*Tent on Wheels at DISNEY* Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning...

It’s hard to imagine that it’s here - finally here! - because we've had this trip on the books for nearly a year and a half; but here we are! Heading out for the Most Magical Place on Earth! 

RDB and I had everything packed, safety checked, and ready to go by Saturday afternoon.  Perhaps the hardest part of leaving was taking the critters over to the kennel for their stay.

Once they were settled in, we took off for the first leg of the trip- a ‘short’ drive of ~4 hrs from Houston over to our first KOA of the trip in Denham Springs, LA (just a little East of Baton Rouge).

We rolled in after dark (because we didn’t leave home till late afternoon, thanks rain!) and found our spot for the night.  RDB and I both noticed that this was the most crowded KOA we’ve stayed at yet; they are definitely getting as many campers in as they can. But for us? We didn’t even unhook, we weren’t going to stay long.  

Early Sunday morning we were back on the road, crossing over state lines, stopping at Love’s to get refueled, making our way to Florida.  I had a heads-up from several travelers on our Facebook pages to get the SunPass toll tag when we crossed over into Florida.  I’m pleased to say, the Florida Welcome Centers had hospitality down to a T: we were treated with a fresh, cold cup of Florida orange juice, and a booth where we could purchase and activate the toll tag. There was even a display forDisney's 50th Magical Celebration! 

Sunday was our longer driving day- getting from Baton Rouge over to Perry, FL.  It was about ~7 hrs, so that we only had a short ~3 hours on Monday to get in to Orlando.  RDB is always so awesome at making sure we get where we need to go but today, he encouraged that I give hauling the camper a try - and I did! It's a bit nerve wrecking, but it was the perfect day for it (once we were past the rain that we keep playing leapfrog with this trip).

We made it into our second KOA stop - the Perry Holiday KOA - well before nightfall and took the opportunity to run over to the Wal-Mart and pick up a few forgotten items.  I was really impressed with this KOA - the host asked if we would like an escort to our spot (didn't need it, but heck, first time we were offered, so sure!)  We were in awe at the giant, old trees draped with Spanish moss.  The entire town has a very old-south kind of feel to it. (Kid you not - the picture below was from the Wal-Mart parking lot!)

We settled in for the evening with a bottle of Champagne, a bottle of Florida OJ ;-) and whatever we could find on local TV.  I took the opportunity to do a bit of decorating around the camper (I"ll post more once we get to Disney, and I've decorated the campsite, too.).  An early night in, and then our last leg of the trip: about ~3 hours drive over to Orlando. 

We woke up to that same rainstorm we’ve been playing leap frog with this trip, know that we had plans to meet up with SAM for lunch once we got in to Orlando; S and I have been colleagues for nearly a decade and he works on the Virtual team with me, too.  We were timing it out to met up right after RDB and I got in to the KOA; but I completely forget to change the analog clock in the camper (the only alarm clock I’m using this trip) and so when we crossed over time zones the night before, the alarm was set but was an hour behind.  Opps!  Either way, SAM are cool with being flexible (“You’re on Florida time now!” He replied when I texted him to say we were running late)

We had a premium site (#120) at the Orlando/Kissimmee KOA and I am really impressed with the amount of space that it’s giving us.  There are lots of amenities here, too, from a kids playground to heated pools and a dog park (yes, we’re missing our Diesel at this point!). 

We made our way over to the American Social restaurant that SAM suggested for lunch, and had the place practically to ourselves.  I was tickled pink by the cuteness overload that was my PB&J Old Fashioned.  Dinner was great, and the conversation even better- we hung out for nearly four hours! And we definitely want to try to have dinner with them again before we leave (thank goodness for flexible plans and rest days!)

It’s hard to imagine that this trip is finally here! And with a safe trip across, perfectly placed KOAs to stop  at, and great friends to welcome us to their city and start our vacation- it can only get more magical from here!

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Be sure to check out our other posts from Tent On Wheels at DISNEY!