Headin' South Of The Border, the Rogue's notes.

"Share what you love, with those you love." - VF
The sound of water. Grand Vista; home-base. Plenty of space to relax and reconnect at the end of each day.
Williamsburg subdivision- Orlando, FL. 3/23/2024.

     A surf session requires planning. The right equipment/gear. Training. Location. Weather. Conditions. Gotta be strategic on the what, where, and when. Oh, and money. Definitely gotta be strategic with that! At this point I draw the comparison to our recent Family Vacation. The what. Florida, specifically Orlando. Other worldly. Disney World. Sea World. The where. Spring break/Easter. The when (yeah yeah, not the most strategic- but when ya got a nine year old grandchild, the most available). We got the lowdown on cell apps. YouTubed the best usage of said applications. Equipment to buy. How to gear up. How to approach the World of Disney and the Sea. Ain't like it was when I first went. Hell. Ain't like it was when our kids were smaller. Now taking our adult daughter and her kid. Like planning an expedition. Exactly. An expedition. Now, I'm somewhat of a planner. The Wifey is somewhat of a planner. This Daughter? She don't plan Jack. Harsh. But, true. "I'm just along for the ride," so she said. There were exceptions. There's always exceptions. No worries. We got into it. She made some good suggestions. My initial focus? The drive down. Plotted the course. Determined the stops and corresponding driver changes. Left before 11pm on Friday. Virginia Beach. First driver change. Hamer, SC. South of the Border. 5:30am. My piece of Americana. Always a stop headin' south. Waffle House- Rt. 95, Exit 94, Savannah, GA. Daughter's pick for breakfast. Picked up some fresh Florida citrus- orange and grapefruit juices- at the Florida Welcome Center. Taste of Chi-Town from Orlando's own Portillo's. Right outside the Marriott Grand Vista, our somewhat posh rest home for the next week.

Pedro, South's border guard.

Orlando arrival.

     The first of the World parks. EPCOT. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Not quite Walt's literal vision, but dedicated to human achievement complete with the World Showcase of international culture. That means plenty of food and drink. And beer! Hit it during the Flower and Garden Festival. 

Disney's Springfest. EPCOT, 3/24/2024.

More food. Paired with more drink and the ability to burn it all off with the related attractions and walk time. Tracking steps during this expedition. EPCOT, very spread out. Not the most rides. Definitely the most food. Plenty to do. Tried to get the movers in up front. Top ride- Guardians of the Galaxy. Soarin' and Test Track worth the time. The Seas aquarium and Moana's Journey of Water stoked our granddaughter's imagination. 

 

England's Yorkshire County Fish 'n Chips (and beer) and the Hot Honey Chicken and Waffles (and a beer, of course) at Honey Bee-stro near the entrance of Canada. Good stuff. Left us wanting more. Put in +30K in steps. No problem. Was going to be a physically busy week for sure. 

Yorkshire's Fish & Chips.

Honey Bee-stro's
Hot Honey Chicken 'n Waffles.

     Florida Sunshine Lager. Crooked Can Brewery. Clear straw color in the pour. 2-finger fizzy white head that dissipated quickly. 5%ABV. 11IBUs. Nothing standout about this one. Except... it was a damn refreshing beer. Light grassy aroma. Pilsner malts in the taste, with a clean crisp finish. Got a 4-pack when we loaded up on supplies for the week. Juice of Florida each evening. Perfect finisher at the end of a long walk in the park. Rated a B.

"EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and
imagination of American free enterprise."  -Walt Disney

New Used Stick, the Rogue's notes.

Racked 'n ready.
3/2/2024

      Renewed commitment. Big cash outlays have a way of doin' that. My chiropractor (who surfs) told me about a used longboard for sale at the Viking Tree (a local adventure emporium). The manager - a former surf shop owner (who, by the way, has fixed my boards, and surfs) knocked off $100 to further sweeten the deal. My wife, who said I better put it to good use. How could I not? 9ft, 6in, Hawaiian Style Longboard. New used stick. My man who made the deal, cleaned it up, added the fins, and a leash. Now able to take advantage of our sometimes minimal surf. Especially in the heat of Summer. Stoked reason to look forward as the Atlantic warms, and a new surf season (at least my new season) begins.

"The art of longboarding is timeless. You could easily say that longboard surfing is a state of mind. An idealized state of mindfulness. It's the beginning and the end of wave riding."

- Surfer Today

     Tinley Park. Another fine Chicago suburb... with a brewery. Hailstorm. Crash Test Dummy. Like ridin' a longboard for the first time. Life on the water for a rogue kook. At 9.7%, this Belgian Tripel felt like it could quickly numb the pain of any learning curve. Poured a clear amber-gold with a finger and a half  white head. Aromas of Belgian yeast, grassy spice, and white toast.  Like a good Belgian. Smooth taste. Touch of honey, malt, and residual sugar. Little boozy. Hopped to 24 IBUs. The lightly bitter finish was a nice close. Only one in a mix six. Too bad. Rated an A-/B+.