Road trips are some of the most amazing things that anyone
can ever do! Being able to explore new areas with great people is always a
highlight of my summer. Anytime that I can take part in one of these epic journeys,
I find it really hard to say no. This summer is one of those examples.
Cathy and I are embarking on a three week trip that will
take us through 7 states with the ultimate destination being Pennsylvania. We
embarked on this craziness Friday with our first stop being the most magical
place on this planet: Disney World!
Cathy’s friend, Chris, was once again a gracious host and
not only provided us with lodging, but also free entry into the parks. So, on
Saturday, Cathy and I spent 14 glorious hours soaking in as much Disney magic
as we possibly could. I’m pretty sure that we were successful in this endeavor!
Our day started at the Animal Kingdom, were we dominated the
DinoLand amusement rides (including back-to-back ventures on the spinny roller
coaster one), conquered Everest Expedition, became giddy along with the cast of
the Lion King show, took a ride through the African Safari, and got wet on the
Kali Rapids in the heart of Asia.
It was at Animal Kingdom that I became a bit obsessed with
the red badge. This badge is used to help determine wait time in lines for the
amusement rides. When we got on the Everest Expedition ride, the patron in
front of me received the honor of wearing and then presenting said badge to the
person at the end of the ride. This red badge haunted me all day, as park-goers
all around me showed off their prizes, much to my displeasure. More on the
badge in a bit…
Once we had hooped and hollered all that we could at Animal
Kingdom, we made our way over to Hollywood Studios. Here, we braved a
death-defying ride on the Tower of Terror, grooved along with Aerosmith on the
Rock ‘N Roller Coaster, enjoyed some classic movies on The Great Movie Ride,
and racked up points with Woody and Buzz at the Toy Story Mania 4-D attraction.
2 hour wait times diminished around us as we powered through all of these
attractions in about 2 ½ hours!
The last stop of the day took us over to the Magic Kingdom. A littler rain couldn’t ruin our enjoyment of this staple of Disney World. We blasted off on Space Mountain, drifted our way down Splash Mountain, chugged along the Big Thunder Mountain, and conjured up some spirits and ghosts at the Haunted Mansion. Now it was also here that my night was truly made…
As we were getting into line at Splash Mountain, the
attendant at the front was holding one of the coveted red badges, just waiting
to present it to a lucky ride goer. By this point, we had met up with two
others, Amanda (a friend of Chris’s) and her friend Alex. The attendant handed
the badge to Alex, who promptly passed it off to me! My mission and day were
complete. Some people go to Disney to see Mickey, Tinkerbell, or Goofy. Me, I
go to get a red badge! In my state of euphoria, I accidentally forgot to turn
it in – looks like I have a keepsake forever and the new wait time at Splash
Mountain just went up to about 8 days!
The night was capped off by a sparkling and breathtaking fireworks display with Cinderella’s Castle as the centerpiece. We braved the throngs of people exiting the park, had a late night dinner at Steak n’ Shake (no worries Erin – Cathy finally had her milkshake!), and then passed out back at Chris’s. The next leg of the journey takes us to Columbia, South Carolina to see Elizabeth and her roommate Victoria. Can’t wait to see what fun and excitement await us there!
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