February 2011 Trip Report From TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes.

I’m back.

It’s really me.

I was just taking a break.

For those of you who are not familiar with me, I do that from time to time.

In this case, I have taken a permanent break from the place where I used to post.

That’s right . . .

I quit.

There are some things that I will not tolerate.

Two biggies are ignorance and lying.

And when those in charge of the place where I used to post exhibited both, it was time for me to go.

So I left.

That was in January.

Since then, I have thought about not writing trip reports any more.

I also received an offer to create a TCD blog.

But, I have chosen to join the Fiends.

And so a new chapter begins . . .

The past is in the past.

Long live TCD!

Enough of that.

This is a trip report.

So let’s get it going.

First, let’s make note of something.

As I post this in new trip report in the trip report section of this new website, I note that there have already been some really good trip reports posted.

But even the best of them has only been viewed less than a thousand times.

That is not acceptable people.

So, let me make a promise to you:

This trip report will set a new record of viewers.

And this is only the beginning.

If you are reading along, you will be a part of history.

This is where the Fort Fiends site will take off.

It’s time for a lot of new readers.

And a lot of new members.

If you are a lurker, it’s time to join the party.

TCD trip reports need comments.

And tangents.

And hijacks.

But first, our story begins.

A trip report should begin with an introduction. So, please allow me to introduce myself. I am TCD. I am married to Mrs. TCD, and we have three teenage daughters, two of whom are twins. And we have a dog, Rocky. He is an awesome Boxer, who just turned one. We live on the west coast. Of Florida. And we visit Fort Wilderness about six times a year. Sometimes for a long weekend. Sometimes for a week. We rarely all make it together for every trip. Lately, it has just been me and the TCD twins. And so it was on this trip.

For whatever reason, the TCD twins had a school break on Feb. 14^th. Usually, they get President’s Day off. But this year, they had the Monday before President’s Day off. Odd. But good for us. The greedy Fort management charges a premium for sites on President’s Day weekend. Luckily for us, we got to go the weekend before, and the rates were much lower.

As usual, I reserved a partial hook-up site. We camp in a pop-up camper, and have no need for a full, preferred or premium site. I faxed a request to be placed on the 1500 loop. Since TCD is a VIP, I am always accommodated. Except for this time.

We arrived at the Fort in the late afternoon of Friday, February 11. It was a clear and cool afternoon. The check-in area was not crowded. And, since it was the week before President’s Day, I did not expect the campground to be crowded. I expected to check in, get to our site on the 1500 loop, and let the fun begin.

But it didn’t work that way.

We had a nice young lady check us in. When she handed me my information, she cheerfully reported that I was assigned to site 2009. “Wait a minute,” I said. “Did you say 2009?” “Yes,” she said. I told her that there must be a mistake, and that I should have a site on 1500. I asked her to please check and see if a site on 1500 was available. She picked up the phone and called. She spoke for a while with whoever it was on the other end, and then reported that there were no more sites available in the 1500 loop, as a group had reserved most of the loop. Bummer.

I am no fan of the 2000 loop.

But, that‘s the chance I take when I reserve a partial hook-up site.

So, we headed to our site.

We have camped on this exact site before.

In fact, we camped here on New Year’s Eve in 2008.

It really isn’t a bad site.

And, we had a great time.

You know what?

This report needs some pictures!

And, as luck would have it I have a few.

Well, actually more than a few.

Maybe more like a few hundred.

With me, it’s all about quantity.

I leave the quality to the real photographers.

So, I had better get posting, right?

Here we are set up in good old 2009:

I was a bit concerned when I arrived at the site, as there was a group just across from me. With a big fire pit right in front of their site. And a lot of noisy kids. This could be bad. But, we would be visiting the parks a lot on this trip, and since they had so many kids, they couldn’t party too much, could they?

Here they are:

As is our practice, the girls had run off to the Magic Kingdom while I set up camp. Just as I was putting the finishing touches on the set-up, I got the call that they were heading back from the MK so we could eat. So, I hopped on the cart and headed to the marina.

On the way, I saw two deer.

This one could walk on water!:

This one apparently could not:

I picked up the girls, and we stopped by Trail’s End for our Giddyap and Go. It is a tradition. And, it was good.

It was Extra Magic Hours at Epcot that night. That meant Epcot would be open until midnight. So that is where we headed.

It’s been a while since any of us have watched the fireworks show at Epcot (I call it Illuminations, but it may have a different name these days). We picked out a spot over by Italy and watched:

What a great show this is!

Lately, the girls and I have committed to experiencing some of the attractions that we have seldom or, in some cases, never visited. So, after the fireworks, we headed to the American Adventure. It has been years since I last forced the girls to watch that show. But, it was cold, and the park was crowded, and it was right there, so the girls really didn’t put up much of a fight. I remember the first time that I saw this attraction. How amazed I was! Now it seems very dated. And, kind of boring. But, it is still a great attraction, and it makes you proud to be an American. We ended up enjoying it. From there, we headed around the lagoon, and back to Future World where we enjoyed Soarin’ and Test Track, and headed back to the Fort.

The partiers were still up when we got back. But, they were just huddled around their fire. Not a very lively bunch that night.

As you might expect, I was up with the sun on Saturday morning, and headed down to Pioneer Hall.

After grabbing my coffee, it is time to take a look at some of the Valentine’s Day decorations around the Fort.

Which we will see in my next post.

If you are reading along and know the answer, please let me know how many photos are allowed in each post. I had 25 in this post initially, but I had to keep on editing it so that I could post it. I have a lot of photos, so I need to push it to the limit so to speak. Is it 10?

And coming up after that . . . we will explore a part of the Fort where TCD has never ventured.

Never.

And we will take a look at some really cool things I discovered off the beaten track.

I will also run into a few Fiends.

And there will be a lot more photos!

If you are reading along, please feel free to post a comment or question.

Let me know what you think.

It makes trip reports more interesting when folks chime in.

So feel free.

TCD

This post has been promoted to an article

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Great start. So glad you are here. I'm doodlebug and lurked elsewhere reading your tr's. Here well I am a crazed poster. You will see me a lot. I think once the new site is fully up and running there won't be any trouble posting pictures. Again welcome home. We will be seeing a lot of each other :rofl2:

[Live4FW 30]

Great to have you back...can't wait to read more!

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

I'm in!! So glad to see you here sir, we havent met (yet) but I've been reading your trip reports for a while now, I always find them rather entertaining and informative! :popcorn:

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

TCD!! Welcome Back!

:insanity: :insanity: :insanity: :insanity: :insanity:

Another great trip to Fort Wilderness!

I only have one question.......

Is it worth it?

[datgrt@fw .... Doug 1]

'Thanks' for posting your first trip report here at 'fortfiends.net'! I always love reading your trip reports and viewing your pictures!

Looking forward to many more!

[jrandall1972 aka Jan 0]

I'm in!!! Can't wait to read more.

[anolefan 8]

Off to a great start.

Having a loud, noisy group with lots of children in the 2000 loop? No way :)

We always have a blast looping in 2000 for that reason alone.

Keep it coming.

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

TCD, I, like Doodle was mostly a lurker over at the DISfunctional board... at least until you and a couple others got "Flushed" in the first wave......

I think the rest of us got caught in the second wave (second "swirl" ? )

I'm glad you are back, its been way too long w/o a TCD trip report.

One more question though....

Will your cousin Yuri be back too??

:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

[wak648...Bill 94]

Wait!!! Who are you and what am I doing here??

[dngtrumps 0]

So happy to finally see another TCD trip report. You have a way with words and a wicked sense of humor! I've been mostly a lurker of both boards for the last five years but am very familar with all the heavy posters in both places. I look forward to the rest of your trip report and pictures. :suspense:

[AuburnChris 193]

Welcome back, TCD!

I'm going to see what I can do about the photo limitation for you, hopefully before your next post.

Edit: The maximum number of images in a post is now 30. I think that should be a good number for now- if you need more, let me know.

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

Off to a great start.

Having a loud, noisy group with lots of children in the 2000 loop? No way :)

We always have a blast looping in 2000 for that reason alone.

Keep it coming.

I'm with you.. 2000 loop is where my savages belong.. Of course, they have enough sense not to run through the middle of someone's site or shine a flash light in a sleeping person face.. those offenses should be punishable by death.. :argh: ok, I'm better.. but they do enjoy the other kids.

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

We've missed you!!!

[Crazemama26AKA Janelle 5]

Yeah!! TCD is here!! This just made my day :parrot: . Did you happen to invite your cousin Yuri too??

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great start. So glad you are here. I'm doodlebug and lurked elsewhere reading your tr's. Here well I am a crazed poster. You will see me a lot. I think once the new site is fully up and running there won't be any trouble posting pictures. Again welcome home. We will be seeing a lot of each other

Hey, you are the first to post on this trip report! Props to you. Thank you for your kind words. BTW- there was a camper named Doodlebug camped just a few spaces down from us on this trip. And, I have a photo to prove it. You will have to check back later for that.

Great to have you back...can't wait to read more!

Thanks, it is good to be "back." I didn't recognize your avatar because it wasn't moving. But, then I shook my computer screen back and forth, and then I knew who it was.

I'm in!! So glad to see you here sir, we havent met (yet) but I've been reading your trip reports for a while now, I always find them rather entertaining and informative!

Thanks. And don't get too excited about meeting me. Most folks find me boring in person.

TCD!! Welcome Back!

Another great trip to Fort Wilderness!

I only have one question.......

Is it worth it?

LOL!

The answer is YES!

'Thanks' for posting your first trip report here at 'fortfiends.net'! I always love reading your trip reports and viewing your pictures!

Looking forward to many more!

Thanks, Doug. I promise that this will be the first of many. In fact, right after I get this one done, I've got another one in the hopper. And, hopefully, I will be back at the Fort soon.

I'm in!!! Can't wait to read more.

Thanks, More is coming right up.

And, nice to meet you in person in March. That trip report will be following this one.

Off to a great start.

Having a loud, noisy group with lots of children in the 2000 loop? No way

We always have a blast looping in 2000 for that reason alone.

Keep it coming.

Thanks for the welcome, Tom. I know you always go premium for this very reason. But it ended up being fine.

TCD, I, like Doodle was mostly a lurker over at the DISfunctional board... at least until you and a couple others got "Flushed" in the first wave......

I think the rest of us got caught in the second wave (second "swirl" ?)

I'm glad you are back, its been way too long w/o a TCD trip report.

One more question though....

Will your cousin Yuri be back too??

Let's get one thing clear.

I was not flushed.

I quit.

I wrote a very nice farewell which explained why and gave specific instructions to the Webmaster on what she needed to do.

There must have been a computer glitch or something because my farewell post disappeared.

But, I was not banned. I left voluntarily.

And, yes, unfortunately, Yuri will be back. In fact, he already has been back. Not on this trip, but on our Spring Break trip. And I have the photos to prove it. But, first we will need to get through this one.

Wait!!! Who are you and what am I doing here??

Sorry, dude, but I am trying to figure that out myself. You are on your own on those questions.

So happy to finally see another TCD trip report. You have a way with words and a wicked sense of humor! I've been mostly a lurker of both boards for the last five years but am very familar with all the heavy posters in both places. I look forward to the rest of your trip report and pictures.

Thanks for the kind words. I will do my best not to disappoint!

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Welcome back, TCD!

I'm going to see what I can do about the photo limitation for you, hopefully before your next post.

Edit: The maximum number of images in a post is now 30. I think that should be a good number for now- if you need more, let me know.

Are you frickin' kidding me?

How awesome is that!?

I ask a question, and I get an instant response!

That is awesome.

Thanks, Chris.

While you are at it, I need to be able to post more multi-quotes.

Thanks, bro.

I'm with you.. 2000 loop is where my savages belong.. Of course, they have enough sense not to run through the middle of someone's site or shine a flash light in a sleeping person face.. those offenses should be punishable by death.. :argh: ok, I'm better.. but they do enjoy the other kids.

Truth be told, I like the 2000 loop. Yes, it can be noisy. But the people-watching is unparalleled.

We've missed you!!!

Thanks, Dave.

I'm glad to have finally made it, and I am glad to see you here!

Yeah!! TCD is here!! This just made my day :parrot: . Did you happen to invite your cousin Yuri too??

No.

I did not invite my Cousin Yuri.

I never do.

But, since when had that stopped him?

Not to worry.

Yuri is never far away.

TCD

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

You would not have liked the 2000 loop on MLK weekend this January. The "Shamrock Families" had approx 1/2 the loop and the first thing they unpacked were loudspeakers set up on tri-pods.... LOL

Course, the group area next door was even worse...

:) :) :) :) :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

OK, now that we have the hello's out of the way, and Chris has increased my photo limit, let's get this thing moving.

As I mentioned, my first stop on Saturday morning was at Trails’ End for some of that delicious and unique Fort coffee.

I noticed that the Ring Carver’s kiosk had swapped placed with the bike rack outside:

Maybe not a big deal to you, but I thought I ought to share that tidbit in case someone reading along was looking to have a ring carved on his or her next visit. Also notice in the photo how the plant in the foreground is blooming with pink flowers. In February. After some pretty cold winter weather. Ponce De Leon named the land we now know as Florida “La Florida”- - The Land of Flowers. And, it is a good and fitting name for this place.

Pioneer Hall looked great, as usual:

I don’t recall seeing this price list before, so I thought I ought to snap a photo of it:

I have gotten in the habit of taking a photo from this vantage point on the porch of Crockett’s Tavern on all of my visits. Mainly because this area looks different each time. And, to me, it offers a classic view of the Fort. You can see the Settlement Trading Post there in the back ground. And, further off in the distance, the beautiful shimmering water of Bay Lake. The last time I was here, there was a giant Christmas tree and poinsettia plants here. Now, we have bare trees and colorful flowers:

The next time I visit, I am sure that this scene will be a little different, and come spring and summer those trees will be full of leaves and colorful blooming flowers.

After grabbing my coffee, it is time to take a look at some of the Valentine’s Day decorations around the Fort.

Folks love to decorate their campsites.

From Halloween on, the decorations are amazing.

And, when Thanksgiving and Christmas arrive, the decorations go to an even higher level.

By the time Valentine’s Day rolls around things become a bit more subdued.

But some folks still do a great job.

This site is on the 100 loop.

I have heard the lady who camps here referred to as Tina. As far as I know, I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting her. But, she was on this site back at Christmas time, and maybe before. On this day, she had her site decorated for Valentine’s Day:

Just across the path from Tina is the site of someone whom I have met: Feisty. Or Judy. She will answer to either. And probably to a lot more. She has been here since before Halloween. Here are her decorations:

I love how Judy/Feisty puts Shrek front and center.

Stick it to the man!

I mean mouse!

I spoke to Judy/Feisty several times over the weekend. She was getting ready to head back home soon. It is always weird when she does. I get used to seeing that site full of decorations. And , then they are gone. But, she will be back. Don’t you worry.

From Feisty’s site, I headed down the trail to another one of my favorite spots at the Fort.

I’m talking about this spot here:

I love this spot.

Look at the view!:

It’s hard to believe that all of this spacious beauty sits smack in the middle of the vacation capital of the world!

But it does.

And, I never miss a chance to sit here in the early morning and enjoy the view.

And that is exactly what I did for a brief while.

But, then it was time to move on.

And, so I did.

More photos will be right up.

This is how it's done.

TCD

[ajcjmom 8]

Love reading your reports and can't wait for more. :suspense: We have a weekend trip coming up in June and I am hoping to write my first report. My dad is going through some old slides looking for pics from the Fort. I am hoping he has one of the train.

[shoreline99 137]

Glad to see you here, TCD! I've been looking forward to another one of your (in)famous trip reports!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Enjoying the report TCD! I too never get tired of pictures taken from the porch at Trails End....or pictures OF the porch at Trails End.

Either or ok in my book. So more would be welcomed. :dance:

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I am so glad to have begun to read a TCD trip report again. Almost as good as being there myself. Definitely better than bacon. BUT, my family wants bacon with dinner and kids are begging for time on the laptop, so off I go. I look forward to finishing my reading later!!

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

Thanks for the post. I am enjoying my first TCD report.

Best Regards,

Norm

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Love reading your reports and can't wait for more. :suspense: We have a weekend trip coming up in June and I am hoping to write my first report. My dad is going through some old slides looking for pics from the Fort. I am hoping he has one of the train.

If your dad finds any old Fort photos, I would love to see them!

Speaking of trains. there is something that your dad may want to see coming up in just a bit.

Glad to see you here, TCD! I've been looking forward to another one of your (in)famous trip reports!

Well, the long wait is over!

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

Enjoying the report TCD! I too never get tired of pictures taken from the porch at Trails End....or pictures OF the porch at Trails End.

Either or ok in my book. So more would be welcomed. :dance:

Thanks, Dave.

I think I have some more porch photos here somewhere.

But, we will move on to some other things first.

I am so glaad to have begun to read a TCD trip reporrt again. Alomst as good as being there myself/ Definitely better than bacon. BUT, my family wants bacon with dinner and kids arebegging for time on the laptop, so off I go. I look forward to finishing my reading later!!

What?

Who are you?

Intruder alert!

Intruder alertt!

The real MomofSix would give the kids cold beans for dinner and finish reading this report!

Just kidding.

I'm glad to see that you are here, too.

And, I see a return trip is in your future!

Awesome!

Thanks for the post. I am enjoying my first TCD report.

Best Regards,

Norm

Your first TCD report?

What rock were you hiding under?

TCD