THE TRAVIS'S UPS AND DOWNS FORT ADVENTURE 10/18

[BigTom 76]

I have been in the 1500 and the 2000 loops several times. There is the same problems on both with the kids running around and the noise. It just seems worse on the 2000 loop because it has more sites. Last time we were in 1500 there was about 3 sites with at least 35 kids and 20 adults on them in a group. Also added in was the group of 50 in the 1600 loop, CS didn't have a chance.

[Travisma 1,317]

Just to clarify, this is going to be a non park report.  We don’t do the parks, we have too much of a good time at the Fort and visiting the other properties. No reports of long lines, overpriced food, or missing out on a meet and greet.  Just old fashioned Fort fun.
 
Saturday!
 
A great day to be at the Fort!
 
No rain in 24 hours, the sun is up, the birds are chirping, the kids are screaming.
 
What?  It’s @#&*%##  7a.m. and every kid on this ½ of the loop has congregated to the comfort station like moths to a flame.  Screaming, doors slamming, skateboards jumping, a glorious October morning.
 
So we fight our way over to the comfort station, stepping over dropped bikes, scooters, skateboards left in the walk ways and in front of the doors.
 
While making breakfast we let my 8 year old granddaughter ride around the loop on her own.  She comes back saying how packs of kids forced her off the road a couple of times and she ended up in the grass or on pads.  We saw many near misses in front of our site between kids going different directions and by golf carts flying thru. It was a combo of Chicken and Death Race 2000.
 
After breakfast my granddaughter and I went to the pond by the bike barn to fish.  My wife stayed behind since one of my daughters and my other granddaughter were coming over to hang out then spend the night with us (yes they were registered).
 
Here’s the first catch of the day… really the only catch this session.
 
]
 
When we got back our guests had arrived.  I took that granddaughter around the loop two times on her bike.  There’s something about the Fort that makes the kids love to ride bikes.
 
While I was walking along side of her, I saw some people walking in between the 2000 and the 2100 loop and also behind the 2000 loop. After I got her back to the site, I took my bike and explored. I saw there was a canal between 2000/2100, so I cut into the 2100 and rode around.  I took the comfort station walkway over to 1100 and on the backside of it I saw an open grassy area that I followed.  I pedaled behind the 1000 loop and then started seeing the backside of 2000 to my left.  I was looking for a shortcut from 2000 to the meadow, but so far the canal and brush blocked everything.
 
Suddenly this appeared!

 

 
A magic bridge between the 900 loop and the group camping area!  Could this be our path to salvation?  Since I didn’t have my map with me, I followed the 900 loop around to see where it came out.  Halleluiah!  It was directly across from the Meadow!
 
I rode back thru the loop, took the magic bridge, skirted to the left behind the tents and comfort station and a lo and behold came out onto 2000 right across from our site.
 
I felt like Hannibal finding a path across the Alps!  Now getting to the Meadow wouldn’t require a long walk or a longer bus ride.
 
So we packed a lunch and drinks and headed out to the pool.
 
This is Olivia granddaughter #2
 

 

 
It seems like the other ½ of FL that wasn’t camping at 2000 were enjoying the pool.  The pool itself wasn’t too crowded, but there wasn’t a place to sit.  While the group went swimming, I stayed back and scanned for signs of anyone leaving.
 
Success!  Scored a table (only 2 chairs) in front of the restrooms but it still allowed us to relax.  That made the swimming a little more enjoyable.
 
We headed back to the site to hang out and relax for a while.  The noise factor had dropped slightly along with the amount of kids.
 
Ours took a quick nap then we had a snack and it was time to go fishing again.
 
But first a stop at the Meadow where grandpa had to spoil the grand kids.
 

 

 

 

Aftermath
 

 

 

 

 

On to fishing!
 
Olivia's mom caught a sock

 

 

 
Grandpa and Olivia caught a fish

 

 
Xxx
 

 

 

 

Kadence had fun in leaves in real grass

 

 

 

 
Grandma and Olivia shared a quiet moment
 

 
More leaf fun.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 They also did some rock surfing ala Teen Beach Movie

 

 
Back to the site.  That shortcut sure made it a lot easier to get around.  It made the 2000 loop more enjoyable and probably made it as close to the meadow as the 1800 loop.
 
Couple of relatives stopped by.  They were waiting for their off -site hotel room to get ready, so we relaxed and had dinner and the guys had a couple of beers.
 
We cleaned up, and then it was time to go to the campfire!
 
Another quick walk, this time with assorted light ups on the kids.

 

 

 

 

 

Those bracelets flash like crazy and it's easy to track the kids.

 

Had a visit from Dale

 

 

 

 

 
Made some S ’Mores, then decided to walk down to the Settlement to take a wagon ride.
 
The wagon ride was full a 1/2 hour before the scheduled leave time.  The Settlement area was like Times Square on New Year’s Eve.  It was wall to wall people.  Don't think I've ever seen it this crowded.
 
Let the grandkids play for a while.  The playground must’ve had about 30 kids running around.
 
We spent some time watching all of the costumed people heading over to the Not So Scary debacle, and listened to a lot of younger kids crying because they were scared out of their wits from all of the costumed people and it being past their bedtime.
 
The relatives decided they needed to get to their hotel, so we walked thru the 100 loop to see the decorations on the way to the bus stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at the site we set up the projector and the kids watched a Scooby Do Halloween movie.
 

Bed time.
 
The noise level was louder than the previous night.  Kids still hanging out at the comfort station.  Finally got to sleep, but not before hearing every other bus that stopped lowering their steps and listening to that annoying beeping sound.
 
I wonder if Fort management ever listened to how far sounds can travel at the Fort?

 

Look forward to the Sunday installment coming soon, and the Troll inspired picture oddities!

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

OH MY GOODNESS!  The pic's of the babies in the leaf's are AWESOME!  Those are a couple of cuties you got there and they are obviously having an awesome time! You have tarp skills.  In all of my years camping, I never acquired those.. my oldest son calls it the "blue blanket of death".. :rofl3: He might have witnessed a certain mother fighting with one a few times over the years.. maybe..

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Excellent job!

 

Thank you for sharing this trip report.  It's great to see how many different ways there are to enjoy the Fort.

 

Good for you for taking your granddaughters fishing.  My late father-in-law used to take my girls fishing when they were little.  It is one of the things that they remember most about him.

 

I am surprised that you didn't know about the bridge to the 900 loop. You are right- that bridge makes the sites on the back of the 2000 loop closer to the Meadow Trading Post than any of the full hook up sites.

 

I am looking forward to the Troll inspired picture oddities.  Those have to be interesting.

 

TCD

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Great TR

Great pix

Thanks for taking the time to share.

[Travisma 1,317]

Excellent job!

 

Thank you for sharing this trip report.  It's great to see how many different ways there are to enjoy the Fort.

 

Good for you for taking your granddaughters fishing.  My late father-in-law used to take my girls fishing when they were little.  It is one of the things that they remember most about him.

 

I am surprised that you didn't know about the bridge to the 900 loop. You are right- that bridge makes the sites on the back of the 2000 loop closer to the Meadow Trading Post than any of the full hook up sites.

 

I am looking forward to the Troll inspired picture oddities.  Those have to be interesting.

 

TCD

On and off I try to get them to do non "girlie"  ( I know not PC) things.  Had the oldest one help me work on the brakes on my truck (kept her away from the dangerous stuff). She now knows the larger pads go on the front wheels!  

 

Her school just had a fishing derby the week before we went to the fort.  She caught the best non fish and got a ribbon and a lure.  They have both been kayaking with me, not nearly enough as far as I'm concerned.  But I don't get out as often as I would like.

 

I get them to help with yard work sometimes.  They play ball and frisbee too.

 

My wife is always working with them on school type work also.

 

We have never stayed in 2000 or 900 so I was surprised to see the bridge.  I did notice the map shows it, but I never paid attention.  I knew that 2100 and 1100 shared the comfort station and have used that as a shortcut going from the cabins to the meadow.

 

We always find things to do at the Fort or other resorts. We like AKL for the kids activities.  The kids are just thrilled to ride bikes, go to the playgrounds, and just be kids w/o having a lot of electronics around.

[Travisma 1,317]

OH MY GOODNESS!  The pic's of the babies in the leaf's are AWESOME!  Those are a couple of cuties you got there and they are obviously having an awesome time! You have tarp skills.  In all of my years camping, I never acquired those.. my oldest son calls it the "blue blanket of death".. :rofl3: He might have witnessed a certain mother fighting with one a few times over the years.. maybe..

 

Thanks.  They are lots of fun.  They are alike and different in personalities!  You will see that in some future pics.  I have different ones of the activities I've already posted (more Dale, leaves, swimming, etc) but I didn't want to bore people. I didn't want to be that person that lures you to their home and then starts showing 3 hours worth of vacation photos (that really happened to us).

 

This was our first camping test of my new tart setup.  We had tried it in the back yard a couple of times.  The first time a sudden storm came up and knocked it down before I finished tying it off. The storm was so bad it had delayed the Bucs football game.

 

I made 4 poles that support the middle, then guy line them off.  I have 3 foot long re-bar pegs they slide over, or pvc sand spikes they slip in depending on the type of soil.  After the 4 poles are up and secured I use bungees and tent pegs on the sides so they are like wings.  It worked great this time, but we didn't have any rain.  The tarp is long enough so we could site underneath it in the front if it did rain.  Of course I still have 3 other tarps and assorted bungees, straps and ropes in case we have to batten down during a big storm.

 

We always have a great time there.

[jjbescher 17]

That's interesting and a good possibility. Man that must wreck havoc on working parents with more than 1 child and if they are on different tracks!

 

They try to keep siblings on the same track.  It gets more difficult when the kids get to High School age because none of them are year round.  They have what they call Modified, which starts a little earlier and has a little bit longer breaks.  They try to coincide with some of the tracks, but still not great.

[Travisma 1,317]

They try to keep siblings on the same track.  It gets more difficult when the kids get to High School age because none of them are year round.  They have what they call Modified, which starts a little earlier and has a little bit longer breaks.  They try to coincide with some of the tracks, but still not great.

I like the concept of the on and off school year, but it still gives me the chills thinking of juggling schedules.  We had 4 kids, 3 of them were in HS at the same time for a while.

 

But I'm glad some districts are being progressive and trying different approaches to learning.

[Travisma 1,317]

Sunday, another sunny beautiful day in FL.
 
We got to experience extra hours of daylight due to the brats being at the comfort station at 7 again.
 
Gee, when I was that age, the last place I would want to hang out at was a bathroom.  I guess times change.
 
Breakfast and fun time around the site.
 
Just chilling

 

 
 Sand art
 
 
Singing and dancing on “The stage”.
 

 

 
One was using the stick and pinecone for a microphone and the other was using one of my sand spikes.
 
As we were getting ready to leave I noticed Pirate Mickey was deflating!  WTF?  Well our loop had a power failure.  This was around 10:30 or so.
 
Packed a lunch and headed out thru the shortcut to catch the Settlement bus.
 
Most of the group campers had left.  There was still a straggler or two.  Majority of them did a good job policing the area, very little trash lying around.
 
Boat time to the MK and the bus depot.  We are on an adventure to AKL!

 

This one is kind of Trollish...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were going to meet up with relatives over there and let the kids have some fun.
 
We met up and headed down to Mara for face painting since we got there too late for the cookie decorating.
 
 
 

 

 

The women there do a fantastic job and are really good with the kids, our granddaughters were the only two there.
 
 

RANT!
 

It’s amazing that people don’t utilize their resorts amenities more. 
 
AKL has a lot for the kids to do, just about every hour they have a planned activity. They also have a community room where they can watch movies, play video games and do free and paid arts and crafts, all at their own pace.  It keeps them busy, and gives us old folks a chance to just sit and relax.  The room even has a large balcony overlooking the animals.   
 
Every night they have a campfire/marshmallow roast by one of the pools. Marshmallows, sticks, and wipes for sticky fingers are all provided for free 
 
People ignore all of this, then complain that they pay so much for a room.

 

END RANT

 

As their facepainting was finishing up, a CM approached us and asked if our granddaughters could be Honorary Ambassadors for the day.  A CM from S. Africa would talk to them about his homeland and culture, they would get their picture taken with him, and he would take them into the café and introduce them as ambassadors.
 
 
This was the picture AKL gave us, and we took plenty more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had some lunch and relaxed while the kids played on the patio and in the game room..
 
My in-laws had to head back to Tampa, so my daughter and granddaughter caught a ride with them back to the Fort, since she had to head home also.
 
We headed up to the community room and let my granddaughter color and make a craft. 

 

View from the balcony

 

 

 

I didn't know giraffes laid down 

 

While we were there, my daughter texted me and said the power was still out, and the comfort stations were locked.  This was around 4:30.
 
She finished her craft and we headed out to catch a bus.  As we were walking up the MK bus was pulling out.  Checked the schedule and the next one arriving was to HS so we grabbed that one.
 
Got to HS, looked for our connection to the Fort and started over to it… one of the furthest ones at the depot.  I guess they really don’t like Forters!  We lucked out, the bus arrived just as we got to the stand.  Neither bus was that crowded, and we didn’t have to wait long for either one.
 
The longest wait for the bus was the Purple internal one.  I think two yellows came before ours arrived.
 
Got back to the loop around 6, noticed that the power was finally back on, and that a large # of sites were either empty or had new residents.  The large contingent that had the sites up and down in the 2050’s were gone!  We figured we would have a quiet night.
 
Had dinner, then set up the projector and watched Hotel Transylvania.
 
Well the quiet night was drowning out the sound of the movie.  There were still kids all over the place.  Guess they were with the other group in the 2020’s.
 
These kids hung out at the comfort station screaming, slamming doors, jumping over the tables in the laundry room until almost 11.  I had enough around 10:15 and called the Outpost.  I had to Google the number since someone had removed the house phone at the comfort station.  The woman said she would send out Security.  I don’t know if they ever came by.  I didn’t see any lights approaching the station, and I didn’t hear any adult voices.
 
Finally around 11 it quieted down enough so I could hear the sounds of the kneeling busses and the guys across the street from us.
 
4 or 5 adult men, drinking, playing cards and arguing football and baseball stats AS LOUD AS THEY COULD until 2.  We did not have a very restful night.
 
But, we were at the Fort!
 
 
 
 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I can't help but notice that your granddaughters are always barefoot.  It's funny, because my girls love to be barefoot too, but I was always a mean dad and never let them walk around barefoot at the Fort. It's from my Boy Scout days- that's a big no-no at Scout camp.  Also, if they have shoes on, they can take them off before coming in the camper and leave all that sand from the pad outside. 

 

Good for you for enjoying all the activities at AKL.  They are open to all resort guests, so why not?  We've did the medallion rubbing and cookie decorating back in the day.  Also, the storytelling by the campfire.  Have you tried the night vision goggles they have for the animal viewing?

 

Congratulations to the girls for being Honorary Ambassadors!

 

TCD

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Sorry you had to deal with so many rude people.

The look of joy on your granddaughters faces almost makes you forget about those rude guests though I bet.

[Travisma 1,317]

Sorry you had to deal with so many rude people.

The look of joy on your granddaughters faces almost makes you forget about those rude guests though I bet.

It does, but this visit was so different then our last two.  Those were fairly quiet (one noisy girl our last day).  They are troopers.  Both are into computers, Barbies, tv, etc, so just having them away from all that and them having a good time makes up for all of the jack%#$ people.  And the noise at night didn't disturb them one bit.  They both passed out as soon as they hit the beds.

[Travisma 1,317]

I can't help but notice that your granddaughters are always barefoot.  It's funny, because my girls love to be barefoot too, but I was always a mean dad and never let them walk around barefoot at the Fort. It's from my Boy Scout days- that's a big no-no at Scout camp.  Also, if they have shoes on, they can take them off before coming in the camper and leave all that sand from the pad outside. 

 

Good for you for enjoying all the activities at AKL.  They are open to all resort guests, so why not?  We've did the medallion rubbing and cookie decorating back in the day.  Also, the storytelling by the campfire.  Have you tried the night vision goggles they have for the animal viewing?

 

Congratulations to the girls for being Honorary Ambassadors!

 

TCD

Yes they like bare feet.  My shoes fly off as soon as I get home but I do wear crocs going outside.  Believe it or not they did have shoes on sometime during the weekend, usually away from the site.  But getting them to wear shoes is like herding cats.  At least we keep clothes on them! :jumpforjoy

[Travisma 1,317]

I added some pictures to my previous posts.

[disney4dan 68]

Great report. I was just looking at some photos from 2006 that I took, when my kids were about that age. Great time to be camping.

[Travisma 1,317]

Great report. I was just looking at some photos from 2006 that I took, when my kids were about that age. Great time to be camping.

Thanks. Our oldest grand daughter has been talking about real camping for about a year. We found a great tent on Craigslist and decided we would give tenting a try again. So far so good.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Enjoying the report!  

 

I take my girls fishing at the Fort as well.  It's always a good time.  I love the little fish in the cup.  LOL>  

 

Your grandkids are beautiful.  Bet you are proud Grampa.  

 

That noisy loop sounds horrible.  We've only had one experience before with a big group that felt they "owned" the loop.  Giving us dirty looks when they had to get out of the street for us to go by in our cart while they played games.  My wife doesn't care for people who feel entitled, so we did a lot of looping that weekend.  Round and round.  LOL.  

[Travisma 1,317]

Enjoying the report!  

 

I take my girls fishing at the Fort as well.  It's always a good time.  I love the little fish in the cup.  LOL>  

 

Your grandkids are beautiful.  Bet you are proud Grampa.  

 

That noisy loop sounds horrible.  We've only had one experience before with a big group that felt they "owned" the loop.  Giving us dirty looks when they had to get out of the street for us to go by in our cart while they played games.  My wife doesn't care for people who feel entitled, so we did a lot of looping that weekend.  Round and round.  LOL.  

Thank you. 

 

Yes I am proud.  They are good kids and fun to have around, but they make you feel your age.  It's a lot different chasing a 4 year old around at 59 then it was at 29.

 

That was a good solution you came up with.  We got the evil eye just walking around the loop. 

 

We raised 4 kids and now have the 2 grandkids, so we know that kids will be kids and want to have fun, but we always kept a tight leash (and eye) on them and made sure they didn't bother other people no matter where we were.  But these kids and their parents had absolutely no consideration for anyone else in the loop.  How can you let your kid run wild at 11:00 pm and not even worry where they are.

 

And Disney won't say anything or do anything to "upset" the jerks because they may not have a Magical Day (and cost Disney $$$).

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

We are a house divided on the barefoot thing, but I'm with your girls, bare is better :)  I thinking living in Hawaii for 10 years ruined me on that one.. my youngest boy however has a "thing" about this feet, he must have shoes and socks on at all times.. I have often wondered if he is my child..lol

 

I had no idea that AKL had so many fun things to do, I will definatley put that on my list to check out I don't think we will be doing parks in July, the idea of that kind of crowd mingled with the heat makes me get hives. 

[Travisma 1,317]

We are a house divided on the barefoot thing, but I'm with your girls, bare is better :)  I thinking living in Hawaii for 10 years ruined me on that one.. my youngest boy however has a "thing" about this feet, he must have shoes and socks on at all times.. I have often wondered if he is my child..lol

 

I had no idea that AKL had so many fun things to do, I will definatley put that on my list to check out I don't think we will be doing parks in July, the idea of that kind of crowd mingled with the heat makes me get hives. 

Crocs have been my salvation!  

 

I hate shoes, long pants and long sleeves. 

 

Guess it's because we've been in FL since 78.  Being bundled up, working in sleet on top of a telephone pole was the deciding factor for leaving NY and heading south.  That might be anaother reason why less is better.

 

Both of them love shoes, any style, any kind, but they are for "going out" and not for hanging around grandma and grandpa's house. 

 

The first time we went camping we let Kadence do some of her own packing.  We asked her if she had a couple of pairs of shoes and she said yes.  We figured sandals, sneakers, something outdoorsy so we didn't check..  We get to the fort, she's got high top sneaker that go up her thighs and high platforms.  Needless to say when mom came over the next day for a visit she brought some replacements.

 

Alabama is a heck of a change from Hawaii!

 

AKL is a great place for kids. We've been lucky the times we've gone that the busses haven't been real crowded nor has the lodge itself.  I don't know why it's like that, maybe it's too far out for diehard Disney fans.

 

We did the MK boat and walked to the bus center then caught a direct bus to AKL. On the way back we did HS bus then a Fort bus.

 

I don't know what Wilderness has to offer.  Never checked, but the girls had fun there on our previous trip when we hid out  because of the rain.  They had all kinds of games in the lobby for them.  When we rode our bikes over this time they didn't have anything set up.  Guess it's just a rainy day event.

[Travisma 1,317]

Monday

 

Another great FL day.  Sunny and dry

 

We are up early thanks to our built in Comfort Station alarm clock.

 

We have breakfast, and with a heavy heart start breaking down our site.

 

It goes fairly well.  My wife and I had a discussion whether or not to keep my and my granddaughters bikes off the truck, but we decide to pack them.  She had wanted to ride around the Fort some more.

 

I don’t even bother calling the Outpost to see if we can get a late checkout since it was denied on our two previous visits, and there was still no house phone

 

It’s odd that at 99% of the hotels we visit, a late checkout is no big deal, and there’s a lot more to cleaning and getting a room ready then there is to blowing off a pad and raking the sand.  Oh that’s right, they have to coil the piece of hose neatly also.

 

RANT

 

Why can’t they provide a hook or a hanger for those hoses so you can keep them out of the sand while trying to wash dishes?

 

END RANT

 

Our plan is my granddaughter wanted to go to the playground near the 1300 loop, so I dropped my wife and her off, and I drove the loaded truck out to the depot parking lot.  I would then meet up with them either at the playground or the Meadow Trading Post so we could have some more Magical Time at the Fort.

 

Out at the parking lot, I start thinking about the problems we had at the site so I headed to the Outpost.

 

I didn’t even make it inside before a CM with an iPad stopped me and asked what I needed.

 

Is it me, or is it a little creepy that all the CM’s are staring at iPads and pulling up all of your information?  They were all over inside of the building.

 

So I explain to the nice young lady that I didn’t have a 100% Magical Experience and if possible I’d like to talk to a manager.  Well that got her to look up from the tablet.  She invited me inside and said she’d be right back.

 

A couple of minutes later a gentleman arrives and I explain what had happened… rowdy kids, lack of power, drunk loudmouths etc.  Told him that we had been coming here since 1977, and other than a dead refrigerator in a cabin, this was our first bad experience. 

 

About the lack of the security and the kids, he told me that the Fort was big and it was impossible to patrol everywhere and they had been 100% full over the weekend.  I said I knew how big it was and maybe they should get more security.

 

I asked about quiet times, he said there is one and again they have a hard time enforcing it.

 

Same with skateboards and Ripsticks.  Supposedly those items aren’t allowed in the Fort.  I saw it in one of the No No pages they give you.  I guess if you’re being towed behind a golf car or a bike it can be overlooked!

 

He then asked me what I wanted him to do about it.  I threw it back at him and asked what he would like to do for me?

 

He said that he would refund me one nights stay. I asked if he could comp us a night on a future visit instead(I figured they would rather do that than a refund).  He said they could and that I would get a letter with a special number to call.  (Been a week + and still no letter)

 

That taken care of and my mood a little better I decided to walk back to the playground.

 

Of course they weren’t there, so onward to the Meadow.  Found them at the trading post, so I grabbed the bottomless mug and asked where the soda machine was.  CM looks at me like I had a third eye on my forehead and says that there is only a machine at the pool snack bar. 

 

So, if you have a mug, and you want a late night drink, you’re S O L once the snack bar closes, unless you want to travel to Trails End.

 

So I get a drink, they don’t scan the mug, and we head over to the barn to rent a canoe.

 

CM shows me the canal trail, and says there are a few branches in the way if we decide to come back on the canal between 1400 and 500.

 

Off we go on another adventure. 

 

Saw some trees

 

 

 

A turtle

 

 

And we sneaked up the canal behind 1500 and 1800 and saw Golden Oaks!

 

 

 

I figured there would be a turn around sign but there wasn’t. I did notice a large pipe floating to one side of the canal, and a broken piece of rope on the opposite shore.  I guess that was a blockade that had broken free.  By mentioning this I'll probably be banned for life from theFort.

 

We turned around and headed towards the lake.  Took a look at the dam, then headed up the return canal.

 

Went up the dead end to the 300 loop, looked around then headed back the correct way.  Never did see a sign guiding us back towards the bike barn where the dead end was.

 

My granddaughter asked what the concrete pieces were sticking out along the shore lines.  I told her they were the remains of the train trestles.  She wanted to know all about them, and whey there was no longer a train.

 

 

Once we went under Big Pine Drive, we encountered the “branches” the CM told us about.

 

They weren’t branches, they we various sized partially sunken logs in the canal, along with green slime.

 

I think the technical term is green schmutz, but I'm open to corrections.

 

 

Now this canal wasn't just created, it’s been around since the Fort opened.  Would it be that hard to have a crew go in and clear out the logs?  It might make the water flow better and clear out the floating green crap!

 

Picture of the campfire area from the canal.

 

 

 

 

And back to the beach

 

 

 

Got a couple more drinks… they scanned the cup when my granddaughter went up, but not when I did, then it was time to head back to Tampa.

 

All in all, we did have a great time, it just could’ve been a little quieter and more like camping, and less like a visit to da hood.

[Travisma 1,317]

BONUS

Trollistic type artsy fartsy pictures.

I don't have a theme, and I don't claim the same artistic eye.

You get what you paid for...

Either a dried up octopus, or mastodon tusks rising out of the tar pit.

Just an interesting tree

I just love how they built the canal over the road.

Underneath the bridge that crosses the pond to the campfire area.

Yes there are still old fence posts around the Fort

SCORE!!!

A goal post tree

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Very cool bonus pictures!!! And I hope you get that letter!!!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Great TR. I can't imagine having to put up with all the noise and unruly kids. I hope you get that letter too! You deserve it.