February–April, 2014 Travels

[sarahnell_sc]

We kicked off 2014 at Fort Wilderness in Disney. Turned back around the following weekend to visit Robert's brother in Gainesville (can't find my pics for this one). I then took Samson and headed out solo to the Boykin Spaniel National Field Trials in Boykin, SC. Then we took a dog free trip for my birthday down to Savannah to see Taj Mahal play the Lucas Theater. We stopped on the way home by the Old Sheldon Church Ruins for lunch and a stroll. And then finished off April with a night out at my family's beach house on Sullivan's Island.

Excited to head to Disney!

Checkin in our bikes at the Marina before catching the boat over to the Magic Kingdom

Awaiting the "All-Aboard!"

The ridiculous tamed Osceola Turkeys 1 month ahead of our turkey season back home...

Two pooped pups after playing at the Disney Kennel all day.

Pulling into our spot at Skidaway

Being out of the rainy season habits for a while, we even looked forward to the monsoon we'd get to fall asleep too without a second thought of our poor Alcove. Luckily REI did not judge and quickly replaced it!

Gnarly tree roots along our bike trail at Skidaway.

Beach side on Sullivan's Island for the night. Sweet, salty breeze. She got an extra waxing before and a really thorough rinse off after.

On the way over to the beach, I had a sharp driveway to back down and totally punctured the bumper. Made it 35 nights but alas, as my husband acknowledged, the Outback has her Badge of Honor.

 

[dhutchin]

You took your teardrop to see the Taj Mahal? Was it jealous of the incredible engineering and construction?

I love Taj. …..and my baby's goin' fishin' too.

 

[1Door]

Awesome!! So glad to see a post from you.
Always love looking at everyone's photos and trips!
Our pups won't get as big as yours!!

 

[pbaker2225]

Great pictures, The dogs look contented and pooped. How is the bike set up working? I had the receiver put on the back of my trailer but haven't tried it yet. Too much other stuff to learn about.
Do you feel better now that the first mishap has happened? I just hope my first one is a minor one. When I first saw the picture I just thought it was a nice abstract reflection picture.
Keep having fun and enjoy.

 

[Pick]

Great pictures. Wish everyone would post more. I will have to learn how myself. I haven't figured out to put one up on my avitar space yet!
MDP
Mike & Denita

 

[mariusz]

great pic, ..lucky dogs

 

[Margaret and Ed]

Just noticed your bikes back there - do you have any problems with them being between the Outback and the CI? Also what kind of rack are you using ? We were told by the rack people that we could use the kind that ties down on the hatch because of the spoiler on our 2013 Outback but it looks like it's working for you.

 

[jfocallag]

I don't have the spoiler issue with my Forester but am wondering about the clearance. Any concerns when you turn? I have a hatch bike rack that I thought I might use when towing.

 

[sarahnell_sc]

Great pictures, The dogs look contented and pooped. How is the bike set up working? I had the receiver put on the back of my trailer but haven't tried it yet. Too much other stuff to learn about.
Do you feel better now that the first mishap has happened? I just hope my first one is a minor one. When I first saw the picture I just thought it was a nice abstract reflection picture.
Keep having fun and enjoy.

Yes, I think I do feel better! I felt even better when Robert never blinked and just said, yep, Badge of Honor. Bike set up is working. We have receiver too but haven't quite found best fit for this mounting option. The only part that stinks with the car mount is if we're taking bikes and dogs (it's rare but happens), the dog kennels have to face inward and we have to pack inside the outback with enough clearance to open they kennels and let them hop out the back door on longer trips for stops. Again, not often it's a both scenario, so it works.

 

[sarahnell_sc]

Just noticed your bikes back there - do you have any problems with them being between the Outback and the CI? Also what kind of rack are you using ? We were told by the rack people that we could use the kind that ties down on the hatch because of the spoiler on our 2013 Outback but it looks like it's working for you.

We don't have problems, but it's also kind of an exact science. I will note our bikes are Electra Townies and they're known for having a longer footprint than other bikes. Like, if you wanted to throw a Townie on even a public bus on those front mounts, you'd have to swing the front handle bars around inward for it to fit. Does that make sense? I want to say Robert's bike has to do this on the Outback, but mine doesn't.

The rack we use was pre-teardrop, there may be better fits. But this is an Allen Sports 102 . Nothing fancy. I place it slightly to the left of center and if I remember correctly, that bottom bar has to be just above the hatch handle versus beneath like they will ask you to do. This is so the bikes and tires are more at an angle upward and it gets your tires out of your turn space and more above the propane tank on the CI. As far as how it mounts at the top between the glass and the spoiler, it never fazed me once. It just clipped right in. When the bikes are off, the hatch opens and closes fine with the bike rack intact. Hope that helps.