Days One and Two

Well, we are finally on our way. Day One consisted mostly of driving. After seeing a play at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater Friday morning with our friends the Pillsburys, we headed to the Ocala Airport to pick up Greg. He left his truck there as this is where he has to return his one-way rental car. We left there about 4:30 p.m. and headed for Pensacola. We wanted to get a good chunk of the drive out of our way so that we could spend the entire day Saturday at the Naval Aviation Museum. So, we drove about 4 hours to Chipley, FL, where we stayed in a nice Comfort Inn & Suites. We had dinner at Zaxby's in Tallahassee as we didn't want to spend too much time. We'll probably stay at this hotel again next month as our niece Rebekah will be graduating from the Baptist College of Florida which is very nearby. We didn't know this at the time or we would have planned to see her on our way through.

One of my requirements for hotels on this trip was a complimentary breakfast. When you are feeding 4-5 people, every little bit helps. So after breakfast, we headed for Pensacola at about 8:15 am. The Naval Aviation Museum was FABULOUS!

Landon loved it, of course.


This is the actual space capsule from one of the Geminis.


Gerren really enjoyed it, too.


Admission to the museum is free. We saw an IMAX movie called Fighter Pilot. Carys slept through this. They had a really neat play area for the little kids which was a lifesaver where Carys was concerned.

It had this neat plane they could play in...


and tons of tables with bead mazes, magna doodles, etc.


We had lunch in the car. This is another cost-saving attempt by mom. Some things I choose to spend money on (like staying in a hotel instead of camping :-), so I save money where I can. We all have our limits, and those of you who know me well know that camping is where I draw the line! LOL!

The museum had a neat treasure hunt for the kids where they would find certain things and stamp their guides at each station. Chase and Gerren loved this part!


This shot is from the second level. It doesn't do justice to the site of all the planes hanging from the ceiling!


There were TONS of old planes that the kids could actually get in.




This is an actual anchor in front of the museum. It is amazing how HUGE they are!


Tonight we plan to eat at McGuire's Irish Pub which was recommended to me by my e-friend Ginger who lives in Louisiana. We hope to meet up with her tomorrow afternoon on our way through LA.