The walruses just swam in circles. We could also crawl in a polar bear cave. We also went downstairs to see under the water. We went to Pacific Point Preserve which is supposed to be for sea lions. No, Clyde and Seamore weren’t there, but there were a lot of their friends. We went to a whale and dolphin show. The dolphins started out, and then it was a show with acrobats, and then the whales came out. Sis and I were all ready to go on one of the COOLEST roller coasters, Kraken, but guess who wasn’t tall enough? Me. So then I asked Sis if she would go on Journey to Atlantis with me and she said, “No” because she said it wasn’t warm enough to get that wet. So Mom and I went on it. (Journey to Atlantis is like a log flume but you sit two people side-by-side.) You start out in Egypt – very relaxing and everything, and then you go right down the hill! But we only got a couple sprinkles on us but we were in the front seat. Then you take a right and there was a just a two-foot hill but you got SOAKED! Since we were in the front seat, we got most of the water, and it stayed on the seat. We were SOAKED!!! Mom said that since she rode this ride with me and she got soaked, I owed her and will have to ride It’s a Small World with her at Disney. Blah! We also got to go to the Dolphin nursery, like I said. Then we also went on Shamu Express which is a small rollercoaster that Grandpa got on with us. Sis and I went on what would be any kids’ dream jungle gym. It is called Shamu’s Happy Harbor which is nets to climb, tire swings, tube slides, climbing areas, a sand box, moon walk, boats and monster trucks to remote control, and finally, a ship to play on. But that is just the jungle gym and I didn’t name everything either. Finally, we went to the gift shop and then got pizza for supper and went back to the motor home. Dad will be here on Saturday, we will move from the motor home into a townhouse, and we get to spend the next 10 days doing the stuff at Disney, Daytona and other things.

By Amanda - 3/15/07

Sea World has changed a lot since I was there 10 years ago! It’s bigger, with more activities, more animals, and bigger shows. We saw all of the shows but one, which was the killer whale show, “Believe.” A baby orca was born at 4:48 p.m. on Monday, 3/12. The female was put in the show tank before her labor so that both her and her calf would have plenty of room to bond once the calf was born. The show tank is where both of the orcas will stay until they are comfortable with being separated. This is why the “Believe” show was cancelled.

Once we walked in the gates, we had about 45 minutes until the Clyde and Seamore show. For those of you who don’t know, Clyde and Seamore are male sea lions. This is a great show for all ages, and it is even fun to wait for the show to start. There is a mime who picks on the people who come in, and if you get there early enough, you get to watch him. We were lucky; we got our seats before he started!

Early in the day, we visited some of the more popular exhibits before they became too busy. Our first stop was the Loggerhead Sea Turtle exhibit. These turtles are the South Carolina state reptile, and they breed on Myrtle Beach. When these animals are in captivity, they can not breed because the turtles will only lay their eggs on the beach where they are born. Even in captivity, they are very cool animals to watch, and if they are taken care of, we can remove them from the endangered species list.

After visiting the sea turtles, we walked over to watch the stingrays. Once we got there, we found out that you can touch them as they swim by. I thought that they would be firm and rough, but they are actually fleshy, soft, and smooth. They ranged in size from about 10 inches to around 4 ½ feet! We touched quite a few rays, which is a really neat experience. Just watch out for the stingers!

From here, we went to watch the sea lion show. After that, we decided to go visit the sharks and eels. When you walk in, there are aquariums which contain smaller sharks, as well as exotic fish. In these tanks, we saw large fish (the types that you catch when you go deep-sea fishing), Green Moray Eels, lionfish, barracudas, and dragons. The eels were a new experience for me, as I had never seen one before. They are long (some reach over 10 feet), with fleshy faces. Their eyes are interesting. They look villainous!

The lionfish were very neat. They are one of the few species of venomous fish, so watch out! They are fairly small, and have white bodies and reddish brown spots all over them. Large eyes look as if they are too big for their small faces. These amazing fish get their name from the numerous tentacles stemming out of the body. If you touch them, you will have a reaction similar to a jellyfish, except with a much more potent poison.

The next tank housed one of the greatest predators of the coral reefs, the Great Barracuda. These are long, silvery animals who are more dangerous than sharks. They have pointed heads, glinting eyes, and full rows of pointed, sharp teeth which allow them to tear into their prey. These features, in addition to their irritable tempers, make them ferocious predators.

The last tank held dragons, some of the most fascinating fish that I have ever seen. They look like pieces of coral. They have thin, branched bodies which is great camouflage from predators. If they attach themselves to coral, they can mimic the waving patterns of its surroundings, hiding them from any passing predators.

After finishing with the smaller tanks, you are able to take a short walk through a museum of shark jaws. Some of them were huge! Have you ever heard that if a shark loses a tooth, a new one grows in its place? Technically, that isn’t true. If a shark loses a tooth, all of the teeth behind it move forward. Then a new tooth grows on the end of the row.

When the museum ended, you walked onto a conveyor belt type floor and you rode through a glass tunnel. On the opposite side of the glass was a large aquarium filled with nurse sharks, leopard sharks, swordfish, stingrays, and other assorted fish. The swordfish was really neat to see, as were the other sharks. It’s sort of weird though, knowing that all that separates you from 50 or more sharks is a three-inch glass wall!

We walked out of the tunnel and decided to do the “Wild Arctic” ride before seeing what we thought was going to be the “Believe” show. The Wild Arctic is a building where you see arctic animals in simulated habitats. Before you get to see the animals though, you go on a “helicopter” ride. Actually, you sit in a seat, which is inside a helicopter-themed room. In front of the seats is a screen which shows you the arctic scenery as you “fly” from Florida to the “Arctic”. The seats vibrate and actually make you feel as if you’re flying. It was really cool!

After you reach the arctic base camp, you walk through a short corridor and into the beluga whale exhibit. These are gentle animals with short flippers, rounded heads, and a graceful, curving body which allows them to glide effortlessly through the icy arctic waters. Mom said that their rounded heads made them look as if they ran into a wall.

Next to the beluga whales were the most popular animals of the arctic, the polar bears. These big, furry animals flourish in the icy climate. But even the polar bears at Sea World couldn’t compare to Magnet, the famous polar bear of the Baltimore Zoo. He is always in the water doing the backstroke. Still, it is neat to see them in a very natural environment.

From the polar bears, we went over to the walruses. These were the animals that I really wanted to see. I never dreamed that they were so big! The one would swim in a circle underneath the walkway, and when he would come around, you could see just how large they really are!

Then, after exiting the Wild Arctic, we went over to the Shamu Stadium where the “Believe” show was to be held. This is when we found out that the show was not running because of the baby being born. Instead, they were letting guests in to watch the mother and calf interact. The park also released a video of Taima during her labor. We saw her in the beginning, while she was having her contractions, through the whole laboring process, and we saw the baby as it was born. The calf was a healthy six-foot, 350 pound orca. This brings Sea World’s total of birthed baby orcas to 23, 15 of those having been born in Orlando. Sea World is the largest orca conservation program in the world, which is obvious by the number of whales that have been born. It was great to see a baby orca, which will grow up to be one of the great Sea World Killer Whales.

Once the baby exhibition was over, we decided to go visit Clyde and Seamore’s friends, the sea lions. There were both sea lions and harbor seals in the exhibit. Some of them were just lying on the rocks, sunning themselves. Others were great picture material! There was one who sat right on top of a large rock, close to the wall. He just sat there and barked, which may not be interesting to some, but it sure made for great pictures!!! There was one sea lion who looked twice as big as some of the others, and he barked the whole time (which is extremely loud!) They are amazing animals that you never tire of seeing.

After the sea lions, we located our seats in the Whale and Dolphin Stadium for the “Blue Horizons” show. This featured both bottle-nosed dolphins and whales in a fantastic show. The dolphins never cease to amaze me because of their speed and athletic ability. They are able to launch themselves high into the air and execute multiple front flips with ease. The whales were almost as impressing. Despite their heavy bodies and square heads, they can rocket themselves into the air, and they make much bigger slashes than the dolphins.

Then the show came to a close, as did our day at Sea World. We stopped by the gift shop to get souvenirs, and then headed to NYPD Pizza for dinner…a delicious conclusion to a wonderful day.

By Rachel - 3/13/07

Beach, here we come! Yup, that’s right; we went to the beach today. We went to the Gulf of Mexico at St. Petersburg. There aren’t many waves in the Gulf. We never just play in the ocean. We like to dig a “pool” in the sand. We thought that since we were so close to the water that we would reach water soon. Well, I had to dig about two feet until I reached water! When I found that out, I decided to go down a small slope. Once I dug about 4-5 inches, I reached water. There is not much of a tide. It is also hard to dig because there are shells in the sand. When I started digging my second “pool”, the tide started coming in so Sis said to dig a trench for the water to go into and make a small wall. The wall wasn’t tall because the water wasn’t high, but the wall was wide by about a half a foot! Sis kept on digging to get more sand, and she was digging the pool to make it bigger. We always love to fight the tide, but we always lose. By the time that the tide came in, we had to go. We went to the Pier after the beach. They have an art gallery, restaurants, shops, and a candy area. There were five floors. Also, there was an aquarium on the second floor, but we didn’t go in. On the fifth floor was a place to eat, so that is where we ate. Then I got a T-shirt and we left. I was out in the sun the whole time and got some sun tan on my arms and shoulders, but not a tan on my legs.

By Amanda - 3/13/07

What a beautiful day for a beach outing! We made the trip to St. Petersburg today, one of the many towns situated beside the crystal-clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We went to the beach to play for a few hours today, but it was different than your average sand-and-water beach. Soft, white sand makes way to crushed shells, and then you reach the water. It is so clear, you can see to the bottom no matter how far out you go. Also, it is much safer to play in because there is no undercurrent. There are also many shells for all of the shell collectors.

After enjoying the cool waters of the Gulf of Mexico, we decided to go to a place called “The Pier”. It is a glass-fronted building which contains shops, restaurants, an art gallery, and aquariums. Many people come here to buy souvenirs, which is what we did. Rachel collects postcards and magnets, so having all of the shops to look in made her decisions difficult. Once we finished shopping, we decided to try one of the many restaurants that The Pier has to offer. After browsing the menus, we decided on Cha Cha Coconuts, the restaurant on the top level. Mom tried the Mahi-Mahi which almost had a texture like chicken. Also, with our plates, they served fried plantains. I took one bite and decided that I didn’t like them. They were mushy, and the texture was pulpy. Gross!

The Gulf of Mexico is nice, but give me an ocean with waves any day!

By Rachel - 3/11/07

Today we went to the Strawberry Festival in Plant City. When we got there, we looked in some little shops. Then we went and walked around. Then mom got us tickets to ride some rides. We got on a ride which was sort of like a rollercoaster that goes in a circle. It was also like one of those elephant rides, but on the second half of the ride, it went backwards. If you know me well enough, you can guess that I’m all over a ride that I’m tall enough for, and that is fierce! Then we went on Gravitron, the coolest fair ride. It goes SUPER fast in circles so much that you are like a magnet to the wall! Then your wall place moves up so you are sort of flying. Then we got stuff to eat. I had a corndog, cotton candy, and frozen yogurt. That wasn’t at one time though. Then we walked around some more. We went to a Josh Turner concert that was about an hour long. He sang one of Grandpa’s favorite songs by him – Long Black Train. It was about 85 degrees today!

By Amanda - 3/11/07

Every year, Plant City, Florida hosts their annual Strawberry Festival. People come from miles around to show their crafts, livestock, and most common, sell strawberries. It runs for 11 days, and each day there is live entertainment, rides, craftsmen, and a lot of food and games.

When we arrived, we went to the ticket office to buy tickets for the Josh Turner concert at 4:00 p.m. Then we walked around, looking at the various stands that were lined up along the street. There were bag-makers, soap-makers, magnet venders, and various other crafts.

Once we finished exploring the outdoor shops, we walked over to the area where most of the rides were. We bought enough tickets to ride two of the fastest rides, including the Gravitron. After that, we went to search for some lunch; which isn’t hard to do with food stands lining every street. I decided on a cheesesteak and some french fries, which were dripping with vinegar. Yum!

Once we were finished eating, we decided to go look at some of the livestock. Then we want to the grandstands to get our seats for the concert, which lasted an hour. We had a great time, but were ready to get out of the heat. Tomorrow, we are going to run some errands and just enjoy the campground.

By Rachel - 3/10/07

We left Naples and came to East Tampa. On the way here, we stopped at Mixon’s Orange Grove. We had popcorn, fudge, orange slices, and ice cream. It was really good vanilla and you could get it swirled with fresh made orange ice cream. Sis and I didn’t like the orange so we shared vanilla. Then we went to get on a tram ride. On the ride, we went through the orange grove (just like only ¾ of a mile). Then we stopped and the lady showed us the well and how they water their plants. It is pretty basic. All there is is a pipe under ground and then there are sprinklers for each individual tree. Then there are heaters for the plants too. She said that they don’t just grow oranges; they grow other citrus fruits also. She said that they have a wildlife area too.

Once she finished pointing out all the trees, we went to the wildlife area. There was a man who has a small area for animals who have been found or abused. He had about six areas for some animals. Once of the owls has a little cage which is for him. The owl’s favorite thing to do is sit and watch Animal Planet. The keeper said, “He’s worse to get away from the television than I am.” Before that though, we saw all kinds of animals. The first animals that we saw were a pair of raccoons. He said that they have a bad reputation just because they dig in your trash just to find food. The raccoons were quite cute close-up, and the keeper (Matthew) has only been bitten about two times each year. Then we went to see deer, but not your average deer. They were very miniature. Full grown, they only get to be about 17 inches high and about 35 pounds!

Then he got up on stage and showed us a python and a baby alligator. First, he showed us the baby alligator. He showed us how the baby calls his mom and showed us his teeth. The baby has a special call. The baby has little teeth but can still bite hard. Matthew gets bitten about two times a year. Then he let us touch the baby alligator, but I didn’t. Then Matthew said, “If this were 10 feet long, you could still use two fingers to close its mouth.”

Then Matthew got out the python and got back on stage. The python is only about two years old. It is 13 feet long and 56 pounds. That isn’t the length it will stay…it will get much bigger. She isn’t venomous though, she bites and squeezes, but she will only do that if you give her the opportunity to wrap around you. One time, Matthew even had that happen to him before. He had to run up to the store which was closed, so he had to go and flag down a car. The person was scared anyway but called 911. Then the firefighter came out with an ax but Matthew said, “You aren’t going to kill my snake.” Matthew told the firefighter to throw ice water on the snake & she let go of him. Sis actually held the snake!

Then we went and looked at a turtle and the owl that I talked about earlier. Then we got back on the tram and went back to the parking lot. We got back on the road and went to the campground.

By Amanda - 3/10/07

Today we stopped at Mixon’s Orange Grove. They don’t just have oranges there though, despite the name. They grow oranges, grapefruits, and kumquats, as well as making their own orange juice, grapefruit juice, orange marmalade, and other citrus-related products. They also give tours of their groves and their new wildlife preserve. We took the tour by way of the Orange Blossom Express.

The firs stop was in the orange grove. We learned about the growing process and how Mixon’s protects their trees from the cold and frost. In the early days, they used large logs which gave off a dark, black smoke. This smoke would hover above the trees, keeping them warm. They were outlawed from using these though in the early 1900s because it polluted the air.

The next method of tree protection was called smudge pots. These were large, metal containers that looked similar to a Mexican adobe or “oven”. They too gave off a heavy, hovering smoke which lingered above the trees. These were also more expensive than the logs, because the smudge pots cost $50,000 to run. After a period of time, Mixon’s was outlawed from using these also because it gave off the heavy smoke.

Today in the groves, they use windmills to keep the air around the trees moving. By moving the air, there is not much of a chance for the trees to freeze.

Once we were finished in the groves, we moved onto the new wildlife preserve. The man who runs it takes in animals who are endangered, hurt, or victims of animal abuse. He puts them in this preserve and gives them a good habitat and food. May of the animals are not able to be released back into the wild, so they live on the preserve until they die. So far, there are two miniature deer, a baby alligator and its mom, an owl, a falcon, a hawk, two raccoons, and a Burmese python. We first saw the raccoons. Both of them are not able to be released because they are too used to humans. The larger one was not brought out because he is harder to handle. He stayed in the cage and then paced back and forth until the keeper came back in to give him a cookie.

The next animals that we saw were the miniature deer. They originated in China, but were brought over here to the east coast. They like the warm climate here, which is why reproduction programs have been set up throughout the state. The mature deer grows up to be about 17 inches high, making them the smallest deer in the world.

After seeing the deer, Matthew (the keeper), brought out a 14-foot Burmese python. Grandpa wasn’t very thrilled about that! The python was actually taken out of someone’s back yard. These animals are reproducing rapidly in Florida. People buy them as pets, not realizing that they will get so large. As they grow, people get tired of taking care of them, so they do the humane thing and release them into the wild. Pretty soon, these pythons find mates and begin to reproduce. Now, because of this, the python population is rapidly increasing in Florida which is how the python at Mixon’s got there. She is 56 pounds and 14 feet long. Matthew plans to feed her until she grows to be 28 feet in length. Believe it or not, I held this python!

Then he brought out a baby alligator. The mother was too large to bring out to show, but the baby was obviously small enough to display. The baby had a problem with his mouth, which hinders him from eating normally. This is the reason that he can not be released into his natural habitat. They feed him a special diet of foods that he can swallow. Remember, alligators do not chew their food, so they do not break it down into smaller chunks. A grinding mechanism at the back of their mouth breaks down their food for them. This alligator has something wrong with this mechanism. For this reason, he can never be released.

After the baby alligator, we saw a great horned owl. This owl actually goes home with the preserve keeper and lives with him. The owl likes to watch TV…especially Animal Planet. He sleeps on his own perch in the keeper’s living room.

Once we finished at the preserve, we saw where the fruit is sorted and processed, and where it goes into the store. I enjoyed the tour, and I am definitely looking forward to the Strawberry Festival tomorrow!

By Rachel - 3/9/07

We went to Sanibel Island today. Before we even got there, we knew about Sanibel from watching Ten Best Beaches in America on the Travel Channel. Before we went to the beach, we went to a shell museum. When we got there, we got a scavenger hunt to work on so that we could find different shells. We got a prize for finishing the scavenger hunt paper. About six minutes later, we went and watched a movie. The movie took eight years to make because the lady had to find different shells and animals. Then before we left the museum we got to choose a shell out of a basket.

Then we went to the beach. We didn’t come prepared with our water shoes, even though we knew that it was full of shells. So we went to step, and we stepped on shells…OUCH! It was so hot that we didn’t stay there for very long. We left and went to some gift shops for souvenirs.

Then we drove back to Naples. We headed or some shops called the Boardwalk and Tin City. We were shopping for about 45 minutes, and then went to a restaurant called Kelly’s Fish House. We went to a shell shop just to look at all kinds of shells. Then we went to the campground. Mom and I jogged up to the front office and back to mail a postcard to my friends.

By Amanda - 3/9/07

Today we made the trip to Sanibel Island, one of the greatest shell-collecting beaches in the world. The tides coming from the depths of the Gulf drag up the shells of dead hermit crabs and other organisms. Eventually, these shells find their way to the beaches of Sanibel and into the bags of shell collectors.

Before we headed to the beach however, we stopped by a shell museum. It had all sorts of shells from all over the world. And just for visiting, kids get a free shell from the beach. We also watched an informative movie on mollusks, which provide all of the shells. We learned about their methods of locomotion, shell-building, and reproduction. Their reproduction methods are especially interesting. Once the eggs are fertilized, the female starts secreting an egg chain which can grow to be 48 inches long. Several of these can be found on the Sanibel beaches. They are long chains of 1/8 inch disks. Inside of these disks are the eggs. There can be up to 60,000 eggs in one chain!

After beach-combing and a bit of souvenir shopping in Sanibel, we drove to Naples to look in some of the shops in the areas called The Boardwalk and Tin City. We asked around for some recommendations of good places to eat and ended up at Kelly’s Fish House. I had about 10 Stone Crab claws, so I added yet another to my “tasted” list. I haven’t been disappointed yet!

By Rachel - 3/8/07

We left Miami and headed for Naples. On the way, we stopped at the Everglades National Park. We went on a tour. On our tour, we saw a lot of birds. This is just my opinion, but I don’t really enjoy just looking at birds. I have to see “action” animals. If you know me, you probably guessed that! There were probably 200 birds. But I probably saw 50 alligabors including babies, males, females. Babies are probably six inches long. You would probably guess that the Everglades are very tropical. Well…you guessed wrong! The Everglades are dry-looking and sort of swampish at some times. Whenw e got to the half-way point of our tram tour, there was an observation deck which used to be an oil rig. Then on our way back, we saw most of the alligators. Our tour guide’s name was Bob. Just so you know, we didn’t walk around much when we went on the tram ride. We did get off the tram one time for the guide to talk to us, and then when we went to the observation tower. There are alligators all around you.

When we got back, we got Jr. Ranger booklets to work on. Then we went to the gift shop and turned in our Jr. Ranger booketls. Then we went to the campground in Naples. Mom did our laundry and we got to go swimming. The weather was very nice today. Overall it was a pretty good day today.

By Amanda - 3/8/07

I have DEFINITELY had my fill of alligators…at least for one day! We took a tram ride in the Everglades National Park today, and we probably saw over 50 alligators in a two-hour time period. We also saw hundreds of birds, and some of them are very rarely seen.

Florida has a very treacherous climate. During the wet season, the state gets about 60 inches of rain from July to December. From January to June, Florida is lucky if it gets six inches of rain. So far this season, barely two inches of rain has fallen. When this happens, the animals will die if they do not find water.

Their problem is solved by one animal: Mama Alligator. She finds a circle of mangrove trees, in which there is a hole about 3-4 feet below the level of the ground. This hole is filled with water year round, but there is a lot of debris in the hole. The female alligators clear out the hole, and this provide a place for the other alligators, fish, turtles, and birds to live during the arid dry season. The tour was interesting, especially when we saw a mother alligator with her tiny babies swimming around her.

Tomorrow we will drive to Sanibel Island which is famous for shell collecting!

By Rachel - 3/7/07

Today we went to Key Largo, which took about an hour to get there from the campground. When we got there, we went to an aquarium and museum. There was a 32,000 gallon tank with about 5 different kinds of fish and one kind of shark (only about 2 ½ feet long). Then mom asked about the Jr. Ranger Program, and we got books and just started working on them. There was a fish feeding at 11:00 a.m. We finished the activity and turned in the book. We only had to do one activity, then we got a certificate and a badge. If any of you have heard of Samuel (our stuffed dog who travels with us!), we gave the badges to him.

After the fish feeding, we went to get in line for the glass bottom boat ride. The water was quite green at first. It took us about 45 minutes to get out to the reef. When we got out to the reef, we saw all kinds of fish. Did you know that sponges and coral aren’t plants? They are animals! We saw a lot of animals. Some of the fish that we saw were Grunts, Sergeant Majors, and barracudas which are sort of like sharks.

Then we went back to the dock after about an hour at the reef. We went to the gift shop and then went to Winn Dixie. After we ate supper, Sis and I went scootering.

By Amanda - 3/7/07

It was the perfect day for a glass-bottom boat ride. We drove 45 minutes to a state park where they give tours of a coral ecosystem. We were scheduled for the 12:15 tour, so we decided to explore the Visitor’s Center. Inside are several aquariums, including a 32,000 gallon tank containing the larger fish. Inside this tank were nurse sharks, red grouper, blue grouper, and several other types of large fish. In some of the smaller aquariums were spiny lobsters, gobies, wrasses, shrimp, and a very interesting little fish called a yellow jaw head. This fish only grows to be about 5-7 inches long and builds small tunnels in which to hide from predators. They rarely leave their burrows, and when they do, they don’t go very far.

After we were finished in the Visitor’s Center, we went back to the car for lunch. After that, we headed down to the dock to board our boat. We got a good seat by the window, and we had a direct view down onto the glass panels. Once we got past the 45 minute ride to the reef, we began to see all of the creatures who live and make up the reef. We saw brain coral (one of which was 750 years old), tube coral, and many sea anemones. These and more types of coral create the habitat for over 500 different species of marine animals.

On our boat ride, we saw not only fish, but two nurse sharks and two barracudas. We also saw a Queen Angelfish, several Parrotfish, Sergeant Majors (black and white striped fish), Blue Tangs (Dory!), Red Grouper, and a very large school of Grunts. They get their name from the sound that they make when caught. It startles some children so much that they actually drop their fishing rods or nets in the water.

The only bad thing is the reefs are disappearing rapidly. Through pollution, boat collisions, acid rain, and global warming, the reefs and their inhabitants are dying at an ever-increasing rate. In less than 40-50 years, all of the reefs could be gone. That is why the boat rides today are so valuable, to let people see these wonders before they disappear forever.

By Rachel - 3/6/07

Today we left Titusville and are headed for Miami. We aren’t at the campground yet, but we’ll be there in about 35 minutes. About 15 minutes after we left a gas station, we turned very hard and all of a sudden the cabinet door came open. Thank goodness nothing but a vitamin container fell out. Then we had to pull over because when we made that hard turn, the brake system on the car caused the brakes to start smoking. We had to unhook the car and go to a service station to get a new pin for the tow bar before we could hook the car back up again.

Then we went to a lighthouse. The lighthouse is in Jupiter. Yes, we went to Jupiter just to see a lighthouse! Then we went up 105 steps to get to the top. Then we went to a museum. It wasn’t very big, but it was nice. Then we went into the gift shop. We got back on the road and about 4:45 we got to the campground. Then, like every family down in the south, we ate later than 5:30 (for you northerners!) LOL (laugh out loud).

PS – We didn’t really go to Jupiter, the planet….it was Jupiter, FL.

By Amanda - 3/6/07

We have not pulled into Miami yet, but we should in about an hour. We stopped around 11:00 to tour the Jupiter Island Lighthouse. They have been giving tours there since the 1980’s, and the lighthouse itself has been standing since the beginning of World War 2.

It sits on a hill overlooking an inlet containing turquoise waters and white sands. While we were at the top, I saw two manatees swimming along the shoreline. They must have been very young, because they were much smaller than the ones that we saw back in Titusville. They may have lost their mothers.

While we were going over to see the lighthouse, we got stopped on a drawbridge. Rachel and I had never been so close to one. It was really cool to watch, especially when you have a bird’s eye view.

By Rachel - 3/5/07

Today isn’t nice 70 degree Florida weather. It is windy and only about 65. It feels colder. We went to Kennedy Space Center today. We started out by going to a 3-D IMAX movie that was about 45 minutes long. The movie was about astronauts getting into space, how to build a rocket, and space in general. Kennedy Space Center also goes by KSC. KSC isn’t just space travel and stuff related to space, it is a wild life area that has alligators, birds such as Bald Eagles, fish, and turtles. When we were there, we saw an alligator that was about 10 feet long, two turtles, and later you will find out what other animal we saw.

Before we went to the IMAX movie, we went outside and looked at rockets. Outside there are some things that you can go into such as the caged in walkway that the astronauts use to walk into the shuttle. One of the cockpits that was used in space is approximately 5x6 feet and two people had to stay situated there for 14 days without stretching their legs. Then we went on a tour that lasted a very long time! We got on the bus, then rode for about 15 minutes. While we were riding on the bus, the tour guide pointed out a Bald Eagle’s nest and the Eagle was in the nest. That’s the animal I didn’t tell you about before. I didn’t see it the first time, but I saw it on the way back to the Visitor’s Center. The nest was around six feet around and was in the second row of trees. That is why I didn’t see the nest the first time.

When we got to the first station, we watched a six minute film about the people who actually make the rockets. Then when they finished talking about the space crafts, they talked about wildlife in KSC. Then when the film was over, we went to a room that had stuff about space, and there was a replica of a launch pad. When we were done there, we moved up to an upper deck that had some signs you could read, and it had a door to go outside to look at the view of the launch pads and take some pictures. Then we went back on the bus and went to the next station. There was a large building that had a BIG rocket. There were signs that had information on them that you could read. When we got to the end, there was a restaurant. I’m sure you have heard of “Hard Rock Café”. Well, the restaurant was called “Moon Rock Café”. Once we finished eating, we walked around some more, we touched a moon rock, and then went into a room that looked like a “future” room. Then we got back on the bus and rod back to the Visitor’s Center.

Have you heard of “Dip-N-Dots”? Well, they have “Space Dots”. Then we went to the largest space shop in America. We went on a VERY FUNNY journey that we watched in about five minute segments. We left and went to Walmart (Oh, Boy!), and then we went to Sonny’s BBQ for supper.

By Amanda - 3/5/07

Today we visited the expansive Kennedy Space Center. This is located near Cape Canaveral, so you can see both of the launch pads from the Center. There was actually a launch scheduled for sometime around the 15th of March, but the crew found hail damage on the shuttle. If everything had gone as planned, there would have been a shuttle on the launch pad when we were viewing it from the top of a tall viewing tower. When they were transporting the shuttle back to the launchpad, the journey took over seven hours from launchpad to repair shop! The reason for the long trip is because the shuttle transporter (rightly called the “Crawler”) only goes ½ mile an hour!

After we arrived, we visited the Rocket Garden. This is a display of about seven rockets, with signs depicting the mission, height, weight, and diameter of each craft. There was also information about who flew or piloted each rocket.

Once we finished in the Rocket Garden, we went to the IMAX Theater and watched a movie on the International Space Station. We saw how it was built, piece by piece. Each mission brings a new addition to the laboratory. Here is where many experiments have been done: Grooves in the roads (giving tires better traction in wet conditions), purer drinking water, and advancements in medicine. Once the Space Station is complete, there will be astronauts living up there for months at a time experimenting and exploring the universe.

After the IMAX movie, we boarded a bus and began our tour of Kennedy Space Center. Our first stop was a viewing tower. From the top, you could see all of the NASA buildings, Cape Canaveral, and both of the launchpads. Launchpad A is the one that NASA is using for all of the Space Station Missions.

From the viewing tower, we headed to a building dedicated entirely to the exploration of the moon. We watched a video of the building of the Apollo rockets (the series of rockets which were sent to the moon.) Finally, with seven tries behind them, the engineers at NASA came up with Apollo VIII. This was the only successful mission to the moon, which brought back a moon rock for all of the visitors to touch. We also got to see the room that all of the staff sat in while they watched the Apollo VIII soar into the sky.

After we finished our tour, we rode back to the Visitor Center. We saw the Memorial Walk, with a very large Memorial Wall. Also, from a viewing point, we saw a nine-foot alligator and three turtles. I greatly enjoyed my day at Kennedy Space Center, and am looking forward to sunny Miami!

By Rachel - 3/4/07

Today, we left St. Augustine for Titusville. We didn’t have to get up at 4:00 this time because we only had about 100 miles to go. When we got to the campground, we couldn’t check in until 3:00 p.m., so we went to Merritt’s Island Wildlife Preserve. There are alligators, birds, manatees, raccoons, and dolphins. We saw five gators. Four of them were small, but the fifth one was at least 10 feet long! We also saw manatees, which kind of look like an elephant seal. Their closest living relative is an elephant. We saw too many birds to even talk about!

Then we went to the Visitor’s Center which had all kinds of things including fish and small sea turtles. The one turtle had algae on it, and the shell looked detailed. It went between rocks and it looked so much like a rock that we didn’t know it was there until it moved. Then when we were done there, we went to Mays Grove, which had citrus fruits and sea shells and other stuff. I got a lot there because the prices for shells, sand dollars, star fish and more were sooooo low!

Then we came back to the motor home and ate dinner. After we finished washing the dishes, we went scootering with mom while she walked for exercise. Tomorrow, we are going to Kennedy Space Center!

By Amanda - 3/4/07

Today we left St. Augustine and headed further south to Titusville. Once we pulled into the campground, we found out that we could not pull onto our campsite until 3:00 p.m.

In order to pass the time, we went to a nearby wildlife preserve. There is a crushed shell road which you drive on, with a creek on both sides. There are many types of birds such as cormorants, pelicans, and cranes. There also are alligators! We saw three small alligators (about four feet long), and towards the end of our drive, we saw one that was about 10 feet long! It is best to go when the weather is warm and the sun is shining, because the alligators like to come out of the water and sun themselves. Because they are reptiles, they need to come out and sun themselves for several hours a day in order to maintain their body temperature.

After we finished our scenic drive, we visited a manatee viewing area. It is located on the Banana River, and the section of the river is a manatee rehabilitation habitat. Frequently, manatees are sighted at this observation area. We saw five on our visit to the Banana River today. One of them was a mother, and she had her calf with her. Even as babies, these “gentle giants” probably weigh about 300 pounds. They are gigantic! They are also an endangered species, which is why the park service set up the protected stretch of river. Since then, the Banana River manatee population has slowly risen to 400 (1993 estimate of population).

We then visited the Visitor’s Center and viewed many exhibits and experienced some hands-on activities. I also had the opportunity to talk to one of the Park Rangers about examples of mutualism, which is the topic of a research paper I’m doing for Biology.

By Rachel - 3/3/07

Today, we went on the boat tour that we were supposed to do yesterday. Again, it was still raining like it did yesterday. While we were waiting to get on the boat, we saw a sting ray! The boat tour was just in a bay so there was not much to see. There was also steam on the windows so that we couldn’t see much. Then we went to “Old Florida Museum.” There were three areas: a 1600’s pioneer homestead, Spanish Fort Mose Era, and Timucua Indian Village. The three areas of time, and living places had hands-on thing s to do, but first let me tell you what “tabby” is. Tabby is like cement which is made out of crushed oyster shells, and it is very strong. It is so strong, that it won’t break even if a cannon ball hits it! So now you know what tabby is.

Now let’s talk about what things you could do in the Pioneer Settlement. There were checkers, writing with a quill pen and ink, plowing a small area, lassoing a cow’s head, and washing clothes.

In the Spanish/Fort Era, you could do things such as making candles, making tabby, fence making, wine pin bowling, toss the rings (which is sort of like horseshoes, only with rope rings), using a pump drill (you wouldn’t get much done with that thing), and corn grinding.

In the Timucua Indian Village you could grind corn (make sure that you don’t need cornmeal anytime soon), corn cob darts, Quest of the Four Rivers (a game where the first person to get his piece back to “home” wins), net making, and weaving.

I’m sure that you have said, “I have a buck” or something like that. Right? Do you know that “buck” became a regular term? One buck (deer) was worth $1.00, and people would use that to pay for things in the Pioneer times. That is where we get the term “buck” for dollar.

By Amanda - 3/3/07

This is our second day of sightseeing here in Saint Augustine. We started our day with an informative boat tour of the Saint Augustine Bay. We went past the Castillo de San Marcos, a large cross (put there by the Catholics to commemorate 400 years of Christianity), the School for the Deaf & Blind of Florida, and an old hotel. We also saw some of the coastline and some of the wildlife. St. Augustine has a large bird population, mostly composed of pelicans and cormorants. Also, while waiting to board our boat, I saw sea anemones growing on the dock posts and a string ray swimming near the water’s surface.

After our boat ride, we drove out to the Old Florida Museum. There, we saw what life was like in three different settlements and time periods. The first settlement was a colonial village. There were different activities which allowed us to experience life in that time period such as writing with a quill pen, playing with a stick-and-hoop, using a sewing hornbook, and pumping water. There was also a model of a colonial house and a colonial classroom.

In the next section was a model of a Spaniard village. There was a Spanish house, a Spanish garden, and a Spanish kitchen. Among the activities were duck pin bowling (bowling with small balls and pins), grinding corn, weaving, candle making, and building a stick-and-daub fence. The bowling was interesting because the pins were about five inches high, and the balls are about the size of a large jawbreaker. It was really easy to get a strike with that bowling set!

The last section was an Indian settlement. You could see inside of a replica hut that the Indians would take shelter in. Sometimes there would be a whole group of families living together in one hut! You could grind oyster shells with a large stick (used for walkways and house floors), play “darts” with corncob darts, shoot a bow and arrow, and play a game resembling “Trouble” or “Sorry”. (The first person to get their piece home wins.) This was the most unique area of the three because these Indians weren’t the “brave and prairie, savage” type of Indians that you normally hear and learn about. They were actually very civilized, which I found to be very interesting.

After exploring the history museum, we went to a popular street in St. Augustine, located within walking distance of the Castillo de San Marcos. It is filled with souvenir shops, restaurants, and my personal favorite….homemade candy shops! The neat thing about this busting avenue is its old-time look. The buildings look weathered, the signs are hand-painted and rustic, and the roads and sidewalks are made of compressed, crushed seashells. Honestly, you forget to notice these details when you walk by the candy shops and smell the fresh pralines!

By Rachel - 3/2/07

Yesterday, we left home at 4:30 in the morning!!! We arrived in St. Augustine around 1:00 p.m., and then scootered around the campground and played on the playground. Today, we were supposed to go on a boat ride, but it was raining so that didn’t happen. But we did go to St. Augustine Lighthouse, and then we got to go up to the top of it. We also got to climb the 219 steps. To go up and down, that would be 438 steps!!! Then we went to the Colonial Spanish Quarter. This was based around the time period of 1740. We started out at a normal 1700s Spanish type house. Just about every Spanish house there had two rooms with one bed for the parents only. Children would sleep on what we call today, a sleeping bag. When they eat, the children roll up their sleeping bag and sit on it like a bean bag. If it was nice outside, they would take them outside to sit on the porch and eat out there. Then we went to the carpenter’s shop. When we got to his building, he was working on a handle for a tool that he would use to make a bowl or something rounded. Then we went to the blacksmith. He said that he could make a nail in about 20 seconds. Then we went to the leather shop. The leather man even made a canteen out of leather. He can repair shoes, make canteens, bags for ammunition, and tons more things. Then we went to another much larger Spanish house. There they had lacing lessons yesterday, so we got to see lace that was partially made. These Spanish homes don’t have ovens, so they can just drop off their flour and salt at the bakery and pick it up later. Each house has a courtyard which is used almost like our living rooms. They also have gardens, livestock, and orange trees. Speaking of orange trees, the orange tree is not native to Florida and California. The Spanish brought it from Spain. We also went to a fort called Castillo De San Marcos. This fort was made by a special material made from crushed shells. It was started in 1672 but took 22 years to build. The fort was never taken over by fighting, but only by a treaty. It is now owned by the National Park Service.