February 2011 Trip Report From TCD

[ukmummy.....Cerys 0]

We have a guy reading along in Russia.

And another in Texas.

And a lady in Minnesota.

And another couple in South Carolina.

And, then there's a lady in New Hampshire.

Plus a bunch of Florida folks.

And one from England!! I too was a lurker at the other site but loved reading your trip reports, its been quite a wait but this one certainly does not disappoint, loving the pics what more could a girl want from a Saturday night than an episode of Dr Who and a photo of turkey butts? :rofl2:

[LORNADUCK 261]

WOW!

Just, Wow.

I said when I started this trip report that I wanted to see it have at least a thousand views.

We are now closing in on two thousand, and we are not even close to the half-way point in this report.

Awesome!

As is my practice, I will be responding to your comments, but before I do that, I wanted to say that while some of you may have missed me, I didn't realize how much I missed all of you until I started reading your comments.

What a great group of folk this is!

And think about it for a minute.

We have a guy reading along in Russia.

And another in Texas.

And a lady in Minnesota.

And another couple in South Carolina.

And, then there's a lady in New Hampshire.

Plus a bunch of Florida folks.

And, folks everywhere.

All sharing a couple of laughs and enjoying a story about some guy's trip to Fort Wilderness.

What a great site this is.

To those lurkers reading along.

Welcome!

Why don't you join and let us know you are reading along.

You will not find a funner or friendlier group anywhere!

So sign up!

It's free!

And, you can join in the fun!

Now, back to the report . . .

TCD

And we are all friends not just fiends who enjoy getting together with each other when ever we can. We are so lucky to have to site and all the great fiends :heart:

[bord1niowa......Curt 79]

Love the report! Hope I don't have to wait till monday for the next installment. I feel like at the end of each installment I hear "same bat time...same bat station!" hahahaha. Just wondering TCD...with all the backwoods places you manage to get into, have you ever run across some of the more dangerous creatures famous in Florida?

[lklasing 16]

Hi Leslie!

I am glad to see you over here!

I have always enjoyed your trip reports, too.

If I remember right, you were planning a visit to BLT.

Has that happened yet?

If so, we could use a report over here.

If not, I would love to hear about it when you get back.

TCD

Well, I have to say that's pretty darn impressive that you remember that. Yes, we have a trip to BLT in 20 days. :banana: I'm very excited about it but miss planning a trip to the Fort. I'm sure we'll have to visit, and then we'll be back at FW again in March. I'm sure I'll be doing reports for both trips. Till then, I'm looking forward to more of your report! Will we get to see the TCD twins in any pics??

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Wake up Andrew! This is no time to sleep...you've got another installment to write. I need to know if you found the soccer ball I lost in the Horseshoe Bend area in December 1977. It has "DaveInNY" written on it in Sharpie. I didn't move to TN until 2003, afterall. :rofl2:

[mgsmom 9]

Are you carrying a machete with you? Or at least a great big stick? Well, a stick is no good with snakes. A stick with a knife tied on the end? :rofl2:

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

And what about the bugs. I realize compared to snakes and gators bugs are small potatoes, but they had to be awful in there :o

[LONE-STAR 370]

Bugs are dead remember this report was after a freeze.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Bugs are dead remember this report was after a freeze.

Oh ok, so I need to remember to only go 0n a safari after a freeze. Got it

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

I keep looking off in the direction TCD went. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[Lil Lisa 53]

I wish the railroad was still there. That must have been a cool way to get around the campground. Busses are so boring (Sorry Lou... The drivers are great though!!). The train was already gone on our first trip there as a kid, so I never got to experience it. Even if it was a "fake" railroad, I bet that if would be a big hit if they brought it back.

[stefa70 205]

I keep looking off in the direction TCD went. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

I would say a bad thing if you see him huddled over his laptop, emaciated and bug bitten!

[Lou... 3,118]

Busses are so boring (Sorry Lou... The drivers are great though!!). I bet that if would be a big hit if they brought it back.

I take exception to that statement, a lot of drivers are jerks.

No railroad ever again. Trains are expensive to purchase, operate, maintain, and they would need more than one to do what the boring buses do. And who would pay for those cute little railroads that ride on those cute little tracks with the cute little whistles, you. Snarky, snark, snark.

[Lil Lisa 53]

I take exception to that statement, a lot of drivers are jerks.

No railroad ever again. Trains are expensive to purchase, operate, maintain, and they would need more than one to do what the boring buses do. And who would pay for those cute little railroads that ride on those cute little tracks with the cute little whistles, you. Snarky, snark, snark.

Well of course you are the BEST driver. No doubt about that! We did find all of the ones we met to be pleasant and some of them were entertaining. The "Test Track" incident from my trip report comes to mind...

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never ride on a Fort Wilderness railroad. I can still dream though.

[caveat lector 181]

Lots of pics, creative narratives, and the Feb 2011 Real man of genius. It's like an intellectual smorgishboard (sp?).

Now some new folks understand why TCD has attained TR Rockstar status.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well I said you never know and I guess you don't . Nice update.

Thank you, sir.

And, because there has been so much interest in this trip report, there will be a special Sunday installment as well.

This trip report is the first on fortfiends.net to hit 1000 views, and has now surpassed 2000!

Way to go fiends!

I remember hearing something about all good writers being a little wacky (think Dean Koontz, Stephen King) TCD, this report proves it! No way would I go stomping through that stuff. Don't you ever worry about snakes, gators, yetis, or even trolls? Every B rated horror movie I've watched in my life would be playing in my head, and I just might :wetpants:

Is that a "wet my pants" smiley?

Now I have seen everything!

There is no doubt that where I was walking is the habitat of all those things you mentioned. But, this little adventure took place on February 12. It was too cold for the cold blooded critters.

And, add to that the fact that I am fearless.

Okay TCD, you just made my weekend and of course the cliffhanger.."will he make it back" type of trip report is something that will ensure my coming back to read till the end of your installments. Missing pics of the twins though, hope they are included soon, they are definitely photographic!

Nancy

Well, thanks.

Not to worry- the TCD twins will most definitely be making an appearance.

Remember, at this point in our story, we are still on our first morning. While I was tromping through the woods, they were in the comfort station getting ready for our next adventure. They would kill me if I took or posted photos of them from right after they woke up.

And one from England!! I too was a lurker at the other site but loved reading your trip reports, its been quite a wait but this one certainly does not disappoint, loving the pics what more could a girl want from a Saturday night than an episode of Dr Who and a photo of turkey butts? :rofl2:

Well, Cheerio and Welcome!

Nice to have you along.

And, happy Mother's Day to you and all the other "mums" reading along!

And we are all friends not just fiends who enjoy getting together with each other when ever we can. We are so lucky to have to site and all the great fiends :heart:

Amen, sister.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Love the report! Hope I don't have to wait till monday for the next installment. I feel like at the end of each installment I hear "same bat time...same bat station!" hahahaha. Just wondering TCD...with all the backwoods places you manage to get into, have you ever run across some of the more dangerous creatures famous in Florida?

Well, your wish has come true, because I will be posting an update in just a bit.

And, to answer your question, I have seen a few snakes and a gator once. But, I have lived in Florida for over 30 years, and that type of thing isn't very remarkable to me. I have seen more snakes and gators on some pretty well manicured golf courses than I have at the Fort.

Well, I have to say that's pretty darn impressive that you remember that. Yes, we have a trip to BLT in 20 days. :banana: I'm very excited about it but miss planning a trip to the Fort. I'm sure we'll have to visit, and then we'll be back at FW again in March. I'm sure I'll be doing reports for both trips. Till then, I'm looking forward to more of your report! Will we get to see the TCD twins in any pics??

I remembered because I was going to try to figure out a way to get you to invite me to come over an watch the MK fireworks from the roof.

But, I have already been there and done that!

Have a great trip!

And, as mentioned, some TCD twin photos will be coming up in a bit.

As soon as I finish following the tracks!

(If I make it, that is.)

Wake up Andrew! This is no time to sleep...you've got another installment to write. I need to know if you found the soccer ball I lost in the Horseshoe Bend area in December 1977. It has "DaveInNY" written on it in Sharpie. I didn't move to TN until 2003, afterall. :rofl2:

Sorry, buddy, but that is a no on that one.

But, I am posting a late night update just for you!

Are you carrying a machete with you? Or at least a great big stick? Well, a stick is no good with snakes. A stick with a knife tied on the end? :rofl2:

No worries.

It was too cold for the snakes.

And even the bears!

And what about the bugs. I realize compared to snakes and gators bugs are small potatoes, but they had to be awful in there :o

Lonestar answered this one correctly!

I did not see a single insect on this walk!

Hard to believe, but true.

TCD

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

TCD, I have not introduced myself yet. I'm rita, runner is my brother. We are st the fort now. I am going to wait until I get home to read your report. I'm glad you decided to join us. I was a lurker on the other place.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I keep looking off in the direction TCD went. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

It's a bad thing this time of year.

Do not try to go in there now.

Who knows what might be crawling around in there?

I wish the railroad was still there. That must have been a cool way to get around the campground. Busses are so boring (Sorry Lou... The drivers are great though!!). The train was already gone on our first trip there as a kid, so I never got to experience it. Even if it was a "fake" railroad, I bet that if would be a big hit if they brought it back.

Agreed.

I never got to ride the train either.

It's hard to imagine that this area I was walking in was once visited and viewed by anyone who rode the FWRR.

I take exception to that statement, a lot of drivers are jerks.

No railroad ever again. Trains are expensive to purchase, operate, maintain, and they would need more than one to do what the boring buses do. And who would pay for those cute little railroads that ride on those cute little tracks with the cute little whistles, you. Snarky, snark, snark.

I have never met a bus driver at WDW who was a jerk. I'm sure you are right, Magicbus, but that has not been my experience.

I enjoy all of the transportation at WDW.

I also agree with you that the railroad is gone for good.

That thing had to be quite dangerous, not to mention a huge drain financially.

Lots of pics, creative narratives, and the Feb 2011 Real man of genius. It's like an intellectual smorgishboard (sp?).

Now some new folks understand why TCD has attained TR Rockstar status.

Thanks.

It's nice to know that I'm back to my Rock Star status so quickly.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

TCD, I have not introduced myself yet. I'm rita, runner is my brother. We are st the fort now. I am going to wait until I get home to read your report. I'm glad you decided to join us. I was a lurker on the other place.

Well, howdy!

Thanks for introducing yourself.

I read the trip report you and your brother are working on.

Very nice job.

If anyone reading this one hasn't read PureTcrazy's, take a look.

Great photos on there!

So, PureTcrazy, what's with your screen name? Are you really Pure? Are you really Crazy?

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Time for another update.

It's still Saturday morning, February 12, and TCD is still following the train tracks through the woods.

So far, I haven't seen anything more than you can easily see right behind the 700 loop.

Just some rotten ties and a lot of ballast.

Plus vines and weeds.

Weeds, like this:

You can see some ties lines up near the center of this photo:

Here, you can see the ties lined up, and to the left, the water from the canal, through the weeds:

Again, more weeds, but you can see the ties continuing on:

It is getting old having to push through all of the weeds and brush.

I decide to take a detour through the swampy area off to the right:

It is not much easier to travel through this tangled mess:

I decide to crawl under this branch, and head back out to follow the tracks:

Here, I stumble upon my first sign that another human has been here recently:

But, upon closer study, this can is old.

Look, it has a pop-top!

When is the last time you saw one of those?

I didn't realize how long it had been since cans were made with the pull-tops that pulled off until a conversation I had with my almost 20 year old daughter last summer. We were discussing, of all things, the Jimmy Buffett song Margaritaville. She asked me about the verse where Jimmy says he blew out his flip-flop and stepped on a pop-top. She asked me what a pop-top was. Can you imagine? Boy, I am old. Not only do I remember pop-tops, but I remember having to open soda cans with a can opener. Remember?

While we are discussing litter-

What is wrong with some people?

This can might be 20 years old.

Why do people throw trash on the ground?

Who do they think will pick it up?

I'll tell you who.

Me.

That's right.

I took that can with me.

I was going to put it in the recycling bin.

And, wouldn't you know it, as soon as I picked up that can, I found another:

Also an oldie:

And, then another:

I crawled through the tangle, with my three antique cans, and found myself back along the old tracks.

Where I found . . .

RAIL!!!!:

Take a look:

Maybe you don't think this is cool, but I did.

I knew that there was some rail over closer to the 1500 loop, but I didn't know it continued all of the way out here.

You are now looking at an intact portion of the old Fort Wilderness Rail Road- note the ballast, ties and rail:

You can see the rails continuing off into the weeds here:

In order to continue on my mission, I must travel through this:

Here we can see a complete double set of rail:

I pressed on.

But, the brush and weeds got thicker and thicker.

I thought about turning back.

But, I had come so far, so I pressed on.

At one point, I ran into what was almost a complete wall of vines and brush.

Will I complete my objective of following the track all the way to the 1500 loop?

You will find out in the next update!

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Great update :banana: And sadly I too remember when you had to use a can opener in order to drink your beverage of choice. :-\ The one good thing about having to pay a bottle deposit in Michigan is you never see cans or bottles laying around anywhere.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Weekend installments of a TCD trip report - now that IS a treat!

Will TCD make it out alive???

I'm on the edge of my seat....

[Lil Lisa 53]

:bravo:

Way cool!!!

[anolefan 8]

Country Time Lemonade!

The pictures of the double track are very cool indeed.

Great report!