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The Alpert Five Strikes Back: Road Trip June 2020 (Orlando, FL)

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Trip Reports' started by Richard Alpert, Jun 24, 2020.

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  1. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    My Trip Report

    June 12-22, 2020

    11 days.
    5 Alperts.
    One mission: To have family fun and make some memories outside of the confines of our home!

    Friday, June 12: Luck, WI to Urbana, IL

    We enjoyed lunch at Cracker Barrel in Wisconsin Dells, WI. (Dining room open, with distancing.)

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    After a quick trip into Wal-Mart in Bloomington, IL we continued on a little ways until we checked into Comfort Suites in Urbana, IL.

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    We picked up supper at Steak “N Shake in Champaign, IL. (Drive up window.) We took it back to our room to eat.

    Saturday, June 13: Urbana, IL to Macon, GA

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    We found a bicyclist along the freeway in Illinois:
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    Lunch at Cracker Barrel in Cadiz, KY. (Dining room open, with distancing.) We had a 20 minute wait to get in, but we were comfortable sitting in the rockers out on the porch.

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    We enjoyed supper at IHOP in Calhoun, GA. (Dining room open, with distancing.) The chicken and waffles really hit the spot!

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    We made it through the flurry of activity that is Atlanta and checked into Super 8 in Macon, GA.

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    Sunday, June 14: Macon, GA to Orlando, FL

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    We grabbed lunch at Steak ‘N Shake in Lake City, FL. (Drive up window). We parked in their parking lot so we could sit on the curb to eat, stretch our legs, etc.

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    We checked into Grand Beach Resort in Orlando, FL. It was a great place to stay, with an excellent location. Its pools were open! All of the locations we visited (except for the beach) were within a few miles of the resort.

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    We had Dominos delivered for supper. (It wouldn’t be an Alpert TR without pizza!)

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    Monday, June 15: Beach Day

    Quick runs to Walgreens and Publix to grab items for lunch and fun at the beach! My bride even grabbed a six-dollar issue of People to enjoy at the beach.

    Headed up to Ormond-By-The-Sea to Tom Renick Park. We love this area!

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    Upon arrival we took a seat at a picnic table to enjoy a lunch of sandwiches.
    We had a great couple of hours at the beach.

    We were assembling the minions for one last picture when the waves made their way to where we were, soaking our towels, cooler, and the minions’ sandals. :kill: My bride’s copy of People was a casualty.

    Headed back to the resort to get changed for supper at Cheddars Scratch Kitchen. (Dining room open, with distancing.)

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    After a quick stop at Target we headed back to the resort so the minions could swim.

    Tuesday, June 16: Disney Springs and Outback

    I hiked with Minion #1 about a half-mile to Dollar Tree and back, then I watched Minions #2 and #3 swim.

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    Lunch: Grabbed some Chick-fil-A. (Drive-up window.)

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    We headed over to Disney Springs to do some shopping. Temperatures were taken upon entry and the wearing of masks over the mouth and nose were required. They had many staff members reminding folks to have the mask over the mouth and nose.

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    An employee at the Coke Store spotted the Mountain Dew bottle in my pocket and yelled for security! :eek:

    We had supper at Outback (Dining room open, with distancing.)

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    The manager handed us this as we left: :thumbsup:
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    We made a quick stop at Walgreens, and then went back to the resort so the minions could swim again!

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    Wednesday, June 17: Sea World

    We headed out about 9:20 and got into the parking lot at Sea World by 9:35. It was $25 to park. Cars were parked in every other stall for distancing. We had our temperatures checked upon entry and masks were required over the nose and mouth, unless eating. Pretty cool place!

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    We ate at the main dining hall. We had brisket, ribs, and chicken. I joked with the chef that I was hoping for fish, being that we were at Sea World. He said, “Nice try!”

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    We then went back to the resort for a bit. I went out and picked up Chick-fil-A for some of us. We had Panda Express delivered for the rest of us.

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    Thursday, June 18: Tire Repair and Back to Outback

    I made a solo walk to Dollar Tree and then accompanied Minions #2 and #3 at the pool.

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    From the @FormallyTD Collection:
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    The free blooming onion card led to a return visit to Outback. We were the only customers in the store the whole time we were there. Fast service!

    We dropped off my bride and Minion #3 at an outlet mall.

    The boys and I took our car to a tire shop that we found on the AAA site. One of our tires had been losing about 10-12 pounds a couple of times on the way down. I was running out of quarters to put in the air compressors—and having trouble finding working air compressors at gas stations. Using a few minutes of our vacation to get this fixed was a wise investment for safety and peace of mind! The price to get the tire patched was about what it would cost back home and the service was great! :clap: Shout out to Riker’s Automotive and Tire!

    The boys and I went back to relax at the resort until the shoppers were ready to be picked up.We picked them up and then they dropped us off at the resort again so that they could go to another outlet mall.

    When they returned I grabbed some Chick-fil-A for our supper. We ate and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

    Friday, June 19: Flea Market

    I heard it through the grapevine that Wawa had a fee-free ATM. And I found that to be true! I grabbed some cash for us to use at the flea market. The bride and minions were ready by the time I returned.

    We went to the flea market. There were not many shoppers there.

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    Worst game of musical chairs ever!
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    We didn't do the buffet! :eek:
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    Lunch: Romano’s Macaroni Grill. (Dined-in, with distancing.) We were the only ones there. Great chicken parm!

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    We headed over to look around at Old Town. It was quiet!

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    We made a quick stop at Krispy Kreme and then headed back to the first outlet mall because the minions wanted more Vans (shoes). :faint:

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    After quick stops at Wal-mart and Sam’s Club for more necessities, the minions and I grabbed supper at Subway to bring back to the resort.

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    After supper there was apparently some swimming that took place. I’m taking their word for it as I was sound asleep on the couch! :snore:

    Saturday, June 20: Swimming and Shopping

    I supervised the morning swim for 2/3 of the minions. Then, we found ourselves back to the outlet mall again for a visit to Nike and Skechers. I was beginning to worry that all these shoes wouldn’t fit in the luggage carrier atop the Alpertmobile. :eek:

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    We grabbed another drive-up window lunch from a Steak ‘N Shake, taking it back to the resort to enjoy it in the comfort of the room.

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    More swimming for 2/3 of the minions. Then, back to the outlet mall for more Vans. :faint:

    A return visit to Krispy Kreme (used a coupon!), then Wal-mart. Subway for supper.

    Gratuitous bimbo pic:
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    And it was time to pack for our early morning departure.

    Sunday, June 21: Orlando, FL to Mattoon, IL

    The day had arrived to start the drive home. The minions presented me with a really cool Father’s Day gift. It was a Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood shirt they’d purchased at the Cracker Barrel in Kentucky. We hit the road at 6:00 A.M..

    For lunch we enjoyed some sandwiches that we’d made the night before. (A time saver for our long driving day.)

    We grabbed root beer floats from an Arby’s just north of Atlanta.

    We found a little traffic to deal with in Chattanooga and Nashville. We used the hour we “gained” by crossing back into the Central time zone, racking up the miles until arriving at the Comfort Suites in Mattoon, IL.

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    We grabbed some Steak ‘N Shake (drive up). Conveniently located next to the hotel! Ate supper and then settled in for the final night.

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    Monday, June 22: Mattoon, IL to Luck, WI

    We skipped the rest of our sandwiches to enjoy our last vacation meal at Cracker Barrel in Janesville, WI.

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    We arrived home by mid-afternoon to a happy dog (dropped off by the dogsitter just prior to our arrival) and thrilled-to-see-us cats (well cared-for by our neighbors.)

    Misc. Thoughts:

    It was certainly an interesting time to travel. We could see effects of the two big news stories of the time. We kept our heads and made as many safe choices as we could. Even from a distance we met some great folks and had some wonderful experiences. The minions had a blast and I hope they learned a lot, too.

    The more we travel the more we see that we have a lot in common with the different folks we meet along the way!

    Thank you for taking the time to read my report. I appreciate having the opportunity to share our experiences with you! :wave:

    I wish you all continued safety, good health, and great times! :D

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    Respectfully,

    RICHARD
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2020
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  2. TrewBrew

    TrewBrew I may be right, I may be Crazy.

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    Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of the family trips from growing up.
     
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  3. pressitagain

    pressitagain VIP Whale

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    The things that bring families closer...Great read!!!
     
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  4. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    Seeing a lot of those smaller towns in print (Cadiz, Calhoun, Macon) brought back a lot of memories for me. Glad you all had a fun time
     
    The plans have changed
    Post-Shopping Recovery Period
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  5. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    Great stuff, @Richard Alpert !

    Dear Lord, you and the minions can eat! I thought I could put it away, but...:nworthy: (Also, I miss Steak ‘n’ Shake! :cry:)

    I grew up in the Hoosier state so this trip just brought me back to my childhood. We followed nearly that same route every summer when I was a kid. I always had so much fun with the Rand McNally trying to figure out where we were along the way.

    Glad you and the minions had another great trip. Thanks for bringing us along!
     
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  6. rooster42000

    rooster42000 Goat of all Goats , My Hero

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    Awesome trip report @Richard Alpert , great to see you and your minions having a great vacation, :thumbsup: :clap: :peace:
     
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  7. jpw711

    jpw711 Is that your cat?

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    There's a joke in buried in here somewhere about buying snowshoes in Florida, but I'm not finding it.

    And when you said you love Steak/Shake @Richard Alpert , you weren't kidding.

    Nice pictures, nice to see the great American family road trip is still being observed. I loved them when I was a kid.
     
    No reason to go home yet.
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  8. NCAAHoops

    NCAAHoops VIP Whale

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    Always enjoy reading about @Richard Alpert and family summer trips. Are you sure you and the gang were not down there taking on some of the NBA teams? Lol. Thanks for the write up
     
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  9. amk121

    amk121 VIP Whale

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    Another great trip report @Richard Alpert ! I am glad you all had a nice enjoyable family trip. Thank you for sharing it!
     
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  10. Johnzimbo

    Johnzimbo VIP Whale

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    Wish you would have told me two weeks ago, I could have bought stock in Steak N' Shake and Cracker Barrel with the inside information your crew was going to spending all that stimulus money at those places :)
     
    Annual me and Pete
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  11. GamblingGolfer

    GamblingGolfer VIP Whale

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    Lots of fun! You sure had some long driving days! I am a retired teacher/administrator .... we had a VW Westphalia, then a tent trailer (pop up), so we did lots of similar journeys in the summers. Generally much longer than 5 or 6 days (longest was 43) so can well appreciate the kids in the car for a long time ... and all the little tricks one uses to keep them occupied (my son once played every game of EPL soccer on Gameboy for a season).

    Curious - which 'minion' isn't the swimmer?

    GG
     
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  12. Jejas

    Jejas VIP Whale

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    great report!
    Thanks for sharing Richard!
     
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  13. RedRiverRose

    RedRiverRose VIP Whale

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    Great report and enjoyable as always.
     
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  14. Drewm1972

    Drewm1972 VIP Whale

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    What a great TR @Richard Alpert you are a awesome dad for sure ... I remember days when kids were young and “about” to getting into “shoes” yup starts sketchers - vans - Nike’s - then here comes designers!!! Lol how I miss those days :) so glad you had awesome trip.
     
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  15. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Great report Alpert. What was the final count on new shoes?
     
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  16. buckeyeguy

    buckeyeguy Low-Roller

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    Great report, thanks for sharing your trip
     
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  17. VeddaLasVegas

    VeddaLasVegas High-Roller

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    Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
     
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  18. jamesxnj

    jamesxnj VIP Whale

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    Great Report! Loved it!
     
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  19. FormallyTD

    FormallyTD Big Time

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    You know Richard, you never know what you'll find on a walkabout out there...but you won't find it unless youget up off your pooper and try!

    Speaking of which, back in 2005 I was walkin' across the John A Roebling Bridge from Cincinnati to Covington, KY and found a pair of fecal soiled undies just sittin' there. It was bad enough I went to the Packers-Bengals game the day before and watched Brett Favre throw five picks (the last coming when God's team was driving for the tying score late in regulation)...then that.

    It was bad all around. I won't even get into what happened at a bar the SAT Night prior to the game. Cincinnati's a trippy place.

    Looks like a great trip. I miss road trips where the hotel and fast food signs sit atop 700 foot polls. That's 'Merica for you.

    Thanks for the report and hope you're well.
     
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  20. ffejry

    ffejry #1 Bears Fan

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    Looks like a great trip, Richard.

    Glad you didn't seem so LOST at times!

    Lots of Cracker Barrel.... Haven't had that in years. I should go back.

    And that Wal-Mart in Bloomington, IL... I used to go there every night after a heavy night of drinking to buy frozen pizza! Always burnt!
     
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