It had been two years since the family was able to connect with Mia, so we decided to fly across the country to visit with her and meet her boyfriend, Mike, in Orlando, Florida during Northshore School District's Mid-Winter Break, as that was a week that Suzanne could take off from seminary.
It was great to spend quality time as a family, get familiar with Florida, see some of the attractions in the area, and also relax at Mike and Mia's home with some board games, movies, and great food.
Activities
Harry P Leu Gardens
While our hike We spent about 2.5 hours at this sprawling garden setting on Lake Rowena in Orlando. It has a wide array of trees, ferns, flowers, and succulents. Adding to the setting were quaint homes, restful gazebos, terraced patios, and water fountains. We enjoyed views of the lake, and couldn't help but gawk at some of the intricate flowers and oddly patterned tree trunks.
- 1.07 miDistance
- 42:31Moving Time
- 39:28 /miPace
Located on the shore of Lake Sybellia in Maitland, Florida, we visited this facility that houses rescued raptors. We knew it was going to be a special place when we were greeted at the ticket counter by a blind bald eagle that volunteers read to. We saw vultures, falcons, hawks, and owls among many other birds, both large and small. We also saw turtles among the lily pads of the lake.
Kelly Park / Rock Springs
This popular destination for floating in crystal clear waters made for an enjoyable 1.2-mile hike. The trail took us directly to the cave from which the head of the spring emanates. The path is lined with tall trees and ferns.
- 1.20 miDistance
- 34:53Moving Time
- 29:03 /mi
Pace
Space Coast
On Friday, February 17th, we took the hour and a half drive east from Orlando to visit the Kennedy Space Center. We oohed and aahed at all of the exhibits, displays, rockets, artifacts, and history of NASA's primary launch facility. We saw glimpses of the future of space travel on display, as well as a plethora of space-flown items on display, such as the Apollo 14 capsule, the Gemini 9A capsule, and Gene Cernan's spacesuit from the Apollo 17 mission. It is the last spacesuit to touch the Moon, back in 1972. We also saw the massive Saturn V Rocket, and Atlantis Space Shuttle. As if that isn't enough, the entire Apollo 11 control room is also on display, including all of the original equipment in its original configuration from the 1969 mission that landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon.
After spending several hours at the visitor complex, we drove to Cocoa Beach to feel Florida sand and touch the Atlantic Ocean, a first for all of us. Even though we arrived at 6pm, there were still quite a few people at the beach, enjoying a pleasant evening of surfing, swimming, and beachcombing.
The day finished up with an actual SpaceX rocket launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Inmarsat I-6 F2 payload. We waited a couple of hours at a viewing area about 12 miles away from Space Launch Complex 40. We enjoyed seeing a rocket launch live as it lit up the entire night sky, but a low cloud cover meant we could only see the rocket for a few seconds before disappearing.
Blue Springs State Park
After watching a rocket launch late on Friday evening and then driving back to Florida, we got little sleep that night, as we decided to wake up early on Saturday morning, because the weather forecast gave us our best opportunity to see manatees at Blue Springs State Park. We ended up spotting several manatees, all of which had been recently released. Each of them had trackers and buoys on them that made them easier to spot above water. Unfortunately, it was difficult to get a decent picture of them from the viewpoints where we saw them, but it was awesome to see such large, graceful creatures in the clear spring water. As a bonus, we even got to see an alligator in the wild. Fortunately, they were on the other side of the spring, sunning on a log, so we were able to admire it without feeling threatened by its presence.
- 0.98 miDistance
- 30:16Moving Time
- 30:43 /mi
Pace
Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom
We figured that as long as we were in Orlando, we had better do at least one theme park, so we opted to do Disney's Animal Kingdom this time around. Part zoo, part amusement park, we spent nearly 12 hours exploring the park and waiting in lines. We were surprised at how crowded WDW can be even in February! Here is what everyone said their favorite attraction was:
| Person | Favorite |
| Mom | Kilimanjaro Safari |
| Dad | Festival of the Lion King |
| Mike: | Gorilla Falls Trail Aviary |
| Mia | Feathered Friends of Flight |
| Raymond | Feathered Friends of Flight |
Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum
One of the weirder attractions we visited was the eclectic Ripley's museum in Orlando. From intricate matchstick models to large carved horns, a flight suit signed by Buzz Aldrin, and Han Solo's blaster, you really never knew what (or even why!) you were going to see around the next corner of this place.Showcase of Citrus
No visit to Florida would be complete without a visit to a citrus farm! We visited the Showcase, which is one of Central Florida's most popular farm attraction, complete with farm (and not so farm) animals. We enjoyed fresh squeezed citrus slushees from the bar, and Dad even spotted a favorite childhood beverage that he hasn't seen in many years.
Favorites
Here is what each family member said their favorite activity was:
| Person | Favorite |
| Mom | Manatees at Blue Springs |
| Dad | Kennedy Space Center |
| Mike: | Playing Board Games (especially Hot Seat) |
| Mia | Manatees at Blue Springs |
| Raymond | Feathered Friends of Flight |
