We got up early to get off the ship, based on the instructions Royal Caribbean provided. We used the self-service option, meaning you carry off your own luggage. Otherwise, you need to put your luggage out in the hallway the night before, and then have to find it in a sea of 2500 sets.
Of course, they started the process before they made an announcement--so Kathy and Amy were outside before we left the room. We finished dragging our luggage into the parking deck and started off. The Florida State Fair didn't open for a while, so we found Parkesdale Farms and their famous Strawberry Shortcake. I was also made King for a Day.
Off to the fair! It's about on the same level as Ohio's fair--animals, food, commercial booths. The only exception is the “Wall of Death”--a daredevil motorcycle demonstration inside a silo. I suspect this is illegal on Ohio.
Butter cow in progress. Ohio’s is better.
See the action on our travelogue at SFPPN.
They also had “Cracker Country”, which may not be the best name for what was otherwise a well laid out historic village. There were a lot of handicrafts being sold, not all of which were period-accurate (beard oil?).
Speaking of food, we are big fans of the Fair variety. There's always bizarre stuff. Spiral chips, breaded pork tender sammich, cheddar nuggets, kettle corn, chocolate covered frozen key lime pie, and...
Almost didn’t get a shot of this one
…frozen cheesecake on a stick, dipped in chocolate, rolled in bacon, and drizzled with caramel. WOW!
We also found “sticks” that grow plumeria, the flower that’s used to make a lei. We thought we would have to drive over to Orlando for this. And speaking of...
On any vacation, there comes a time when emotions flare and nerves are jangled. We still drove halfway across the state to Orlando, based on a recommendation about a sandwich and cookies. We wound up in the middle of nowhere, by which point it was too late to dine there.
We regrouped at a gas station, and began the run back to Atlanta. We stopped in Lake City, got a snack at Culver's, and collapsed at a hotel.