135 ERRORS AND OMMISSIONS

So, I wake up this morning and look out the window and it’s still heavily overcast and looking like rain.  To add to it, the temperature at 10:00 AM EST is 11 degrees Celsius.  It’s warmer in Vancouver.  Although I also read in a report online that the weather forecast in Vancouver is for sub-zero temperatures and snow.  Just in time for me to come home on Tuesday.  It’s not the first time we have had below zero temperatures this winter, but they have predicted snow at least once a week since November and it hasn’t happened yet.

Oh, well, it’s not like you can do anything about the weather.  I’ve already detailed my fiasco with the camera at Universal security, but I wrote an email to Customer Service and got a replay back today.  I might as well just include it here.

First my message:  Hi. I've been staying at Cabana Bay since January 16 and have visited City Walk 6 or 7 times, I went to The Blue Man Group Concert and I have been in Universal Studios perk 3 or 4 times as well. Each time that I came in I was carrying my Nikon D4s camera with a Tamron 150-600 zoom. There has never been a problem and in fact has been a conversation piece between staff and guests alike. I am not a professional, I do not sell any of my photos, I am just a very avid amateur with expensive gear. Tonight (Jan 30), I was heading in to get night shots of Hogwarts castle, but was denied entry at the security gate. He told me the lens was too big. He said, I could take the lens off and leave my backpack with him. There is maybe $20,000 worth of lenses in there, and I'm sorry, but I would not leave it with former work colleagues who I trusted with my life. I'm a retired police officer. My photos have been nothing but complimentary towards Universal and numerous friends on Facebook and Instagram have expressed interest in coming. Anyway, I did not make a scene, just calmly took my gear and came back to the hotel. I'm a little disappointed by this and thought I would enquire as to the policy. I certainly was not aware of it, as I say I've been in quite a few times on my seasons pass.

And their reply:  Hello Tom, thank you for contacting Universal Orlando Resort™ Guest Services. I regret to hear of the miscommunication you have received regarding bringing your camera to our parks. I can certainly understand how disappointing it is to experience misinformation, and I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this caused. After partnering with our Security Department, they informed me that while standard cameras are allowed into our parks, professional type of cameras are up to the discretion of Security management. I apologize I do not have an exact answer as to whether it is permitted, as it is determined at the park. I would like to assure you I have formally documented your feedback and forwarded it to the appropriate members of management for their further review. Again, thank you for contacting us.

Best Regards, Brianna Coordinator | Guest Communication Universal Orlando Resort™

So, that’s where that sits.

I have a perfect 5 with all my Uber drivers, but this morning it wouldn't let me book one. It says I needed to finish a transaction from yesterday ($2.00 tip for driver on a $6.00 ride). It didn't go through because Uber said my card was declined. Funny, I had bought breakfast with it 10 minutes before. 45 minutes on the phone with credit card company who confirmed my card is fine, that Uber had blocked the transaction because my home address is wrong. Didn't seem to be wrong for the other 20+ transactions. So, I end up now with a 4.88 rating for their error. So, I took Lyft this morning and it was $5.00 cheaper.

Or maybe not.  My morning driver charged me 61 minutes for a 30-minute drive and then double billed me.  My credit card receipt shows three trips on Lyft and I only took two.  One to the Audubon society and one back.  Instead the bill shows two trips there and one trip back.  I may be changing my mind about these ride sharing companies.  To be fair, they have been great up to today.

All in all, it’s been a great trip and I’ve had a lot of fun and taken a ton of photos, so pretty good, others, meh.  It’s a trip that I’m glad I took.  It involved some major suffering with my feet, legs and back and walking some impressive distances, but it’s nice to prove to myself that I can do it.  Especially when I’m carrying 20-30 pounds of camera gear the whole time, I’m doing it.

Today, I took a detour to an off the beaten path location.  I went to the Audubon Society Raptor Center where the take care of and rehabilitate various birds of prey.  I got some great photos and learned that those big, black birds I always see circling overhead like vultures in a cowboy movie, are in fact Vultures.  There are turkey vultures and black headed vultures.  I haven’t gotten any great pics of any yet as they seem to stay just far enough away.

134 ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT

I looked online and found a mall, with several different outlets, and since it was darn chilly, cloudy and threatening rain, so I figured that walking around in a mall would be ok.  So just for something different to do today, I decided to see if I could get a pair of runners that would fit my feet and feel comfortable.  I called for an Uber and he delivered me to the location I specified.  But to my surprise, it’s a strip mall with several different businesses.

I checked the first store, but they had nothing in a size 13.  They directed me to the next mall which has a New Balance store.  Another, surprise as I started walking.  The next mall was a full 2 miles away.  In between was a whole lot of nothing.  On my left was a highway and on my right was a small river, sort of.  Of course, all the warning signs I have seen about gators and snakes near water had me a little on edge.

I was absolutely by myself in the middle of nowhere.  Right there off to my right was a medium sized alligator lying perfectly still.  He was no more than 30 feet away.  That kind of worried me, but he was perfectly still and looking away.  So being a true photographer, I decided to take his picture.  I started to swing the camera up into position, I noticed three shady looking guys walking towards me.  I have no idea where they came from, but I didn’t like the feel of the situation.

I abandoned thoughts of a photo and started to think about my safety and preservation of my gear.  Between the camera and all the extra lenses and gear in the backpack, I had around $20,000 worth of gear.  I’d be a major score for these guys.  I started to walk as fast as I could, which would be about a normal pace for anyone else.  I was managing to keep my distance in front of them.

Finally, I came across a fast food place, I think Chick-Fil-A and I went in the closest door.  I wasn’t hungry, but I felt safe.  The three guys came in and I headed out the other door and they joined the lunch lineup.  I can’t say if I escaped something nefarious, or if it was a genuine innocent encounter.

All I know is a little farther on, across the highway, I came across the New Balance store and headed there.  There is a specific model of New Balance shoes that fit me properly and are comfortable.  The guy inside was as helpful as anything, but he confirmed that New Balance no longer makes my model of shoe.

The next problem came in when there was no Wi-Fi to access anywhere, so I had no way to call for an Uber.  It resulted in me having to turn on roaming for the first time and use cellular data.  So, I finally got my Uber and got back to the hotel.  Onwards to the next plan.

The other night I arrived at Universal just minutes before closing, so I was able to see the grand finale and fireworks show, but not enough time to get to Hogwarts for the lightshow there.  Tonight, I was going to go early, while it was still light and wait for it to get dark.  At the same time, I could eat dinner at Mel’s Drive-In from American Graffiti, just to say I did so.

I got all my stuff together and was down to catch the shuttle bus for Universal at 3:30 PM.  I got all the way down there and approached the security tables for the usual search of my gear and bag.  I was fully compliant, had the bag in one bin and camera and wallets etc. in another.  All was going fine.

City Walk is a free, open to the public walkway with restaurants, bars and other places, but you must go through security before getting in.  Now since arriving here on January 16, I have been to City Walk about 6 or 7 times and have been in Universal Studios 5 or 6 times.  Each time I carried my D4s with the Tamron 600 lens attached and it wasn’t a problem.

Today though, just as the search was concluded, another security guy stepped up and told me I couldn’t bring the camera in.  When I asked why, he said that “the lens is too big”.  I explained how many times I had been in with it and he said, you shouldn’t have been.  He offered me a solution by telling me if I took the big lens off, put a smaller lens on, I could put the big lens in the backpack and leave it with him.

I politely declined and explained I had very expensive gear in there and I’m not trusting it with anyone.  It has been constantly attached to me since I left home.  So, I grabbed my stuff to go to the bus and back to the hotel.  Once there I wrote a lengthy email to Universal customer service asking for a clarification.  Now, I just wait and see what kind of response I get.

I have about 95% of the shots I want and maybe the weather will be better in the next few days and I can go down there with a smaller lens and get the remaining shots that I want.  Then again, maybe I’ll just call it a day and forget the additional shots.  Time will tell.

133 KINDNESS ASSISTANCE AND SIZE MATTERS

I must laugh at some of the comments I have gotten about the camera.  It’s funny though, when I have the short, stubby 50 mm lens on it, the camera doesn’t draw a second look.  When I have the heavy artillery 600 mm lens on it, it generates conversation all over the place.  Same camera, just a bigger lens.  The one I have heard the most, and surprisingly mostly from women, is “wow, that’s a big one”.  So, I guess size matters.

I started out this Blog entry, to talk about kindness and how I have been treated by people from the first night.  I probably should have mentioned it earlier, but I am now.  Granted, when I got to the airport, I was sick as a dog.  I just didn’t really know it or was trying to pretend like everything was ok.  A couple of doses of Imodium, took care of the one problem, but I still had the remains of a migraine and a very upset tummy.

I must have looked rather pathetic, dragging my carry-on camera bag, my backpack and my heavy leather jacket.  I was too hot to wear it.  Likely running a fever.  I made it up to the Maple Leaf lounge and staff there couldn’t have been more helpful.  Just helping with little things.

I finally made my way down to the boarding gate, I was limping a little more pronounced than usual and I guess staff noticed.  Our boarding was delayed because catering was having a problem with the brand new 787, in stocking the Business Class section.  This resulted in economy loading first.

The lady in charge was concerned and brought me over a stool to sit on, next to her desk.  When it came time to board, she grabbed my camera bag and wheeled it up to one of the flight attendants and turned it over to her.  She led me to my “cubicle” and put the carry-on in the overhead bin.  She made a point of checking on me throughout the flight, very subtly, but it was greatly appreciated.

After arriving in Toronto, the Air Canada crew arranged transportation for me in one of the golf cart things, right to the US Customs gate.  She couldn’t go further.  My Nexus card got me past most of the lineup and going through security was fine.  My neck bullet tripped the sensors and they were fine with it, they didn’t even want to see my letter.

Arriving in Florida, the effects of the Gravol I took before the flight had worn off and the shuttle driver, loaded my bags for me and then unloaded them for me at the hotel.  I tipped him generously, maybe too much, but I really appreciated his efforts.

The hotel staff during the first two weeks of my stay have been extremely helpful.  I have gotten recognized, I guess firstly because of the big camera that is glued to my hip and they fact I have been here so long.  One staff member told me that most of their guests usually only stay a week or less and I have now been here for two, with another to go.

I have acquired more than a couple of followers on Instagram from staff.  Maybe because I am unfailingly polite to everyone and always have a smile and greeting for everyone.  On the rare occasions I have needed assistance with something, they have been right there for me.  Right down to physically printing out my boarding pass for the shuttle to Kennedy Space Center.

I eat at least breakfast, but usually dinner as well, in the hotel dining area and the cook staff and cashiers are always there with a smile and occasionally, I get a little extra on my order.  I think the point of this whole thing, is reading on Facebook, different articles on people behaving badly, a little bit of kindness goes a long way.  It can be as simple as a smile, a hello or a short conversation and people notice.

I have had one or two instances of “poor” treatment, but from other guests never the staff.  But that may be for another article.  It’s one that has kind of stuck with me and bugged me a bit, but I would prefer to keep the whole idea of this article about kindness and good things.  It’s important for people to remember that a kind word and a smile will go a lot farther than rudeness and mean behaviour.

132 IT DIDN'T HAPPEN BEFORE, BUT NOW IT HAS

Two days ago, I had a plan to do Disney Hollywood Studios during the day and then head over to Universal after dinner to catch the fireworks.  Unfortunately, it started raining after dinner and then rained all day yesterday and all night.  So, that sort of kyboshed that plan.  So, Sunday became a forced day of rest.

Today, I woke up and it had stopped raining.  It wasn’t exactly sunny, but it wasn’t raining either.  So, I headed out, this time to do SeaWorld.  Now, I don’t really know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it.  I was thinking a quaint little aquarium of a smaller size, like Vancouver.  Umm, nope.  This place is HUGE.  It has a lake in the center that seems almost as big as Rolley Lake in Maple Ridge.

I walked all the way around that thing and was really getting disappointed with the lack of animals and things to see.  Once I got most of the way around, I started to see some rides, which I have no interest in.  There’s also a huge construction project expanding the park.

My primary goals when coming here were to photograph, penguins, flamingos and pelicans which are all listed on the web page.  I found an interesting lawyer exhibit, oh excuse me, sharks.  They are in an underwater glass tunnel, but hard to photograph because of the lack of light and the sharks moving so quickly.

After that the trek continued.  I finally found what looked like an icy building, but it appeared to be a ride.  When I asked the lady outside, she explained there’s a separate line for those just wanting to see the penguins.  You go down about 4 flights of stairs into a refrigerated room.  The lady warned me it was cold. 32F or 0C.  I told her cold doesn’t bother me, I’m from Canada and she laughed.

Anyway, you get into this room covered by a translucent dome, which allows the same amount of light as Antarctica.  There is real snow and ice and the water is kept barely above freezing.  The penguins which were all born in captivity, seem to love it.  After I wandered around and found a small aquarium for underwater viewing and saw all sorts of tropical fish and seahorses.

When I came out of there, I ended up right in front of the dolphin show.  They did a spectacular job and the animals themselves really seemed to be having a great time.  Each one was also born in captivity at one of the SeaWorld parks.  The do-gooders have gotten to this one as well and the killer whale shows were stopped this month.

After finding my pelicans and flamingos, I headed out and a young father stopped me and commented on my camera and lens.  He asked if he could have a picture and I thought he wanted to take a picture of me with the camera, but what he wanted was a photo of him and his son with the big camera.  Not exactly the setup I would normally use for a portrait, a 600 mm lens and no supplemental lighting.  But I took the shot, gave him my card and told him I’d post it on Instagram and if he messaged me, I would send him a full resolution copy.

After getting back to the hotel and resting for a bit, I decided I was ok, and tonight was the night.  So, I packed up, went down and had dinner and headed off.  I heard the fireworks on Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 PM so I figured I had lots of time to get there, see Hogwarts and be back at the lagoon for fireworks.

Well, apparently, I didn’t research it.  The park closes at 7:00 PM during the week and I arrived at 6:45 PM.  Just in time for fireworks.  So, I skipped Hogwarts and headed right to the lagoon.  Another surprise.  The closing is fountains of water, with a center spray which forms a screen and they project movie clips on it.  It’s a spectacular show, but difficult to photograph.  I shot videos with the iPhone and there were just enough fireworks as well.

Then I made the long trek back.  Took some night shots of various things and joined the masses heading for the busses.  Wow, what a crowd.  I ended up standing in line for the bus and had to wait for the third bus before I got on board and then staggered up to my room.  I will admit it, I’m bagged but feel ok.  Far better than I did my first couple of days here.

131 TWO PARKS IS THE PLAN MAN

So, after my forced day of rest yesterday, caused by a minor muscle tweak in my upper back, I had a plan worked out for today.  The rest did me good and allowed me to start fresh today.  Fresh all around, because last evening I went and found the guest laundry and washed all the clothes I’ve used in the last ten days.  Hey, the clean ones even made it into a drawer finally.  I’ve just been pulling T-shirts and things out of my suitcase when needed.

Anyway, my back feels good today as does the rest of my body.  So, the plan is to use up one more Disney park on my pass, then come back to the hotel for a rest, have dinner and then head over to Universal to catch the lightshow at Hogwarts Castle and then the fireworks display in the bay.

I headed over to Disney Hollywood Studios, which at one time was MGM.  This is the smallest of the Disney parks, but still a lot of walking and a ton of things to do and photograph.  In fact, I ended up with over 1300 photos by the end of the day.  It was cloudy and cooler today.  Still a lot warmer than at home and I continued my wardrobe of a Dri-fit T-shirt and shorts.  You can tell the locals or people from warmer climates as they are all in long pants and fleece or ski jackets.

Upon entry into the park, you are greeted by buildings and scenery reminiscent of the 1930’s or ‘40’s.  Pretty cool, but I’m not particularly good at architectural photography.  I went down and around the corner and found the Rock and Roller Coaster, featuring Aerosmith but didn’t go in.  The 90-minute wait dissuaded that, not too mention my dislike of coasters.

But I kept walking and stumbled right into the middle of a show of force from Captain Fantasm and the Stormtroopers from Star Wars.  I have been alternating between the Nikon and my iPhone, using the iPhone for wide angle shots and video and the big camera for everything else.  The camera, strapped to my chest as it is, continues to draw admiring glances and provoke conversations.  I even got stopped by some of the Disney photographers, who also use Nikons, but not the D4s and Tamron super zoom.  They all wanted to talk about the camera, in between doing tourist shots.

My meandering took me past an Indiana Jones show which was just going in, so I joined it.  There was a 30-minute wait before the show started, but I was sitting in stadium seats and quite comfy.  This whole show was a demonstration of the type of stunts used in making Raiders of The Lost Ark.  It used stunt doubles for Harrison Ford and Karen Allen.

They demonstrated many of the stunts used in the movie, complete with gunfire and explosions.  Political correctness has crept in though, as the “NAZI” soldiers are pictured as non-descript evil dudes.  No swastikas were visible on the airplane either.  All in all, it was a great show and when the explosions go off, I could feel the heat and I was sitting near the top of the stadium.

This may be a smaller park, but in photographers’ terms it’s a target rich environment for “character” photos, even more so than Disneyworld itself.  Everywhere I looked, there were characters from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Chip and Dale, Donald and Daisy Duck, Toy Story and even one from The Incredibles.

So, I had a great time wandering around and even found an empty stand and was able to buy lemonade freezes.  One thing that amazes me here is that you can buy beer and wine from vendors, but I even saw a stand selling hard liquor cocktails.  What I didn’t see, despite all the available alcohol, were drunks.  Absolutely no trouble at all.  Why are the idiots at home not capable of conducting themselves like civilized human beings?  I’m sure there’s other Canadians down here and I’m sure they are drinking, but not one was acting like an idiot after.

So, after leaving there and heading back to the hotel for a rest and dinner, I was ready to carry out the second part of the plan.  I’m no longer in agony by the end of the day and I was certainly feeling refreshed enough to head over to Universal, unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.  I was about to head out after dinner, and it started raining.

I have no interest in getting soaked and I’m certainly not risking the camera gear to the rain.  I know the camera and lens are supposed to be weather sealed, but I’m not risking it.  If it was my last day here, then maybe I would wrap it in plastic and go, but I still have 10 days left to get it done.

130 GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM

One of the major bucket list items was to witness a launch from Kennedy Space Center and as a result I checked and re-checked the schedules so that a launch date would fall somewhat in the middle of my trip.  It was all set for January 29^th, 2019, about a week before I was due to go home.  I was so looking forward to it.  Just so exciting to fulfil a childhood dream.  Unfortunately, there’s nothing so fickle as launch dates.

About a week before the date, I logged on just to confirm the date and get a better idea of the time.  Imagine my dismay, when I could not find the launch anywhere on the schedule.  I could not find a reason for it to be missing either.  I later managed to find out the launch had been moved to February 9, roughly 4 days after I get home.  It’s a major disappointment, but life goes on and I’m not going to give up an opportunity to see the space center for the third time.

So, I booked a shuttle, pardon the pun, for January 24.  The shuttle leaves from the Universal bus loop at 8:00 AM.  Just to be sure, I set my alarm for 6:00 AM so I could get downstairs and have breakfast before leaving.  Like an idiot, I streamed the Canucks game the night before, and wish I hadn’t as it was a shitty game.

I woke up to a wicked headache, and looked outside to find a torrential downpour, thunder and lightning.  I got ready, took some Tylenol and headed downstairs, only to find the cafeteria completely closed.  I was there too early for even them.  Oh well, on to Starbucks.  At least they were open, and I settled for a breakfast of a cinnamon bun and a Grande Americano.  Next it was out to the bus stop to catch the bus down to the Universal loop.  When I boarded, I saw two guys sitting across from me.  One was wearing a Canada baseball hat and a Blue Jays jacket.  We all ended up at the stop for Kennedy space Center.  It turns out they are from Abbotsford.

Finally, the shuttle arrived about 10 minutes late, but we boarded and got underway.  We made several more stops to pick up other space fans and then were off.  Here we are in the middle of this downpour going down the highway, slightly faster than the posted speed limit of 70 mph.  The ride was supposed to be an hour, but we made it in 40 minutes.  There was almost no traffic.

Once there, we headed in and started the tour at the Atlantis Shuttle display.  Inside after watching a couple of movies, about the missions of the Atlantis shuttle, the screen finished with a look at the nose of the Atlantis.  Only, it wasn’t a movie anymore, it was the actual Atlantis Space Shuttle.  So, impressive.  The shuttle is mounted on an angle that looks to be about 45 degrees.  In fact, it is mounted at exactly 43.21 degrees at the demand of one of the astronauts who flew here.  It represents the last 4 seconds of the countdown.

You can still see the scorch and burn marks on the shielding tiles caused by it’s last re-entry into the atmosphere.  The cargo bay doors are open and inside poking out is the Canadarm.  On the other side is a second Canadarm.  This was installed specifically for inspecting the shuttle for damage before re-entry.  All of which came about by the destruction of Columbia, whose leading-edge wing tiles were damaged on launch and nobody knew.  Astronauts until the end of the shuttle program were trained to conduct repairs to avoid another such disaster.

Moving on, we boarded another bus to head out to the Apollo and Saturn 5 display.  You can read all you want about how big the Saturn 5 rocket is (363 feet tall) almost 4 football fields, but you have no concept until you do the 10-minute walk from engine to nose.  This thing is massive.  One engine nozzle alone would easily hold two of me standing on shoulders and I’m 6’3” tall.  It’s 12.3 feet in diameter.  There were numerous other things to see and do.  The most moving were the tributes to Apollo 1 astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee as well as tributes to the two destroyed Shuttles.

Afterwards, we headed home to Orlando.  I was exhausted before getting back and still had another bus to catch back to the hotel.  I was wondering, what Canada Customs people were going to think when I came back from a three-week vacation with nothing to declare.  The trip to NASA fixed that as I ended up buying T-shirts, Sweatshirts, a hat and a jacket, all displaying the NASA logo.  Now I have something to declare.

Tomorrow is a forced rest day.  Somehow, I tweaked my back.  It started on the bus trip home and I think I was sitting in an awkward position.  By the time I got upstairs, I was in agony, to the point of feeling sick.  So much so, I couldn’t finish my dinner.  In the morning, there was still some soreness, but much better.

129 GATORS AND SNAKES AND BIRDS, OH MY!

Way back in 1984 when I was here last, we went to a little out of the way “hole in the wall” place called Gatorland.  It wasn’t very big and featured more than a few alligators.  Other than the ‘gator show they put on, it wasn’t really much to see and photograph.  I think we might have spent 45 minutes there and being generous at that.

Fast forward to 2019.  Since I am doing a major (pardon the pun) walk at the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow, I figured I’d do an easy little walk today and take a few pictures of alligators.  When I arrived in the Uber, I could see that they had a shiny new building.  But I was not prepared for what I saw when I got inside.

The site has expanded from a tiny little show, to a 20-acre site, in the middle of two different swamps.  They are now an alligator rescue and breeding facility.  They also feature a plethora of wild, non-captive birds.  There is a rookery for the birds to nest and hatch their young, but there is nothing preventing them from flying away.

The ponds are kept stocked with fish, for the birds and gators to feed on, plus there are feeding programs that go on.  There is a boardwalk, that meanders through the swamps, with numerous warnings about live snakes.  The gators are pretty much confined.  I ran into two young ladies who warned me of snakes on the path ahead, but I went all the way through, without seeing them.  They must have slithered off.

There are Diamondback rattlesnakes, water moccasins and Cotton Mouths.  As well as the occasional Boa Constrictors.  Those are foreign and an invasive species that they are trying to eliminate from Florida.  The other snakes are native to here.  They believe the Boas are former pets that people have released into the wild and they have thrived and taken over.  I even saw a couple of Florida Panthers in a cage, but they were sleepy.  They look just like our own cougars and are in fact a sub-species of the cougar family.

Again from 1984, everywhere you went in Florida, in every body of water you would see flocks of pink Flamingos.  I have not seen one in the week I have been here, well, at least not until today.  There is a large flock that hangs out in one of the ponds at Gatorland.  I went crazy, making sure I got lots of shots of these colourful and special birds.

Another animal I saw, were a couple of giant tortoises.  They were very active, and I almost think they walk faster than I do.  There were little kids allowed into the pen who were able to pet and feed them.  The kids were instructed to not touch the face area, and to feed them they were given a long stick with the food on the end.  It was cool, watching this one little girl petting and loving this tortoise.  Her Mom told me she loves anything to do with turtles.

The whole compound has been family owned since it opened in the early 70’s and remains so today.  They are recognized as the world’s largest crocodilian refuge.  Yes, they do have salt water and albino crocodiles here as well.  They are quite a bit different and different looking than an alligator.  They say that crocs are generally docile, but that they kill more people than any other crocodilian species.  Mainly because their biggest habitat is the Nile River, and people tend to swim and play in the river, putting them right into the crocs habitat and acting like prey.

Finally, after all that walking, I took a ride on the mini-railroad that goes around the perimeter of the park.  There are several stops throughout the park where you can get off and on.  The day pass is only $2.00 for the railway and it’s only $13 to get into Gatorland.  This is by far the cheapest attraction and entertainment I have been in since arriving.  On to the space center tomorrow.

128 BELIEVE IT OR NOT

I was feeling more than a little on the tired and sore side, so decided to take it easy today.  I’m not sure what I was going to do, but it was going to be less of what I had done in the past few days.  I finished breakfast and then went to the “concierge” and asked for suggestions for less rigorous activities. I was thinking of a possible park setting where I could shoot wildlife.  One of my Uber drivers mentioned such a park, but I couldn’t remember the name.  The hotel staff didn’t know either.

Speaking of which, the fellow I rode with last evening is around my age and was into the space program.  So, we had a lengthy conversation of all things space.  I knew I was going up to Kennedy Space Center on the 29^th to fulfill a bucket list item and witness a launch.  I’m really excited about that.

After getting my coffee I sat outside on the benches just enjoying my coffee and people watching.  I was looking through a map guide and discovered that the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum was close by.  After growing up reading the comics about it and watching the old TV Series, I thought it would be kind of cool to go see.

My Uber trip was only $6.00 so it must be close.  That’s another cool thing about Uber.  The trip is calculated and paid for in advance, so if you get stuck in traffic or hit a detour or something, there is no meter running to make the fare more.

I arrived at the museum and went in and paid my entry fee.  The $23 seemed a lot, but the cool things might make up for it.  The building itself is built quite crooked, which is kind of cool but, unfortunately, that’s about it.  Yes, there are all sorts of quirky things in there, but it’s mostly photos and videos.  Nothing you can’t see on YouTube or Google.  The whole building took roughly 5 minutes to go through.  There’s one crooked room inside, that I lost my balance in and almost killed myself and the guy I fell against.

I wandered down the street into what is a touristy shopping area.  I was there at 11:00 in the morning and I couldn’t see any other people around.  I went to get a pretzel, but they were closed.  A guy running a wave swing ride told me that it didn’t open until noon.

So, I explored further and discovered Madame Tussauds wax museum and thought I would give that a try.  So, in I went, paid another $22 and spent almost an hour wandering around and taking pictures.  There were some very good wax figures that looked very real, others, not so much.  But it was fun.  I was also much less worn out.  Although, I was still tired, still took 1000 photos, and ended up walking 12 miles, so a lot less than I have been doing.

I went back to the pretzel shop at 12:45 and it still wasn’t open, so I headed back to the hotel.  Once in, I thought I’d better confirm the launch time for the 29^th.  I searched everywhere and could not find it.  The mission had been moved to February 9^th, four days after I get home.  Oh well, I am still going up to do the Kennedy Space Center and have booked my “shuttle” for Thursday at 8:00 AM.  It’s $74 Canadian for a round trip, plus another $50 for entry into the center itself.  I confirmed too that it is still operational, despite the US government shutdown.

Even though I won’t get to see a launch, I will get to see the space center again.  It along with Harry Potter will be the highlights of the trip, no doubt about it.  I’ve had a great time so far and it’s hard to believe I left a week ago today.  There’s still two weeks to continue my explorations and photographic assignments

127 THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

My legs and feet were feeling surprisingly good today when I started out.  I flat out forgot to take my prescription this morning, which isn’t a major problem, but I seem to have less pain when I do take it.  It’s not a painkiller, just a drug to remove Uric Acid from my system.  By the time I remembered, it was too late as it needs to be taken with food, and I couldn’t for reasons I’ll outline later.

The decision was to get busy with the Disney passes, so I headed off to Disneyworld, Magic Kingdom today.  My Uber driver was nice, but despite him asking and me answering several times that I was going to The Magic Kingdom, we ended up at Epcot.  Not a major deal, except it meant a long monorail ride to get there.  I didn’t want to use one of my passes on Epcot at this point.

So, now, I am finally here after a monorail ride and a ferry boat ride.  This is the biggest difference between Disney Florida and Disney California.  In California, there are a couple of spots where if you look closely you can see the freeway and the outside world.  In Florida, you are a long walk or shuttle from the parking lot to a choice between a monorail or a river boat ferry ride.  I opted for the boat.  That gets you totally immersed in the magic and cannot see the outside world.  There’s even a no-fly zone over the park.

Finally, I was in after using my pass and giving my fingerprint.  As luck would have it, just as I got in to Main Street there was a character parade going by.  It was very busy inside, I guess because of the Martin Luther King Day holiday today.  Although, later as I was leaving and commented on it, one of the hosts said it was kind of a slow day, about average.

I am not much of a ride kind of guy, but there are two I was really looking forward to going on again.  One was the Pirates of The Caribbean and the other is The Haunted Mansion.  The wait time for the Haunted Mansion was over 2 hours and I’m sorry, I’m not standing in line for that long for anything.  Pirates of the Caribbean was worse at over 2.5 hours.  So, they didn’t get ridden.  I did go on the Riverboat Cruise and I was first in line for that.

A lot of memories came back of places I had seen on previous visits.  There are some exhibits that have been removed, but I can’t for the life of me remember what they were.  There were new additions as well, again, not sure which ones, but I’m betting the Little Mermaid is one.

What really convinced me that is was very busy, other than the hoards of people surrounding and bumping into me, was the 90-minute wait to get into every restaurant.  Even from the ever-present vendors carts there were 20- and 30-minute lines.  I really needed a bottle of water, but again I’m not standing still for that long.  A soft pretzel would have been great too.

Instead I toughed it out with no food or water for the 10 hours that I walked today.  If I haven’t lost weight when I get home, I’ll be pissed.  I’ve only eaten breakfast and dinner each day, except yesterday when I had lunch too.  I have not eaten any junk food either other than a pretzel, butterbeer and a lemonade at Universal.

In any case, I saw pretty much every attraction at Disney and there were a few that were closed for servicing.  There was lots of doubling back and forth as well, to get better views.  So today, I finished up with another 1000 photos, back over the 20-mile mark at 22.3 miles today.  My feet are sore tonight, and other than walking downstairs for dinner in a few minutes, I’m not going anywhere tonight.  Well, at least I don’t plan to at this point, but one never knows.

It may be the “happiest place on earth” for sure, but by the time I’m finished putting on all these miles, limping badly and in pain, I’m not so particularly happy.  But I love the fact that I’m here, I’m doing it and I’m more or less able to do it.  I haven’t resorted to a motorised cart yet.

126 WILDLIFE AND MOONBEAMS

So, I decided to go for a change of pace, sort of.  It’s still one of the feature parks, but it’s Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  I can do with the influence of some exotic birds and animals to take pictures of.  It marked another first for me as it’s my first ever Uber ride.  So, after a bit of a learning curve with the app, I finally figured it out and called for an Uber to take me to the park.  There’s no shuttle from the hotel as they are owned by Universal rather than Disney.

From the time I pressed the button it took less than 5 minutes for a nice young lady from Guatemala to arrive.  The ride was already paid for on my credit card and was $22.  Not bad as it turns out Disney is quite a long way from the hotel.  Once arriving it became readily apparent that this was a good choice as parking is a minimum of $25, so right away it’s cheaper.

She dropped me off right at the entrance and right away, I noticed the security procedures are different at Disney than Universal.  At Disney they physically hand search every bag going through at Universal they have X-ray machines.  Anyway, I got through, and now it was time to purchase admission.

I was shocked to see it was $133 US for a day pass into the park and I assume similar at other Disney Parks as well.  An annual pass for Disney is $1049 in 2018 dollars, but the price went up January 1.  For Universal I had purchased a 7-day 4 park pass before leaving home and when I got here, I ended up upgrading to a yearly pass for an additional $4.  That’s it.

The advantage to this is that I get unlimited entry to Universal for a year, even if I don’t come back here.  Because with the 7 day pass you must use the 4 parks up within the 7 days or forfeit the rest.  It was only $254 US.  I ended up buying a 6-day 4 park pass for Disney.  The kicker here is like Universal, I had to use up the 4 parks within 7 days of activation.  It could be the same park 4 times if you wanted.  With Disney, the kicker to it is the same, use it up within 6 days, but the kicker here is that you must use each pass at a different park each time, you can’t go back to a previous one.  The Disney pass cost me just a few dollars under $500 Canadian.  I don’t care as I’m on holiday.

Anyway, I got my pass and having already been searched, I started chatting with 2 Orlando cops.  They are working an overtime shift here, to augment security at the park.  After that, I headed into the park and started my adventure.  My feet and legs are feeling much better after taking a day off.  I’m really excited about getting to photograph two “bucket list” animals.  First off, Gorillas and the second is Tigers.  Off I went in search of them, my own mini safari if you will.

It was a long walk, with numerous birds and other animals to photograph first.  Pretty sure I got some great stuff.  It was cloudy, cool and very windy.  Not a good combination for being able to photograph the, Super Blood Wold Moon later tonight, but fingers crossed.  One never knows with the weather.

Finally, there they were a batch of gorillas, one of them was a real shit disturber too.  One male was relaxing lying with his back to the glass.  The trouble make was up on the hill and actually shit into his hand, sniffed it and turned around and threw it at the guy relaxing.  He then proceeded to through sticks and hay and dirt at him too.  I was expecting a fight, but the big guy just walked away.  I found another pen with a big “Silverback” gorilla in it.  He doesn’t associate with the younger ones.  With those antics, I think I know why.

Further along, there were the tigers.  Anytime I have seen big cats before, they are not very active, but in this case the cooler weather brought out the best in them.  They were very active, chasing each other around, hiding and pouncing.  The attendant said that they are 4 years old and bother and sister.

Those were the highlights, although I did a ton of walking.  I finished up with 8 hours of walking and “only” 18 miles today.  Took another 1000 photos to edit.  Those totals may go up though as I’m planning to head over to Universal and shoot the lunar eclipse over Hogwart’s Castle or at least over Margaritaville.

When I discovered the eclipse wasn’t happening until 11:45 PM EST I knew that was a no-go, as Universal is closed before then.  It became even more impossible when I got outside and discovered that the moon was straight up overhead and not low on the horizon.  I did get some good shots of it but was forced to use Photoshop to composite the moon into where I wanted it.

125 THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER PART 2

The journey continues as I found King’s Cross station.  I’m not a big ride person, but the Hogwart’s Express takes you to another section of the park.  The town of Hogsmead and Hogwart’s Castle.  So, in I went.  Platform 9 ¾.  There was Hedwig in a cage, and I figured it would just be a stuffed toy in a cage.  I should know better.  Yes, it is an animatronic figure and he hooted and stretched his wings and turned his head.  I couldn’t stay longer as they were loading the train.

So onboard I went.  You get into a compartment with six or seven other people.  As you’re moving there is projected scenery such as Malfoy Mansion.  Then Hagrid was flying along on his motorcycle and so was the enchanted Anglia.  When we came to a stop and disembarked, there it was, the town of Hogsmead and Hogwart’s Castle looking over it.

I wandered around the town and saw Zonko’s Joke Shoppe and Honeyduke’s Sweet Shop.  The Three Broomsticks and all the other spots.  There was even another Olivander’s wand Shop with a line up that was maybe bigger than the one in Diagon Alley.

I went in the gates of Hogwart’s and into the castle.  I struggled up the two long flights of stairs and of course noticed the elevator when I was halfway up.  I really wanted to wander around in the castle itself, but it’s a ride and had warnings about people with back problems.  So, I opted out and headed back downstairs, just because I couldn’t get through the mass of people in front of the elevator.

From there, it was back outside, and I was wandering around and suddenly without warning I was in Jurassic Park.  There is apparently an animatronic T-Rex, but I couldn’t find it.  I went down into the “lab”, again missing the elevator, but I didn’t on the way out.

Jurassic Park morphed into King Kong Skull Island.  There were people riding on white water rapids and coming out wet.  There are strategically placed “People Driers”.  I would never go on that ride, just from the speed and violent movements as well as risking soaking my camera gear.

By this time, I was really getting tired and looking for a way out.  The journey would take many more twists and turns before that happened.  I ended up in Popeye’s village and there is another water ride.  It was much slower moving and I kind of thought about it, until I saw the “boat” go right underneath a waterfall and the people coming out looking like they had been swimming.

I went through numerous other attractions, too numerous to remember.  There was Spiderman, The Hulk, Betty Boop, cartoon characters I’ve never heard of, emerging into Doctor Suess land.  It was at the entrance to there that I saw a lemonade stand, featuring fresh squeezed lemonade, turned into slush.  No sugar added.  So, I had one of those.  You expect lemons to be sour but, oh man was this good.  I sat on a rock and rested my aching feet while I finished it.  Very refreshing.  I liked it better than the butterbeer.

Finally, after over 9 hours of being on my feet and walking.  I spotted a guest services person and asked how I could get out as I was spent.  I wondered how much further I had to walk.  He smiled and pointed down the path and advised me the exit was right ahead, only about 200 yards or so.  I thanked him profusely.

Of course, this was only the beginning of the end.  This only got me out the gate of the Universal Park.  It put me out onto Universal City Walk, which is still a lengthy walk just to get to the exit of that, where I could catch my shuttle bus back to the hotel.  Thankfully, there is quite a lengthy section that is a moving sidewalk, so that cut down on the distance I had to walk.  Finally, I was onboard the shuttle, deposited at the hotel and trudged up to my room.

I tossed all my gear on one bed, collapsed on the other and promptly passed out.  When I woke up again around 6:00 PM, I was starved.  I literally struggled to get off the bed, so that I could go get dinner.  I made it downstairs and after my $26 Cuban Sandwich and salad fiasco from the night before, I was hesitant, but too tired to think of anywhere else.

Instead I ended up with a wonderful roasted lemon chicken, mashed potatoes and fresh veggies for only $10.50.  I was really, undecided though as they also had the same meal with a beautifully roasted beef tenderloin.  But I opted for the chicken and hope the beef is there tomorrow.

After relaxing in the room, at 10:00 PM I decided to try watching the Canucks/Buffalo game, streamed on my iPad.  It hadn’t worked on the first night for the Edmonton game, telling me that Sportsnet was not available in Orlando.  I figured out how to make it think I was at home and got to watch the Canucks win.

124 THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER

The big day is here.  It’s sunny, 21C and not a cloud to be seen, anywhere.  After wearing my feet down to the nubs yesterday, I wasn’t sure about doing one of the attractions today, but I have a three park 5-day pass.  The catch is, that once it’s activated, I have 6 days in which to use it.  I just don’t know if my feet and legs can take that much walking.

When I went to the front counter in the hotel to activate the pass, I got chatting with the fellow there and explained my plight re my feet etc.  I was wondering about renting a cart but wasn’t sure about it.  He suggested to me that I upgrade to a yearly pass and I said that I’m only here for three weeks and it would likely be a long time before I was back.  He explained the upgrade was only $4.00 and gave me unlimited access with no restrictions, so of course I tossed him the cash.  I’m set now, it enables me to do a rest day tomorrow.

With my new pass in hand, I was off to see the wizards, knowing that I could keep this a short visit today and save my feet.  Little did I know.  I went to the gate and in addition to showing my pass, I had to show photo i.d. and then they took a scan of my thumbprint.  I won’t need to show photo i.d. next time.  Then, I was in and off to the races.

I had no idea where I was going, but I didn’t think it would be hard to find a Harry Potter exhibit.  Wrong again.  I was wandering through the streets of old New York, remember that Universal Studios is an active movie set, so all of these are permanent emplacements, so if they are filming something in New York, they close the set unless they need extras walking through the scene.

As I was walking, New York transitioned into San Francisco and then into Amity, Long Island, the fictional town where Jaws took place, and there he was, a giant shark hanging from a gantry.  Across the bay, I saw Springfield, home of The Simpsons.  I didn’t make it all the way over there though.

Because, I stumbled across the Knight Bus and figured I couldn’t be far from Harry Potter.  Right near there was Grimald Place and I saw either Dobby or Kreacher peeking out from behind the curtains.  Couldn’t tell which as I only got a quick glimpse.

I stepped back into the shade in order to take a shot of the Knight Bus and there it was, an alcove leading into Diagon Alley.  I had found it and in it went.  Just after stepping in, my first view down the road was of Gringotts Bank with the giant dragon sitting atop it.  I was wondering if I would get a chance to get a shot of it spewing fire.  It happens at random intervals and is prefaced by a rumbling roar.

Well, imagine my luck. About a minute in, the roaring started, and I got my shots.  There was Weezly’s Wizarding Wheezes, Florian Fetiscues Ice Cream, Olivander’s Wand Shop, the Gringotts cash exchange with an animatronic Goblin.  All the shops that you would expect from Diagon Alley.  Now on to my next goal.

I didn’t go in to a lot of the shops because I really wasn’t interested in shopping, just photographing.  I had thought about getting a wand from Olivander’s.  These wands are sort of functional, in that at various spots you can point the want, utter the spell and make things happen.  I saw this huge line of people, that snaked all around the area.  They were all waiting to get into Olivander’s.  I’m told it was a 2.5-hour line, to purchase a wand for $48 US.  I didn’t want one that badly.

So, instead I bought a Butterbeer from a little stand.  They come in warm, cold and frozen.  I opted for the frozen variety.  They look great and they taste great, however, very sweet.  There’s no alcohol in it and a poor description would be like a milkshake.

After finishing it, I continued wandering around and found myself in a very dark passage, called Knockturn Alley.  There was dark wizards and other creatures and the shop Borgin & Bourques.  I didn’t want to use a flash for fear of ruining the ambience.  I popped outside, just in time to catch the dragon at Gringotts spewing fire again.  I heard someone behind me say that he got the shot that he had been trying for over the course of two days.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him, that I had photographed it twice in less than an hour.  As if that wasn’t enough, I was lucky enough to catch it a third time too.

123 FIRST FULL DAY

Sunny, 18C with a slight breeze, and a few puffy scattered clouds.  Warm enough to be comfortable in shorts and a Dri-fit T-shirt but not so hot that you dehydrate from sweating.  My favourite kind of day.  I got downstairs for breakfast, and I was hesitant to eat in the cafeteria again after my $26 Cuban sandwich and a salad last night.  But I was hungry and went to a different segment.  Breakfast was only $10 and was scrambled eggs (not my fave, but all they make), 5 strips of bacon, 2 sausages, hash browns and a biscuit.  That’s much more reasonable.  Also had my first Starbucks in almost 2 years, just like I remember it.

After breakfast, I was off to find the Universal City Walk.  It’s within walking distance at just over a mile, but I took a wrong turn and ended up walking the entire circumference of the Cabana Bay Complex.  It’s huge.  It paid off though as I got some pretty good photos of, I think a small Egret hunting, capturing and eating a lizard.  This was right on the center median of the roadway.

Then I spotted the signs and followed along to find City Walk.  This is a free section of the whole Universal complex.  Then I started walking and shooting for hours.  There’s a river complex that links up several of the hotels in the area.  There are shuttle boats on the river that are free to take, and you can just do a water tour on them.  I jumped in one and headed off.  It was nice to get off my feet for a bit.

I came back and had to have a soft pretzel.  I went to a little stand called Auntie Annie’s.  Kind of ironic because that’s what we called my Dad’s sister Anne.  The pretzel was excellent and the water cold, the price?  Not so much.  $20 for a pretzel and a 500 ml bottle of water.  But, as I said, the pretzel was good, and I was thirsty.

The camera and 600 mm lens were a real conversation starter.  I had more people stop and chat with me about the camera.  Even the security people at the entrance.  Speaking of which, security is tight.  It’s like going through the airport.  Everything goes through an x-ray machine and the guard’s wand you.  I never knew this was being done here.  Apparently, the security at Disney is even tighter, but they don’t have the x-ray machines.  I’ll let you know when I go.

I know what the cleanliness is like at Disney, well it is the same at Universal.  There are wastebaskets and recycling bins every 50 feet or so and people use them.  On the rare occasion that there is a spill, or someone accidentally drops something, the cleaners are right there picking in up.  It seems to be the same wherever I go.  Orlando is just a clean city.  Unlike the Vancouver Metro area.

While there, I saw the theater from the Blue Man Group and went up to ask some questions about bringing my camera in and using it.  They told me it was no problem bringing it in, but I had to swear not to use it.  I’ve wanted to see one of their concerts ever since seeing them on a talk show and watching clips on YouTube.  I wasn’t ready to buy tickets just yet.

I wandered around checking everything out and chatting with a variety of people from everywhere.  I ended up with a total of 10.3 miles walked for the morning and afternoon.  My feet and back were sore so I went back to the hotel for a couple hours of rest and then things were up in the air as to what I’d do next.  It was then I discovered that there is a free shuttle bus back to my hotel.  I was spent, so I jumped on.

After resting for a bit, I suddenly decided that I would go to the Blue Man Group tonight.  So, I went online and booked a ticket.  I got a seat in row 6, center stage, which is just outside what they call the Poncho Zone.  Everyone in the first 4 rows is wearing a large plastic bag.  The reason became apparent very quickly into the show.  There is lots of splashing of paint and other things from their percussion instruments.  The paint is washable, but I guess they like to protect the audience.  They are very talented musicians.  There are the three main stars and a backing band of 4 more.  It is very funny, great music and lots of audience interaction.  It’s a very good show for a reasonable price of $63.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Then it was time to make the long trek back to the bus stop and jump aboard the shuttle back to the hotel.  I’m knackered and should fall asleep quite quickly.  Unlike last night when I was up until 3:00 AM.  To be fair that is only midnight at home, but I must transition to Eastern time now.

122 OFF WE GO INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER

So, here I go.  I’m feeling a little queasy, but that seems to happen whenever I travel, even when going up to the lake.  So, I’m not terribly concerned.  An hour and fifteen-minute drive and I have parked my truck in Jet Set parking, where I get a discount with BCAA.  The shuttle driver was more than helpful, loading my heavy bags onboard for me.

The previous night I logged on to the Air Canada site to confirm my booking.  Well, at least I tried to.  Between my internet being stupid and Air Canada’s servers being down, what should a been a few minutes exercise, turned into a two-hour marathon.  But it was finally done, and I am confirmed for my trip.

I walked into the airport after finding a cart to carry my suitcase, camera bag and backpack.  In I went to find the Air Canada counter, absolutely jam packed.  There had to be 600 people there and I was 4 hours early for my flight.  Here’s one of the perks of flying Business Class.  I was led past the travelling hoard to a counter where I was the only one checking in.  She weighed my suitcase and carry on camera bag.  The suitcase was 40 pounds and camera case 35.  I’m entitled to two suitcases of 70 pounds each, so I’m well under.

I then went and purchased my American money.  99% of my purchases will be with my VISA card to build up points for my next trip.  But it’s always handy to have some cash with you.  That done, and it hit.  I went racing for the bathroom, and now I know it wasn’t just the usual butterflies.  I don’t know what it was, but I did have a Subway sandwich for lunch.

I finally made my way in, to take advantage of another perk, thanks to all of you.  I had gone out and gotten my Nexus card.  When I got to the security checkpoint, again, I was able to breeze right past the crowd, that was even larger than the Air Canada counter.  Total time when I walked through the door, to the time I was through security, 10 minutes.  Excluding the time spent in the bathroom.

Next perk, I went into the Maple Leaf Lounge to relax before my flight.  There was a buffet with snack type foods.  Another buffet with about 8 different types of wine.  A selection of hard liquor and liqueurs.  A fridge full of various beers.  I was almost sorry I’m a non-drinker.  There were pops, juices, bottled water.  The kicker to all of this, everything is free.  But I still wasn’t feeling great.

The flight was scheduled to be on a Boeing 777, But when we loaded it was onto a brand spanking new Boeing 787.  I don’t think it had ever been used before.  There wasn’t even a scuff mark to be seen.  I went to my seat 5A, and into my pod, which included a large screen TV.  We were given a choice of various drinks and snacks.

One strange thing that happened, is that Business Class usually loads first.  But in this case, maybe because the jet was so new, the catering company was having trouble filling the Business Class pantry, so Business class loaded last in this case.

Once we got past that delay, we had to wait for the plane to be de-iced.  So, we were delayed further.  When we did get on the runway and those Rolls Royce engines kicked in, man did they kick in.  I was literally pushed back into the seat.  I’ve never quite felt anything like that before.  The takeoff run was short as well.

The Pod I was seated in has fully reclining seats.  It was awesome as well, however, I’m 6’3” tall and I would bet that anyone over 6 feet would have the same problem I did.  My feet were jammed into a tiny space and my head was jammed against the back wall.  It literally felt and I hesitate to use the term, in a coffin.  With the way I was feeling by now, probably a good analogy.  In any case, I passed out and a few hours later I was awakened for breakfast.  Served on real plates, with real cutlery.  I had a couple of bites and was up and racing (well as much as I can race) to the bathroom.

Skipping forward, the second leg of the trip from Toronto to Orlando I was on Air Canada Rouge on an Airbus 319.  It felt like 3 of these would fit in the 787.  The engines didn’t have the oomph of those Rolls Royce engines and the takeoff run seemed to take forever.  I had taken a Gravol, so I kept passing out throughout the flight and the one engine sounded “funny”.

The first thing I did after getting checked into my hotel was go up to my room and have a snooze.  I woke up at 4:00 PM and decided to see if I could eat anything and keep it down.  I went down stairs, leving my camera and cell phone behind.  I had my first ever Cuban Sandwich and a salad, it was awesome but for $26 American, I’ll eat elsewhere next time.  But it stayed down.

As I headed back to my room, I ran into Harry Potter in full costume.  He was an adult version and works nearby at the Harry Potter Wizarding World park.  He stays in this hotel in between shows.  It would have been great to get a pic, but maybe another time.

121 FLORIDA BOUND

So here I am, waiting for departure.  No, I’m not at the airport yet, I’m on the red-eye tonight.  Over the last few days I have packed, unpacked and repacked my rolling camera bag more than a half dozen times.  I have added lenses and removed lenses, added flashes and removed them, only to add them back in again.  Yet, I had not touched my suitcase, until 9:00 PM last night.

Last time I travelled, I only had a Nikon D-50 and a couple of lenses to choose from as well as a small Sony point and shoot.  Now I’m taking my D4s, a D7100 as backup.  600 mm lens for birds and wildlife as well as other distant things. A wide angle, a macro lens, a 50 mm and a 135 mm a flash unit a macro flash unit, batteries for all and other nick-knacks.  Oh yes, a GoPro which I still haven’t figured out how to use and my iPhone X.  A laptop for editing and my iPad for entertainment.

I am flying Business Class as a result of my VISA card points, I figured I would treat myself.  Not to mention that with my body as banged up as it is, I really don’t think I could fly economy.  I get a little pod all to myself, one that can totally recline into a bed.  I’ll post something from the aircraft tonight.

So, at 9:00 PM when I went up to bed, I finally got busy and packed my suitcase.  A lot of shorts and T-shirts, some jeans and a pair of long pants, plus the usual other stuff.  Oh yeah, a few more pieces of camera gear that wouldn’t fit in the camera bag.  What can I say, my mission for this trip is photography and may include a bucket list item.  I want to be sure to have every conceivable option for getting the shots I want.

I’m also taking sweatpants, a sweatshirt and the warm jacket I’ll be wearing tonight.  Yes, Florida is generally warm, but when I was last there in 1984, we ran into the coldest winter in Florida history.  Oranges were freezing on the trees and they lost something like 50% of their crops.  We had no warm clothes and it must have been funny to see us wandering around Disneyworld with me wearing 4 T-shirts.  This time, I’m ready for anything.  It’s better to have it and not use it than to get stuck again.

The primary goal when I started out is to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  What can I say, I’m a big fan of the books and movies, and to be able to see Hogwart’s, Diagon Alley and all the other things in person will be awesome.  It’s still relatively new, but this is not the bucket list item to which I referred.

Kennedy Space Center is just over an hour away and has a launch scheduled during my time in Florida.  This is the bucket list item.  From my days as a kid, being so avidly into the space program, that I received a nickname of “Major Tom”, think David Bowie, the ability to witness a launch has been something I always wanted to do.  The only stumbling block will be if the mission gets scrubbed because of weather.  I originally planned to rent a car and drive up, but then discovered there are shuttle buses that go everyday.

I have been to the Kennedy Space Center twice before.  Once when I was a teenager, in the middle of the Apollo program, but I was there in-between launches.  The second was a few years after I got married and we went on our honeymoon to Florida.  Again, no launches as it was between Apollo and the Space Shuttle.  This time it’s a resupply mission by SpaceX to the ISS.  So, fingers crossed.

I’m staying in an awesome, 50’s themed hotel called Cabana Bay Beach Resort and it’s in the middle of the Universal Studios theme park complex.  Harry Potter World is right there as well as Universal Studios and Volcano Bay water park.  All within a short walk of the hotel.  I have a 5 day all parks pass.

I will also head over to Disneyworld/Epcot center which is a short Uber ride away.  That will be a first for me as well since we don’t have Uber.  It will be interesting to see the changes and additions to the park since 1984.

It’s not that I haven’t travelled before, and in fact I used to travel quite a bit, mostly for hockey or baseball tournaments, but the last time I travelled was in 2006 to Hawaii.  Things have changed so much security wise and technology wise that I feel like a rookie again.  I’ve been peppering my travel agent with all sorts of questions.  I have also been bugging Trevor and Caitlin as well.  I’m sure everyone is sick of me.

So, anyway, tonight is the night.  A red-eye to Toronto and then an early morning connecting flight to Orlando.  Really early here but a more civilized 8:00 AM EST flight and arrive in Orlando before lunch.  That will allow me to get oriented as to the lay of the land and get rested up to start my Harry Potter explorations on Thursday.  Tally Ho!