The TCD Gang Runs Disney-2013 Princess Half Marathon Weekend TR

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We left off about to walk in to the 300 loop, and here we go. This first site on the left has an RV plus two tents set off quite a distance from the slab:

Sorry for the blurry photo- but it's the only one I have showing both tents. These folks were getting their money's worth from their site:

It's always kind of sad after the holidays end. People just don't know how to decorate their sites. From September through the beginning of January, it's easy. Folks go from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, no problem. Then what? You may see a few Valentine's Day decorations, and some Easter stuff, but people are lost.

Not this guy. He went with a troll theme:

This guy put up a sign and a couple of potted plants:

This guy said to heck with it and just left up his Christmas Mickey Heads:

I have seen custom signs like this around the 100 loop. Somebody who camps at the Fort must be making them for other people:

I headed around the loop and out the back toward the canal.

Here we are. The fog and clouds are good because I could barely see the crane or the top of the new Four Seasons resort being built next to the Fort:

But, it's there:

I crossed over the bridge, and here we are at the dam:

They have the pump set up on the dam. It wasn't pumping any water yet, but I'm sure it will be soon:

You slime duckweed fans will be happy at this news. Once they start pumping water out of the Fort's canals, the duckweed will get worse. But who cares about a bunch of filthy campers?

A few steps more, and here we are at my favorite place in the Fort:

With all the fog, though, I can't even see Space Mountain:

After this, I continued on the path toward the Settlement:

There sure is a lot of open space back here. They really ought to put in some sites right on Bay Lake:

I love to walk along this path. And since I am walking, I don't even have to be worried about being yelled at by a CM for being on a bike or cart:

This is the area where they plan to build a new dining pavilion. Those plans have been in place for a couple of years now. But, not the first shovel of dirt has been turned. I wonder if it will ever happen? :

There's the end of the path, which is right behind the Settlement Trading Post:

It's always weird to see someone on site 114 who isn't Judy:

The gates behind the Settlement Trading Post were open, so I had to look. You never know what you might see back there. Today, there was nothing interesting:

Here's the Front of the Settlement Trading Post:

This sign is kind of new. I liked the old one better, but this one is kind of cool:

There used to be totem poles over there where that covered wagon is. I liked them better than the wagon:

These small plants are roses, which were in bloom. You can also see that the azeleas closer to the building are in bloom:

There's the marina. You can catch boats to the Magic Kingdom, Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary Resort from there:

It's 7:52 am, and there haven't been many people who have parked their carts and taken off to any of those places:

While we are here, we need to visit what was once one of the most famous attractions in the entire Fort Wilderness Resort: The Lawnmower Tree. You can see what's left of it right over there:

Here's the thing that Sucks Monkey Butt (SMB)- the sign that tells the story of the Lawnmower Tree is gone! Look:

It's bad enough that the tree died.

And that it's now just a stump.

Now it has no sign.

People walk right on by and don't see the lawnmower.

But I do:

So where's the sign?

It's probably with the River Country Water Wagon that used to be on display here. And the Dr. Terminus canvas from the stage at the campfire area.

Boo.

It totally SMB.

Bring back Billy Bowlegs!

Have I mentioned that I had an ulterior motive for taking this long walk?

Did you think I was just doing this for the fun of it?

Well, I was.

But there was another reason I was heading this way.

Do you remember earlier in this report, after the 5K, when we got those food boxes?

I shared that I was hoping mine had a breakfast sandwich in it.

But, all I got was birdseed.

Well, I know where they have some great breakfast sandwiches.

At Trail's End.

I remember it wasn't very long ago that DaveInTn reported that he had one of the breakfast sandwiches on his last trip.

And I've been thinking about one ever since.

Well, here we are.

And that's where I'm going next.

But, I found something horrible when I got there.

The other thing that SMB. And it was at the Trail's End takeout.

We will get to that in the next update.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

DON'T TELL ME THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH IS OFF THE MENU!!!!!!!!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

For anyone concerned about camping next to the duckweed covered canal...don't be. That's my favorite place to camp...in the 500 loop backing up to that canal. You can fish right from your campsite, and you have a ton of privacy. Sitting by that canal is my happy place.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I think somewhere along this canal may be where the tent picture from the website was taken. Is this what Specularius was refering to?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

DON'T TELL ME THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH IS OFF THE MENU!!!!!!!!

Oh boy.

Dave is screaming.

This is going to be bad.

Dave, get a big bottle of scotch and your grandma's glass ready before you read the next update.

For anyone concerned about camping next to the duckweed covered canal...don't be. That's my favorite place to camp...in the 500 loop backing up to that canal. You can fish right from your campsite, and you have a ton of privacy. Sitting by that canal is my happy place.

Yup.

Nothing wrong with a little duckweed.

I think somewhere along this canal may be where the tent picture from the website was taken. Is this what Specularius was refering to?

It's the same canal.

He was talking about the area closer to Bay Lake.

You know, Marsh Mallow Pit?

But, this is definitely the clearest canal in the Fort.

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I remember there being a sign before and noticed it was not there......but I thought maybe it had been gone for a long time.

Obviously you are there much more often so you would know.

I always hope for a new Panther sighting. Will we be touring the RC area?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I remember there being a sign before and noticed it was not there......but I thought maybe it had been gone for a long time.

Obviously you are there much more often so you would know.

I always hope for a new Panther sighting. Will we be touring the RC area?

That sign has not been missing long. I looked back through my photos from my NYE trip, and I didn't have any photos of it, but I"m sure I would have noticed if it was missing then.

I noticed it was missing in the photos you posted in your TR.

But, it hasn't been missing long.

No, we aren't going to hit RC on this tour.

And, I have only seen that panther once, on April 1st last year. I don't think I'm going to be at the Fort on the 1st this year.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I have a bottle of Macallan and my grandmother's glass on standby.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

And, I have only seen that panther once, on April 1st last year.

My resolution: don't believe what TCD says on 4/1.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

My resolution: don't believe what TCD says on 4/1.

Hmmm.

You're going to be ready for me this year?

That's going to make it tougher.

TCD

[Specularius 102]

The sign was gone at New Years. I looked for it.

Dave, that is the canal I was referencing.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

It was funny seeing how many people were "had". That is why I am always looking forward to the next big thing at RC.

[Specularius 102]

And I have a theory on the water pumping situation and it relates to "Bear Rock". I think they have lowered the water level for the construction of the water park feature at the Four Seasons and once construction over there is finished, the water level will be brought back to normal and "Bear Rock" will once again swim.

[Specularius 102]

During Mardi Gras I had an elderly couple tell me to keep a close eye out while walking the dogs along the canal behind the 800 loop because there was a mother bear and her cub on the other side of the canal. They had seen it. I took their advice with a grain of salt.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Hmmm.

You're going to be ready for me this year?

That's going to make it tougher.

TCD

:rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

So, let's get to that other piece of bad news.

After seeing the sad state of the Lawnmower Tree, and the long walk back here, I was looking forward to that breakfast sandwich.

This is the Settlement playground. You can see a castmember is cleaning it. That's pretty nice:

This is where the River Country Water Wagon used to be on display. Until they wheeled it away three years ago to be refurbished. I am expecting big things after a three year refurbishment:

There's Trail's End Restaurant over there. It doesn't look too busy. It is now 7:53 am, and it just opened at 7:30. I had planned on being here earlier, but I guess I spent more time looking at stuff than I had planned to. Still, considering that I walked the whole way, and took the long way at that, I didn't do too bad:

The remains of River Country are right down at the end of this path. If you want to see some sad things, and maybe a panther, head on down that way. But, this wasn't in my plans today:

Here we are approaching Pioneer Hall and Trail's End. This is a Sunday morning, so there are a few folks around looking for breakfast:

For a long time, there was no take out breakfast available here. Then a year or so ago, they started offering breakfast sandwiches. They were served on a bagel, and they were pretty good. That's what I came here for today.

But the idiots who run this place had other plans.

Here's the menu that was posted when I got there:

Bounty Breakfast?

Like they serve at every other quick serve location on property?

Where's my breakfast sandwich?

The horror!

This has to be a mistake.

I went inside to look at the tasteful display case:

No sandwiches.

This must be the Bounty Breakfast:

Not bad.

But, I could have gotten that at the Pop.

Or any All Star.

Or anywhere.

I wanted a breakfast sandwich!

These are the sticky buns:

Which means that those round things on the top row must be the cinnamon rolls.

Yum.

A new castmember was on duty.

She asked if I would like to order something.

I figured what the heck, I told her I would like to order a breakfast sandwich.

She asked if I wanted bacon or sausage.

Huh?

She said I could order one.

They still had them.

Why aren't they on the menu, I asked?

She said she didn't know.

I know.

The place is run by idiots.

So I got a reprieve.

In a few minutes I had my white bag.

I headed out to find a table.

Nobody was sitting at any of them.

Because they were all wet.

It hadn't rained last night.

But the sprinklers had been on:

If Miss Josephine had been working today, these would have been dried off by now.

I dried off a spot with my napkin, and dove in.

This very well could be the last breakfast sandwich that I ever have here:

I made sure to enjoy it.

After breakfast, I stopped for a moment to enjoy the view from the porch:

And headed out past the hula hoops:

The Barrels of Fun are missing:

The barrels of flowers are not:

I love the flower garden here by Pioneer Hall. I do not love the new benches:

I know a guy who once shimmied up one of the poles here on the Pioneer Hall porch:

If you ever find yourself in this area, make sure you don't miss the Pioneer Hall restrooms. They are an attraction in themselves. Love the lighting:

And the artwork:

It looks like there are some logs missing up there on the side of Pioneer Hall:

I love this big open field. If you look across it, you can see the Tri-Circle-D Farm logo. You see that tall pointy tree/bush behind it? That's not a tree at all. It's a vine covered old windmill:

All those buildings over there across the field used to be the Fort Wilderness petting zoo. Now they use it solely for pony rides:

Here we are turned and looking back toward Pioneer Hall:

If you like, you could take this path over and look at the ponies, and behind that is the big barn where they keep the horses that work in the Magic Kingdom and around WDW pulling carriages. It is worth a visit if you've never been:

Here we are at the Settlement Bus Stop:

I wasn't sure if I would hop a bus here, or walk back to the Outpost. But, since a bus was here, and it was an Orange route bus, I boarded. As you can see it was now 8:33 am:

This little adventure had taken an hour and a half.

I could have done it a lot quicker, but I wasn't in a rush.

The bus took off with me its only passenger:

I figured that I would stay on and ride it to the front. But something happened en route that caused a change in plans.

We will pick it up from there in the next update.

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I love when there is a TCD change of plans.

It usually means something entertaining is awaiting us in the next update.

Looking forward to it.

That sandwich did look good.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

This is beginning to take on the feel of a funeral march.

Watching the slow demise of the lawnmower tree....SMB

No more breakfast sandwiches....SMB

New benches.....SMB

Old windmill as reminder of what the TCD Farm used to be....SMB

What's next? Are you going to tell us that the pathway into the Settlement is being turned into a street?

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

That sandwich looked great. I would walk through the Fort for that. I am beginning to think that if you don't "work out" as a manager at WDW that you get to come and work the Fort. In another discussion, Lou pointed out to us that several managers are quite good at what they do and that they do a great job at it. I am fast coming to the realization that it is only at the Fort where we endure their wrath and bad decisions. From locals at the pools which appears to only exist as a problem at the Fort, to removing icons, signs, and character and not caring what others think. It all just SMB.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I hope the change of plans is because of something good and not something else that SMB.

[caveat lector 181]

Nothing to see here....I just wanted to type "sucks monkey butt." Yep, I can understand the buzz

[YENSIDCAMPER 66]

I didn't really agree with you that the people that run the Fort are idiots, but you (or they) have changed my mind. All the things that SMB and no Fiesty and all the mis-information that is around. The managers are idiots.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

first time today I've had enough bandwidth to see the pictures but I have been reading...

[Family of Bears 98]

If there ever comes a day that the breakfast sandwich disappears, a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll will do the trick. Not those pecan things. The other ones.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Here we go:

Why did you used to stay in 1400 exclusively? Proximity to the movie?

I forgot to comment on this yesterday.

Back in the good old days. That is, before the Great Premium Loop Boondoggle of '09, there were three levels of sites for rent at the Fort: Preferred, Full or Partial. The only difference between a preferred site and a full site was cable. And ten bucks a night. 1400 was the closest preferred loop to the pool and campfire area. Plus, you could drive you golf cart over the bridge and right in and out of the loop near the campfire. Awesome.

The 900-1200 loops were classified as full hook up loops back then. They cost the same as the 1600-1900 loops. That used to be awesome too.

Then the idiots in charge wrecked everything.

The sign was gone at New Years. I looked for it.

Dave, that is the canal I was referencing.

Hmmm. I don't have any photos of it from our NYE trip. I thought I would have noticed that it was missing, but it was a busy time, and I guess I didn't notice.

It can't have been gone long though.

And I have a theory on the water pumping situation and it relates to "Bear Rock". I think they have lowered the water level for the construction of the water park feature at the Four Seasons and once construction over there is finished, the water level will be brought back to normal and "Bear Rock" will once again swim.

That is an interesting theory.

The canals at the Fort are definitely connected to that canal.

Your theory makes sense.

Time will tell.

During Mardi Gras I had an elderly couple tell me to keep a close eye out while walking the dogs along the canal behind the 800 loop because there was a mother bear and her cub on the other side of the canal. They had seen it. I took their advice with a grain of salt.

Dude, you got punked by an eldery couple!

Props to them!

I love when there is a TCD change of plans.

It usually means something entertaining is awaiting us in the next update.

Looking forward to it.

That sandwich did look good.

Don't get too excited.

We will take a little side trip, but nothing earth shattering.

This is beginning to take on the feel of a funeral march.

Watching the slow demise of the lawnmower tree....SMB

No more breakfast sandwiches....SMB

New benches.....SMB

Old windmill as reminder of what the TCD Farm used to be....SMB

What's next? Are you going to tell us that the pathway into the Settlement is being turned into a street?

You forgot the removal of snacks and candy from the second floor of the 1400 loop bus stop.

It's hard to tell exactly from the plans, but that pathway into the Settlement is going bye-bye if the DVC project ever gets built.

I didn't mention that or the fact that the nice field and the old petting zoo that we just looked at is planned to become a giant parking lot for the new DVC

That sandwich looked great. I would walk through the Fort for that. I am beginning to think that if you don't "work out" as a manager at WDW that you get to come and work the Fort. In another discussion, Lou pointed out to us that several managers are quite good at what they do and that they do a great job at it. I am fast coming to the realization that it is only at the Fort where we endure their wrath and bad decisions. From locals at the pools which appears to only exist as a problem at the Fort, to removing icons, signs, and character and not caring what others think. It all just SMB.

Preach it brother BK!

You speak the truth.

I hope the change of plans is because of something good and not something else that SMB.

Thankfully, I am done with the items that SMB for this trip.

Nothing to see here....I just wanted to type "sucks monkey butt." Yep, I can understand the buzz

It's a great saying. And perfectly descriptive of some of the things that have happened at the Fort.

I didn't really agree with you that the people that run the Fort are idiots, but you (or they) have changed my mind. All the things that SMB and no Fiesty and all the mis-information that is around. The managers are idiots.

This is not a matter of opinion.

It is fact.

Whether you agree with it or not, the sun rises and sets every day.

And the Fort management office is a giant idiot magnet.

The Fort endures despite these idiots.

But, they are doing such a good job, I'm not sure how long that will be the case.

If they ever actually build that DVC and put a giant parking lot next to Pioneer Hall, I'm done.

Look for me on Four Seasons Fiends dot net.

TCD