Trip Report Thank Heaven for Little Girls.

A few years back my son and I took a trip out West and along the way spent a few estrogen free days in Disneyland. This year was the girl's turn, even if that wasn't part of our original plans.

Planning vacations as your children get older can be a difficult task. Demands from college, high-school, camps, activities, and even part time jobs end up leaving very few open spaces on the calendar. Lately it seems that mid July to mid August is our sweet spot for getting away and so it was again this year. Based on a great deal on a condo found by my wife Val, we came up with a somewhat last minute plan to visit Clearwater Beach Florida...and oh yeah, we decided to drive down from Pennsylvania. I also had an eye to sneak away to WDW for at least a day during our week stay.

My son Sterg had to bow out of the trip. He's starting college at Penn State this year and since he's on their swim team he needed to stay behind and train. See what I mean about other demand? Don't feel too bad for him however, he has had a few nice trips of his own over the last six months. It may have also saved his life as I'm sure having to deal with him for 18 hours in a car would have stirred some primal blood anger in me.

Without Sterg it would leave myself, my wife Val, my 21 year old daughter Alex (about to become a college senior) and my 13 year old daughter Toni. Not quite "little girls" anymore but as most Dads will attest to; they are always little girls. Anyone who has read my previous reports knows that Val is not the biggest Disney fan - but how could we be so close to WDW and not go? After much deliberations on the scale of the Yalta conference we hammered out an arrangement to make one day on our trip "Chris, Alex and Toni get to go to Walt Disney World" Day. Where there is a will...

The big day came - we departed on a Saturday at 3pm in the afternoon after loading up our trusty stead/Ford Explorer. Leaving Sterg home by himself for a week brought it's own set of issues but he was all smiles and willing to play photographer as we said our goodbyes...

At this point we had no idea what we were getting into...

Sterg's long arms came in handy here...

Alex and Toni settling in for a long voyage and adventure while Sterg makes sure we say our goodbyes to Prince our dog.

We were on our way to Florida!

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Beautiful beach photos! Reminds me of Siesta Key...a.k.a, Heaven on Earth. Looking forward to reading about your Disney Day!

 

[DisneyGigi]

Great report so far and the photos are amazing. Looking forward to the rest!

 

[myhappyplace]

As a Penn state alum myself, and having grown up only about 20 minutes from main campus, I highly approve of Sterg's choice of schools! Lovely area though I am biased.

Wonderful pictures, as always!

 

[fractal]

As the evening hours approached on Day 2 I started to get more excited. I had brought along with me on the trip my trusty Sony NEX-7 camera, and most of my lens along with a tri-pod and other accessories. One of the things I wanted to photograph was a sunset over the Gulf of Mexico on the beach. Tonight was the night and the weather looked perfect. We were planning to have a late dinner so plenty of time for photos. The restaurant was about 7 or 8 blocks away, near pier 60 but not on the beach. The pier would make a great addition in any sunset shot so everything was falling in place. I started to get my gear ready; the NEX-7, a wide angle lens ( SEL 10-18mm f/4), my favorite lens ( Sony Zeiss 24mm 1.8) and I also brought along a nice portrait lens ( SEL 50mm 1.8) and of course my tripod. The NEX-7 is a mirrorless camera which I love. Although it has a DSLR sized sensor it doesn't have a mirror inside, which makes is much smaller and lighter to carry around. We walked that night and carrying my camera, 3 lenses and a tripod for nearly a mile and back was no issue.

"Getting ready for some pics Pops?" Alex said as she saw me packing things up.

"Yep, we are going to take photos on the beach of the sunset"

"Does Mom know your bringing all that?" Toni added.

"She does!" I said. Val is now getting used to me carrying my camera and bag, and even on occasion my tripod. A few years ago she would have been almost horrified.

We started another voyage on foot. Clearwater Beach has a new area called Beach Walk that is essentially that. A very nice concrete pathway along the beach with small walls, nice restrooms/changing areas and head and foot showers. We quickly made our way to the beach walk and headed north towards Pier 60. The sun was just beginning to sink towards the horizon.

We got to Pier 60 and walked onto the beach from the far side. As I started to unfold my tripod I gave my camera to Toni making sure it was secured around her neck. The combined value of the camera and lens was well over $1,000 but Toni has always shown interest in photography and is eager to help; she also understands how much the camera means to me. She took a few shots of her own with the wide angle lens (which can give you some interesting distortions).

 

[fractal]

After setting up the tripod, I took the camera back from Toni and decided to take some portraits while waiting for the sunset. I replaced the wide angle 10-18mm lens with the 50mm 1.8. Changing lenses on a beach is always risky and even though I made the switch in a large ziplock bag - I later discovered that some things came into the camera resulting in "sensor spots". This black little spots show up on the picture which require you to edit them out. A big pain in the backside. Anyway - back to the portraits.

At first I thought the pier would make a nice backdrop...

This shot I took with the camera on a tripod and set to a timer...

After these shots I thankfully decided to take a few more with the ocean as the backdrop. When I got back home and looked at the shots I felt like the pier shots were a bit too distracting. Here are the rest of the portraits...

Toni found something funny here...

The sun was now getting lower so I switched back to the wide angle...

This was a long exposure shot (2 seconds).

Overall I was happy with the results. The rest of the "fam" (short for family) was growing impatient and hungry during the last 15 minutes or so but we all survived. On the way to the restaurant we caught the end of a "gymnastics" street act. Although the guy was over 40, he hit all his marks.

After dropping some money in the donation bucket, the girls wanted a pic with the star and his sidekick...

We had dinner at Crabby Bill's. It was packed on a Monday night after 8pm! I was told the wait was 30 minutes but almost immediately after they gave me my buzzer it started to buzz! I thought it was a mistake but we were seated. The prices at Crabby Bill's seemed a bit high and I started to feel like it was a typical tourist trap. The food however was very good with the average service perhaps reflecting a full house. Some photos at the dinner table...

It was a pleasant evening for the walk back to our condo. I told the girls we need to leave at 7am for our 1 1/2 drive to WDW world the next morning and I heard no complaints. Alex, Toni and I then retired to sleep with visions of Disney dancing in our heads.

UP NEXT- a very full day in Walt Disney World!

 

[Bob]

After setting up the tripod, I took the camera back from Toni and decided to take some portraits while waiting for the sunset. I replaced the wide angle 10-18mm lens with the 50mm 1.8. Changing lenses on a beach is always risky and even though I made the switch in a large ziplock bag - I later discovered that some things came into the camera resulting in "sensor spots". This black little spots show up on the picture which require you to edit them out. A big pain in the backside. Anyway - back to the portraits.

At first I thought the pier would make a nice backdrop...

This shot I took with the camera on a tripod and set to a timer...

After these shots I thankfully decided to take a few more with the ocean as the backdrop. When I got back home and looked at the shots I felt like the pier shots were a bit too distracting. Here are the rest of the portraits...

Toni found something funny here...

The sun was now getting lower so I switched back to the wide angle...

This was a long exposure shot (2 seconds).

Overall I was happy with the results. The rest of the "fam" (short for family) was growing impatient and hungry during the last 15 minutes or so but we all survived. On the way to the restaurant we caught the end of a "gymnastics" street act. Although the guy was over 40, he hit all his marks.

After dropping some money in the donation bucket, the girls wanted a pic with the star and his sidekick...

We had dinner at Crabby Bill's. It was packed on a Monday night after 8pm! I was told the wait was 30 minutes but almost immediately after they gave me my buzzer it started to buzz! I thought it was a mistake but we were seated. The prices at Crabby Bill's seemed a bit high and I started to feel like it was a typical tourist trap. The food however was very good with the average service perhaps reflecting a full house. Some photos at the dinner table...

It was a pleasant evening for the walk back to our condo. I told the girls we need to leave at 7am for our 1 1/2 drive to WDW world the next morning and I heard no complaints. Alex, Toni and I then retired to sleep with visions of Disney dancing in our heads.

UP NEXT- a very full day in Walt Disney World!

Can't give this post enough likes.

 

[KaraJoy73]

These are beautiful shots of the gulf. My siblings and I grew up vacationing and visiting family in the Venice/Sarasota area and spending lots of time in that surf. Your pictures make me homesick for the sound of the waves and the seagulls and smell of the ocean. Not to mention the feel of the sand beneath my feet. Thanks for sharing these.

 

[lostpro9het]

Great pictures as always!!

Zoolander called, He's demanding royalties for Blue Steel...

 

[LilWalt]

The pictures are amazing! You have a beautiful family. 10 years on these boards how have I not read one of your trip reports?

I live an hour from the Gulf and trust me not all parts of it are that blue and pretty. The closer you get to Mississippi and Louisiana it gets brown and nasty. Could be why if we go the beach we drive 3 hours.

 

[fractal]

Disney Day!

After the thrill of knowing that we were heading to Walt Disney World, the first thing I felt when waking up that Tuesday was the sunburn on my shoulders, front and back. In fact, sleep was fleeting the night before as getting in a comfortable position proved difficult, despite the half bottle of aloe-vera I used before bed.

Nevertheless, it was go time for Disney! I hopped out of bed, showered, dressed and then woke up Alex and Toni around 6:15. We were out of the door promptly at 7am. We made a quick stop at the new Wawa in Clearwater ( glad to see Wawa making it to Florida!) for breakfast "sandies". Then I was conned into going through the Starbucks drive though.

"OK, what do you want?" I asked as our turn approached.

"A large iced coffee with sugar" Alex replied.

Alright, simple enough, I thought.

"I want a double chocolaty chip frappuccino grande!" Toni yelled from the back.

"A what?" I said.

"Toni that's ridiculous" added Alex. "It's not even coffee".

"What is it?" I asked

"It's basically a giant milkshake" Alex answered.

"Please Dad, I always get it with Sterg". Toni said.

"You two are so ridiculous, Dad it's like a $5 drink" Alex said referring to Sterg and Toni.

"Goodmorning! May I take your order?" Said a way too enthusiastic server through the drive through intercom.

"yes, I'll have a large iced coffee with sugar and a eh, double grande frappa chocolate..what the heck is it called Toni?"

"A double chocolaty chip frappuccino grande!" Toni yelled out the window into the drive through menu.

What the heck just happened I thought to myself as I drove up to pay.

"Hello sir! that will be $7.51" Starbucks lady said with a beaming smile and wide open eyes with diluted pupils.

I watched in disbelief as I handed her a $10 for (in my mind) 2 coffees and received back a couple of ones and some change.

"Thank you! and you have a great day!"

As I drove off I caught a glimpse of Toni's huge smile while she drank her Frankenstein concoction. I guess it was almost worth it.
The next 1/2 hour or so was the girls making fun of Starbucks lady ( how can anybody be that happy this early?) and questions on how long and how our day was going to go.

This was our plan;

We were going to hit all 4 parks. With the advantage of having our car as transport we felt it was doable.

Animal Kingdom was first - we wanted to hit the main rides and grab lunch.

Next was DHS. Toni (and I) wanted to do Tower of Terror for sure and RRRC.

After DHS, it was a short drive to EPCOT which is Alex's favorite park, especially due to Soarin', SSE, Living with the Land and Worldshowcase. We had dinner reservations at 9 dragons for 6:30.

Magic Kingdom was open late so that was to be our nightcap. I would have preferred MK during the day, but I brought along my tripod with some long exposure shots planned out in my mind.

The girls requested some Disney music to listen to while we drove east on I-4. After listening to and singing songs from Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Frozen and more for about an hour, we drove up to this!

 

[fractal]

In addition to the coffee/frapuccinos I made everyone drink a bottle of water before we entered the park. The forecast was for mid 90's and possible thunderstorms. I was wearing my "fractal" shirt my family made for me before our last trip, but I also brought along another shirt to change into. I was glad I wasn't on the beach with my sunburn but even so things were a bit uncomfortable.

This was the first time I drove to a WDW park and was excited to see the parking lot about 1/4 full that morning as Touring Plans was calling for a 9 out of 10 day across the parks. The first sight of the Tree of Life!

on the way to Asia and EE.

EE was a walk on. Before we went on we saw this large line at the FP+ kiosks. That wait was longer than for the ride!

Last trip I was happy with the shots I took on EE with my 8mm fisheye lens. This time I had the 10-18mm lens and wanted to compare.

Here we go!

As we were going up the mountain I was so appreciative of the moment. It didn't look like we would make it to WDW this year and our streak of going every two years since 2007 was going to be broken. It wasn't a full week in the bubble like our other trips but I may have appreciated those few minutes more than any other feeling of "being there".

Lot's of construction going on over in Pandora. There were also many walls up around the water as the new night show is being installed.

Time to drop!

 

[fractal]

Looking forward to reading your new report. You must be the model family (or should I say fam?) for compromise. I'm glad you could find a vaca (that will be the last one I promise) that everyone could sign off on, well except for Sterg. BTW, here's wishing him the best at swimming. It makes me so happy that someone else has appreciated the contrast between the brand new hotels and the decades old ones at the shore. It seems like every time I go I comment on this and just get blank stares back at me. I at least think it's interesting. We're currently prepping ourselves for a PA to WDW drive this November, only ours will be with a 4 year old and 1 year old, so a different set of challenges. Can't wait to see what you did on your Disney day.

Thanks @Lyear ! Haha, love the shorten words lingo! I read somewhere that the oldertimers at Clearwater Beach aren't too happy with all the new construction. Good luck with the long drive - we did two drives down to Hilton Head when Alex and Sterg were wee ones.

Hooray! Always love a Fractal report! So great to "check in" with your beautiful family again. They've grown so!

Pictures are beautiful! I will daydream of that beach and water tomorrow at work .
I look forward to your WDW day, but am also looking forward to more beach adventures. Great deal on the condo.
As a fellow Penn Stater, happy to hear Sterg is headed to Happy Valley! And the swim team! How awesome - congrats to him. A football game for the fam is a must, if you've never been! Or even if you have!
I think you're a cool cat Dad!

Following along!

Thanks @cfry06 and glad you are following along! We are! Moved him up yesterday and he's in a dorm with all the other freshman swimmers which is nice. Already have tickets to a game!

always have loved your trip reports @fractal .. your kids are really growing up .. cant wait to read the rest..

Thanks @imagination30 ! Growing up too fast.

Looks like a great time! Clearwater Beach looks so beautiful. I think you should frame a few of those pictures!

Hi @disneypearl and thanks!

I wish I had more people to take trips with to Disney World; I'd end up going more often if I did. One day I'll have people that love Disney World as much as I do. Turns out if a 30 year old man wants little girls to go on a trip with him he's automatically put on a "Watch List". They're the ones that made it dirty!

@insaneshadow hang in there!

Really enjoying your trip report.
We are going to Clearwater and disneyworld for our honeymoon in November. It's great to see some photos of Clearwater. Not sure what temperatures will be like in November at Clearwater but hope to be able to stroll on beach.
Looking forward to next instalment!

@Disney_crazy Thank you! From talking to the locals, November should be a great time to go! Congrats and best wishes on the wedding!

Great report, loving the pics, look forward to more

Thanks @Tink28 !!

Awesome trip report. You have two very lovely daughters and really handsome son! I'm looking forward to the rest of your report!

@DisneyChild1968 thank you!! (I'm a 1967 child).

I keep waiting for your awesome Disney shirt to appear.

@senor_jorge if by that you mean my "fractal" shirt, it will.

You are very brave to take the job of poison tester. I'm sure that your family feels safer. The beach looks so beautiful! What a nice and relaxing day!

Yes, @disneypearl - the self sacrifices of being a father.

Having a remote infrared shutter release must be cool because your pictures are awesome! Actually, I don't know much about photography besides just keep taking tons of pictures and some of them might turn out good

Can't wait to see the pictures from Disney!!!

@jjbuster2 Definitely a cool thing. Actually, it just allows you to take a picture while not touching the camera - works just like a TV remote.

Glad to hear that my husband isn't the only one willing to "take one for the family" and make sure the sweet treats are "okay" to be consumed!! Can't wait to read about your Disney day!

Haha @TheMouseFan ! See what us Dads have to do? Thanks for following along!

 

[fractal]

Beautiful beach photos! Reminds me of Siesta Key...a.k.a, Heaven on Earth. Looking forward to reading about your Disney Day!

Thanks @PineapplePrincess !

Great report so far and the photos are amazing. Looking forward to the rest!

@DisneyShe Thank you!

As a Penn state alum myself, and having grown up only about 20 minutes from main campus, I highly approve of Sterg's choice of schools! Lovely area though I am biased.

Wonderful pictures, as always!

@myhappyplace Moved him in yesterday (in the rain). It is a beautiful area and thank you!

Can't give this post enough likes.

Thanks!

These are beautiful shots of the gulf. My siblings and I grew up vacationing and visiting family in the Venice/Sarasota area and spending lots of time in that surf. Your pictures make me homesick for the sound of the waves and the seagulls and smell of the ocean. Not to mention the feel of the sand beneath my feet. Thanks for sharing these.

@KaraJoy73 Thanks! The scenery made it hard not to take a good shot. The sand there is awesome.

Great pictures as always!!


Zoolander called, He's demanding royalties for Blue Steel...

@lostpro9het Lol! Yeah looking a bit like a teenager with a duck face thing going on???

The pictures are amazing! You have a beautiful family. 10 years on these boards how have I not read one of your trip reports?

I live an hour from the Gulf and trust me not all parts of it are that blue and pretty. The closer you get to Mississippi and Louisiana it gets brown and nasty. Could be why if we go the beach we drive 3 hours.

Thanks so much @LilWalt ! Thanks for the info, the Gulf side of Florida intrigues me and maybe a place to someday retire to.

 

[epcotisbest]

Hey Fractal,
Always enjoy your photos. You are braver than me trying four parks in one day. I don't think I have enough energy to even think about that!
Lovely family photos at the beach. I have always been a fan of sunset pics and thought I would share a couple of photos with you that I took last weekend while on a sunset dolphin cruise near Tybee Island during a trip to Savannah. I think the bird in each pic adds a nice touch. I am sure it is the same bird! (yeah, right)

 

[epcotisbest]

One more then I will quit hijacking your wonderful trip report. Hope you like it.

 

[epcotisbest]

The timing on your Everest pic is just about perfect.

 

[fractal]

@epcotisbest

Awesome sunset and silhouettes. Don't feel like you are hijacking - always love to see great pics!

 

[Bob]

In addition to the coffee/frapuccinos I made everyone drink a bottle of water before we entered the park. The forecast was for mid 90's and possible thunderstorms. I was wearing my "fractal" shirt my family made for me before our last trip, but I also brought along another shirt to change into. I was glad I wasn't on the beach with my sunburn but even so things were a bit uncomfortable.

This was the first time I drove to a WDW park and was excited to see the parking lot about 1/4 full that morning as Touring Plans was calling for a 9 out of 10 day across the parks. The first sight of the Tree of Life!

on the way to Asia and EE.

EE was a walk on. Before we went on we saw this large line at the FP+ kiosks. That wait was longer than for the ride!

Last trip I was happy with the shots I took on EE with my 8mm fisheye lens. This time I had the 10-18mm lens and wanted to compare.

Here we go!

As we were going up the mountain I was so appreciative of the moment. It didn't look like we would make it to WDW this year and our streak of going every two years since 2007 was going to be broken. It wasn't a full week in the bubble like our other trips but I may have appreciated those few minutes more than any other feeling of "being there".

Lot's of construction going on over in Pandora. There were also many walls up around the water as the new night show is being installed.

Time to drop!

I think that I'm going to have to steal that photo on EE looking up at the track and use it as my desktop wallpaper. Wow....just wow!!

 

[MouseDreaming]

@epcotisbest I feel like the lucky one. Great pictures from you and @fractal in one place!

 

[coachwnh]

Looking forward to the rest of that long Disney day!