twiceblessed....nacole
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Posts posted by twiceblessed....nacole
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Just saw some comments from a campers who recently (past 6 months) stayed at the Fort and apparently now "skunk week" (pot) is the new smell of the property??
Mercy, I hope not
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Why replace it, rather than just offer the Christmas party?
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9 hours ago, lightbikes said:
and if we can finally travel in December or January we will be able to see this - fingers crossed !
Are they talking about opening the dang border? We made it to Glacier this month, but Banff is really my end-game ❤️
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On 6/2/2021 at 8:04 PM, h2odivers...Ray said:
I would love to go to one of these after hours events. But it’s hard to justify the extra expense. Even with an AP discount it would cost us an additional $450-$480 for the 3 of us to go this October.
This...and we’ve gone in the past and the crowds were as bad (if not worse) than standard operating hours. Very frustrating.
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46 minutes ago, h2odivers...Ray said:
That’s awesome! I’ve been looking forward to seeing the Epcot Forever show.
and we will be there this July.Orlando in July?! That’s crazy talk 😂
I agree... I think we’ll need proof with pictures 😉
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On 5/28/2021 at 8:39 AM, Grumpy and Grandma said:
Will WDW be far behind?
From Channel 6 NEWS
ORLANDO, Fla. – Fully vaccinated guests at Universal Orlando will no longer be required to wear masks indoors starting Saturday, according to the resort.
Officials said there will be no proof of vaccination required though they “expect our guests to comply” and guests who are not fully vaccinated are expected to continue wearing masks in indoor spaces.
Good. It’s about time. Our family is happy to see this.
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On 5/21/2021 at 4:08 AM, dblr....Rennie said:
We did the Black Hills also last year and it was great, we came across 90 and also hit The Corn Palace and then ventured into Minnesota and got to see the Spam Museum, now don't everyone get jealous over that one
Yes! Grumpy had told me about the Corn Palace, so we visited there last year as well. We did, however, skip the Spam Museum 😂 Spent a Morning at the Laura Ingalls homestead in De Smet.... that was neat.
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On 5/19/2021 at 3:58 AM, djsamuel said:
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is one I haven't been to but really want to see. Please let us know how you like it. Haven't been to Glacier either but heard it is beautiful. Hope to get there to one day soon.
I too have heard it’s beautiful. My end game with Glacier, was Banff. But, who knows when travel into Canada will relax. We had reservations for both Banff and Glacier last year, but when the border and east Glacier closed, we opted for Devils Tower, Yellowstone, the Tetons and Mt. Rushmore instead (all of which, were FANTASTIC ❤️). North Dakota should be interesting and another “state sticker” for our RV map ☺️
On 5/19/2021 at 7:00 AM, Grumpy and Grandma said:Say "Hi" to George, Abe, Tom and Teddy for us...😄😁
Haha...will do!😄
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5 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:
Have fun.....
Thank you! We’re in SD right now, which is one of my favorites. Heading back home to visit family in WA, then we’ll hit Glacier in MT and Teddy Roosevelt in ND (which is a new state for us!☺️). Love seeing our national parks🥰
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We’re back out, traveling our beautiful country. Lots of beautiful faces everywhere...even in busy places/tight quarters, it’s a beautiful sight 😍
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On 4/29/2021 at 11:38 AM, Grumpy and Grandma said:
My brother was in journalism his whole life and he always said, "There are no more journalist, only copy writers, nobody researches the story".
Goodness, yes. This point has (in my opinion) been driven home in the past 18 months. The "news source" will be a comment (which is personal commentary) in a newspaper article and corporate media runs with it, as if it's factual information. Additionally, retractions are a thing of the past. When lies are put out there, the party submitting the lies simply goes on as if there's nothing to see. Rarely do you hear an apology and/or a correction. It's both exhausting and infuriating.
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Agreed on breakfast. Honestly, Trails End has gotten too expensive for our family, so if we are able to splurge...then it's at breakfast when it's a (few) dollars less. Plus, we are more of a big breakfast family than a big dinner gang.
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22 hours ago, djsamuel said:
Trailer Village was one of the best experiences we've had camping. Not fancy, kind of basic and run down. However, the wildlife and the atmosphere was amazing and being so close to the canyon was great. Lots of Elk and Mule deer throughout the campground.
Agreed. When possible, I love staying inside the National Parks. My favorite time of the day is sunrise and with the Grand Canyon being so, incredibly, large.... staying inside the park was really the only way I was going to get my butt to the canyon's rim in time to see the sun come up
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19 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:
That sounds like a "voice of experience" comment...
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23 hours ago, dblr....Rennie said:
Just like old times
Haha....yes.
The race was always to be first for a trip report and then the bet was, how long before the post was hijacked
6 hours ago, djsamuel said:Back to the stolen topic, this was at the Trailer Village campground at the Grand Canyon:
Yes! We stayed there in 2018 and had the females (I'm guessing as no horns) take residency right behind our rig. It was great!!
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On 4/21/2021 at 10:28 AM, DaveInTN said:
Say what you want. Blame it on COVID. Blame it on greedy executives. Blame it on politicians. But I'm here to settle the argument. Blame for the decline of Disney can be placed with one group, and one group only.
The bakers. My proof?
Circa 2010
Circa 2015
Circa 2019
Circa 2021
I rest my case.
You're such a goof
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16 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:
You sure it wasn't an ELK.. Moose aren't that far South.
The moose's range extends north to about 72 °N latitude and south to about 40 °N latitude [93]. It occurs from Alaska south through the Rocky Mountain region to Colorado; east to Newfoundland; and south to New Hampshire, northern Wisconsin, and northern North Dakota
We had a bull elk walk right in front of us in Rocky Mountain National. I wish I could figure out how to attach a picture, because he was HUGE. The picture I took, he was still a good 20 feet away....then he turned and walk right up to us, turning up the path about 4 feet before he reached us (yes, we were backing up
). The closer he got, the bigger he got. He just walked up the trail like he belonged there. It was fantastic!
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3 hours ago, Live4FW said:
We saw moose in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It was on the east side of mountain. Surprised the heck out of me and DW
That's fantastic!!
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11 hours ago, Travisma said:
Reminds me about a trip we took to Maine back in the 70’s. We were going down a road when Bullwinkle came trotting out of the woods and ran along side the passenger side of our convertible Jeep for about a mile. It was bigger than our Jeep. I yelled for my wife to take a picture while she was screaming that she was about to get gored by a moose!
That's fantastic
We were hiking in Smoky Mountain National on a very busy trail (so it was not quiet...which means this guy was not interested in us, thankfully) and this black bear came out of the bushes, about 4-6 feet in front of me and ran across the trail to the berry bushes on the other side. Of course, my first thought was, "what's that big black dog doing out here?". Took me a few seconds to realize that it was a bear
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18 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:
I just consider it a friendly discussion and thanks we've always enjoyed the times we've met up. Hope you get to have another great summer trip this year. Those are always great memories, our kids (50,47 & 46) still talk about our travels.
Thank you. Last year we were blessed and saw a TON of wildlife in Yellowstone... except for one: no moose. Our fingers are crossed that we'll get lucky and see one or two at Glacier. So blessed to be able to make these memories with our kiddos. Tom was able to join us for the full trip last year and he's joining us again this year (the previous two I drove out and he flew out to meet us). I pray that our children, like yours, hold these memories for a lifetime. We are definitely blessed ❤️
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5 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:
They don't stop the virus, they stop the water droplet the virus travels on when someone sneezes or coughs. Just like a dust particle.
PS: I am not a proponent of masks..
Agreed, which is why I am a huge proponent of covering ones mouth when you sneeze or cough... especially with a napkin or hankie. While I understand that not everyone has learned this common courtesy, just one look around any store and you'll see that not everyone has learned how to properly wear a mask. Even to catch those droplets (which are heavy and have a good chance of falling before they get too far in the air. which means that someone needs to be pretty close to you in order to have those droplets land on them). I do understand your point and I don't mean to or want to belabor the issue. I appreciate you. You and "grandma" have always been so sweet to me. You are a blessing.
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1 hour ago, Travisma said:
Some counties have lifted bans, but the larger companies have not stopped requiring masks in those counties, WalMart, Costco, Lowe’s, etc.
Understood. I imagine those will stay up for a while, but I'd be surprised if they are being enforced... except for Costco. I grew up in Washington state and have had a Costco membership for over 30 years (it was PriceClub before it was Costco). This is the first time I have not renewed our membership and will not, unless they drop the mandate. The "funny" thing about Costco, is they will allow you to wear a face shield which is fully open on the sides and bottom. WalMart, Lowes (and in our area Publix, Kroger and Aldis) all have signs up however, I've never worn a mask once. If I was asked to leave, I would, but no one (including managers that have said hello when I've walked by) has ever said a word. I think most companies put the signs up, because they felt pressured to do so...not because they believe it makes a difference. Of course, I don't make a habit of standing in someone else's personal space or licking random strangers and while I haven't been sick in years, I've never been one to leave the house and infect others if I don't feel well.
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1 hour ago, djsamuel said:
As far as masks, all I will say is there is a reason surgeons wear masks in surgery, including cloth ones. It is to protect the patient much like wearing a mask now is not to protect the wearer but to diffuse the air exhaled by a person and limit the distance any airborne viruses may spread. Imagine you were throwing a golf ball at a wall 30 feet away. With no barrier, you would hit it every time. Put a chain link fence up between you and the wall, and maybe only about 20% or less of the balls you throw would make it to the wall. That is all a mask does.
I'm not interesting in debating but I wanted to give another side to this since you mentioned it. I'm done with this conversation.
Surgical masks were developed to protect the surgeon as much as the patient. The surgeon's face is exposed to fluids, when the surgery is being performed and the patient has an open wound, which nasal/oral drainage and/or sweat from the lip could drop into. They were not made to stop the spread of a virus and the subject of surgeons wearing masks has been in debate for years. Even the NIH weighed in on this with a study where they found that, "It has never been shown that wearing surgical face masks decreases postoperative wound infections. On the contrary, a 50% decrease has been reported after omitting face masks. The present study was designed to reveal any 30% or greater difference in general surgery wound infection rates by using face masks or not. During 115 weeks, a total of 3,088 patients were included in the study. Weeks were denoted as "masked" or "unmasked" according to a random list. After 1,537 operations performed with face masks, 73 (4.7%) wound infections were recorded and, after 1,551 operations performed without face masks, 55 (3.5%) infections occurred. "
Several years back, I was admitted into the ER for a case of vertigo. Being the germaphobe that I am, I grabbed a mask to cover my face, because I am convinced (I'm still convinced) that anyone who goes to the hospital gets sick. The ER doc came into my room and (looking at me with my mask on), she asked if I was "wearing a mask to protect myself or to protect others". I didn't want to admit that I was afraid of getting sick, so I sheepishly said, "both". She chuckled and moved on. After that, I looked into the efficacy of masks.
The same as the CDC, the WHO, the surgeon general all said not to wear them, as the mask will not prevent the spread (then changed when they realized that control was needed, which is why there are many videos of "leaders" not wearing masks...even right before they put one on for the theatrics of walking up to the podium with their face covered), the same as the CDC stated during the west coast wildfires, " Paper “comfort” or “dust” masks commonly found at hardware stores trap large particles, such as sawdust. These masks will not protect your lungs from smoke." Masks were made for the large stuff, not the small things like a virus.
"Put a chain link fence up between you and the wall, and maybe only about 20% or less of the balls you throw would make it to the wall.". A better analogy is, wearing a mask is more like trying to stop mosquitoes with chicken wire.
I do appreciate the conversation. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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11 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:
In April of last year it was announced that it would be a phased re-opening that was going to be presented to the County and State.
SeaWorld and Walt Disney World approved by Orange County to reopen, dates await approval by DeSantis.May 27, 2020
Universal is still following the limited park occupancy too and they presented their plan first,so there has to be an underlying reason. They are still at 35-40% and Spring Break week they closed the gates at noon, 4 days in a row. Even many of the local restaurants are not using all the tables.
Thank you. May is an earlier date and so, I believe, those restrictions were dropped by DeSantis.
I understand what you're saying, that other attractions are also limited occupancy... I was just curious if they were following a local (county) mandate or making a company policy choice.
2 hours ago, djsamuel said:Desantis never had a state wide mask mandate. When he was still of a somewhat sane mind, he said that because Florida was so large, each county should decide if they should mandate masks. Then, he reopened the state, and made the ruling that no county or local government could level any punishment for violating a local mask mandate, persons or businesses. Very hypocritical in the sense that he used local jurisdiction as a means to avoid being the person mandating masks and then turns around and bans the enforcement of any local decisions regarding masks. The only thing that has limited the rise is the fact that most people continue to wear masks and ignore him. Here in Clermont, if you go into a store, 99% of the people are still wearing masks. Lake County never had a mask mandate and the vast majority of people still are wearing masks.
Orange County is looking at gradually lifting the mask mandate by the end of the summer based on vaccinations and infections. At that point, I would not be surprised to see Disney lift the mask requirements.
Nah... masks are not sanity, but we can move that to the debate forum if you'd like. DeSantis wanted to allow local control, which is a trickle down of the 10th amendment (in my opinion). A governor allows local authorities to make decisions, until he needs to step in and take control of the state he's been given the authority to run. I personally like that, but (then again), I am a huge proponent of small government. Cover your face if you'd like to, a virus has to run its course before the plunge and a simple mask will not stop a virus particle. Additionally, testing outside of PCR needs to be developed. PCR testing is not accurate (it's interesting to listen to the Nobel Peace prize winner who created the test speak on it.. one of his interviews is below. He talks about PCR testing, towards the end. Of course, he's was killed (oops, I mean died) in 2019 right before the outbreak so... he cannot debate the issue). The WHO finally outlined the dangers in relying on PCR testing in memos, in the past few months, but you won't hear that because there is money to be made.
On the original post: for our family, like so many, Disney has so many wonderful memories. I have memories growing up and going to Disneyland: ticket book in hand and then that piece of paper (card) that you wore on your wrist so you could get on the rides. Once I was married and we moved to Georgia, DisneyWorld took over Disneyland and it was a "whole new world"
I have memories of visits when it was just Tom and I. Then, after years and years of infertility, I have beautiful, beautiful memories of taking our babies to the WDW. I remember the first time I pushed our baby girl's stroller off the monorail and we walked down the ramp to the MK... I was crying. I was finally there, with MY baby. So many beautiful, sweet memories. Then, in 2014 we bought our first camper and everything changed: we found the Fort. Oh, such joy. At that time, AAA still had discounts and we could get a preferred site for around $60/night. Getting a reservation (we typically went in May or October) was never a problem and everything else seemed to be equally "affordable" (as affordable as vacations are at least). Now... it all feels so different. I don't know. We would still go back to the Fort, but not if we had to pay $200/night and definitely not while they require you to cover your face. It's ridiculous. I have friends who decided to make a visit and I hear the stories of walking your dog or riding your own personal golf cart and being told to cover your face. This world is crazy. That IS crazy. No, thank you. Last year we had a fantastic time traveling our beautiful country. We spent time in the beautiful Black Hills of SD. We saw the beautiful Devils Tower in Wyoming and breathtaking beautiful scenery of both the Tetons and Yellowstone. We also saw thousands of BEAUTIFUL faces. Smiling, happy, not living in fear faces. My beautiful parents (some of you may remember that my mother is on a black box medication and that her immune system is under constant attack), traveled the country for 4 months, including spending 5 weeks with us at our home in Georgia and traveling with us in Florida. Beautiful faces, not living in fear. We're getting ready to head back out in a few weeks, this time traveling out to Washington State, with time spent again in SD, a new adventure in ND and one of the granddaddies of NP: Glacier in Montana. We, like I dare to say many people, will not go back to Disney, until they stop the crazy. Until they stop requiring that you cover your face or sit behind plastic. So many beautiful memories. My sweet baby girl, ridding the tea cups with Tom and yelling, "faster daddy, faster!"... our sweet baby boy with wet slobber kisses on all the characters... our babies growing and their experiences at so many different campsites within the Fort. So many beautiful memories. Right now, that's what we're cherishing: those memories. Outside of that, we're moving on and making more beautiful memories... just not with Disney.
"Skunk Weed" at the Fort?
in General Camping Discussion and Questions
Posted
That's good to hear. Hopefully the chatter I heard, was random fluff. That stuff/smell gives me a headache. It would be awful to finally get to go back to the Fort, spending all that money and that was our experience. Sigh. The conversations just caught me off guard. I was hoping that wasn't another "new normal".