Marriott Grande Vista, 9-16 February
Sunday, 9 February
Last week was a delightful week the Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando. After almost two-and-a-half months of camping, Sprinty got a break for the week, while Kris and Darrell enjoyed a week with Soleil friends Matt and Lori. We also took advantage of the washer/dryer in the unit to get all caught up on laundry without using a single quarter. Naturally, golf was involved three of the days.
On Monday, we played the Oaks National Golf Course in Kissimmee, FL, a course Kris and Darrell had played before. We had forgotten how frustrating the layout of the course was. The slow play and the bumpy greens only added to the frustration. About the only saving grace was that Darrell had to buy.
On Tuesday, we drove to Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Based on our research, we thought we would complete the tour and the exhibits in about 3 hours. Not so - we were there over 6 hours and still did not take everything in. Even though Kris and Darrell had visited KSC about 5 years ago, it was just as interesting as the first time.
On Wednesday, we played golf at Hunter's Creek Golf Course, which was closer to where we were staying. Also a course Kris and Darrell had played before on previous trips to Orlando. We liked the layout much better, and the greens were nicer. And even though several groups went off in front of us, we played at a reasonable pace for the entire round. Kris played well and had honors on the day. We liked it so much we decided to play it again on Thursday.
On Thursday, Kris got off to a great start, while Darrell struggled early. Both played the back nine well, and Kris took honors for the second day in a row.
On Friday, we took in an airboat ride at Black Hammock Airboat Tours located on Lake Jesup in Oviedo, FL. Captain Tim made sure we saw lots of alligators, including one well over 12' long.
Hammy was the resident alligator on display back on shore. Hammy was born in 1968 near Christmas, FL. He was selected to retire at Black Hammock Airboat Tours. There were also other wildlife on display, many of them rescue birds.
After the 30-minute airboat ride, Captain Tim took us up to the gift shop to hold a four-foot alligator.
There was also a sign in the restaurant defining an "alliclucker"
Back at the Marriott, we had an early dinner so we could wander down to the Copa Loca pool bar for karaoke. Lori, who has a great voice, performed two songs. Some of the karaoke singers were very good, so we enjoyed a couple of hours listening to karaoke by the pool.
Saturday was a rest day. We wandered the grounds, admired the on-site golf academy, and watched golf on TV.
Sunday, 16 February
Matt and Lori headed home pretty early as it was a long drive (almost 500 miles) with less than ideal weather. As Sprinty spent the week in the Marriott parking lot, after almost seven days, the batteries were down to 50% and in need of a charge. With good sun for most of the week, Sprinty was able to run the refrigerator all week just on batteries charged by solar. Our best solar day was 710 watt-hours, while the worst was 410 watt-hours.
Kris, Darrell and Sprinty headed for Lakeland, FL to settle in at Sanlan Golf and RV Resort for a couple of weeks.
Last week was a delightful week the Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando. After almost two-and-a-half months of camping, Sprinty got a break for the week, while Kris and Darrell enjoyed a week with Soleil friends Matt and Lori. We also took advantage of the washer/dryer in the unit to get all caught up on laundry without using a single quarter. Naturally, golf was involved three of the days.
On Monday, we played the Oaks National Golf Course in Kissimmee, FL, a course Kris and Darrell had played before. We had forgotten how frustrating the layout of the course was. The slow play and the bumpy greens only added to the frustration. About the only saving grace was that Darrell had to buy.
On Tuesday, we drove to Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Based on our research, we thought we would complete the tour and the exhibits in about 3 hours. Not so - we were there over 6 hours and still did not take everything in. Even though Kris and Darrell had visited KSC about 5 years ago, it was just as interesting as the first time.
On Wednesday, we played golf at Hunter's Creek Golf Course, which was closer to where we were staying. Also a course Kris and Darrell had played before on previous trips to Orlando. We liked the layout much better, and the greens were nicer. And even though several groups went off in front of us, we played at a reasonable pace for the entire round. Kris played well and had honors on the day. We liked it so much we decided to play it again on Thursday.
On Thursday, Kris got off to a great start, while Darrell struggled early. Both played the back nine well, and Kris took honors for the second day in a row.
On Friday, we took in an airboat ride at Black Hammock Airboat Tours located on Lake Jesup in Oviedo, FL. Captain Tim made sure we saw lots of alligators, including one well over 12' long.
Hammy was the resident alligator on display back on shore. Hammy was born in 1968 near Christmas, FL. He was selected to retire at Black Hammock Airboat Tours. There were also other wildlife on display, many of them rescue birds.
After the 30-minute airboat ride, Captain Tim took us up to the gift shop to hold a four-foot alligator.
There was also a sign in the restaurant defining an "alliclucker"
Back at the Marriott, we had an early dinner so we could wander down to the Copa Loca pool bar for karaoke. Lori, who has a great voice, performed two songs. Some of the karaoke singers were very good, so we enjoyed a couple of hours listening to karaoke by the pool.
Saturday was a rest day. We wandered the grounds, admired the on-site golf academy, and watched golf on TV.
Sunday, 16 February
Matt and Lori headed home pretty early as it was a long drive (almost 500 miles) with less than ideal weather. As Sprinty spent the week in the Marriott parking lot, after almost seven days, the batteries were down to 50% and in need of a charge. With good sun for most of the week, Sprinty was able to run the refrigerator all week just on batteries charged by solar. Our best solar day was 710 watt-hours, while the worst was 410 watt-hours.
Kris, Darrell and Sprinty headed for Lakeland, FL to settle in at Sanlan Golf and RV Resort for a couple of weeks.
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