PureTcrazy...rita

Well I got a 2 hour nap until about 2am when my friend in Maine phoned me at the encouragement of our friend in Virginia.
Was awake in time to 'see' the winner come in the chute.  Brent Sass!!!!  Allen Moore was second.  We had 15 in the Iditabuds chat room from Germany, Norway, England, a lot of east coasters from Maine to Florida, the Midwest, Arizona, Texas, California and a couple other of the lower 48.  With us in Alaska was Frozen Chozen who went to the finish line in Fairbanks to report back with words and pictures.  He texted a couple of 'buds and they posted photos in our chat and in the forum.  Some are on the next 3 pages here.
 
http://iditabuds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2910&start=60
 
I stayed up till Allen Moore came across the line, got back to sleep by 4:30.
 
The race is not over yet, there are still 14 mushers and teams on the trail.
The last team in wins the red lantern and even though it says last place it's an honor to win it, because it means you have completed the race.  Might be last, but you finished!

Long distance sled dog racing that is!!
 
The Yukon Quest started a few hours ago, here is the official site;
 
http://www.yukonquest.com/
 
One of the things I love about the Quest is their tracking system.  To start with it's FREE   and easy to follow.
 
http://yukonquest.com/race-central/current-standings/live-tracking

:yay:  :banana:  :yay:

I think at this point he was watching out for the tickle monster. Aka Missy.

Thank you Kelly and Jason, that was fun.  The ham smelled so good while cooking in the little green egg and tasted even better.  Very nice to put faces and names together.  And very happy to visit with Rita and Ed again.  Even the rain co-operated and waited till we finished eating. 
 
Z is a delightful child, when I mentioned the corn bread on his plate looked good he went to the food table and brought a slice back to me.  His chalk art was really cool, the braid for Rapunzil (sp) was many feet long. 
 
Hope your trip home today is uneventful Kelly and thanks again.

And darn... That will be the last day of my TR? Won't it?
If he's really nice, I'll tease a few.

We had great weather until we finished eating. Lots of fun and yapping took place! And I'm pretty sure Z will be running away to TJ and Missy's house.

OMG!!!
I wish I could be there. If you've never tried Jason's, Mr. GaDawgFan, it's worth going just for that. It's probably the best ham I've ever I had.
Y'all have a great time, I know you will. Please take lots of pix. And tell Ed and Rita hello and give her a big hug for me. Don't hug Ed. He might think we like him. :rofl:

First....some background: Chef TJ has worked at WDW for 20 years or so, starting at Boma, then spending time at 'Ohana and 1900 Park Fare. During those years, he developed a large fan base, bordering on cult-like status, among Disney foodies, particularly those with allergies or Vegetarians/Vegans. Vegetarians and Vegans would flock to his restaurants hoping to get the "Chef TJ Experience".....a multi-course dinner that would stray off-menu but delight the diner with beautifully presented vegan-friendly dishes.
During the summer of 2014, Chef TJ was moved from 1900 Park Fare to Trails End, where he is responsible for the kitchen serving both the Trails End restaurant and the Hoop de Doo Revue at Pioneer Hall. (I'm not sure whether he also is responsible for Mickey's Backyard BBQ, but my guess is that he is).
 
On New Years Eve during our recent stay at Fort Wilderness, we attended the HDDR with our 5 girls. As my wife and I are both Plant-Based eaters (similar to Vegan), we put a note on our reservation requesting a Vegan meal. Shortly after being seated, the Chef came out to talk to us, and lo and behold....it was Chef TJ! He was extremely friendly and accomodating, and explained what he could provide to us that evening. He did say that he was fairly limited as to what he could do during the dinner show....which we fully expected and understood....but that we should come see him next door some evening.
 
We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at the HDDR (a nice platter of grilled veggies and a pasta primavera dish, along with a vegan strawberry shortcake), but we decided that we would have dinner the next night at Trails End to enjoy more of Chef TJ's cooking.
 
Hoop De Doo Grilled Veggies:
 

 
Hoop De Doo Pasta
 

 
Hoop De Doo Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
 

 
Ok....on to the main "Chef TJ Experience"!
We decided to make our dinner at Trails End a "date night"....sending the kids off to the Contempo Cafe for some of their favorites. We arrived around 6:15pm, and before too long, Chef TJ came out to greet us. He remembered us from the Hoop De Doo, and promised us a treat. He explained what on the regular buffet was vegan-friendly (basically just the salad with balsamic and the green beans) and invited us to try those items while he worked on our first course.
 
Trails End Salad and Green Beans
 

 
While we were enjoying our salad, our server refreshed our beverages and told us we had the best Chef in the house, and that TJ was forcing everyone at Trails End to up their game. I imagine that's why Disney put him there.
Before too long, Chef TJ returned with our first course.....Vegan Spring Rolls!
 

 
These were absolutely delicious! They had a sweet and tangy sauce on them, and were not too greasy. In our non-Disney lives, we don't eat fried foods so I was happy that these weren't oily....they were crisp and fresh tasting.
 
After we finished the spring rolls, we were both starting to get full, but Chef TJ was just getting warmed up!
 
He next brought out two plates containing a toasted bun with roasted vegetables and some vegan cheese (again something we don't eat at home because we don't eat processed foods.....but hey, we're on vacation!). These were accompanied by soups....one bowl of Corn Chowder, and one of Butternut Squash soup. He said we could fight over them. They were both excellent, but we both preferred the Corn Chowder.
 
Trails End Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with Corn Chowder
 

 
Trails End Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with Butternut Squash Soup
 

 
Ok, at this point, we were both getting quite full. And he had mentioned that he would be preparing a special dessert for us, which we thought he'd be bringing out next. But nope....there was another course!
 
Next was a beautiful platter of grilled vegetables, Asian noodles and BBQ fried tofu.
 

 
While this was delicious, we could barely eat any of it. Chef TJ seemed concerned that we didn't like it, but we told him it was great and would make an excellent lunch for us tomorrow. He was happy to hear that and brought a box for us....and told us it would probably be even better the next day (which it was).
 
Finally, it was nearing the end. We knew he'd bring out some dessert, but I wasn't expecting what came next. (2 of these, in fact!)
 

 
That beautiful tower of deliciousness is a skewer of bananas, strawberries and Tofutti ice cream sandwiches, stuck into an apple on the bottom, and then drizzled with chocolate syrup tableside by Chef TJ. And holy moly, it was good! Full as I was, I finished mine.
We were stuffed and completely taken aback at the dining experience we had just had right at Trails End. Unbelievably, this meal was enjoyed a mere 2 minute walk from our RV in the 100 loop! Although we did take the long way back, hoping to walk off some of this food. But before doing that, we took the opportunity to snap a picture with our new favorite Disney Chef.
 

 
So there you have it....my unexpected Trails End 5 course dinner for 2! All for the price of the regular Trails End buffet. I hope Chef TJ stays at Trails End long enough for us to get back there.

I can tell you we made a difference and the family is truely appreciative. Alot of Fiends came together to make this happen and even some campers from Michigan who I hope will now join the Fiends.
The gift of giving is what the season is all about, from my family to all of yours have a very merry Christmas.

Interesting at Downtown Disney they have a security check of Magic
Bands to ride the Disney buses. Making sure you are an in property guest to use the buses.

Happy Birthday, Gretchen! I hope you had a day as awesome as you! :)

I was 8 yrs 9 months old living in California. It was an unseasonably cool day, It looked like it was going to rain any minute.
I had my favorite pair of Levi 501s on a multi colored shirt with a big butterfly collar. I was watching the Electric Company with my brother on the couch with clear plastic cover on it.
When I heard the news.
Ok I don't remember an only the first sentence is true. Lol

I am hoping your birthday fun continues.  Why not just celebrate this as your birth month?   :toot:

I encourage SIl to do some of the driving. I want to make sure that if something ever happens to me while we are on the road she can handle herself...Driving forward she is all set on even towing...Now to work on backing up

LOL....might have to meet & greet one of these days !

I'm looking forward to the trip reports to come as you and Sil go out in your Pup with your new truck! Congrats!

At the risk of being lynched.  I am kinda looking forward to packing a simple suitcase or three, not having to clean out and prepare the camper, not having to cook and making the trip down in the comfy car vs the less comfy truck while saving a lot of gas money.
 
With that said, I'd still rather be at the Fort but this will be great.   The boys (yes, even G... PTL) like baseball and football and will definitely enjoy the theming BIG TIME!  On a very cute note and just to crow a little... G's progress has been astounding.  He will sit through an entire Braves game happily while joining in on all the crowd activities and loves the Tomahawk chop.  In fact,he gets a little confused and will shout CHOP!  Go GAMECOCKS! when he sees a bumper sticker on our way to Columbia.    Sorry for being lengthy but I am so darn proud and happy. :)
 
Go Braves!  Go Gamecocks!  and GO GATA!  ;D

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all knew.  I'm not one to over-parent.  The little ones, yes.  But by the time you're 14, if you want to climb rocks barefoot, go for it.  If you fall or slice your foot open, I'll call you a dumbass.  Maybe you'll learn not to do that.  

Yes, but it must sport the proper Fiend items to be considered appropriate! I hope DaveinTn agrees that it was alright to kind of hijack, while still on topic! :)
 

Yes, but it must sport the proper Fiend items to be considered appropriate! I hope DaveinTn agrees that it was alright to kind of hijack, while still on topic! :)
 

Yes, but it must sport the proper Fiend items to be considered appropriate! I hope DaveinTn agrees that it was alright to kind of hijack, while still on topic! :)
 

Yes, but it must sport the proper Fiend items to be considered appropriate! I hope DaveinTn agrees that it was alright to kind of hijack, while still on topic! :)
 

Yes, but it must sport the proper Fiend items to be considered appropriate! I hope DaveinTn agrees that it was alright to kind of hijack, while still on topic! :)
 

Yes, but it must sport the proper Fiend items to be considered appropriate! I hope DaveinTn agrees that it was alright to kind of hijack, while still on topic! :)