900 Loop closed

[WalkerFiend 22]

Went looping last night and noticed that the 900 Loop was empty and blocked. (The kids love looking for other Mickey lamps since we made one of our own last fall.) They had a trench dug and appeared to be replacing some kind of drainage culvert/pipe. Pic later on if I can get one.

[Travisma 1,317]

Went looping last night and noticed that the 900 Loop was empty and blocked. (The kids love looking for other Mickey lamps since we made one of our own last fall.) They had a trench dug and appeared to be replacing some kind of drainage culvert/pipe. Pic later on if I can get one.

Did you ignore the keep out signs and go snooping thru the loop?

[WalkerFiend 22]

Umm. We might or might not have looped through a dark empty loop. The keep out signs are hard to read here at the fort after dark... It's strange and kinda cool to see all those empty spaces.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Thanks for the update (and the snooping which may or may not have happened)!  :D

[Travisma 1,317]

Umm. We might or might not have looped through a dark empty loop. The keep out signs are hard to read here at the fort after dark... It's strange and kinda cool to see all those empty spaces.

We may or may not have ridden our bikes thru 1400 when it was closed.

 

It didn't happen if there are no pictures!

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

Was there a trailer on 905?

[WalkerFiend 22]

When I went past I do not recall seeing anything in there at all except for some construction equipment. Not saying there was no trailer there, but I don't recall it. I saw a trench being dug, what looked like a culvert being replaced, one of the trash cans pulled up out of the ground. Some pavement removed... I took a pic on my way to the marina this AM, but it's bad and blurry. I'll try again later.

[Travisma 1,317]

This is where a drone with a camera would come in handy!

 

Aerial pictures of closed loops and new construction.

[WalkerFiend 22]

I've been needing a good sounding excuse to buy a drone. I'll talk it over with DW. If you never hear from me again... I've finally pushed her over the edge with my toy requests!

[WalkerFiend 22]

Here is a slightly better non trespassing pic. Taken from the comfort station looking in. You can see a trailer with the old pipes, where they trenched across the road, and some kind of machine I can't identify.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Was there a trailer on 905?

I stopped by the Fort for dinner tonight, and checked out 900. Every site is empty, even 905. And, of course I have photos of 905 empty.

TCD

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

Hmmmm, wonder where they moved the 905 trailer to?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hmmmm, wonder where they moved the 905 trailer to?

I'll bet it's somewhere in the Fort. I had no cart, and no time. I'm sure they'll put it back when the work in the loop is done. From what I saw, they're just replacing some drainage culverts near the front of the loop. I walked the loop, and nothing past the first few sites has been touched.

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

What is the 905 trailer?

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

What is the 905 trailer?

One of the local RV places or manufacturers (forget which) have a camping trailer parked at the Fort. For the last couple of years, it's been parked on site 905. They allow employees and family to camp in the trailer at the Fort. It just sits there, and folks show up.

[Travisma 1,317]

One of the local RV places or manufacturers (forget which) have a camping trailer parked at the Fort. For the last couple of years, it's been parked on site 905. They allow employees and family to camp in the trailer at the Fort. It just sits there, and folks show up.

Sort of like the original idea of the one in the 100 loop?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The trailer on 905 was owned by the Lazy Days RV company (the big one on I-4 east of Tampa).

TCD

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

The trailer on 905 was owned by the Lazy Days RV company (the big one on I-4 east of Tampa).

TCD

that's right, and it's Lazy Days employees that get to use it.

[Travisma 1,317]

that's right, and it's Lazy Days employees that get to use it.

Hmmm, good place to get a part time job.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

that's right, and it's Lazy Days employees that get to use it.

 

You are correct.  This secret was revealed in a trip report I wrote back in April, 2010 on another site.  Here's an excerpt from that TR:

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

On that trip, the site next to ours was occupied by a big fifth wheel. You can see it in the background of this photo:

What was strange about it is that there were two women staying in the fifth wheel. They drove in and out of the loop a few times. They had a regular car- no truck. They did not spend very much time at the campsite. On Sunday, they packed up and left in their car. They brought out suitcases, loaded them up, and drove off. A little while later, a Fort Castmember came by and turned off the water, and blew off the site. I thought the whole thing was odd at the time, but I figured these ladies possibly had rented the trailer, or maybe they were guests of somebody who owned it, and the owner was away for the weekend, or something.

Well, fast forward to November, 2009, the TCD gang is back at the Fort for Thanksgiving. And, it just so happens that we are in the 900 loop again. And, it just so happens that we are assigned the site next to this one where the fifth wheel was at Halloween. This time we are on the other side of the trailer. Guess what's still there in the same site? The same trailer. But this time it's not two ladies camping in it, it's a family with a mini van. They also arrive with suitcases, stay for a few days and leave. The trailer remains behind.

And then we return for New Year's Eve at the end of December, 2009. We are not in the 900 loop this time, but during one of my daily inspections of the Fort, guess what I see in the same place? Yep, the fifth wheel. And, it has a different group of folks in it. This trailer has not moved from that spot for over three months!

That isn't a big deal, you say. Well, what if I told you that trailer was still there when we visited the Fort on this trip- in April, 2010? Well it was, and here's a photo to prove it:

So, know we know that this same trailer has sat on this same site for six months.

What is going on here?

Well, on March 21, 2010, this article appeared in my local fish-wrap:

I am talking about the part of the article that appears there under the number 3. This was a feature on some of the unique perks local employers offer to their employees. This article tells us that the Lazy Days RV company keeps a trailer permanently on site at Fort Wilderness. So, what does this have to do with the fifth wheel on the 900 loop? Read on. . . Read on . . .

On this visit, I took a closer look at this trailer. Check out these photos:

So all of this is to tell you that I am pretty sure I know where the Lazydays trailer is located at the Fort.

 

  _____________________________________________________________

 

As far as I know, that trailer was parked in that site for the next five years.

 

And now it's gone.

 

If you want to see photos of that, stay tuned to this thread.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

As promised, here are some photos taken on Friday evening June 12, 2015 showing what is currently going on in the 900 loop.

 

I had taken the bus from the Outpost to the Settlement for a take out dinner from Trail's End.  On the way there, I saw that the 900 loop was fenced off with that impenetrable white plastic fencing that those in charge of things at the Fort use to keep guests away from things they don't want them to see.

 

After dinner, I decided to take a stroll, and walked up Fort Wilderness Trail from the Settlement, past the 700 loop, then the 600 loop, then the 800 loop, until I came to the small area across from the Meadow Trading Post that provides 15 minute parking spaces for guests visiting the Trading Post.  There's a lift station there, and the back of site 903 isn't far from that.  So, I took a look into the loop, and saw this:

 

 

Nobody was looking at me, so I took a few steps closer, so I could see what was going on:

 

 

Since I was already this far in, I took a few more steps because I wanted to make sure the tetherball court was still OK.  The TCD dog Rocky would want to know:

 

 

Well, darn, I really didn't mean to do it, but now here I was in the 900 loop.  I hadn't passed any signs that told me to keep out.  I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a few more photos, so I took this one of the front of site 902:

 

 

There's a nice shiny new corrugated drainage pipe in the ground there:

 

 

There obviously had been a trench dug across the loop road here, and the other end of that shiny new pipe is over there:

 

 

Let's review- there was a pile of old corroded pipes on that trailer in site 903, and there's evidence of a trench being dug, and shiny new pipes in the ground.  What could this all be about?  I think it's obvious, don't you?  The Fort is being converted into a DVC resort.  It's all right there-plain as day.

 

As long as I was here, I figured that I should check on the Lazydays trailer.

 

Here's site 904- I could already see that something was missing on 905:

 

 

Here we are:

 

 

Here is something that no one has seen for at least five years- site 905, empty:

 

 

 

All of the 900 loop was empty.  How many times do you get a chance to walk around an empty loop?  Let's go:

 

 

 

 

The Fort looks pretty good when there's not a bunch of trailers blocking the view:

 

 

There's the path to the group camping area.  Apparently, there was no sign on the other side of the bridge telling those people to keep out, as there were several groups of people I observed walking to and from the group camping area as I was performing this inspection:

 

 

We're halfway around the loop now, and on the home stretch:

 

 

Here we are at the end of the loop, looking toward the area where the construction work was done.  It ends up that this is the only area on the loop where any work has been done:

 

 

 

Here's the impenetrable fence:

 

 

And here's the sign telling guests to stay out.  But wait, it says foot traffic is OK, and that is what I had been engaged in- foot traffic- so, as always, no rules were broken in bringing you these photos:

 

 

One last photo, as I left the 900 loop:

 

 

There you go.

 

We now know why the 900 loop was closed.

 

It looked like they were pretty much done.  They need to cover up that trench and put the fencing back around the new pipe, and they should be good to go.  I'm guessing the 900 loop will be back in action some time this week.  And, I'll bet that Lazydays trailer will be back soon too.

 

TCD

[PrincessNana 15]

As promised, here are some photos taken on Friday evening June 12, 2015 showing what is currently going on in the 900 loop.

 

I had taken the bus from the Outpost to the Settlement for a take out dinner from Trail's End.  On the way there, I saw that the 900 loop was fenced off with that impenetrable white plastic fencing that those in charge of things at the Fort use to keep guests away from things they don't want them to see.

 

After dinner, I decided to take a stroll, and walked up Fort Wilderness Trail from the Settlement, past the 700 loop, then the 600 loop, then the 800 loop, until I came to the small area across from the Meadow Trading Post that provides 15 minute parking spaces for guests visiting the Trading Post.  There's a lift station there, and the back of site 903 isn't far from that.  So, I took a look into the loop, and saw this:

 Thanks for the update! Looks like we might get our site requests after all.

 

Nobody was looking at me, so I took a few steps closer, so I could see what was going on:

 

 

Since I was already this far in, I took a few more steps because I wanted to make sure the tetherball court was still OK.  The TCD dog Rocky would want to know:

 

 

Well, darn, I really didn't mean to do it, but now here I was in the 900 loop.  I hadn't passed any signs that told me to keep out.  I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a few more photos, so I took this one of the front of site 902:

 

 

There's a nice shiny new corrugated drainage pipe in the ground there:

 

 

There obviously had been a trench dug across the loop road here, and the other end of that shiny new pipe is over there:

 

 

Let's review- there was a pile of old corroded pipes on that trailer in site 903, and there's evidence of a trench being dug, and shiny new pipes in the ground.  What could this all be about?  I think it's obvious, don't you?  The Fort is being converted into a DVC resort.  It's all right there-plain as day.

 

As long as I was here, I figured that I should check on the Lazydays trailer.

 

Here's site 904- I could already see that something was missing on 905:

 

 

Here we are:

 

 

Here is something that no one has seen for at least five years- site 905, empty:

 

 

 

All of the 900 loop was empty.  How many times do you get a chance to walk around an empty loop?  Let's go:

 

 

 

 

The Fort looks pretty good when there's not a bunch of trailers blocking the view:

 

 

There's the path to the group camping area.  Apparently, there was no sign on the other side of the bridge telling those people to keep out, as there were several groups of people I observed walking to and from the group camping area as I was performing this inspection:

 

 

We're halfway around the loop now, and on the home stretch:

 

 

Here we are at the end of the loop, looking toward the area where the construction work was done.  It ends up that this is the only area on the loop where any work has been done:

 

 

 

Here's the impenetrable fence:

 

 

And here's the sign telling guests to stay out.  But wait, it says foot traffic is OK, and that is what I had been engaged in- foot traffic- so, as always, no rules were broken in bringing you these photos:

 

 

One last photo, as I left the 900 loop:

 

 

There you go.

 

We now know why the 900 loop was closed.

 

It looked like they were pretty much done.  They need to cover up that trench and put the fencing back around the new pipe, and they should be good to go.  I'm guessing the 900 loop will be back in action some time this week.  And, I'll bet that Lazydays trailer will be back soon too.

 

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Thanks for the update/pics, TCD!

[Specularius 102]

I wonder if Lazy Days is upgrading their trailer since it is 5 years old now.

[Dalspot ... Karen 21]

Wow the things TCD will do to keep us all up-to-date and informed! 

 

Thanks for being a brave trespasser (tho law-abiding)! and posting all the pics.