It's The End of the World as We Know It-The TCD Gang's Last Fort Trip (BC)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It's the end of the World as we know it.

 

It's the end of the World as we know it.

 

It's the end of the World as we know it,

 

And I don't feel so fine.

 

That's a play on the R.E.M. song from the '80's for those of you too young (or too old) to remember.

 

What's this all about?

 

Today, as in May 28, 2013, is the TCD Twins' 18th birthday.

 

Next Monday (a week from yesterday), they graduate from High School.

 

Twin #2 heads to college first.

 

On June 19th.

 

Yes I said June.

 

19th.

 

I'm not ready for this.

 

But, there's nothing I can do about it.

 

This is what we have spent the last 18 years preparing to do.

 

The girls did great in school, and have been accepted to the colleges they wanted to attend.

 

It wasn't this hard when our oldest daughter headed off.  We still had the twins.  And they were just starting high school then, and we were busy.

 

But now it's their time.

 

They are ready to leave the nest.

 

I'm the one who isn't ready.

 

Our nest will be empty.

 

But before that, we needed a last regular trip to the Fort.

 

I've been trying to make that happen all year.

 

I don't remember ever not camping in the winter and the spring.

 

But that's what happened this year.

 

If you keep track of such things, our last Fort trip was over New Year's Eve.

 

And then nothing.

 

There just wasn't any time.

 

We really didn't have time for this trip either.

 

But, we made it happen.

 

So this was it- the last trip to the Fort before college.  (that's what the BC in the title means).

 

When they announced the Monstrous Summer event for May 24, that sealed the deal.  I made reservations for Memorial Day weekend for three nights beginning May 24.

 

And our last regular trip to the Fort was booked.

 

The twins will be attending college in state, so I think there will be future Fort trips.

 

But they won't be the same.

 

Actually, this one was already different.

 

I drove over by myself, and the twins came over later.  They had a senior breakfast on Friday morning, and didn't expect to be done until noon.  I said no problem.  We could just hit the road when they got home.  But, they wanted to go right to the MK when they got there, and we were all concerned about not getting a good site since it was Memorial Day weekend and all.  So, I packed up and headed East at around 11.

 

That was weird.

 

Driving over all alone.  No teen music to listen to.  No gossip.  No discussing what we will do when we get there.  It was surreal.  And I didn't like it.

 

Just a man and his camper.

 

Boring.

 

I didn't have a copilot to take photos of our arrival.  So, I had the handle the camera and drive at the same time.

 

Here I am at the MK gates.  The camera says it's 12:41.  So, I made it over in an hour and 41 minutes.  Not bad for the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.  It's good to be TCD:

 

 

It wasn't really too busy there at the entrance or on Vista Way:

 

 

Just look at that blue sky!

 

We ended up having great weather over the weekend.

 

Oh, and here's a love bug report for those of you who worry about such things:

 

You see those last two photos?

 

They were taken through my windshield.

 

And I had just driven from the Gulf side of Florida, all the way across the state to Disney World.

 

Bug report:  Zero.

 

Remember how the MK gates weren't busy?

 

Well, I guess I had just missed all the people who drove through right before me and arrived at the Fort just before I did:

 

 

But you know what?

 

Once I pull in to the Fort, I don't care.

 

I'm not on the road.  I'm here.

 

So no worries.

 

Plus I could take a couple photos without driving at the same time:

 

 

I could see over to the check in lanes, and was happy to see that they weren't too backed up:

 

 

The guard shack line wasn't bad.  Everyone passed through quickly, and I then had to pick my lane at the check in.

 

I pulled up behind a guy with a toad (that's a motorhome with a car being towed behind it for those of you who don't know the lingo).  That meant I would be next.  In another lane, I saw a CM checking in a guest in line with an iPad.  I think the guy in the orange vest standing there in the shade was supposed to come and check me in, but apparently he was on a break:

 

 

The orange vest guys' iPad and stuff were sitting there right next to me:

 

 

But I didn't care.

 

I could see that the folks in front of me were getting ready to pull out.  And then did.

 

Sweet!

 

The guy who pulled in right in front of me was still sitting in the lane next to me, and there was another camper between him and the one at the check-in window.  Dummy.  He didn't notice that the guy in my lane had a toad.

 

So I pulled up to the window, and got checked in.

 

I was assigned site 111.

 

On the 100 loop.

 

Did I mention I had to reserve a preferred site?

 

That's all they had left when I made my reservation.

 

I couldn't get a partial.

 

So, I asked for 100.

 

I faxed in a site request, and asked for a site on the outside of the 100 loop near the path to the Settlement.  111 met that description.

 

So, thanks site assigner!

 

Oh, and while my CM was trying to check me in, that dude in the orange vest who was loafing when I pulled up was helping the guests right behind me with his iPad. Then he came in the booth and my CM had to wait while he printed the Key to the World cards for the people behind me.  WTF?  Where were they going to go with me in front of them?  If  I wasn't at my happy place, that orange vest guy might have gotten an earful, but I didn't care.

 

I headed to the 100 loop.

 

And backed in to my site.

 

As soon as I got out of the truck, I noticed my neighbor was going to town on some kind of project involving his hitch.  He was pounding on something with a hammer, and had some power tools he was using too. 

 

Dude.

 

I wanted some peace and quiet.

 

And it looked like the grease monkey next door planned on being busy for a while.  Plus, at that moment, there was not a bit of shade on the site.  And the sun was blazing.

 

So I took a quick walk around the loop.

 

There were three sites open just past the VIP cabins on the outside of the loop.

 

And one of them looked like it had more shade and space than 111.

 

So I kept walking to the comfort station and called the front desk.

 

I asked if I could move to one of those sites.

 

I got put on hold.

 

I braced myself for the no. This trick, which has been touted here on the site, has not worked for me the last two times I tried it.

 

But the CM came back on and said I could have site 123.

 

Sweet.

 

So I moved.

 

Here's the site just after unhitch:

 

 

Yes I am parked off of the pavement.  I needed to make room for TCD Twin #1 to back in when she got here.  If you've ever seen her back up, you'll understand why I gave her as much room as possible.  Since a ranger was just as likely to harass me for having one tire off the pavement, I went ahead and parked with all four off.  I figured I would make some ranger's day.

 

123 is just one site down from the VIP cabins:

 

 

We got an unexpected bonus from that location:  Free WiFi.  One night during our trip, the girls were telling me how much they were enjoying the free wifi at the site.  I told them there wasn't free wifi.  They said there was, and it worked great.  They were picking up the signal from the cabins.

 

Sweet.

 

And that was not the only great amenity that came with site 123.

 

We also got our own personal rock:

 

 

That is a sweet rock, isn't it?

 

And, just beyond the rock is the path that travels through the woods to the Settlement:

 

 

There was a speaker playing the Fort Wilderness sound track right there.  When it was perfectly quiet, I could faintly hear it from the back of our site.

 

But, it was rarely perfectly quiet.

 

There were golf carts, bikers, walkers, and more traveling back and forth all day and night. Hey, here's a cart now:

 

 

I loved this site.

 

We had a little shade.  Not as much as I would have liked during the hot afternoons, but some is better than none:

 

 

I busied myself with the set up.

 

We don't travel light.

 

But, I have always had everything we needed.

 

And more.

 

The girls showed up only about an hour after I started the set up.  They immediately beat it to the MK to see the 3:00 parade. Mike and Sully were going to open it in their Monsters University costumes.  They couldn't very well miss that now, could they?

 

I was done setting up by 5.  Here's how things looked from the front of the site:

 

 

You might be able to see in that photo that our neighbors had arrived.  They had a little tear drop trailer.  And they had a big tent that attached to it.  It was a neat set up.

 

I set out a few Memorial Day decorations to complete things:

 

 

And here's a look at the completed set up out back.  As is standard TCD practice, I did my best to tie a rope around every tree on the site- for the prices they charge, I am going to get my money's worth:

 

 

You see the official TCD hammock there?

 

Imagine lying there on a sunny day.  But you're in the shade.  And there's a breeze.  And no bugs.  And you can hear the Fort Wilderness banjo music faintly playing in the background.

 

That was me.

 

It is good to be TCD.

 

Here's the standard TCD dining fly/field kitchen set up.  Ready for action.  That big tent you see in the next site is what they had attached to their tear drop:

 

 

And here's another shot of our rock:

 

 

When I was in college, I had to take a science class, so I took geology.  That was actually a very interesting class.  I wish I knew more about it, because I'd love to know where this rock came from.  Somebody put it here.  I've never seen a random rock like this in Florida.  What I can't figure out is why this site has a rock.  None of the others along this section of the loop had rocks.

 

Aside from the free wifi and the rock, another great thing about this site was the location.  When I wanted to hit up the drink station at Trail's End, I just walked right out the back of the site:

 

 

And headed down this path:

 

 

There's the VIP cabins:

 

 

And here's a look back toward my site:

 

 

You can see that tear drop and tent in that shot.  My site is to the right in that photo.

 

I love this sign, which is kind of new:

 

 

It doesn't say anything about not using this path as a shortcut:

 

 

And, I popped out right behind the DVC kiosk:

 

 

Which made me think.

 

It's been a long time since I've seen anyone working in that kiosk.

 

There wasn't anyone working there all weekend.

 

I guess maybe they will gear back up after they start to sell the Grand Floridian weeks.

 

You can see in that last photo that there were already a bunch of guests lined up for the Hoop Dee Doo.  Lucky.

 

But, we had better things to do.

 

The girls came back around now, and it was time for our first looping.

 

That's where we're going next.

 

And then it will be dinner time.

 

And then we are going to spend the night in the MK.

 

It was going to be open to 6 am, so we weren't in a rush.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

First!!!

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Second!

Great to see another TCD report! Sorry to hear about all the changes but at least they are all good changes!

WBI

[devores 382]

Second

[devores 382]

Third

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

First page. lol

[BuckeyeFortFan 35]

Definately the end of an era.  Maybe we'll get lucky and the twins will party too much and get thrown out of school!  More $$$ for you and more TCD TR's for us!

[Pirate Jeff 9]

Andrew type faster I'm having FORT withdraw

 

The good news is it's only 19 days until we check in at the fort.

[TurkeyPants...Nicole 92]

It was great to meet you!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

In like flynn

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Count me in. Love the setup. Sil and I are considering a pup and are renting one of Curt's in July to check it out, Come down and visit. July 13-20 GaDawgFan Kelly will be around that week too.

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

Do my eyes deceive me? Did I actually make page 1 on a TCD report??

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Awww man...the start of your trip report made me a little weepy. I'm weird like that. I didn't like it when Wil went to the middle school...college is going to be impossible for me. 

But I would be happy to put on a long curly wig and go to the Fort with you any time you want to. Ya know, just to make you feel better.  :laugh:

[alexwyattmommy 181]

That was the saddest trip over I ever experienced.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

now that blasted song will be stuck in my head for days...... :banghead:  :banghead:  :banghead:  :banghead:

[Specularius 102]

This is making me miss the Fort too much. I hope you continue to visit the Fort in the future!

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

TCD, they will come home and look at the bright side time will go fast and the next thing you know you will really feel old when they talk to you about the "wedding".. :)

[Memphis 105]

Nice job on the site.  I must have drove up and down that path 20 time this weekend. I can't belive I didn't see you set up there.  I did see the teardrop with the tent.

[Memphis 105]

I gues I should have refreashed the page to see the post.

[ajcjmom 8]

I'm in!

 

I am in year 4 of my empty nest.

 

It does get better. I just tell myself that I get more vacation trips a year!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

First!!!

 

Nice.

 

But what took you so long?

 

It looks like it took you two minutes.

 

Slacker.

 

Second!

Great to see another TCD report! Sorry to hear about all the changes but at least they are all good changes!

WBI

 

Good job, Nick!

 

They are all good changes.

 

I have been looking for a word to describe how I feel.

 

I am not really sad, so bittersweet doesn't work.

 

The girls are off to do great things.

 

And we had a great time growing up together at the Fort.

 

It's all good.

 

Different.

 

But good.

 

Second

 

 

Third

 

Make up your mind, LOL!

 

 

First page. lol

 

Wow.  Nice job to you too!

 

Definately the end of an era.  Maybe we'll get lucky and the twins will party too much and get thrown out of school!  More $$$ for you and more TCD TR's for us!

 

Yup, it's the end of a big chapter in our lives.

 

You will be there one day too.

 

I would like to have more $$$ and TR's, but I think I'd rather the twins not get thrown out of school.  Or even party for that matter.

 

Andrew type faster I'm having FORT withdraw

 

The good news is it's only 19 days until we check in at the fort.

 

What?

 

Pirate Jeff?

 

Wow!

 

Good to see a post from you.

 

You're going to get a shout-out in this report. Guess what we had for dinner on Sunday night?  If you guessed Pirate Jeff's Macaroni and Cheese, you win.

 

In like Flynn

 

Nice.

 

Count me in. Love the setup. Sil and I are considering a pup and are renting one of Curt's in July to check it out, Come down and visit. July 13-20 GaDawgFan Kelly will be around that week too.

 

I saw Curt's campers all over the Fort.  There were 2 on 2000 and one on 100.  You will love it!

 

Twin #1 doesn't start college until August, so you never know who you might run in to.

 

Do my eyes deceive me? Did I actually make page 1 on a TCD report??

 

Yes, you did!  Good job!

 

Fiends are coming out of the woodwork for this one!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It was great to meet you!

 

Same here.

 

I will get to that in due time.

 

Awww man...the start of your trip report made me a little weepy. I'm weird like that. I didn't like it when Wil went to the middle school...college is going to be impossible for me. 

But I would be happy to put on a long curly wig and go to the Fort with you any time you want to. Ya know, just to make you feel better.  :laugh:

 

LOL!

 

I'm not weepy.  I am happy.  I know that we did our job.  I just took Twin #2 to Tallahassee last week and she signed up for her classes.  They don't let the parents participate in that.  The other parents there were freaking out, but I was fine.

 

I am also happy when I think back on all the fun we had together.

 

This is just a new chapter in our lives.  I know it will be good.  But really different.

 

That was the saddest trip over I ever experienced.

 

Yeah, me too.

 

If I ever do that again, it will be to set the camper up so the girls can come and meet up.  That will be fun.

 

 

now that blasted song will be stuck in my head for days...... :banghead:  :banghead:  :banghead:  :banghead:

 

Sorry.

 

Me too.

 

That is a weird song too.  I'm not even sure what it means.

 

 

This is making me miss the Fort too much. I hope you continue to visit the Fort in the future!

 

I was thinking of you.  I went looking for that gas tank that I posted a photo of in a previous report.  The area where it was is so overgrown that I couldn't find it.  I'll have to wait until next winter.

 

See?

 

There I go.

 

I'm probably not going to be there next winter.

 

 

TCD, they will come home and look at the bright side time will go fast and the next thing you know you will really feel old when they talk to you about the "wedding".. :)

 

While I look forward to weddings, I hope those are at least a little ways off.  Like after college.

 

Nice job on the site.  I must have drove up and down that path 20 time this weekend. I can't belive I didn't see you set up there.  I did see the teardrop with the tent.

 

Were you camping this weekend?

 

Where were y'all?

 

I guess you couldn't see me because I was behind that big rock.

I'm in!

I am in year 4 of my empty nest.

It does get better. I just tell myself that I get more vacation trips a year!

I know that we will all be fine. It's just hard to wrap my head around it for now. We've had kids in the house for 22 years, and soon we won't.

 

TCD

[Starbuc71 162]

Crap.. I was third and I got logged out.  Good to see a trip report from you Andrew.  Just think, down the road you can do it all over again with grandkids...lol

[campingdawgs 4]

I was hoping for a TR soon! I'm glad you were able to fit in a Fort trip BC. Tricky, since one twin starts in June! (Wow!) We have a little more time, but we are are trying to cram in a few family things we want to do before DD17 goes to college next year. I can't wait to see how the 24 hour MK visit turned out!

[Memphis 105]

We were on 1603. It was a last minute trip for us I got a resi on the 23 for 25-27. We saw you talking to someone with your girls at the entrance of the 1700 loop Saturday. I looked everywhere except 100-200. Never thought you would be on a preferred site. But I do know you have to take what you can get unless you book way out. Still we did loop 100 and 200 at least once. Now that the cut through from 100 to marina area is blocked we just don't go around the 100 loop much.