YENSIDCAMPER

Anna stealing my little boy's heart already.  And a few grown men too!  Dave and INC I hope you don't mind the picture of Anna and W.
 

A few more things I learned:
1. Carol is a fiend to everyone!
2. Rick can grill a great steak
3. Grandma can do math!
4. YellowXterra and wife aren't yellow anymore
5. Judy and kids are tre' chic
6. Yvonne and kids are very friendly
7. Die Hard Fiends will really drive 12+ hours for a weekend
8. Playing cards with kids is one of my best memories this trip
9. Always stake down your awning (at 3am I had to retrieve mine off the top of the popup due to wind off the lake)
10. We are going to make as many GG's as possible

Great pictures Carol! The food was so plentiful we could have taught the Pilgrims how to give thanks.
A few things I have learned from this FF GG trip...
1. Doodle's punch, nuff said!
2. Dave's dip and cobbler, not much better anywhere
3. Anna's smile and love of life is an inspiration to all
4. Fiends Rock and Junior Fiends know how to have a blast too
5. Bob is a funny man and has great stories
6. Motorhomes, travel trailers, pop ups or tents, all are welcome at GG's
7. Defeated Creek is a beautiful place for a GG
8. Good weather makes a weekend with Fiends even better
9. Grumpy isn't so grumpy after all (Sorry I like to kick people when they are down)
10. Doodle gives great goodbye hugs, I would swear I have known you for ever
More to come...

Perspective is fine, but what you really need is beer.
Plus...just remember, one of life's great pleasures is sitting under an awning or on the Trails End porch drinking a cup of coffee and watching the rain come down. Like you said...go with the flow.

I understand, I really do. You have spoent so much time and effort planning this trip - not to mention $$. It's hard not to stress over the weather. My advice would be to pray. Don't pray for good weather. Pray to be grateful for the chance to go no matter what the weather. Pray for good attitudes for everyone going. Pray for good memories, even if they are the ones that take a few months before you can laugh about them. Pray whenever you are tempted to check the weather, knowing that checking it won't change it. Unless there is a tropical storm or hurricane headed for FL, you are going to go, so just ignore the weather. We will let you know if anything needs to chage in your plans.
I am praying for safe travels for you!

You would think after 30+ days at the Fort and another week in a timeshare this past year, I would have had enough of the place. We swore we weren't going back for several years so we would visit other places, but I don't think I have the "Fort"itude to wait that long. Pray for strength for me or that my family will get the bug again like I am.

My suggestion, if you can get a sleeper car. Do so.
If not, and only first class is offered (depends on what train and time of day) do so.
I used Amtrak from DC to CHS. never on time and it all depends on the people you have around you. With sleepers or FC, you have limited movement is passengers. In coach (think cattle cars), you will have a lot of movement/foot traffic between cars.
You can take your own snacks, drinks, entertainment. Power outlets by most seats.
Just my .03.

Over by the hall of presidents? Behind that lil food area close to where the SotMK window is?

Well the worst day of the trip was here and here are the last sad pictures to document the trip home...












It was too dark to get a shot of the Welcome to Tennessee sign, but all in all our trip home was as easy as it has ever been. It was a wonderful trip. We got to meet the following Fiends: Lou, GaDawgFan...Kelly, Stacktester...Donnie, PartlyConfused...Marilyn and Grumpy Gary, We kept missing Disneyitch and Kimski.
So, this was my first attempt at a trip report. I tried to report daily while we were there and then follow up upon returning. We are going back in two weeks. Here is what I want to know, would you prefer me post live or when I get home? I don't plan on doing both so give me your thoughts. Thanks for reading and my posting on this trip is DONE.....

Well I was sitting on my deck drinking out of my favorite Mickey mug I had picked up at the World several years back, I was thinking about all the things I had done to prepare for this next 700 mile trek to the Fort. I then thought of all I still have to do. I noticed I really need to mow the yard! As my thoughts came back to me I focused on the mug and thought I really ought to do a pre-trip report leading up to pulling out on Friday. So it begins with a picture of my peaceful morning cup.

I'll post more daily as my family and I prep to leave. I hope this doesn't bore anyone and I hope it helps others to get to know me a little.
YC

Okay, YensidCamper here, same one as on the other place. I may be opening myself up for a real man of genius award, and some well deserved ribbing, but I am here to set the record straight and take my medicine like a man.
I want to say to TCD I am extremely honored to have gotten spiked! I had no idea, even after reading for several previous years, that you were the person that placed the spikes. We were totally caught off guard, my wife was a little spooked, the kids and I thought it was really cool. I was so clueless to the origins.
I stopped by your site as it was easy to see at the intersection but you were gone. I actually saw you getting off the boat after the 3 AM EMH but my family and I were too exhausted to catch up and speak but I intended to do so later. That is why we drove by your site. I am not sure if we drove by before or after you left the spike. If I had known it was you, I would have definitely continued to stop by your site to say thanks.
While at the Fort I lost the ability to post online easily so I didn't post any more while there. The hotspot on my phone stopped working for some reason. Upon returning home after Thanksgiving life happened and I disappeared from the boards for a while. Not just Fiends and the other board, but PUX, and ODYClub, my regular haunts. Just got back to reading and posting in the last couple of weeks.
Tonight, I finally got back to the mystery of the spike which finally led me to this thread. Thanks to a tip from someone who must read and post both places. A search for my username led me to this thread and I realized how I had screwed up.
So, after reading tonight I want to say I am sorry. I meant no disrespect. I didn't realize the honor that had been bestowed on me and my family. The D in the circle really looked like a P to me but I now see how dim I really was. The fact that the paper was from a realty company in Michigan threw me off too. I will be checking back more often and I hope to get to meet some Fiends at the Fort on our spring break next week.