TCD's Flippin' Awesome July 4 2011 Fort Trip Report!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Those are great pictures! So peaceful. I love the heron standing tall. It's a shame so much of the natural area will be gone with the new pavilion. The nature trails and wildlife are some of the best things about the Fort.

At one point, I thought the new pavilion was going to be built down here where you can see the castle and Space Mountain, but the plans filed with SWFWMD show it much closer to the Settlement Trading Post. I believe that the plans are accurate, as there would be transportation problems if they put the pavilion way down by the canal and dam. So, I think this awesome view is going to stay. I also think there will be some type of path, as a lot of employees use the current one. I would guess that the new path will not be open to Fort guests, just to castmembers. I agree, the wilderness is the best part of Fort Wilderness, and for now, I think a lot of it will remain.

love the lawn mower stuck in the tree... wonder what the real story is behind it

Didn't you read the sign?

It was that careless Billy Bowlegs who left it there.

Actually, you raise a good point. I kind of think that it was found there, and they cooked up the story. Supposedly, people lived on Discovery Island before Disney came along an bought it. If that is so, it isn't hard to believe that folks may have lived along Bay Lake too.

The fort is extra beautiful when there aren't hoards of people roaming around. Boo to the orange cones ruining your picture, they must not have known you were coming.

I had a somewhat perverted analogy about this TR (imagine that!) But this is a family board, so I'm going to put it another way.....

I was so happy that you started this TR, so soon after finishing the last one.

It has been wonderful so far, and I am looking forward to more,

but part of me wants you to slow down, so it's not over too fast. ;D

Then I won't have anything to look forward to.

I think I get what you are saying.

I'll make sure this report is thorough.

TCD

[stacktester 78]

With all these trip reports we're all going to have to get on SSI and just sit on the computer all day being a bum.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

can you get on SSI for a deep tissue bruise to the shin

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

This is always a sad sight. The old main pool:

This breaks my heart just a little bit more, everytime I see it. :-[

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

With all these trip reports we're all going to have to get on SSI and just sit on the computer all day being a bum.

You ain't kidding. We have no trip report shortage around here.

can you get on SSI for a deep tissue bruise to the shin

Sure. Why not?

This breaks my heart just a little bit more, everytime I see it. :-[

I have conflicted feelings when I see River Country in its current abandoned state. Part of me is sad, but part of me has this glimmer of hope that someday it could be reopened in some form. I think I will be more sad when everything is leveled and something else is built in its place. Then River Country will be gone for good.

TCD

[caveat lector 181]

The before and after of the old MAIN pool is a very cool perspective. Those kind of comparatives never cease to amaze me. Trying to imagine "what could have been..."

[stefa70 205]

So does anyone else have a sudden desire to have a cigarette :rofl2:

:rofl2: How did I know that you would understand?

I think I get what you are saying.

I'll make sure this report is thorough.

TCD

Thank you. That's all a girl can ask for.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We are rolling right along here today, so I may as well continue.

Don't worry S70, we are still on Sunday, and we were there until Tuesday.

After my inspection of River Country, it was time to head out looking for more sights.

First, I had some spikes to deliver on the 300 and 400 loops.

I snapped this photo on the 400 loop.

These folks borrowed a couple of the rockers from the Trail's End porch!:

Can you believe that?

At first, I was going to call one of the rangers.

That would show them.

But, then I thought; hey, I would love to have a couple of rocking chairs at my site, so I was going to go and grab a couple for myself.

Then I took another look.

It turns out that these were not official Trail's End rockers after all.

False alarm.

Carry on.

Nothing to see here.

Move it along people.

That seems like some pretty bulky equipment to haul around.

From here, my coffee mug was empty, so I headed to the Meadow Trading Post for a refill.

As I sped down Fort Wilderness Trail in my very fast Lorna and Richie cart, a fellow on a bike waved frantically and called my name.

I slammed on the brakes.

And skidded to a stop.

It was anolefan!

From FF.net.

I didn't known he was at the Fort.

But there he was.

He has already posted a trip report, which I recommend you read if you haven't already.

We chatted for a bit.

I told him about the fish I had just seen a little bit ago.

He showed me a photo of his fish on his camera.

It's the same photo on the top of this page.

I made a mental note to find TnBob some time that day and let him know that he was the only fisherman at the Fort not catching fish.

anolefan's son was there too.

He is a great kid.

He likes to give his dad a hard time.

I gave then a couple of spikes. It's a good thing that I found 12 of them.

We caught up on Fort gossip, and I think we talked a little FSU football too, and then he went his way and I went mine.

It was good to see you anolefan!

Next stop was the Meadow Trading Post.

I was just going in to fill my mug and get out of there. I had another stop to make.

But, I couldn't help perusing the camping equipment. I don't remember this awning repair tape from my last visit:

Let's have some fun with this.

I think you can see on the package that there is 15' of tape in there.

So, let's see who can guess the price.

Whoever guesses closest to the price without going over will win a prize.

Which will be selected by me.

Notice that I did not say a fabulous prize.

If you want to play, post your guesses, and I will let you know who wins.

If you are at the Fort now, you are disqualified.

From the Meadow Trading Post, I headed across the street to the 900 loop.

I had met Keylime359 and PrincessNana there on Saturday afternoon. I had seen KampfireKim's site, but no KFK.

I drove by slowly.

There was someone on the porch.

It was Mr. KFK.

I hit the gas.

J/K.

I stopped and said hello.

Hurston (I hope that I spelled that right) and I sat and chatted over a cup of coffee.

What a super nice guy.

He told me KFK was inside sleeping.

And there was no way that he was going to wake her.

I called him chicken and even did some clucking and wing flapping, but he still wouldn't wake her.

So, I didn't get to meet KFK.

Yet.

After Hurston and I had discussed everything that needed to be discussed, it was time to move on.

I went back to check on the girls at my site.

Everyone was still asleep.

So, more looping for me.

And, I needed one last cup of coffee.

Since the bridge behind the trading post is now closed off to golf carts, I will sometimes park over on the Bike Barn side, and walk over to the Trading Post. So that's what I did.

There's a great crepe myrtle tree right there.

Here's a photo of some of its blooms:

You can see the fishing dock across the lake through the leaves in this photo:

Take another look at that last photo. If you look really carefully, you can see that there is a man fishing from the dock.

Does anybody want to guess who it is?

I will tell you in just a minute.

Here we are looking through the tree toward the Bike Barn:

And this photo is taken from up on the bridge:

Now we are on the porch behind the Trading Post. You can see the fisherman there through the leaves on the right. Also notice how there is a bunch of mulch on the dock:

Right after I took that photo, I stepped forward a bit to get a photo of Bear Rock. I could see who was on the dock then.

It was TnBob!

The poor guy still had not caught a thing!

But it wasn't from lack of trying.

Bob and I had a brief chat.

I told him about the fish anolefan and the guy down by the dam had caught. Bob didn't care. He said he and Frank had caught plenty of fish right from this dock in January, and he was going to do it again.

We even talked about the mulch on the dock. Bob pointed out that it had been raining like crazy before I showed up at the Fort, and the path to the dock had turned in to a mini river and washed all of that mulch down on to the dock.

Wow.

Bob was the third Fiend I had run into and it was still early in the morning.

And you know what?

The Fiends have to be the nicest people you will ever meet.

Really.

Here is the photo I stepped forward to take:

That's Bear Rock.

In the water.

Like it belongs.

Here's how it looked on my last visit (which wasn't even a month before):

I guess all of that rain had done some good around the Fort.

But, someone needs to pull that weed growing there.

I should have done it while Bear Rock was out of the water.

I'll pull it myself if one of you doesn't get it first.

Coffee in hand, I wished Bob luck, and headed back across the bridge.

On my way back to 1500, I stopped and admired the big crepe myrtle trees which frame the entrance to the Meadow Pool. Here's some photos of them for you:

This shot is taken from the entrance, looking out. Note the smooth bark on the tree in the foreground. That is a characteristic of crepe myrtles:

Here's one last crepe myrtle shot, looking up at the blooms:

As I passed by the pavilion by the pool, I noticed something new. There are little signs posted on it. Look:

Here's a closer look:

Those were not there last month. These are interesting. Isn't the entire pool area reserved exclusively for Fort Wilderness guests? So what is with the signs?

Here's one last look at the pavilion:

As mentioned, it was early in the morning. I got to witness the table savers staking their claims:

This is how some people roll.

They show up early and put their crap on the tables. And keep it there all day. Then, when you go and buy a southern smothered hot dog for lunch, you can go sit on the ground under a tree and eat it while this guy's hat saves the table for whenever he feels like showing up. Too bad for you that you are too dumb to go down to the pool at 8:30 am and put your hat on the table.

Seriously. There was the same lady at the table closest to the slide every day that we visited. She saved her table with a box of Life cereal and other crap. Yes I said Life cereal. I guess they had breakfast there and stayed all day.

What can you do?

Here we are back at the 1500 loop. The girls were all still sawing logs:

I went ahead and made breakfast. That got everyone moving.

While I was cooking, I snapped a few shots from the back of my site:

We had a great big breakfast. Scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes. Good stuff.

Then it was time to take the girls looping.

Mrs. TCD hates this, but looping usually includes a soda run.

I noticed something new on my visit to the Trail's End drink machine.

Maybe you all have noticed this before and I'm the only dense one.

But, there's a Hidden Mickey right here on the drink machine's sign:

Do you see it?

Look in the wood grain right under the C and A in Campground.

I never noticed that before.

Duh!

And guess what?

That Hidden Mickey is part of the Fort Wilderness logo.

It's on all of the logos you see around the Fort.

I never noticed that.

Duh again!

It stayed pretty cool for most of the morning, and we had a good time just hanging around camp. The girls all headed off to the showers, and I got to do yet some more looping.

At some point that morning, I stopped by the check on the tie die activity at AuburnJen's site. I got to meet Homebrew aka Denny. Good to meet you, Denny!

After noon, as the sun started beating down, it started to heat up around camp. We had planned to visit Wilderness Lodge for lunch to get out of the heat.

And, so in early afternoon, we hopped a bus to the lodge.

Let me give you a free transportation tip here. It's a good one too. Lately, the Yellow Bus is also the Wilderness Lodge Bus. It used to be the Orange Bus, but now it's the Yellow Bus. This is good to know because it means you can hop one bus, and ride it all the way to the Lodge. No getting off and waiting for another bus at the Settlement. So, we were able to catch the bus at our back door (literally), and ride in air conditioned comfort all the way to the Lodge.

We didn't have to wait at the bus stop, either. I mean, our site was practically an extension of the bus stop anyway.

When the bus showed up, we were the only passengers. This was either a new or reconditioned bus, because everything in it was spotless, and there were no advertisements up on the walls. We all sat in the back, while one DD chose to sit up front. She felt lonely:

No body got on the bus after that. We had a private ride all the way to the Lodge. While I appreciated this, it sure seems like a waste.

We had a great lunch at the Lodge. We just went to Roaring Forks, which is the quick serve place there. People often comment that they wish the Fort had a quick serve place, but in a way, the one at the Lodge does serve the Fort. It is quick and easy to get to (especially if you are on the Yellow Bus route).

We had a bit of a wait heading back to the Fort. At the Lodge, the MK and Fort buses share a bus stop. When the Fort Wilderness bus arrived, it clearly had "Fort Wilderness" displayed up on its marquee. That did not stop every person waiting for an MK bus from walking up and blocking the door and asking the driver if this bus was going to MK. Have you ever noticed that? It happens at the Fort all the time. What's so hard about the bus system that people always have to ask the driver something? If you don't believe me, spend some time at the Settlement or Outpost bus stops, and you'll see.

It was later in the afternoon when we got back to our site. It was still hot, but we were now getting some shade. It didn't take long for the AC to begin cooling things off, but this is what we found when we first got back:

We also had a couple of visitors on our loop. Specifically these two geniuses, who apparently decided to use the 1500 loop for pool parking:

These folks parked there all afternoon. The light colored SUV had a cabin parking permit. The other car had no permit. I wanted to find out what cabin the cabin people were in so I could go park at their cabin all day. Harummph.

I don't think I posted a photo of our elaborate salute to America site decorations, so here you go:

We did take a stroll over to the pool for a quick dip. It was very crowded. I brought my KTTW card because there were reports that ID"s were being checked, but I wasn't asked to show it to anyone. I saw a few folks with wristbands, but most of the people did not have wristbands. The line to the slide moves quick, and we still had fun.

Somewhere this afternoon, a Fiend by the name of fldisneymommyto2 stopped by and said hello. I was also stopped by a lady at the Meadow Trading Post who recognized me from previous trip reports. She was from New York, and was having a great time at the Fort. I don't think she is a member of this board.

We had a great day at the Fort.

As evening approached, we formulated our plans.

We were going to head to the Polynesian Resort for dinner and then watch the special 4th of July fireworks from there.

You will see how that turned out in my next post.

TCD

[We4mickey 6]

This is always a sad sight. The old main pool:

This breaks my heart just a little bit more, everytime I see it. :-[

It is sad, when I think of all the good times our family had there. My dad loved this place.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The before and after of the old MAIN pool is a very cool perspective. Those kind of comparatives never cease to amaze me. Trying to imagine "what could have been..."

If you like these kinds of comparisons, then stay tuned. When we get around to the morning of the 4th, you will see some more of this type of thing.

:rofl2: How did I know that you would understand?

Thank you. That's all a girl can ask for.

Hey, that's what I'm here for. To keep you happy.

It is sad, when I think of all the good times our family had there. My dad loved this place.

This dad loved that place too.

Those slides were spectacular.

You would drop from there into 10' of water.

They just don't make anything like this anymore!

TCD

[TnBob 311]

I'm reading along, I did catch a couple of fish a day but nothing to write home to momma about.

Maybe it's the fact that you didn't bring me the chicken skin this time.

You show up, guy catches fish, you bring me chicken skin and I catch fish, you don't bring skin I catch no big ones? Coincidence?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm reading along, I did catch a couple of fish a day but nothing to write home to momma about.

Maybe it's the fact that you didn't bring me the chicken skin this time.

You show up, guy catches fish, you bring me chicken skin and I catch fish, you don't bring skin I catch no big ones? Coincidence?

You are right, Bob.

It's all my fault.

I forgot to bring you that chicken skin.

If it makes you feel any better I didn't catch any fish all weekend either.

Of course, I didn't go fishing, but the point is we both ended up with about the same results.

You need to try the canal next time.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

Then it was time to take the girls looping.

Mrs. TCD hates this, but looping usually includes a soda run.

TCD

Mrs. TCD hates looping? Soda runs? Or soda, in general?

Hey, that's what I'm here for. To keep you happy.

TCD

You are a good man! (no matter what Mrs. TCD says about you ;D )

This was a great update! It's nice to see the signs on the pavilions, although I'm not sure how well they will work.

For some reason, TCD doesn't strike me as a swimming kind of guy!? I'm having a hard time picturing you in a bikini.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Mrs. TCD hates looping? Soda runs? Or soda, in general?

You are a good man! (no matter what Mrs. TCD says about you ;D )

This was a great update! It's nice to see the signs on the pavilions, although I'm not sure how well they will work.

For some reason, TCD doesn't strike me as a swimming kind of guy!? I'm having a hard time picturing you in a bikini.

1. Mrs. TCD does not like how much soda we drink when we camp at the Fort. We never used to drink that much before those refillable mugs came along. Mrs. TCD loves looping. Except for when she runs in to Stacktester.

2. Those signs are a joke. If locals have already made it this far, those signs aren't about to make them turn away.

3. I love to swim, but no bikini thank you very much. But on the 4th, I did break out my Mark Spitz replica speedo from the '76 Olympics. I'm not sure if I got a photo of that. I'll have to check. Seriously, though, we made a lot of trips to the pool on this visit. We just had to walk across that bridge behind our site.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

1.Except for when she runs in to Stacktester.

3. I love to swim, but no bikini thank you very much. But on the 4th, I did break out my Mark Spitz replica speedo from the '76 Olympics. I'm not sure if I got a photo of that. I'll have to check. Seriously, though, we made a lot of trips to the pool on this visit. We just had to walk across that bridge behind our site.

TCD

Yes, I have heard that she is not a fan of The Mayor's!

That is too funny!!! I will be glued to the TR, waiting for the speedo pics! I'm sure that you looked like his twin.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

amazing how much you miss just by putting the computer down for a little bit.... durn trailer hitching!

[anolefan 8]

I left your fish photo in your quote.

That is a nice fish!

And great job getting that photo without assistance!

TCD

With my record of dropping things, I don't know how I didn't manage to give Mr. Bass a nasty faceplant!

He was heavy to hold up that high.

As I sped down Fort Wilderness Trail in my very fast Lorna and Richie cart, a fellow on a bike waved frantically and called my name.

I slammed on the brakes.

And skidded to a stop.

It was anolefan!

From FF.net.

I didn't known he was at the Fort.

But there he was.

He has already posted a trip report, which I recommend you read if you haven't already.

We chatted for a bit.

I told him about the fish I had just seen a little bit ago.

He showed me a photo of his fish on his camera.

It's the same photo on the top of this page.

anolefan's son was there too.

He is a great kid.

He likes to give his dad a hard time.

I gave then a couple of spikes. It's a good thing that I found 12 of them.

We caught up on Fort gossip, and I think we talked a little FSU football too, and then he went his way and I went mine.

It was good to see you anolefan!

It was great visiting with you Andrew! I really enjoyed our conversation, and would love to take in a FSU game with you in the fall!

And to all the fiends out there, the mornings are the absolute best time to wander around the Fort. The scenery is great, and with a little luck you may just make a cameo appearance in a legendary TR!

There was someone on the porch.

It was Mr. KFK.

I hit the gas.

J/K.

I stopped and said hello.

Hurston (I hope that I spelled that right) and I sat and chatted over a cup of coffee.

What a super nice guy.

TCD

I couldn't agree more!

I got to meet KFK and Hurston briefly while looping on that Saturday morning. Just a super nice family and really enjoyed talking to both of them!

[Lil Lisa 53]

Let's have some fun with this.

I think you can see on the package that there is 15' of tape in there.

So, let's see who can guess the price.

Whoever guesses closest to the price without going over will win a prize.

Which will be selected by me.

Notice that I did not say a fabulous prize.

If you want to play, post your guesses, and I will let you know who wins.

I guess $14.99 - about a dollar per foot.

As mentioned, it was early in the morning. I got to witness the table savers staking their claims:

This is how some people roll.

They show up early and put their crap on the tables. And keep it there all day. Then, when you go and buy a southern smothered hot dog for lunch, you can go sit on the ground under a tree and eat it while this guy's hat saves the table for whenever he feels like showing up. Too bad for you that you are too dumb to go down to the pool at 8:30 am and put your hat on the table.

Seriously. There was the same lady at the table closest to the slide every day that we visited. She saved her table with a box of Life cereal and other crap. Yes I said Life cereal. I guess they had breakfast there and stayed all day.

What can you do?

If they were nowhere to be seen, I think that moving their crap to the ground under a tree would drive the point home.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I guess $14.99 - about a dollar per foot.

If they were nowhere to be seen, I think that moving their crap to the ground under a tree would drive the point home.

I heard those winds can be pretty strong in Florida during the summer. Anything not secured down can just fly away. One should be more careful with their belongings.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I'm guessing $24.99

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

$17.99

[SCTigerCock 171]

.01

[We4mickey 6]

$19.99

[wak648...Bill 94]

Let's have some fun with this.

I think you can see on the package that there is 15' of tape in there.

So, let's see who can guess the price.

28.99

[LONE-STAR 370]

$26.99 and the retail price is ??