Here is my rental car - a red 2007 Toyota Prius, with Hybrid Synergy Drive. The CVT and the push-button starter take getting used to, but it is a blast to drive, and I've averaged 47 MPG. Driving like a grandmother actually gets fun, when the onboard computer tells me how much fuel I am saving that way.
As the opening time nears at the Animal Kingdom, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto put on a brief show for the waiting guests. Mickey is nearby at the huge Tree of Life, the centerpiece of the park.
I immediately headed for the popular African safari, where I could see this hippo.
Another safari scene, with zebras and impalas.I saw other great animals, from lions to a pooping elephant, but the photos came out blurry, due to the continuous motion of the safari truck (it wasn't allowed to stop at all).
A Lion King-themed show, with Simba.
The Asian section of the park had a walk-through trail, the pedestrian equivalent to the African safari. I could see these bulls toward the far end of the trail, as well as tigers and bats.
I continued on to Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center. In the distance is Launchpad 39B, one of the two launchpads used during the Apollo missions and the space shuttle program. The first shuttle launched from 39B was Challenger in January 1986, which exploded 73 seconds afterwards... The gravel road in front is used to carry the Apollo and space shuttle launch vehicles from the assembly building to the pad.The business portion of my trip is going well, and I just came back from souvenir shopping at Downtown Disney. No photos tonight though, and no more photos until I hit Epcot at the end of my week.
