So... Recap. Since there were no storms to chase in the midwest, Brian, Chad, and I decided to go to Tampa, FL, (where it was supposed to be warm), camp out for a couple of days, and check out Busch Gardens. We left Tuesday morning at like, 5am (ugh). We drove it straight through, 13 hours with a minimal number of stops. I so slept like, more than half the way.
Tuesday night, we checked into the camp ground, which was on this little island thingy right outside Tampa. Brian and Chad set up the tent, and I got in the way a lot. We sat around for a little while, but ended up going to bed kind of early.
Wednesday morning, we attemped to cook bacon and eggs over the camp stove, which was funny. it worked, but it took a while. So we finally ate breakfast at 11 something... then we went to Fort Desoto and toured the fort... which actually turned out to be one concrete dungeon looking building with a couple of guns outside, and then lots of little brick piles that marked the corners of where buildings stood (some of the brick piles had pictures of the buildings they represented, but not most of them). Oh yeah, and part of the sewer system was still standing. Then we went hiking, where we were chased by lizards and squirrels, and hermit crabs masquaradeing as spiders. After we ate lunch, we went and slpashed around in the ocean for awhile... which was awesome. Then we decided to go into St. Petersburg and see if we could find a putt-putt place. About the time we found it... the biggest rainstorm eVar hit. So we drove aound for a few minutes, and headed back to check on the tent.
The tent was assuming a life of it's own, and trying to run away. It had pulled up 3 or 4 stakes, and was attempting to esacpe by sea. So Chad and Brian stripped down to their shorts and ran out into the monsoon to capture the tent... which they did quite successfully. Once the tent was weighted down and tied to palm trees, it sort of stopped raining for a little while. So we put all our towels in the dryer... and Chad cooked hotdogs on the camp stove by flashlight (the monsoon killed our lantern). Once the towels and stuff dried, we took hot showers and went to bed... right after it started raining again. It rained all night... and all the next morning... but our tent was (mostly) waterproof, so we didn't get (very) wet.
Thursday morning, we were supposed to go to Busch Gardens, but it was still monsooning. So we opted to go to the Museum of Science and Industry (which was pretty cool)... and we watched an IMAX movie there, on a Dome screen... it was like home :-) so after that, it was still raining, but only a little. So... we upgraded our tickets to Busch Gardens to a year pass (for like $6 extra a person), and braved the theme park in the rain. Which actually turned out to be really cool, as they hadn't closed anything but the skyride, so all the coasters and water rides were open. We rode all the coasters (Montu, Kumba, Python, and Scorpion) except the wooden one (Gwazli, maybe?)... they were really awesome (except the Python, which sucked a lot). And we rode all the water rides, as we were already wet.
About the time we decided to head back to camp, it started pouring again... so we detoured by Family Dollar and Target and bought stuff for the lantern and garbage bags and extra towels. We went back to camp, and I took a hot shower (the temp had dropped to like, 50 degrees, which isn't so much fun when you're wearing a wet bathing suit, wet shorts and a wet tank top)... and cooked dinner, again by flashlight (the stuff for the lantern didn't work). It stopped raining, but was still wet and cold all night.
Friday we spent most of the day at the theme park... we walked through the replica of Tut's tomb, I bought a cool Egypt picture (becasue it was the only really cool Egypt thing I could affoard)... they had some awesome statues of like, Anubis and Isis and Bastet and Ra, except they were like, $50 each, and I already have one of Bastet... I really wanted the Anubis statue, though... *sigh*. So we took the walking safari, and rode the train, and laughed at all the animals. Did you know that hippos have really powerful and fast tails... so powerful and fast, in fact, that they can use them to fling poo in every direction as fast as it come out of their butts? I thought that was fascinating.
We rode the coasters again (the Montu and the Kumba, anyway)... lusted after the new coaster they're building (the first coaster with a 90 degree drop. Yeah)... rode the wooden coaster (which was way awesome)... and looked in all the shops we had missed the day before. We had a really good time.
Then we had to drive back (we = Chad). Straight from the theme park. We got to Memphis at like 5am. And had to kick Chelsea out of our bed so we could sleep. And we slept until 2pm.
Today, we set up the tent and hosed it off... and washed wet clothes. Tomorrow, we have to go home to Starkville and do all the homework I haven't done this week :-/
This is my brain..... in part, at least.
