The TCD Gang Jump Starts Christmas: An Early November Fort Trip Report

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I thinks her's was the first on the left when you are facing the opening to the loop.  I had a note with her site number on it.  I am still glad there are any pictures of me bending down trying to read the site numbers using only the light from my flip phone!  

 

When you say facing the opening of the loop, do you mean as you're walking in to the loop, or out of the loop?  If you are walking into the loop, the site with the line of inflatables would be on your left, and the site you thought was Karla's would be on the right.  If you are walking out of the loop, reverse that.

 

So you never caught a glimpse of the lazy river?

 

No, I didn't. I think it was right on the other side of the fence.  I wasn't sure if Big Brother was watching, so I didn't want to do anything overtly creepy as I walked around back there.

 

I have a better idea for the next time.  And I think I'll see the lazy river then.

 

Love all the family pix.

I also wouldn't call the four seasons expedition a fail.

You got some great pix.

 

Thanks, Ray.

 

But, I didn't go there to look at their sand volleyball court.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, folks, this is going to be a short trip report by TCD standards.

 

I had to push to get this one done, as more TCD trips are on the way.

 

Including a very special one that I did not envision happening, and which will be epic.

 

So this is the last update for this one.

 

We left off returning from the failed mission to the Four Seasons.

 

I had parked the cart on the 1800 loop, so I did some looping around the full hookup loops.

 

Here on the 1600 loop is that tent we saw earlier:

 

 

That's a Disney rental tent.  And Disney CM's set it up in the grass and off of the tent pad.  As you can see, that site has a very small coquina pad.  So, they set the tent up in the grass.

 

If you need confirmation that you can set up a tent wherever you darn well please, there you have it.

 

But wait.

 

Aren't there rules about having stuff off of your site pad?

 

I found this love note on the windshield of Twin #1's car the night we returned from the Christmas party.  We had three cars parked on the site that night.  But, I was able to arrange them so that all of the wheels were on the pavement.  I thought that was OK, per what I had been told by the Fort Rangers in the past.  But, apparently, there are new anti-clutter rules:

 

 

That's fine.  I am actually in favor of less clutter. But, the idiots in charge need to make a set of rules and enforce them. 

 

Why is it OK to set up a giant tent on the grass, but not park a small utility trailer off of the pad behind your site?

 

And, if it's OK to set up a tent on the grass behind my site, can I set up two tents?  How about three?  Four?  What are the rules?  Are there any?

 

Just around the bend on the 1600 loop was a site that the group that took over the 1500 and 1600 loops was using for their gathering spot.  They had a couple of EZ-ups on the site, and row of tables and chairs. 

 

And they had a trailer with one of its wheels parked off of the slab:

 

 

I'd like to think that they also got a note from the Rangers, but I'm sure they didn't.

 

Same old.  Same old.

 

Now we're on the 1700 loop.  If you've visited the Fort in the October through December time frame before, you'll recognize this site.  These folks are here every fall for a few months.  Go Gata:

 

 

There are a few other long time campers on this loop.  Like these two:

 

 

 

Speaking of rules, remember how there was a tent set up behind the cabins on Saturday?  Well, it was still there on Sunday morning.  Sorry for the blurry photo, but it's the only one I have to show the tent:

 

 

And, still speaking of rules, here's a Class C set up in the first site on the 2000 loop, which is for tents and pop-up campers only.  Or maybe not:

 

 

They have a small trailer there off their pad covered with that blue tarp.

 

Make sure you note the unclutteredness of this all.

 

Thank goodness the Rangers are on the job enforcing those new rules.

 

It was early, but I was surprised to not see more guests packing up and getting ready to go on this Sunday morning.  I needed to get going on that myself, but I had packed up a bunch of stuff the night before in anticipation of the rain, so I was ahead of schedule for my packing.

 

Which gave me some more time to loop.  Here's a nice parrothead cart on the 800 loop:

 

 

And now we're traveling down a very soggy Bumpy Road:

 

 

I figured that this would be my final look at this area before the big Christmas tree showed up, and I was right:

 

 

I had one more thing I needed to check out before I got back to the site to get going on the packing up.

 

While I was at the Fort for this trip, there was a thread posted about a rumor that the price of ice in the 1500 loop had been increased to $3.75 or something like that.

 

I didn't believe that, so I had to go and see for myself.

 

Here we are heading to the comfort station from the 1500 loop.  What's the deal with that crappy looking sign on the fence?  Where did that come from?:

 

 

As best I can determine, the group that took over the 1500 and 1600 loops really took it over.  Including making and posting their own signs.  Like this one on the men's room door:

 

 

I'm sure these folks are nice, but they need to back off.  Who gave them the right to post their own crappy signs everywhere?

 

They need to take that stuff to a state park or something.

 

I'm glad that I didn't end up on the 1500 loop after all.

 

Anyway, here's the 1500 loop ice machine.  That sign says ice is $2.00, just like always:

 

 

I think the rumor may have started because it looks like they recently replaced the coin mechanism on the machine, and there are enough slots on it for them to charge $3.75 if they ever want to:

 

 

But, like it has always been, only four of those slots are open-so ice is still only $2.00 from the machine.  That is, if the machine works:

 

 

So that rumor was dispelled.

 

Time to grab a cup of coffee and go back and get packed up.

 

Only problem was that at 8:24 am, the Meadow Trading Post was out of coffee, and nobody was making any:

 

 

The Trading Post only opens at 8:00 am.  In 24 minutes, they had gone through the one batch of coffee the CM's who opened made. And, despite the fact that there were at least four CM's in there standing around gabbing, nobody took it upon himself to make more coffee.  I knew that this would happen when they put these machines in.  Fortunately, it doesn't happen often.

 

While I waited for the CM's to do their jobs, I headed out back for a look at Bob's dock:

 

 

There were no trespassers this morning.  Word must have finally gotten out for guests to stay off.  From what I understand, Bob quietly snuck in to the Fort for a top secret stay sometime in October.  This empty dock must be the residual effect of all that hollering at guests on his dock.

 

Bear rock is swimming:

 

 

This is another one of my favorite views in the Fort:

 

 

The big sycamore trees behind the Trading Post were already starting to shed.  They're a little early this year. But, we had some cooler than normal weather in October:

 

 

This is one of the sycamores:

 

 

All of those leaves will soon be shed.  Some already have been:

 

 

Another look at Bear Rock:

 

 

Some more sycamore shots:

 

 

 

I would have liked to stay back here for a while longer, but it was time for me to go and pack up.

 

So that's what I did.

 

The rain had stopped, so that was good.

 

But everything was very wet, so that was bad.

 

As I said earlier, though, we had great weather for all the other days on this trip, so I'm not complaining.

 

While I was packing up, a lady stopped by to say hello.  She said she was a lurker and reads Fort Fiends, but never posts.  Like all ladies everywhere, she was clearly thrilled to meet me.  I told her that she should join, but she said she wasn't good with computers.  So, Lurker Lady, thanks for saying hello, and it would be cool if you stopped lurking and posted.

 

As I was packing up, I snapped a photo of something that I forgot to photograph earlier. The oldest DD brought these with her after her conference in Orlando.  There was a group there from Scotland, and they were passing these out:

 

 

Those must really be from across the pond-see how they're called potato crisps instead of potato chips?  That's how they do it over there.  And they call fries chips.  They are very messed up.

 

Anyway, I can tell you without qualification that those are the worst potato chips I've ever tasted.

 

Those people are just not right.  No wonder they drink so much.

 

Before long, I had everything packed and ready to go.

 

The twins had to get back to their apartments to get ready for work.

 

And that was that.

 

I took one final loop to see how empty the Fort was, and was surprised to see that it was not empty at all.

 

Even the group camping area was still full at around noon on a Sunday:

 

 

Apparently, there were a lot of people who had a long weekend because of Veteran's Day, and they weren't leaving until Monday.

 

But I had to go.

 

So I did.

 

I stopped in the overflow lot on the way out to make sure everything was latched and my lights all worked.

 

I spotted this lone turkey siting on a fence post there:

 

 

At the time,  I remember thinking that he had a while before he needed to worry about Thanksgiving.

 

But now Thanksgiving is two days away.

 

The good Lord willing, the TCD gang will spend Thanksgiving together this year.  Even though the twins both have to work that day.

 

This trip report is done.

 

Luckily for you, there are several really good trip reports underway that you can enjoy until the next TCD TR comes along.  And that may be sooner than you think.

 

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

This one was over in record time.  Don't you have some bonus material you could post to drag this out another 1 or 10 months?

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Hmmm......

 

The twins both have to work on Thanksgiving day.

 

They work at Walt Disney World.

 

And TCD said, Lord willing, the TCD gang will spend Thanksgiving together.

 

:fairydust:

[BuckeyeFortFan 35]

Nice trip report TCD.  As always, a lot of good pics and with the girls being CM's, a lot of nice insider info.  Looking forward to the next TR....I have heard it is going to be "epic"!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Those chips sound disgusting. 

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

Thanks TCD, it was a good report to come back to. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[Memphis 105]

Another great report.  Thanks for all your hard work.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

This one was over in record time.  Don't you have some bonus material you could post to drag this out another 1 or 10 months?

 

Sorry, but no bonus content.

 

The next content I gather is going to require a full trip report.

 

Hmmm......

 

The twins both have to work on Thanksgiving day.

 

They work at Walt Disney World.

 

And TCD said, Lord willing, the TCD gang will spend Thanksgiving together.

 

:fairydust:

 

You are very perceptive.

 

But my comings and goings at WDW are a closely guarded secret.

 

Nice trip report TCD.  As always, a lot of good pics and with the girls being CM's, a lot of nice insider info.  Looking forward to the next TR....I have heard it is going to be "epic"!

 

Thanks.

 

And, it's not the next trip that's going to be epic.  It's the one after that.

 

Those chips sound disgusting. 

 

You are correct.

 

I had to eat several just to confirm how awful they were.

 

It's like they set out to intentionally make something awful.  And they nailed it.

 

Thanks TCD, it was a good report to come back to. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

 

Glad you liked it.

 

I'll bet you especially liked the Parrothead golf cart.

 

Another great report.  Thanks for all your hard work.

 

The pleasure is mine.

 

Really, it is.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Another great TR!  Look forward to the next one.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I was excited when I saw Whiskey Crisps, but then I noticed where it said, "and haggis."    :barf:

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

Done.

Another fine TR!

Now I can go read the new one and get like Page 51 bragging rights.