Down by the Riverside (and Fort): A TCD End of Summer Trip Report

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Whew! What a difference a few days can make! I was so proud to get in on the first page.. Then Voila! Just like that I fell 11 pages behind!

I have to say that POR is absolutely beautiful!!! It sort of reminds me of a Fort Wilderness/Tom Sawyer Island combo with a bayou twist. We're not sure that we will have enough time for a FW stay next year but this resort could be a wonderful alternative. It looks like they have a lot of activities available and it really does remind me of how the Fort used to look.. ya know.. back when they took a little pride in it. Booo FW management!

I am anti-bus vomit.

But I am pro-t shirts for twin 1 and twin 2. You can't go wrong with a Rebel Spy and a MK Turkey Leg.

Yehaw Bob... Who knew? He sounds like fun and someone I would enjoy while munching on chicken wings.

Now I'm feeling all squishy inside. I remember the feeling well. And I remember the A-E tickets too. KFM's biggest memorabelia regret is cashing those in for the new and improved World Passport.

I am thoroughly enjoying this one. Can't wait for the Fort Wilderness surprises. :yay:

Thanks for checking in, KFK.

Don't feel bad about falling behind. This one kind of took off quick. And, it has gotten a bit longer than I thought it would.

I didn't realize we covered so much ground in such a short period of time.

As you can tell, I really enjoyed POR. I can foresee that we will be staying there again soon. With prices at the Fort being what they are, and the Fort being in the condition that it is, it is tempting to spend the little more that it costs to stay at POR. Heck, they even have a campfire and an outdoor movie. And, I was not harassed once by a busy body ranger!

I still have some old WDW lettered tickets. I'm sure I don't have any E's left, but I know I have some A's and B's. My girls can't believe that we had to use a ticket for every ride back in the day.

The Fort surprises are coming. As I said, there were two things that completely surprised me.

You''ll see.

Mania

manic... definitely :parrot:

Uh-oh.

i had better get moving on this report before Ed breaks out his thesaurus.

Nice shirt TCD! Showing some love to the Redbar! (although it looks kind of hippie-ish)

I thought that place was great! The future in-laws not so much.

Only one menu in the whole place and its on a chalkboard, lol. Our booth was completely re-done with duct tape and was slanted towards the wall so you slid in and had to climb out. haha

I can't wait to take my friends there in a couple months!

Keep the report coming!

WBI

Good catch.

Yeah, that shirt does look a little hippie-ish. But then, Red Bar and Grayton Beach are kind of hippie-ish too.

I am pretty sure that I have sat in the very booth you are describing.

I got to visit Red Bar over the summer. I hope to get back there soon!

TCD

[stefa70 205]

Darn it! You and these cliff hangers. I'm anxious to find out what was back in the trail with you (Besides the bunny :heart: )

Was it a yeti?

Was it the boogeyman?

Was it a donut chasing fort po-po?

The suspense is killing me!!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Darn it! You and these cliff hangers. I'm anxious to find out what was back in the trail with you (Besides the bunny :heart: )

Was it a yeti?

Was it the boogeyman?

Was it a donut chasing fort po-po?

The suspense is killing me!!

I am using the time to finally read KFK's TR. Oh my goodness 19 pages down..... 19 pages!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Darn it! You and these cliff hangers. I'm anxious to find out what was back in the trail with you (Besides the bunny :heart: )

Was it a yeti?

Was it the boogeyman?

Was it a donut chasing fort po-po?

The suspense is killing me!!

No, no and no.

I am sorry about the cliffhangers.

But that's how I roll.

For some reason, my photos are loading real slow today.

I might not be able to get my next update up until tomorrow.

Sorry.

I am using the time to finally read KFK's TR. Oh my goodness 19 pages down..... 19 pages!

Great idea.

Read KFK's report.

Or, for those of you who just look at the pictures, go back and read this report.

There's some good stuff in there, I promise.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

I might not be able to get my next update up until tomorrow.

TCD

:dmmhu:

I have kept up with KFK's report, and I have hung on your every word in this report!

Now what am I supposed to do smarty pants?

[caveat lector 181]

...

But don't you worry- I was up early on Sunday morning for a little visit to the Fort, and there is still a lot more of this report to come- including some new things I saw at Fort Wilderness.

TCD

I think it's great the way you extract every second out of each trip. I need to work on that. Every trip, the night before we leave, I get reflective/introspective about he great time we just had and how it's coming to an end. It's a waste, and I need to save it for later when the vacation is over.

btw, digging the report as always.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I might not be able to get my next update up until tomorrow.

Sorry.

TCD

that is asking for a good hijackin

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

Maybe he found one of the Fort Fiend Fairies ...

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Maybe he found one of the Fort Fiend Fairies ...

don't you mean "he who cannot tag"

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

:dmmhu:

I have kept up with KFK's report, and I have hung on your every word in this report!

Now what am I supposed to do smarty pants?

OK, OK.

I am going to try to squeeze another installment in here. If my dang photos will load.

I think it's great the way you extract every second out of each trip. I need to work on that. Every trip, the night before we leave, I get reflective/introspective about he great time we just had and how it's coming to an end. It's a waste, and I need to save it for later when the vacation is over.

btw, digging the report as always.

Thanks. And, you are right. Our visits to WDW aren't really vacations. I figure I can get plenty of sleep in my own bed at home for free. With what I'm paying at WDW, I do try to get my money's worth. Also, I am fortunate that when one trip ends, I usually already have the next one planned. So, leaving is never a sad thing for us. Just an end to one chapter, allowing us to begin the next.

I am not responding to any of the fairy photos or discussion.

I am anti-fairy.

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

OK, OK.

I am going to try to squeeze another installment in here. If my dang photos will load.

Thanks. And, you are right. Our visits to WDW aren't really vacations. I figure I can get plenty of sleep in my own bed at home for free. With what I'm paying at WDW, I do try to get my money's worth. Also, I am fortunate that when one trip ends, I usually already have the next one planned. So, leaving is never a sad thing for us. Just an end to one chapter, allowing us to begin the next.

I am not responding to any of the fairy photos or discussion.

I am anti-fairy.

TCD

1. load durn photos load! :suspense:

2. I am just over slightly jealous of your proximity to WDW. Although we are usually ready to move on by the end of a week anywhere, it would be nice to enjoy the magic more often. Particularly since the kids just don't stay kids for long.

3. I keep challenging the fairies to see if they can come up with a good tag but my last one was a recycled one from something someone else said....just shameful. Maybe I should become anti-fff (fort fiend fairy). Do I hear wings flapping? Or a cluck? :rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Here we go with another update.

We left off on the trail to the Settlement.

I menitoned that it wasn't just me and the bunny.

And it wasn't.

Just as I headed out, I ran right in to this:

What the Fort is that supposed to be, you ask?

Here's a closer look:

That is what we in the TCD gang refer to as a "Wicked Spid-dah"

We say that in honor of a young chowd that we ran into on a previous trip who yelled to her mom that there was a Wicked Spid-dah in the comfort station. My girls now refer to all large spiders as Wicked Spid-dahs. We also call lizards Wicked Liz-ahds for the same reason.

All joking aside, that was one big spider.

But, he was high up, and I walked right on by without incident.

As I already mentioned, I love to walk this path:

My only complaint is that it used to be a nice sandy path. Now, it has been covered with crushed asphalt.

Boo Fort management!

This is near the end of the path, right before you get to the Settlement Trading Post. According to plans filed with SFWMD, this is where they intend to build a new Dining Pavilion some time in the future:

This canal isn't looking so good lately:

So, who's ready for the first surprise?

Here it is!:

Wow!

What, is it?

Well, first of all, that is the old Ring Carver kiosk. Where you could buy your "poned" ring.

Now it's back here.

But, that isn't the surprise.

We already knew that the ring carver kiosk got moved.

Do you know what's missing from back here?

The River Country Wagon!

It had been sitting back here for over a year.

Since March, 2010.

On every visit since then, I have dutifully checked on it.

It has gotten to be a joke in my family.

My DD's often will ask me several times on a trip if I would like to stop the golf cart and look behind the Settlement Trading Post.

The wagon was here in July.

Now it's gone.

Where is it?

Hopefully, it's being refurbished.

But who knows?

So, there's our first surprise.

Here's a shot of the entrance to the pedestrian path. We just walked out of here. This is all going to be changed when the new Dining Pavilion is built:

Here we are heading over to take a look at the Lawnmower Tree. Hey look, somebody is walking back toward River Country. It's a TCD wannabe!!:

Speaking of the Lawnmower Tree. What is left of it is still here. For now:

I heard a loud noise coming from the beach, so I had to go and check on that. The beach looks nice, but it was loud as heck when I took this photo:

They usually rake the beach each morning with a little rider lawnmower with a small rake hitched to the back.

Well, check this guy out:

Get 'er done!

I was the first customer at the coffee machine when Trail's End opened at 7:30.

As I enjoyed my coffee, I took a look around Pioneer Hall.

This flower bed outside the ticket window has been recently replanted:

I love this field, and the old windmill tower covered in vines at the back center of this photo:

I heard some odd scratching noise, and looked over toward the old water fountains here, and found this:

It's a Real Squirrel of Genius getting himself a drink:

Now we are over on the porch outside of Crockett's Tavern.

This Checkerboard and chairs are relatively new here:

I love the Hidden Mickeys there on the seats.

Here's something that I hadn't noticed before- look under those seats. There is a wire and a bolt beneath each chair.

You can see the wire here:

I guess they don't want those chairs walking off.

Here's another of my favorite Fort views. From the porch:

Here's where the River Country wagon is supposed to be:

The fact that the little fenced in area remains gives me some home that the wagon may one day return. But, it could also mean that the dumb and cheap Fort managers just haven't gotten around to having it removed after a year and a half.

The Settlement area was deserted during my visit. People get a slow start at the Fort. Of course, there really isn't much reason for anyone to come here early. The area in the background of this photo is going to be turned into a new golf cart parking area whenever they get around to building the new dining pavilion:

It was time for me to move on.

So I headed toward the bus stop.

There were buses waiting there to whisk me away to wherever I wanted to go:

Here's one last look at Pioneer Hall. Hopefully, it won't be long before I visit here again:

Next up, I hop a bus.

And find my next surprise.

TCD

Are you happy now, S70?

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

2. I am just over slightly jealous of your proximity to WDW. Although we are usually ready to move on by the end of a week anywhere, it would be nice to enjoy the magic more often. Particularly since the kids just don't stay kids for long.

Not me. I'm never ready to leave Ocean Lakes or the fort. Home is an ugly four-letter word! And WORK is even uglier!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Not me. I'm never ready to leave Ocean Lakes or the fort. Home is an ugly four-letter word! And WORK is even uglier!

that's the beauty of living near wdw you can visit often. we don't have a home in the sticks and bricks sense anymore

[stefa70 205]

Yes I am very happy indeed!! I went ahead and finished packing, cooked dinner and went to the liquor store. What a pleasant surprise to come home to another installment. (Not that it would have really mattered, you know I love ya, even when you make me wait :) )

Yuck to the spid-dah!! That's right up there on the list with roaches. Both give me the heebie-jeebies. I would have preferred a yeti or boogey man.

Times sure are changing. Who would have thought that they would have to bolt the chairs to the porch. Sad. But I have hope that the River Country wagon will be back. It's the least they could do. It seems that with every year, more stuff is taken away, yet nothing is ever given back.

I'm looking forward to the next surprise, but no pressure.

[kampfirekim 260]

I'll join the ranks with Stef and say that I am happy too. But no one really seemed overly worried about my happiness so it doesn't really matter that much anyway. :rofl2: Just kiddin'.

I like the Wicked Spid-dah! In fact it looks kind of like a writing spider (Charlotte) which we have plenty of around here. They are not dangerous but they are helpful. Creepy looking but helpful.

Your surprise was more like a shock! Where did it go? Please oh please Disney Fairies make it come back!

I wasn't surprised to see the Ring Carver's kiosk hidden away. I've never seen anyone actually purchase anything there. Browse yes. Purchase ... no. We've already discussed this subject elsewhere so I'll let it go.

I really enjoyed this update. It was a nice way to kick off my evening...

[Judy in Texas 150]

It wasn't long ago that someone posted a question asking if this McDonalds had a value menu. It doesn't. It's prices are probably a bit higher than what you would see at your local McDonalds, but it's still not a bad place to pick up a quick and cheap meal on WDW property. Here's the menu for anyone wondering what the prices are like:

That was me. Sorry I've been tardy in thanking you for posting the picture of the drive through menu. I appreciate your remembering that I asked. :heart:

[Sunset Lady 6]

It's one of my favorite places in the Fort.

I love the view from here:

TCD

I agree, what a view. Looks peaceful.

[lklasing 16]

Here's another of my favorite Fort views. From the porch:

Absolutely one of my favorites. Thanks!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I agree, what a view. Looks peaceful.

I have to agree. We visited it many times in our short week at the fort.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes I am very happy indeed!! I went ahead and finished packing, cooked dinner and went to the liquor store. What a pleasant surprise to come home to another installment. (Not that it would have really mattered, you know I love ya, even when you make me wait :) )

Yuck to the spid-dah!! That's right up there on the list with roaches. Both give me the heebie-jeebies. I would have preferred a yeti or boogey man.

Times sure are changing. Who would have thought that they would have to bolt the chairs to the porch. Sad. But I have hope that the River Country wagon will be back. It's the least they could do. It seems that with every year, more stuff is taken away, yet nothing is ever given back.

I'm looking forward to the next surprise, but no pressure.

Great! It sounds like you are about ready to head out. Is Mason sitting in the truck yet? Let me know when you are heading out, so I can try to get this TR finished up before you go.

I agree with you about the taking away and not putting back. That bothers me too. I hope that River Country wagon comes back. I have this lingering suspicion that they are going to use it as a feature for the new construction they are planning. But at the pace things are going, it looks like it will be a long time before I find out if I'm right about that.

I'll join the ranks with Stef and say that I am happy too. But no one really seemed overly worried about my happiness so it doesn't really matter that much anyway. :rofl2: Just kiddin'.

I like the Wicked Spid-dah! In fact it looks kind of like a writing spider (Charlotte) which we have plenty of around here. They are not dangerous but they are helpful. Creepy looking but helpful.

Your surprise was more like a shock! Where did it go? Please oh please Disney Fairies make it come back!

I wasn't surprised to see the Ring Carver's kiosk hidden away. I've never seen anyone actually purchase anything there. Browse yes. Purchase ... no. We've already discussed this subject elsewhere so I'll let it go.

I really enjoyed this update. It was a nice way to kick off my evening...

I am kind of glad the ring carver kiosk is gone. It makes the area in front of Pioneer Hall less congested.

As I already said, I am with you on hoping for the River Country wagon's return.

That was me. Sorry I've been tardy in thanking you for posting the picture of the drive through menu. I appreciate your remembering that I asked. :heart:

OK Good.

I was going to look for that thread, but now I know.

I can zoom in and post clearer photos of the menu if there are any particular parts you are interested in. Let me know.

I agree, what a view. Looks peaceful.

It is very peaceful. Especially at sunrise. I try to be there for sunrise every morning I am lucky enough to be at the Fort.

Absolutely one of my favorites. Thanks!

Thanks. I have some photos of a couple more of my favorite spots at the Fort coming up next.

I have to agree. We visited it many times in our short week at the fort.

Good for you! It's just a special place. You are surrounded by the biggest vacation spot in the universe, yet you can feel like you are all alone in the wilderness.

Awesome.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Alright, I already told you about one surprise I found at the Fort- the missing River Country Wagon.

I'll mention another surprise in this post.

Remember I said that I saw two things at the Fort that really surprised me?

Where we last left off, I was approaching the Settlement bus stop, where there were buses waiting for passengers.

I don't have a better solution, but it sure is a shame that Disney keeps a small fleet of full sized buses running all day at the Fort. I can only remember one or two times out of hundreds of bus rides at the Fort that I have ever been on a full bus. Ever.

Today was no different.

There was an Orange Outpost bus idling as I walked up. I stepped on to the bus, and the driver asked where I was heading. I told him the 800 loop, and off we went. I sure had it lucky with the buses this morning. That's three times now that I got a bus immediately upon reaching the bus stop. And, I was the only passenger each time.

I exited the bus at the 800 loop bus stop.

I could see a lot of open spaces in the 800 loop, so I walked in to the loop just a bit to look. Here we are looking down the loop at the last sites on the loop:

Aside for a few campers in the first few sites in the loop, and a few here near the last sites, the loop was empty. There were maybe 15 occupied sites on the loop.

But, the 600 loop was full.

Since this is a TCD trip report, we must have a photo of site 617.

And here it is:

It was right here that I found my next surprise.

The 800 loop bus stop has had some work done:

You might be asking yourself: "What the Fort is TCD talking about?" "What does he mean the 800 loop bus stop had some work done?"

If you area asking yourself that, I'll tell you.

Do you remember a TCD trip report from earlier this year showing you how they had installed some orange barricades at the 800 loop exit to force those leaving the loop and making a right turn to make a wider turn? That was because several people had taken the turn too sharp and ended up hitting the corner of the bus stop. The problem was that these barricades were making folks turn out into oncoming traffic. Not such a bright idea. Good for the bus stop, but bad for everyone else. So, they took the barricades out. But, the problem was not solved.

So, what did they do? Easy. They just sawed the corner off the bus stop roof. Problem solved.

I generally don't award TCDRMOG awards to castmembers, but in this case I must make an exception.

Whoever thought of sawing the corner off the roof gets the award. That is genius! Why did it take them so long to think of it?

In case you're counting that makes two surprises.

From here, we are going to head through the 600 loop, over to the footbridge, around the lake, and back to the Meadow Trading Post back porch.

So, let's go.

Here we are heading to the path. It's right next to good old 617:

And here's one more shot of the best site in all of Fort Wilderness:

Here is the footbridge. It's another of my favorite places in the Fort:

Here we are on the bridge, looking down the canal that runs between the 600 loop and the 1400 loop:

This is yet another of my favorite views in all of Fort Wilderness, looking across the lake at the Meadow Trading Post from the end of the bridge:

Note that the bird we saw when we began this journey is still hanging out here. It's still just him and me.

Here we are at the campfire. Some benches are missing from here for some reason:

I sure hope they weren't removed because of damage from illegal fireworks on July 4th.

Here we are looking across the lake again at the Meadow Trading Post:

Here is the canoe fleet:

And the kayak fleet:

Here's the price list for the recreation activities that cost money, in case you are curious:

Here we are continuing our walk.

Look over on TnBob's dock over there. There is a castmember dusting the light fixtures!:

Can you imagine that?

This guy is out here at zero dark thirty dusting the light fixtures on TnBob's dock.

Why?

Note that there is a new aerator in the lake blowing bubbles and the castmember is still dusting in this photo:

Here we are nearing the bridge that will take us over to the Meadow Trading Post. In this photo, we are looking toward the bike rack by the pool. You used to be able to park your golf cart there. But now you can't. Boo Fort management:

Here we are across the bridge at the back of the Meadow Trading Post:

You know what I just realized?

I have a lot of favorite spots at the Fort.

And, this is one of them:

Another shot from the same place:

And one more (I told you I like this spot):

And guess what?

Just past this is yet another of my favorite spots!

I really like this spot.

I am very much a fan of Bear Rock.

Here it is:

I have reached my photo limit, so I will close this post with this photo. Look at how still the water is this morning. Also, note that you can see my friend the big white bird there across the lake, as well as the footbridge and the top of bear rock at the bottom of the photo. I really like this photo:

How is that for peaceful and tranquil?

That's 25 photos.

Do you want to know what's coming next?

I have a surprise for you.

I really do.

But, I already posted two surprises- the missing River Country wagon, and the cosmetic procedure on the 800 loop bus stop.

You need to read more carefully.

Nowhere did I say that there would only be two surprises.

What I have been saying is that I saw two things this morning that really surprised me.

And I did.

And, I haven't told you yet what these two things were.

So, next up you will hear about and see the photos of the two really big surprises I saw at the Fort on Sunday morning!!!

You won't want to miss that installment!

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I am proud to say I noticed that the River Country wagon was missing. It was all downhill from there, I was distracted by a squirrel.

Great update, Andrew. Between you and Kim the drive to the Fort has been bearable. :banana:

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

sneaky

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

.....the drive to the Fort has been bearable. :banana:

rub it in :'(

no seriously have enough fun for all of us!