February 2011 Trip Report From TCD

[K2P2mom 2]

OK, a guy at church has balls on his truck. He is 46 and still single...go figure :rofl2:

But on a positive note, I am loving this TR!!!

[mgsmom 9]

Wow- so much catching up to do already. First of all, I used to enjoy the Pawn Stars show - I think Rick has a GREAT laugh! But, I started to get frustrated when people would sell these incredibly unique (and often historically rare) items for what I thought was a ridiculously low amount. I mean, come on, at some point you gotta say "I can sell this for 100 bucks or keep this really awesome piece of Americana in my family..." and they almost always sell! It would be like if you sold all your FWRR nails to them for 50 bucks. Seriously. Okay, rant over... :soapbox:

The Tangled meet n greet looks really cute - how long does the whole little skit take? What fun! And yes, it is better if the boys learn the ropes early... :raspberry:

Love the "candid" photos on the coasters... your girls are so cute - I bet they just love havin' fun with their Dad!

We will be there in late July - I'm wishing my ticker would move faster!!!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Have you seen the movie Tangled?

If not, you really ought to.

It is a great movie.

Funny.

But with a positive message.

Rapunzel encourages all the little girls to join her in lying about having any knowledge of the satchel's whereabouts.

I pause here to ask exactly what is Disney trying to teach the young women of our nation here?

Exactly what is the positive message this movie has? Not sure i need my children learning that one.

[Lou... 3,118]

Exactly what is the positive message this movie has? Not sure i need my children learning that one.

I wouldn't elevate the Walt Disney Co. to something it's not, a learning institution. It's an entertainment company that wants to stay in business first and foremost.

[datgrt@fw .... Doug 1]

Here's what you can end up with if you know when they'll snap the picture. We knew when it would happen and agreed beforehand to all have the same expression.

It's me, my daughter and two grandsons on Rock' N' Roller Coaster.

Great picture Lou ...... It looks like you were all having a lot of fun!

Thanks for sharing it with us!

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

It really is a terrific pic Lou... the kind of family photo I like best... one that can't help but make you smile every time you look at it & remember the good times you had together... :heart:

[brerroadrunner 8]

Wow it sure takes a long time to read 15 pages! Wonderful trip report. I had just started reading the boards "over there" and didn't get to read your earlier reports, but have heard much about them. Now I know why! I had sent you a pm about the time of :flush2: "over there" and then you were gone. So glad to see you here. I really like seeing all the pictures.

Your excursion into the "wild" is terrific. Were you one of those who sneaked on to Discovery Island and took pictures? :rofl2:

Seriously, keep up the good work and keep the photos coming!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

My favorite part of this picture is the bumper sticker. This must be the Obvious family's campsite.

:rofl2:

Umm, something is amiss. TCD went to the Laugh Floor and was not tagged with being That Guy? I know the park was crowded but surely there wasn't another dotty old hapless fellow that could trump our TCD?!!

Good catch!

You are correct.

While I have admitted to having been selected to be "That Guy" before, those instances were clearly some type of odd anomalies, because they always pick a clueless old man to be "That Guy."

Here's what you can end up with if you know when they'll snap the picture. We knew when it would happen and agreed beforehand to all have the same expression.

It's me, my daughter and two grandsons on Rock' N' Roller Coaster.

Lou-

That is awesome!

Do you have a good Dinosaur photo?

Expedition Everest?

Test Track?

Splash Mountain?

I do.

I;ll dig them out one of these days and share them.

The Rock and Roller Coaster photo op makes sense to me. They have the cameras in a spot where there are bound to be some real expressive reactions. Same with Splash Mountain and Test Track. But this one in Space Mountain makes no sense to me. If you look at other people's photos at the end of the ride, they mostly have dumb, vacant expressions on their faces.

Wow- so much catching up to do already. First of all, I used to enjoy the Pawn Stars show - I think Rick has a GREAT laugh! But, I started to get frustrated when people would sell these incredibly unique (and often historically rare) items for what I thought was a ridiculously low amount. I mean, come on, at some point you gotta say "I can sell this for 100 bucks or keep this really awesome piece of Americana in my family..." and they almost always sell! It would be like if you sold all your FWRR nails to them for 50 bucks. Seriously. Okay, rant over... :soapbox:

The Tangled meet n greet looks really cute - how long does the whole little skit take? What fun! And yes, it is better if the boys learn the ropes early... :raspberry:

Love the "candid" photos on the coasters... your girls are so cute - I bet they just love havin' fun with their Dad!

We will be there in late July - I'm wishing my ticker would move faster!!!

$50 for rusty nails?

Sold!

Mrs. TCD likes Rick's laugh too. We liken it to the laugh of Muttley, a character from on old cartoon that is probably before your time.

The Tangled meet and greet takes about 30 minutes. The wait to get in was about an hour. But, as I mentioned, they let one person from your party hold your place in line- so you and your DH could switch off taking your DD to go do something else while waiting in line. If she likes the movie, I would really recommend it- all of the kids that were there when we visited really seemed to have a good time.

July. Got it.

I have been known to visit the Fort in July.

Exactly what is the positive message this movie has? Not sure i need my children learning that one.

Let's see.

I have never been accused of being the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I think the message is if you ever find yourself kidnapped and locked in a tower, grow your hair long, befriend a lizard, get yourself a sturdy frying pan, and go live your dream. Something like that. What's negative about that? That is some helpful information to know!

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow it sure takes a long time to read 15 pages! Wonderful trip report. I had just started reading the boards "over there" and didn't get to read your earlier reports, but have heard much about them. Now I know why! I had sent you a pm about the time of :flush2: "over there" and then you were gone. So glad to see you here. I really like seeing all the pictures.

Your excursion into the "wild" is terrific. Were you one of those who sneaked on to Discovery Island and took pictures? :rofl2:

Seriously, keep up the good work and keep the photos coming!

15 pages?

Sorry about that.

This little report sure has grown.

We are now at over 5000 views!

And, there is still quite a bit more to come.

Thanks for reading.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Time for another installment.

As you may remember, there have been persistent rumors for the last year or so about a big new construction project in the area of River Country. Slowly, information has been revealed which establishes that there is truth to these rumors. The specifics are still hazy, but the project involves relocating the current equine operations located in the Settlement area of the Fort up to the Outpost area. A permit application for the new horse barn and related buildings in the Outpost area was discovered by a fellow Fiend, WannaBeImagineer, and there was much discussion about these plans. The permit application was made last Fall. I figured that since they applied for a permit, and the information was being discussed publicly, that ground would be broken early in 2011.

So, early in the morning on Sunday, February 13, 2011, I decided to take a good look around the area where the new horse barn is planned.

We start with a photo of the area to the East of the old Kennel building. In this photo, we are looking North:

This is the area where the new barn is to be built. As you can see, there is a single survey marker in place, and no signs of any construction:

There is a big backstage area here which is used for maintenance vehicles and such, both for Fort Wilderness and the adjacent golf course. You can see big trucks parked in the background of this photo:

There are already a lot of horses kept in this area:

It looks like it was breakfast time for these two:

Now, we are over on the West side of the building:

Here, we are looking toward the current trail ride starting point. The area in the foreground of this photo is where the plans show the new blacksmith shop will be built:

This building used to be the Fort Wilderness Kennel. It is now used by the horse people. The old kennel sign has been repainted:

As you may have figured, I am a big fan of the Tri-Circle-D logo.

Having confirmed that there is absolutely nothing new happening in the proposed new barn construction area, it was time for me to move on.

On the way back in, traffic was stopped for a trail ride:

After a brief wait, I was on my way.

I am headed back to Trail's End for some more coffee.

At Trail's End, I noticed some changes to the breakfast take-out menu. I will have some photos of these changes in my next installment.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I mentioned some new breakfast items available for take out at Trail's End.

What I don't know is how new these items are.

The take-out situation for breakfast has been in a constant state of flux over the past couple of years.

For a while, there was no take out.

And, then it was just muffins and danishes.

Now, it's this:

I am pretty sure this change happened after the first of the year.

But, I am not 100% sure on that.

I can say that I haven't posted photos of the menu or examples of the items before.

Before you get all excited about the new offerings, note that there are just 12 items on the menu. And five of those are beverages.

So, you have your choice of seven take-out items.

They are all on display right here:

In the photo above you can see the muffins, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal and biscuits and gravy.

I am not sure about the price on the oranges. They aren't on the menu.

The biscuits and gravy deserve a closer look:

You can see the oatmeal there too.

I don't know about this display.

Does this stuff look good to you?

Especially the biscuits and gravy?

On the other side of the case, here are the sticky buns and yogurt:

So, how long do you think these items will be on the menu?

I am guessing it will be changed again by the time I next visit.

That's the way it has been going recently.

There is news of some work being done on the cabin pool.

Well, here's how things looked back in February . . .

This is the hot tub area:

This is the equipment room:

That seems like a lot of equipment for a pool this size.

But, they do a good job keeping things neat and clean in here.

That's good to know.

Here's a shot of the pool itself, with the rest room/laundry building in the back:

From here, I headed over to the 1500 loop, where I found that the group that had just arrived on Saturday afternoon was already in the process of clearing out. Some of the rental tents were already vacated:

Whoever these people were, their visit to the Fort was less than 24 hours.

I wonder what kind of group that was?

Continuing on my patrol, I was surprised to find that their were new occupants in site 617. There were quite a few open premium sites all over the Fort, but these campers were lucky enough to be assigned to 617. This site is rarely empty:

These folks had lovely site decorations, and were obviously looking forward to enjoying their nice patio area:

They even had a Mickey lamp!:

Remember the fellow with the "No Dogs" sign on the 1100 loop?

This guy on 1100 had one too. Plus a train. Actually, just a locomotive:

The engine circled the track by itself.

I'm not sure what the point of that was.

But, the Greco family earned a spot in a TCD trip report as a result.

If you go, make sure to keep your dogs away.

They are not welcome there.

Down at the pool, I noticed that they are now using a new board to display all of the activities:

Also notice that Corn Hole has been renamed to a more pleasant sounding Corn Toss.

I approve.

Next up, a visit to Hollywood Studios.

And more.

TCD

[The Troll 67]

I liked your refrence about Take Me to EPCOT at first he seemed harsh but I got to like his style quickly and aslo enjoyed his TR at the other place, will he be joing us here or has he already under another alias.

Well, now, would I be welcome here?

But, I would be wiling to bet that Norm is reading along.

Of course! Who could resist a TCD trip report?

And, if you are, Norm, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you around the Fort soon.

And, if you want, why don't we have dueling trip reports?

What's this? TCD has thrown down the gauntlet?! It's on, sir! Prepare to be bested. Provided, that is, the landlord approves of my presence here.

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

Well, now, would I be welcome here?

Of course! Who could resist a TCD trip report?

What's this? TCD has thrown down the gauntlet?! It's on, sir! Prepare to be bested. Provided, that is, the landlord approves of my presence here.

Please join in the fun!!!!! However, be forewarned, SNARKY RULES around here!!!!!

[AuburnChris 193]

Let me just check the toteboard for Points Distributed:

Fort Fiends : 0

Hm... Might be broken. How about the Members Banned totals?

Fort Fiends : 0

What could be the problem, I wonder?

Oh, I remember. We don't roll like that around here, that's why. :) All fiends are welcome!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, now, would I be welcome here?

Of course! Who could resist a TCD trip report?

What's this? TCD has thrown down the gauntlet?! It's on, sir! Prepare to be bested. Provided, that is, the landlord approves of my presence here.

Norm?

Is it really you?

How can I be sure?

I know- I will ask a question only the real troll would know.

When I visited you at your site on the 300 loop in February, you and Mrs. Troll were playing a board game.

What game was it?

Please join in the fun!!!!! However, be forewarned, SNARKY RULES around here!!!!!

Here! Here!

Norm you got plenty of Snark.

That's what the folks around here like.

So bring it.

It's on like popcorn!

(I'm glad that I got a head start)

(but only by a week!)

TCD

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

"Corn toss"? Seriously? It's thinking like that that took Mickey's musket and replaced it with a walking stick... then the stick was deemed too weapon-like and they swapped it for a butterfly net! UGH!

CORN-HOLE!!!! CORN-HOLE!!!! CORN-HOLE!!!! CORN-HOLE!!!! CORN-HOLE!!!!

...and long live Musket Mickey!

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

Please join in the fun!!!!! However, be forewarned, SNARKY RULES around here!!!!!

Yes she does, but just cause she sleeps with the webmaster!

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

Yes she does, but just cause she sleeps with the webmaster!

:rofl2: :rofl2: :rofl2: :rofl2: :rofl2: :rofl2: :rofl2: :rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

"Corn toss"? Seriously? It's thinking like that that took Mickey's musket and replaced it with a walking stick... then the stick was deemed too weapon-like and they swapped it for a butterfly net! UGH!

CORN-HOLE!!!! CORN-HOLE!!!! CORN-HOLE!!!! CORN-HOLE!!!! CORN-HOLE!!!!

...and long live Musket Mickey!

STOP IT !!!!!!

There is no way that I would be shouting that if I was in North Carolina!

TCD

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

Hey, you’re the one posting pics of steel balls!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I read your TR's, glad you are here.

[The Troll 67]

Norm?

Is it really you?

How can I be sure?

I know- I will ask a question only the real troll would know.

When I visited you at your site on the 300 loop in February, you and Mrs. Troll were playing a board game.

What game was it?

And the answer is...SCRABBLE!

It's me, Norm, the one and only genuine Troll, the hater of blowups, especially ones that depict the baby Jesus!

Hey, how come you can troll steel testicles and get away with it but if I criticize sacrilegious made-in-China Walmart blowups, I get raked over the coals?!

Not fair, I say, not fair! TCD gets all the Get Out of Jail Free cards he wants!

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Welcome back! I don't post alot, but have always enjoyed your reports.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

While we wait for the Troll drama to play out, I am going to press on.

This is one of those reports that seems like it will never end.

After a leisurely morning around camp, we headed over to Hollywood Studios. I don't know why I don't have many photographs from there, but I don't.

The girls did get a milkshake from the Dockside Diner, where I snapped this photo:

I have previously posted photos of flags used around WDW, and even on DCL.

These nautical flags spell something.

In this case, I was a bit stumped.

I figured that they spelled Dockside Diner.

But there were too many flags.

This is how you would spell Dockside Diner:

Studying this a bit, I see that the first flag in the photo is a D. The next flag is a flag that represents a number. Same with the other, longer, flags. So these flags do spell Dockside Diner. If you ignore the number flags interspersed in the line up.

While we are talking nautical flags, can anybody tell me what these flags say?:

Oddly enough, that photo of the Dockside Diner flags is my only photo from Hollywood Studios.

We took the bus back to the Fort.

As you know, that means we had to stop at Wilderness Lodge first.

Right after the turn off for the Fort, on the way to Wilderness Lodge, these cops were set up pulling folks over for speeding:

They were sneaky, too.

They had a man out by the road with a radar gun.

And then another down here where you see the cars parked waving cars in to the parking area.

The speed limit along here is something ridiculously low.

They were pulling a lot of people over.

I hope that they were just giving warnings, and not real tickets.

A ticket would not be much fun at the happiest place on earth.

Doodlebug, if you are still reading along, here's those photos I mentioned a while back:

This Doodlebug was set up on the 2000 loop. I never saw him/her, and really can't say exactly what is going on here.

I have no problem with a nice nativity scene silhouette.

But this was mid February.

So what gives?

Apparently, this person drives around in this van with Doodlebug on the door, so why should I be surprised by a random nativity scene?

On the 300 loop, I ran into flag guy:

I don't know.

Do you think he has enough flag stuff?

Notice the citrus on the trees on the other side of the trailer:

Here are some photos of the display from the Northern Pioneers:

I don't know why, but there is something about that sign telling me to stay on my side of the rope that made me want to run right into this stupid wagon with my golf cart.

But I didn't.

But, I can't make any promises if they put this display up again next year.

SQUIRELL!

I spent some time on Sunday afternoon enjoying my hammock. This was my view off to my right:

And this was my view looking straight ahead:

I can't express how much I enjoy hammock time at the Fort. I always think of the thousands of people crammed into the theme parks or even the other resorts on property while I am swinging in the breeze listening to the birds chirp.

I should have mentioned that when we got back from Hollywood Studios we found that the 2000 loop had been practically abandoned:

The party animals had packed it in and headed home.

It was kind of lonely there on the 2000 loop without them.

Since this was a Sunday, no body new checked in.

After my rest time, we did some looping.

This would have been a better photo if I had been quicker on the draw:

This was a family carrying armloads of firewood toward the 1600 loop. I don't know where they got the wood or what they planned on doing with it, but it's not something you see every day.

Here is a shot of what the Meadow Pool entrance looks like in the winter:

In the summer, when the trees have their leaves, you can barely see the sign.

Here's a shot of the Meadow Pool pavilion. Notice that there are some red and yellow balloons caught up in the tree:

SQUIRREL!!!!

Here we are at the 2000 loop tetherball court, looking toward our campsite:

You can see the TCD camper pretty clearly in this shot:

Night comes early at the Fort in February:

We spent our last evening of this visit over at the MK enjoying EMH until 2 am.

I'll be darned if I didn't get surprised by that Space Mountain camera one last time:

Next up- it's Valentine's Day.

But, it's also our day to head home.

Not to worry.

I was up early for plenty of photos.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Welcome Norm!!!

And great updates Andrew!!

Sorry I have been away a bit the past two days. But you see, I was completely swamped answering all my fans from catertodave.com. The action on that site is insane! :rofl2:

I may be away a bit more the next couple days as we travel home this weekend, but I promise to get caught up eventually. And please try to find one stinkin picture of food on your card. I find it hard to believe that a man can take 6,000 pictures during a weekend and not one is of food...unless it's of him posing horribly with a sausage. :parrot: