Disney Halloween Trip - Day 3

Woke up as early as we could and then headed over for another day at Disney World. Dad and Beth wanted to check out Epcot again. Ate a late breakfast at Norway Akershus (finished at 1100). We had a good day walking around the International Showcase. Got a snack at Margarita Kiosk (1430). The kids enjoyed visiting the many countries. I was kind of surprised when Dad said they would be leaving on Sunday (I guess the dates got mixed up somehow?)... Oh well. After a full day of fun, we drove over to Winter Haven to spent Halloween night with Nicky's relatives. The kids had a great time trick-or-treating with their little cousins and lots of other kids their age. It was a good night...

Disney Halloween Trip - Day 2

We woke up in our rental with Dad and Beth. The girls had fun with them as we got ready to head over to Disney World. We got there around 0900 and managed to het our Military Appreciation "Park-Hopper" tickets before 0930. Our first stop inside the Park was Mickey's Star Traders (0935), for autograph books and pens. The kids had a great time with their grandparents - riding on rides and walking around holding hands. Got some lunch at Pecos Bills (1205).  We spent all day at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. There were not a lot of people in the parks today - it was great to have the rides to ourselves! Around 1700, Nicky's Aunt Barbara met up with us at the Polynesian. We got an unexpected treat - they had a Luau going on and we got to watch a Fire Dance. Later, we went in to "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween" party. There were tons of people there! We were glad we had already been on the rides, since we could barely get on ANY. We got good seats for the parade, though - it was great! The Headless Horseman rode around on the streets and then all the characters came by - dressed in Halloween costumes. We left very late.

Disney Halloween Trip - Day 1

I had some work to do at the office, but I managed to escape a little early today. Despite the "head start" we immediately found a huge traffic jam as we started south on I-75. We made slow, but steady, progress but (in frustration) we eventually stopped to eat a meal at Cracker Barrel in Macon, Georgia (finished 1450L). We got back on the road and struggled on through a construction zone until the traffic mess cleared up. With some minor exceptions, the rest of the trip was nearly traffic-free. Unfortunately, the delay made us extremely late to meet Dad and Beth (they were already in Orlando by the time we passed I-10...). When they called us from the airport, we told them we would be late and gave them the combination for the rental home. Made it to Orlando at 2200L and found our rental pretty easily (at Indian Creek - near Formosa Garden). The place is great: we got it through American Vacation Homes and we get five nights (sixth free). It has three bedrooms and a pool. Dad and Beth had figured everything out, so we just had to put the kids to bed...

Key West, FL (USA)

[flight from Atlanta to Cherry Point to Mayport to Virginia Beach to Key West - then home]

St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador (Canada)

After a nice sleep, I checked out of the Mid-Atlantic Lodge - we soon departed from Lajes Air Base and headed for Canada. We stopped for fuel in St. Johns, Newfoundland and then flew to Norfolk (for our lift).  On the last leg (Norfolk to Atlanta), I was able to get some aircraft commander time (while flying with Scott E.).  Great trip!

Rota, Andaluzia (Spain)

We checked out of the Mid-Atlantic Lodge this morning and left Lajes Air Base a bit later.  We (Scott E. and I) flew to Mainland Europe and landed at Naval Station Rota.  After taking care of airlift requirements, we were able to quickly depart again and headed back towards the USA.  We landed later at Lajes Air Base. After checking back into the Mid-Atlantic Lodge, we left to base and ate dinner at O' Pescador's in Praia Vitoria (finished just after midnight, 0015L). To speed up the checkout process in the morning, I took care of my bill before going to bed.

Terceira, Azores (Portugal)

[Mission to Europe]  Got another international trip - the overall itinerary involved a series of flights from Atlanta to Spain and back.  Score!  Even better: I got to fly with one of my best friends, Scott E.  Our first day was pretty uneventful - we stopped in St. Johns, Newfoundland for fuel and then flew to the Azores.  We spent the night at the Mid-Atlantic Lodge at Lajes Air Base.

Fort Worth, TX (USA)

[itinerary uncertain - lost oil pressure (cap was loose) on the way to Fort Worth - with Chippy]