Copyright © 1999

Porsche Club of America The Inside Line March, 1999 Barbara Collozzo-Noonan BCN914@PorscheNet.com

Persistence pays. If you drop enough hints and bring up a subject every chance you get, eventually the message will get through. I've been bemoaning the fact that we haven't taken a real winter vacation for a couple of years. (I'm talking about a vacation where you go someplace warm to relax.) All of my vacation days are spent on track events. That kind of 'vacation' usually involves getting up earlier than I normally do to go to work and physically wearing myself out pursuing my 'need for speed'. When it's over I'm the opposite of rested.
 
As a concession to my lamenting we added a couple of real vacation days to our annual trip to Florida for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Even the weather cooperated by being summer like. It did rain on Sunday for the end of the race, so we didn't get to drive go-karts or play miniature golf on Sunday afternoon. Instead we drove on the beach with the waves from the storm rolling in. The next two days it looked like it was going to rain but it was good walking around weather. Lucky for us since we went to Disney World to check out the new Animal Kingdom. I know Disney World is designed for kids but adults can enjoy the Animal Kingdom too. The safari ride through Africa is the highlight of the park. You get to see a variety of animals in what appears to be unfenced, natural settings.
 
The nature walk leading to the gorillas gets you up close with many exotic birds. The trail takes you through an aviary full of birds perched in trees and swimming in a little pond with some equally exotic fish. I was surprised by the variety of unusual species. There were two large birds perched in a tree above us. They were completely colored dark blue, almost black, very elegant looking. But when they rustled their wings or jumped between the branches they showed the underside of their wings, which were blazing shades of scarlet. What an imagination Mother Nature has. We did get to see one gorilla on our second pass by the viewing area. The others were hiding behind the rock formations.   The guides there told us they're very shy.
 
The 'gardens' around the base of the Tree of Life have many other interesting animals on display. You know how flamingos don't look real even in person because of their unnatural pink color? Well the crimson ibis has that unreal effect times ten! They are so intensely red that in strong sunlight the color almost glows. The Tree of Life is truly amazing. Fourteen stories tall, it's completely covered with carvings of animals. You get to see it from all sides as you walk around it and through it on the path that leads to the theater that's underneath it.
 
The most amazing display is in Dino Land. Inside a huge tent is an exhibit of real dinosaur skeletons. One is a sea creature 50 feet long. There's a T-Rex and Stegosaurus too. These are complete skeletons of real bones, not some fabricated mock up.
 
Disney World may be designed for children but adults can appreciate the sense of awe and wonder this magical place inspires.