Tri-Circle-D

Bravo! Bravo! You did a great job on this report. It makes me want to visit Charleston. I hope this report gets more views. It deserves it. Thanks for taking the time to post it. TCD

That is a good guess, but no. That brush would take more than a weedwacker to hack through. TCD

Time for an update. We left off with the photos of the Bike Barn reflecting off of the Fishin' Hole. This is the view looking back toward the Meadow Trading Post from that spot: Hey look! It's a squirrel! Right there at the base of the tree. There he goes!: Right up to the porch!: Hey, look at that sweet rocking chair! Looks mighty inviting, doesn't it? Let's set a spell. Here's the view from there looking to the left: And, now we turn just a bit to the right: Now, a bit more: And, now we are looking all the way to the right from our rocker: What a great place to sit and sip your coffee

Thank you, gentlemen. I always figured the FWG was pretty sharp, but Ed, you are no slouch yourself. Now I don't have to go and do a bunch of boring research. Bottom line is step away from the armadillo. TCD

I don't really want to read an article on leprosy, but I do want to know: Can armadillos transmit leprosy to humans? I thought I heard not, but I think I remember something more recent saying yes. The Fort is crawling with them at night. Sadly I have to agree with you on this. I love that photo! I do not love your new avatar. The good news for you is that you probably will not have any Cypress trees dropping on you in October. It usually begins later. That is a good idea. I haven't looked at leaf blowers lately, and didn't know you could pick one up that cheap. It also would be useful

Oy! I did not need to see that! There ought to be a law against public accordion playing. It should apply to everyone. But especially to hippies. TCD

Nice pun! I really would like to get a photo of someone actually using that grill on 617. Problem is I am not usually around those parts in the evening. I believe you. I occasionally see armadillos out during the day time. But, that is not common. In fact, i think it may indicate that the animal may have a health issue. Stay away. TCD

1. .Please, there is no need to apologize. You had some information, and you shared it. Plus, I'm sure that not many people really care what kind of shingles they used on the roof. I, for one, found it interesting. 2. I hear that armadillos have bad vision. I have often walked right up to one. I have also heard that they are the only animal that can carry the leprosy virus. So, I would say it's a good idea not to touch them. My DD's told me a story once after they had been out on a looping expedition. They came across a young boy stalking an armadillo. They dared him to pick it up.

Now you've done it. Why did you have to mention accordions? I had to go back and find my photos from my Spring Break '10 hippie encounter. I will share them here for old time's sake: Looks like my hippie buddy may have some hemp shoes there. Don't quote me on this, but I think I did see him smoke them. Or maybe I'm thinking of a Cheech and Chong movie? OK. But, first you have to negotiate with my agent about my advance. TCD

Jon- Thanks for not spoiling the surprise. I was using the literary technique called foreshadowing to build interest in the upcoming chapters of my report. I know what that ugly thing out there in the lake is. And it ain't a floating trash can if anyone guessed that. I will make the big reveal in a couple posts from now, when i get up close and personal with that thing. TCD

You are off to a great start! We could use a good cabin trip report around here. Looking forward to more! TCD

OK- no more talk about how great 1503 is. We need to keep that our little secret. Those book chapters are great! I was thinking of something more serious- like a guidebook. There is a company called Passporter that put out a guidebook for the Disney Cruise Line- I had an old edition back before we took our first DCL cruise. I have always thought something like that might fly for the Fort- but I am not sure if the demand is there. By the way- I love that collage in your signature. I see your famous duct tape pirate ship in there. Good job! Yes. Stuff grows fast in Florida. Which, in the

Moving right along. In the last update, we were on the shores of Bay Lake. For now, we will head back into the campground to visit another of my favorite sites. It's the footbridge that leads from the 600 loop to the Meadow Campfire area. This is another spot that I always visit. And, it gives me a chance to post a couple more photos of my favorite campsite in Fort Wilderness- site 617: Here we are crossing the 600 loop, and looking toward the loop entrance: As most of you know, this part of the 600 loop is new. It was added in 2009. It is almost always full. I understand the attraction o

Thanks, it makes sense to me. I figured it is something like that, because I believe that you can still buy hemp rope, and even clothing made of hemp. TCD

Ohhh and Ahhh @ the railings! Tom- more great photos. So what is the story on the natural cemetery? Why do they let it get overgrown like that? TCD

OK, I have some more comments to respond to, and then we will move on. This is my third attempt at some of these, so hopefully this will stick, and we can going on the rest of the report. Wow! You would rather read this stuff than a magazine? I'm touched (Mrs. TCD would agree with that). If you like me pointing out obviously missed things, then stay tuned, I have some more of that type of thing coming right up. Thanks, Steve. But, no matter how good the photo, nothing beats visiting Bay Lake in person. The spot where I took these photos is a spot that I visit every trip. Hooray for Summ

You took notes??? Good job! And great comments. Just two comments on your comments: 1. If you ever happen to be assigned to 1501 again, go ahead and take it. The location is great, and the bus noise is really not bad. 2. I believe that hemp is made from marijuana plants. I think. I am no expert on the subject. You may remember that I suffer from hippiephobia, so as a rule I typically avoid these types of things. I really like this photo as well. You can't tell where the water ends and the sky begins. I appreciate that you brought Wally's passing to our attention. I was not familiar w

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

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

Tom- Great update. It is pretty amazing to think about that plantation building. It was built in the 1700's, and it still stands. That is really amazing. And, look at how well it was built! What craftsmanship and attention to detail! Is anything built like that anymore? Looking forward to reading more about your trip and seeing some more of your great photos. TCD

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. Good job! But please take breaks when needed to feed the kids. 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.

Don't worry about it. You have done great so far. It looks like you guys had a blast. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept that you set up camp and had a beer ready for Mr. MLM5. That is awesome! Looking forward to the big finish! TCD

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

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

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