Trip Report Tales From the Two Goofs Vault

Greetings again my friends. During my large amount of available free time, I have been working to digitally backup some of our old photos, as well as track down and backup any digital files as well. So far I have come across 3 Disney trips that I haven’t shared on these boards before. One from March 2019, one from September 2016, and another from June 2015. I will be doing these TRs from newest to oldest. Please note that I have no notes on our activities, so the pictures will likely not be in perfect order. I will try and provide commentary on things I do remember. So let’s get started!

Trip 1.

When: March 8-11, 2019

Who: Myself and A as always, plus our closest friends C and M.
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Where: POFQ for just one night, and Coronado Springs(more on why we did a split stay on such a short trip later).

Why: A top secret mission to photograph and celebrate C and M’s engagement.

A little background on how this trip happened.

C is one of A’s oldest and closest friends, he is the closest thing she has to a brother, and she does refer to him as her brother. He had been dating M for about a year at this point, and we all knew she was perfect for him. He’d decided to pop the question on their spring break trip to Disney. For months he had been asking A and I to come down with them to take pictures of the big event, and to celebrate with them(or console him if she said no!). It didn’t look like we would both be able to make the trip though. I finally agreed to at least get A a plane ticket and she was going to go alone for just the weekend and return.

Well as fate would have it, right at the 60 day mark I was finally able to secure the 4 days off needed to take the trip. Unfortunately there was extremely limited availability at the resorts. The only resort with full availability for the weekend was grand Floridian, which was at a non discount rate. We finally found 2 nights at Coronado, and one night at French quarter. We also purchased APs because we had already planned on being at WDW for several day’s in the summer, so it ended up being less to get the AP rather than buying separate tickets for each trip. I was also able to get the AP spring discount applied to our reservations.

With all of that business out of the way, we were able to make FP reservations right at 60 days! C wanted it to be a surprise for M that we were going to be there. We went along with this plan, but boy was it hard not to spill the beans at our super bowl party that year!

Day 0/Night1:

While I was able to get Friday-Monday off, A had no such luck, and had to work a half day Friday. This meant taking a later flight than normal. We had a 7:15 flight out of Dallas Love Field. Our plan was to be at the airport around 5:30. 5:30 on a Friday driving through downtown Dallas, what could possibly go wrong?! Fortunately while traffic was pretty heavy, and my phone told me to take the wrong exit one time, we still made it to the airport on time.

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Already a little tired before takeoff!

Our flight down went smoothly and a few hours later we landed in Orlando. Because of the time change, by the time we got down to DME it was approaching 11 pm. We were both more than ready to get to our room and get a few hours of sleep. Our bus only had a few parties on it. We stopped at riverside first, then French Quarter. Our room had been ready since lunch time of that day, so we went straight to our room. It was well after midnight when we made it to our room.

Apparently we knew that @Nunu would like some room photos at the time!😜
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Another boring redesigned room.

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The beads were a nice touch!

We finally got showered and in bed just before 1 am.
 

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Haha. That and the cowboy hat might be a dead giveaway, or the fact that it’s sitting in a corn field! 🤣
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How hot is too hot?
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It’s hard to see but that thermometer is showing nearly 120 degrees. Our car was showing 110, but it tends to be a few degrees cool, so it was probably around 112 degrees! Needless to say we enjoyed our trip to palo duro canyon mostly from our car!
I love that warning sign about physical activity when it's hot. When I first moved over here, I had to go to school to learn to speak Dutch. There was this woman from Iran in my class who really didn't seem to be the brightest bulb on the tree. I was trying really hard to lose weight and I was watching what I ate, reducing my carb intake, so I brought fruit rather than a sandwich for lunch. A bunch of us were sitting together and one of the gals asked me why I always brought fruit, so I answered and the Iranian woman piped in with why didn't I exercise. I explained that I did...I walked 15 minutes to school each day and 15 minutes home, and walked a lot in the evenings, but that as it was summer, I found it a bit too warm for strenuous exercise, that it made me feel sick and when it was hot, I just didn't have the energy to do anything. And she informed me that that was nonsense "because heat gives you energy! It makes you want to move." Um....no. No it does not. So this sign just reminds me that "heat gives you energy."
 

Swissmiss

Premium Member
I love that warning sign about physical activity when it's hot. When I first moved over here, I had to go to school to learn to speak Dutch. There was this woman from Iran in my class who really didn't seem to be the brightest bulb on the tree. I was trying really hard to lose weight and I was watching what I ate, reducing my carb intake, so I brought fruit rather than a sandwich for lunch. A bunch of us were sitting together and one of the gals asked me why I always brought fruit, so I answered and the Iranian woman piped in with why didn't I exercise. I explained that I did...I walked 15 minutes to school each day and 15 minutes home, and walked a lot in the evenings, but that as it was summer, I found it a bit too warm for strenuous exercise, that it made me feel sick and when it was hot, I just didn't have the energy to do anything. And she informed me that that was nonsense "because heat gives you energy! It makes you want to move." Um....no. No it does not. So this sign just reminds me that "heat gives you energy."

That‘s incredible! Every article about running in the summer reminds people to take it easier in the heat, drink more, train less, etc. Makes you wonder where she gets her information!
 

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
That‘s incredible! Every article about running in the summer reminds people to take it easier in the heat, drink more, train less, etc. Makes you wonder where she gets her information!
Well, like I said, she didn't seem like the brightest bulb. But yeah, I was wondering just how she got that since every person I know just wants to sit and do nothing when it's hot. Swimming is about the only option that doesn't make me feel nauseated and headachy.
 

Mainahman

Well-Known Member
It was actually really fun to drive! Almost like driving a roller coaster! In fact I liked it so much we did it again today! This is the very top. Straight down on both sides.
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She’s so odd about things like that. The ledge was a big no no but the road she was ok with. As long as she’s not out in the open she’s ok with heights. She would not join me on this rock today.
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And just look at the view she missed! Pictures don’t do it justice!
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Man.. Thats beautiful!
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Road trip update.

We visited the nearby royal gorge yesterday morning. I don’t think @riverside, @Swissmiss, or @Songbird76 would be a fan of this. The suspension bridge hangs 955 feet above the canyon floor.
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Pickle made the walk across! She was fearless!
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It’s a long ways up, and the bouncing of the suspension bridge when a vehicle comes across can be nerve wracking. A power walked without stopping to take too many looks!
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We saw a family of bighorn after we made it across the bridge.
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We took the gondola back across because momma didn’t raise no chicken. Those of you who find the Disney skyliner unnerving would certainly not enjoy this.
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Trying not to look nervous!
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Right about I took this picture, at the highest point on the journey, huge gusts of wind started blowing, rocking our cabin. We were ready for the journey to end after that!
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k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
We visited the nearby royal gorge yesterday morning. I don’t think @riverside, @Swissmiss, or @Songbird76 would be a fan of this. The suspension bridge hangs 955 feet above the canyon floor.


A must love you a whole lot, because I would have laughed my husband clear off the side of the canyon if he said we were going to walk across that. That’s a NOPE from me!
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Looks beautiful but the bridge would have scared me! I would have gone on it and taken a few looks looks but then I would have power walked too!
What’s odd is that she was more calm than I was on the gondola, but I had no issues on the bridge!
I’ll just keep thinking of your pictures this weekend when I’m in the Alps and tell myself “it’s not so bad; it could be worse”. 🤣
Oh man I would love to see the alps! I hope you have a nice time!

Oh heck no!!
It's beautiful but I could feel myself start to panic just looking at the pictures!!
Haha there were quite a few people who flat out refused to go. I also saw a few start across, but after one look down or one good bounce they would turn around and head back. I’m actually more afraid of flying than I was about walking this 90 year old wooden suspension bridge!



A must love you a whole lot, because I would have laughed my husband clear off the side of the canyon if he said we were going to walk across that. That’s a NOPE from me!

Haha she must really love me. She actually went across the bridge when she was a child and hated it, but was willing to go back for me to experience it!
 

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Road trip update.

We visited the nearby royal gorge yesterday morning. I don’t think @riverside, @Swissmiss, or @Songbird76 would be a fan of this. The suspension bridge hangs 955 feet above the canyon floor.
View attachment 483968

Pickle made the walk across! She was fearless!
View attachment 483971
View attachment 483964

It’s a long ways up, and the bouncing of the suspension bridge when a vehicle comes across can be nerve wracking. A power walked without stopping to take too many looks!
View attachment 483979

We saw a family of bighorn after we made it across the bridge.
View attachment 483967

View attachment 483973

We took the gondola back across because momma didn’t raise no chicken. Those of you who find the Disney skyliner unnerving would certainly not enjoy this.
View attachment 483974

Trying not to look nervous!
View attachment 483976

Right about I took this picture, at the highest point on the journey, huge gusts of wind started blowing, rocking our cabin. We were ready for the journey to end after that!
View attachment 483980
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
I didn't know how to post a gif...how did you do that? I only got the link.
Find the gif you want on Giphy, copy the gif link, and when you’re typing out your response on here, go to the top-right corner of the message box and click the drop-down with three dots. Click “Media,” and then paste the gif link. Et voila, once you post your reply, the gif will show up.


Some gifs won’t work on here for one reason or another. 🤷🏻‍♀️
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Road trip update.

Now that we’re back in Texas at our hotel for the night, I can share a few more things from the past few days.

After our trip to the royal gorge on Tuesday, our host recommended we take a drive through phantom canyon. This was a very twisty single lane dirt road with little turnouts for passing occasionally. I drive similar roads on our adventures in the mountains of Arkansas, so this was not too bad. The drive was beautiful and took us from desert canyons to alpine forests. There were even a few tunnels along the way!
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We ended up in an old gold mining town called victor. There were remnants of the old gold mines still present.
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As you can see there were some rain storms in the area. The temps up here were in the low 50s, a far cry from the 117 we experienced at the bottom of palo duro Canyon a few days before!
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Our journey back to the cabin took us through some stunning scenery. We also saw one of the most vibrant rainbows I’ve ever seen!
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The drive was mostly though some large open range ranches. It was a gorgeous trip!
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Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
More road trip.

Wednesday we were up with the sun to start our day’s adventures.
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A’s mother gave us a few unused gift cards to Starbucks(she’s a school teacher and is often gifted them at the end of each year). We filed up with plenty of caffeine and sugar to start the day. Pickle was also given a pup cup by the kind barista who just adored her. I think she liked it!
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Our destination for the morning was the famous pikes peak! Home to black bear, mountain lions, elk, and Sasquatch? I’m always flattered to find creative monuments like this!
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We checked out a small portion of the trail to the top. Obviously we are in no shape to climb a 14000 foot peak, but it was a beautiful trail at the bottom!
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We instead drove the road to the top. What a thrilling drive! I thought of @LisaBelle and how she had anxiety on the similar drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. I gotta admit I was pretty white knuckled on this one!
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There was some snow at the high elevations left over from a snowstorm the day before.
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Unfortunately the Road is closed due to construction a few miles before the summit. You have to park and take a shuttle to reach the top. They didn’t allow pets on the shuttle, so we couldn’t take pickle to the peak. Instead we each took turns riding the shuttle to the top. So I ended up having to explore the peak by myself.

The view from 14,115 feet!
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The have special high altitude donuts. It was almost like a tiny funnel cake.
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I had a lack of oxygen, but not due to the mask!
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A kind stranger took this picture from a safe distance.
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While it was cool to be up on the summit, the massive construction project currently going on really hampers the experience quite a bit. I’m sure the new summit house will be great, but it would’ve been nice to get to experience this with the pup and the wife!
 

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