Slowly North

Toward New Jersey

Walt Disney World

Buena Vista, Florida

The Walt Disney World Resort covers 40 square miles in Lake Buena Vista, which in 1971 was transformed from swamp and orange groves into the Magic Kingdom Park.

While preparing for this trip Carolyn discovered in her travel file, two Disney World Passports from previous visits to this park. Each was a five day pass of which two days were used in 1988 and two days in 1990. Therefore we each have  a ticket for one additional day at Walt Disney World. We contacted the park and they assured us that our pass was good for an additional day.

    
Passports 1988, 1990                                                        Passports 2023

 
Welcome to Epcot 

Epcot, which opened in 1982, is a celebration of both technology and world cultures. During  our visit in March, the park features an International Flower and Garden Festival.

    
Bromeliad Tower                                                   Welcome to the UK

   Butterfly succulents                                                The Muppets

   
Goofy and friend                                                   Peter Pan and friend (???)

Fortunately, we obtain a “Fast Pass” for Soarin’ Around the World, by which we are able to avoid a long wait. Strapped in, we prepare for an airborne adventure hang gliding above such marvels as the Great Wall of China, a herd of elephants in Africa (smell included), the Igauzu Falls in South America and swopping past sailboats in Australia’s Sydney Harbour .This is by far our favorite and most exhilarating experience at Epcot. 

After walking more than 6 miles (19,000 plus steps) we conclude our very long (12 hour) day at Epcot with dinner at the French pavilion restaurant.

 
Night fall

 

 Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island is part of the Golden Isles along the coast of Georgia which includes St. Simons Island. This is one of Georgia’s major resort areas. Most of Jekyll Island is a Georgia state park with a large popular campground near many beach activities. We spend most of a day walking along nearby Driftwood Beach.

    
Fun to climb

   
Sunny but cool at the beach                                       Among the Live Oaks 

Also on Jekyll Island is the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. This center is an educational, rehabilitation and research center for injured sea turtles. There we learn about the life cycle of the five types of sea turtles from hatching at 1.5 ounces to maturity in about 20 years of the largest turtles, the leatherback, at 800 pounds.

 
Little swimmer

 

Lake Lure

Lake Lure is a North Carolina man-made lake in the heart of Hickory Nut Gorge, surrounded by the Rumbling Bald mountain range. Here we relax for a few days at a relative’s vacation home located high above the lake on the steep side of the gorge.

     
 Enjoying the view                                `           Leaving Lake Lure
 

Chimney Rock State Park

This state park surrounds Chimney Rock, a giant granite monolith that rises sharply 315 feet above the gorge. For views that include that of Lake Lure, we ride the 26 story elevator and then follow the stairs to the top of the rock. Walking down from this level we join a trail to Hickory Nut Falls. At 404 feet, this falls is one of the highest falls east of the Mississippi River. It is also the season for the blooming of several varieties of wildflowers – trillium, blood root, chickweed, and others.

 
Chimney Rock and Lake Lure

   Early trillium                                                           Hickory Nut Falls

After visiting friends in this area we are ready to end this winter’s long tour and return home to New Jersey.

 
With our friends the Jeter’s

 

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