Spring Break 2011 @ The Fort By TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Since I have five dogs, I feel qualified to answer this one :rofl2: You pay $5, per night, no matter how many dogs you have. I was actually charged for each dog one time and didn't notice it. Disney sent me a refund when I returned home. It was a nice surprise when it arrived :banana:

Thanks.

I have wondered about that.

I know Monique would know about this, but she is a slacker in the dog department compared to you.

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Thanks.

I have wondered about that.

I know Monique would know about this, but she is a slacker in the dog department compared to you.

TCD

But it takes all five of mine to make one of hers :rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Alright, we have a lot of ground to cover, so let's get going.

It is now already Sunday, March 27th. Time flew for the first part of our trip. That's because of the late arrival on Friday, and visiting both Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom on Saturday. There would be no rope drop for us this morning. That gave me a chance to get out and do some exploring.

As is my practice, I was up before the sun, and showered and heading down to Trail's End for that first cup of mud as the sun began to rise.

It had gotten very cool Saturday night. Maybe as cool as the upper 50's. I love camping at this time of year.

There was a mist hanging over the swampy area between the 300 and 1500 loops:

I love mornings like this. You won't see this in the Summer. And not so much in the winter either. What you need is warm days and then a pretty cool night.

I love being around the Settlement early in the morning, when it is practically deserted:

You can see that the crepe myrtle trees here, which were bare just a month ago, are now full of new green leaves:

Here's a photo from earlier in March, which I snapped when we were passing through the Fort:

You can see that there are new flowers, and the trees sprouted leaves just in a couple of weeks' time.

Looking just a bit to the right, you can see that something is going on over at the Settlement Trading Post:

The old River Country wagon is still missing. It has been gone for over a year now:

Here's a look all the way down to River Country's former entrance:

And, here are some shots from around Pioneer Hall:

I love the fact that no matter what time of year it is, there will be beautiful flowers in bloom in the flower beds here.

Here's one of my favorite sights at the Fort- Pioneer Hall at sunrise. Notice how the sun is just beginning to hit the top of the building:

This DVC kiosk could become a very busy place in the near future if the rumored DVC resort ever gets going at the Fort:

Let's go and take a look at what is happening over at the Settlement Trading Post.

It is getting a new roof.

They went to great lengths to arrange for the Trading Post to remain open while the roof work was being done.

Here, you can see some of the safety barriers:

For whatever reason, they did one half of the roof at a time:

Here are some more shots of the safety precautions:

As far as I can tell, the roof on the Settlement Trading Post was made of actual wood shingles.

I wonder if this is the original roof.

Do wood shingle roofs last 40 years?

I wonder if they will replace it with actual wood shingles?

There was a rumor floating around last year that the Settlement Trading Post was going to be removed, and a new gift shop would be built somewhere over by Pioneer Hall, or perhaps in the existing buildings that are part of that complex. I think this new roof kind of shoots down that rumor.

While we are in the area, we will mosey over to River Country for a look see.

You can see that the roof of the old River Country ticket window is not getting the same level of attention as the roof of the Settlement Trading Post:

I am no roof expert, and what they do in Norway notwithstanding, but, I don't think having plants growing on your roof is a good thing:

From here, we will venture into the old River Country entrance area to see if there is anything new to see.

After all, it's been over a year since the rumors started to fly that something new is on the way here.

Surely there must be something happening by now.

We shall see . . .

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

One of these days I am going to have wander the Fort in the early morning. I really don't see it happening unless Stef comes and drags me out of bed :rofl2: But it sure looks tranquil.

Okay, now on with the show :bravo:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

One of these days I am going to have wander the Fort in the early morning. I really don't see it happening unless Stef comes and drags me out of bed :rofl2: But it sure looks tranquil.

Okay, now on with the show :bravo:

Heck yes, it is tranquil.

Even if you are not a morning person, you really ought to try it once.

There is just such a sense of peacefulness about the place. Especially since you know that there will be hundreds of folks passing through here later in the day.

I agree, on with the show . . .

TCD

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

I'm in denial! I kept clicking on the bottom like..."What do you mean there's only 2 pages!?" :o LOL

I guess I'm used to finding TCD reports when they're almost done and I can get the whole trip in one shot. Not sure I can handle the suspense!!

But I'm excited to give it a try!!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It's still early Sunday morning.

And, we are at the old River Country ticket window.

We all know what's coming next.

I have to go in and take a look.

Just the part that is open to the public.

TCD is a rule follower.

My lousy cousin Yuri, now he's a different story.

But, he's nowhere to be found.

So, we head in to the old entry area.

This is where the River Country water tower once stood.

This area is kept up rather nicely, as they use it as a place for guests to congregate while waiting to enter the Backyard BBQ.

This used to be what guests first saw when they entered River Country:

Just past this entry area there are a couple of picnic tables pushed up to the fence. There is also a gap in the fence here. Right on the other side of the fence, we can see that poor old River Country just continues to rot away. Here is the picnic table graveyard:

Here we are looking from this spot toward the old Pop's Place restaurant:

Some of the plants growing around here are hangers-on from the glory days of River Country:

And, now we are looking back over the fence:

The mysterious blue tanks are still back there:

The bottom line is that there is no sign of anything new happening over the fence.

Over here near the old River Country pool, things look just as bad:

Here's a look back toward the building that remains after part of Pop's Place was removed. The old River Country restrooms are still in there, and are used by Backyard BBQ guests:

Here are a few random shots of the general area:

This is where the River Country water tower used to tower:

Here we are just outside of the River Country entrance area, looking toward the barn area. This view is likely going to be much different in the coming years. Too bad:

Clementine's Beach is right here, so we might as well take a look at it, right?:

This little quiet corner of the Fort is also going to be changing in the not so distant future.

Too bad, again.

From here, we will head back toward the Settlement Trading Post, and see what we can find down the Wilderness Swamp Trail.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm in denial! I kept clicking on the bottom like..."What do you mean there's only 2 pages!?" :o LOL

I guess I'm used to finding TCD reports when they're almost done and I can get the whole trip in one shot. Not sure I can handle the suspense!!

But I'm excited to give it a try!!!

Not to worry.

It's better to follow along as the trip report plays out.

That way, you can ask questions, or join in a discussion in the likely event of a hijack.

And, you should never rush through a TCD trip report, anyway.

Take some time and look at all of the detail.

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Our first visit to River Country was June 1988. It soon became a family tradition. There were many times when I would give the kids a choice between going to one of the parks or spending a day at RC, they would choose RC every time. I cry for what is lost but hold onto all the wonderful memories. :heart:

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Not to worry.

It's better to follow along as the trip report plays out.

That way, you can ask questions, or join in a discussion in the likely event of a hijack.

And, you should never rush through a TCD trip report, anyway.

Take some time and look at all of the detail.

TCD

Oh, I NEVER rush! That's part of the problem...I sit on the computer for hours while my children wander around shouting "MUMMY!? Where are you!? We're hungry!!!"

I'm glad to be in this one from the begining!

[LONE-STAR 370]

I think now that I have a little girl we will be eating at Restaurantasaurus more.

[We4mickey 6]

Every time we have one of those hazy foggy mornings. DH says I wish we were at the Fort. I couldn't agree more. I don't know if I am going to be able to do it. We are supposed to stay at the Lodge in Sept, but all these pics are making me second guess our choice.

[Just Whipperwhirl 24]

Loving your TR - as usual - your knowlege is so extensive - have you ever thought about writing a book about the Fort?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Our first visit to River Country was June 1988. It soon became a family tradition. There were many times when I would give the kids a choice between going to one of the parks or spending a day at RC, they would choose RC every time. I cry for what is lost but hold onto all the wonderful memories. :heart:

You are lucky.

I first visited River Country around 1996, when my oldest was around 5.

After that, we went often. The TCD twins were under three then, and they got in free.

We spent almost all of our time in the Kiddie Kove.

I have very fond memories of River Country as well.

I wish that they would go ahead and level the place. It always makes me sad to see how it looks now.

Oh, I NEVER rush! That's part of the problem...I sit on the computer for hours while my children wander around shouting "MUMMY!? Where are you!? We're hungry!!!"

I'm glad to be in this one from the begining!

Good job!

But please take breaks when needed to feed the kids.

I think now that I have a little girl we will be eating at Restaurantasaurus more.

The contract they had with McDonald's has ended. Now, it's just typical Disney fast food crap. It's hard to believe, but the McDonald's food was better. If they still had Dinosaur squirt guns, we would probably still go, but they don't even have those any more. It is cool to sit in the old Airstream, though.

Every time we have one of those hazy foggy mornings. DH says I wish we were at the Fort. I couldn't agree more. I don't know if I am going to be able to do it. We are supposed to stay at the Lodge in Sept, but all these pics are making me second guess our choice.

I am not sure of all that factored in to your decision to stay at the Lodge, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do. There is nothing wrong with the Lodge. And, it certainly is easy enough to get a Fort fix from there. Let me know when you are going to be there. Maybe a Fiend could help you out with borrowing bikes or even a golf cart for a little tour around the Fort.

Loving your TR - as usual - your knowlege is so extensive - have you ever thought about writing a book about the Fort?

Thank you ma'am.

As a matter of fact, I have thought about writing a book about the Fort. I could write a good one too. I just don't know where to start, or if there would be much demand for it.

And hey, by the way- doesn't site 1503 ring a bell with you?

Like maybe about Halloween?

And a duct tape pirate ship?

Or something?

TCD

[Judy in Texas 150]

Now, please fix it so I can capitalize TCD in my trip report titles. "Tcd" doesn't look right.

TCD

I know what you mean. I can't tell you how many times I tried to capitalize NASCAR in report title about my quick trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I thought people might think I didn't know any better.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I know what you mean. I can't tell you how many times I tried to capitalize NASCAR in report title about my quick trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I thought people might think I didn't know any better.

And, ftwildernessguy posted a thread the other day that I'm sure he intended to read RIP Wally Boag. Instead it said Rip Wally Boag. I don't know Wally, and I didn't know why FWG wanted to Rip him. Then I thought maybe this Wally was a relative of Rip Van Winkle. But, it turns out that FWG was just letting us know Wally died. Very confusing.

I just posted something over on the technical issues part of the board. I would think that there's an easy fix for this.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Moving along . . .

It is still Sunday morning, and now we are going to take a look at what is going on around the Settlement Trading Post.

As you already saw, the roof was being replaced.

No work was going on over the weekend.

And, I was curious about how they were actually doing the work.

I saw that they had set up safety barricades galore.

But, I was wondering about all of their "stuff."

Where was their stuff?

You know, like a dumpster, and the tar paper, and the new shingles that were going to go on the roof.

Where was all of this?

I decided to see if it was behind the Trading Post.

Here we are heading in that direction.

But first.

Look at this:

Do you recognize that campsite?

I almost didn't either.

That is Feisty's campsite.

You know, Judy.

Site 114.

The one that is decorated for Halloween. And then Thanksgiving. And then Christmas. And then New Year's. And then the Super Bowl. And then Valentine's Day. And then Mardi Gras?

Yes, that one.

Well, that's what it looks like when Judy isn't there.

I miss her already.

But she will be back.

By the way, Judy told me she reads TCD trip reports.

So, here's a big shout out to you Judy!

You should come on here and post once in a while.

Here is the lovely canal behind the 100 loop:

As luck would have it, the gates behind the Settlement Trading Post were wide open. We can look right in. There's the dangblasted River Country Water Wagon. They removed it from its spot a year ago for refurbishment. And, it has sat right there ever since:

Rumor has it that WDW moles read TCD trip reports too. If you are a WDW mole, please continue reading. If you are not, skip the rest of this paragraph. OK- mole- tell whoever is in charge of this to get the dangblasted wagon done and back out where it belongs. I have been patient. But, this is starting to bother me. Thank you.

Notice that there is no roofing stuff back here.

So where is all the stuff?

Down the path?

Let's take a look:

Well. I'll be. There's the stuff.

Let's take a look:

What we have here appear to be sheets of the decking they are using on the roof, as well as the paper that goes on top of the decking, and a bunch of assorted pieces from the scaffolding. I don't see any shingles. So, I don't know if they are going to replace the wood shingles or go with another kind. But, we will find out one of these days.

This is the area where there were a lot of survey stakes in the past year. There was also a test well dug here. This is the view from this area looking toward Bay Lake:

And, here we are looking back toward the 200 loop:

There are no signs of any new surveys or construction going on here. Two months ago, I reached the conclusion that all of the new construction that was supposed to be happening in this area had been placed on hold. But then fellow Fiend WannaBeImagineer found a permit application for a new pavilion which is to be erected right here. In this very spot. So, these are going to be some before photos some day.

For now, though, we will continue down the path to see what we can see:

Here we are at another one of my favorite spots in all of Fort Wilderness.

On the shore of Bay Lake.

In the area of the old Marshmallow Marsh.

On a typical clear morning, you can see Cinderella's Castle and Space Mountain from here.

But, this is not a clear day.

It's a misty Fort morning.

Which provided my favorite photo from this trip:

Look at that!

What must it have been like for those fellows out there on the lake.

Also, please take a look at the birds in the foreground.

Especially the one whose reflection you can see on the water, but who all but blends in with the grass.

I think that is pretty cool.

One photo of this scene is not enough. So here are some more:

I always have to take a look at the old cabin back here:

I've certainly been back here a lot.

But, I've never really studied the little sea wall here. It is obviously old. I wonder what it was used for? There are eyes installed here. I presume for watercraft of some type to be tied up:

Here's another look at the cabin:

And, here's a shot of the dam:

Well, I think we have covered the Settlement area well enough.

Now, we will move out into the campground.

We will visit another of my favorite places.

And, then we have a little mission to go on.

Yes, you read that right.

We are going to go exploring.

Again.

TCD

[GOBA Mom Lynn 18]

Yay, another trip report :banana:

And I have to agree with you, that photo is GREAT.

It looks so.....other-worldly.

Can't wait to see and read the rest of the report.

:popcorn:

[YodaGirl 13]

Did I really get in on just the third page? Go me.

I did take notes so that I didn't miss anything. This pregnancy brain is getting the best of me.

Let's see...

Hate to hear that you got started late. That seems to be the norm for us, and it always stinks. Especially at the end of the driving when you're saying to yourself, "I could have been there already!".

We've never managed to stay in the 1500 Loop. We were assigned 1501? (the site directly by the bus stop) in 2004. The only problem was that my confirmation was for a preferred site. I never did understand that. We were told that there wasn't a preferred site available. Of course, when my mom called after I talked to the Outpost, they said that she could most definitely book a preferred site for the same dates. Imagine their surprise when she said, "Then what's the problem with giving my daughter and son-in-law the preferred site that they were booked?". Oops. Begrudgingly, they put us in the 800 Loop. If the 1500 Loop site hadn't been so bad, it probably would've been better than the 800, but there were hardly any trees on the 1500 Loop. I'm still not sure where wires got crossed and what the problem was. My best guess was that it was the week of July 4th, we were young, we were in a tent, and they figured that they could sell the preferred site to someone else? I don't know. It got fixed. I just wish I could've figured out what the problem was. That was a long tangent. Back to comments on your TR...

Those were a lot of dogs. And there was a very large dog. At first glance, I thought that it was a pony...

DH would love to spend the night in a hammock at the Fort. I'm not that adventurous.

Sorry to hear about your team in the NCAA tournament. I root for UK. They made it to Final Four, but I'm still mad about that game...and the fact that they couldn't buy a basket. Well, that is until the 3 pointer that they made at the end of the game when it was too late to come back. Ridiculous. I'll get over it eventually...sometime after I get over Laettner stomping Mashburn back in '92. And then they put Laettner on the Dream Team. Whatever. Like I said, eventually.

Hemp. That reminds me...when I was in school, hemp sandals made a comeback. They were banned. I guess they thought that we were going to smoke them? Weird...

I loved your settlement and old Marshmallow Marsh pictures! I love looking at pictures. Always up for more!

Can't wait for the rest of your report!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

You would never guess that this picture was taken at the Fort. I feel like I'm at a bayou

[ftwildernessguy 778]

And, ftwildernessguy posted a thread the other day that I'm sure he intended to read RIP Wally Boag. Instead it said Rip Wally Boag. I don't know Wally, and I didn't know why FWG wanted to Rip him. Then I thought maybe this Wally was a relative of Rip Van Winkle. But, it turns out that FWG was just letting us know Wally died. Very confusing.

I just posted something over on the technical issues part of the board. I would think that there's an easy fix for this.

TCD

You are correct. There is no way I wanted to rip Wally. I have been following him on his Facebook page for quite a while, and was shocked and more than a little upset when I learned of his passing.

[wdwbound 0]

Thanks for adding another trip report again TCD. I try to show DH all your pictures and all he can say is that he will see it when he gets there..spoilsport!

I will add that on one of our trips to the Fort when they were replacing the roof of the pool building they used specially made tiles for the roofing material that looked like shingles but were long lasting poly "something". He asked a few of the fellows that were working on it and none of them spoke English so he had to wait until someone who looked like he was in charge and HE spoke English. So...maybe the same material will be used on the roof at the Settlement? Will have to compare when we go in September...supposedly they were specially made for Disney.

Nancy

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Wow,it's a small world! Most people don't realize that there are places so "country" in Florida. You are correct, Blountstown is our nearest "civilization!"

I am loving this report and looking forward to your next installment!

[johnnyb aka John 15]

Wow, I can't believe it took me 3 pages to see that there was another TCD report~!~ I can't wait for more.

[AuburnChris 193]

Now, please fix it so I can capitalize TCD in my trip report titles. "Tcd" doesn't look right.

TCD

Your wish, my command, etc. :)

It was a setting to PREVENT PEOPLE FROM SHOUTING IN THEIR THREAD TITLES. Hopefully we won't have a problem with that.