TCD is Thankful for Thanksgiving at the Fort Trip Report

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

This is the reason we put everything is storage, decided to homeschool the kids, hitched up a trailer, and hit the road. You only have them for a short period of time (when the actually enjoy you).

Good for you!

I am sure that this is a decision that you will not regret.

What memories you are making!

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Good for you! I am sure that this is a decision that you will not regret. What memories you are making! TCD

That's the goal..just hope it works.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow!

I can't believe the traffic we have here on ff.net lately!

There are more trip reports going now than you can shake a stick at!

And, they're good ones too!

Fiends rock!

Speaking of Fiends, I should mention early in this report that I saw exactly zero signs sporting green Mickey ears at the Fort over our Thanksgiving visit. ZERO! Again, no name calling, just stating facts. You know what they say about Karma? It's true! And that is all that I will be saying about that.

Now, let's pick up with this report.

We had retired at 3 am.

Which kind of threw a monkey wrench in to my normal practice of rising before the sun.

I slept in until about 7:30.

I guess I was a bit of a slacker on Monday morning.

But, then I got it into gear.

Let's begin with a few photos of our campsite. It was dark before I finished getting it set up on Sunday night. One thing I do not like about camping this time of year is that the sun sets early. I mean it is pitch black by 6 pm. In the summer time, you get a couple or three extra hours of daylight. I like that. On the other hand, the weather this time of year is usually wonderful. And, for this trip, I have to say that we were blessed with the nicest weather we have ever had for a Thanksgiving visit to the Fort. Ever. We just had a little bit of rain, but the rest of the time it was bright and sunny, and the temperatures ranged from the low 60's to the 80's. We never needed to use our heater, but did have to run the AC on occasion. How do you like that?

Since I didn't get any photos of the campsite after getting it set up after dark on Sunday, I snapped some on Monday morning.

This is the back of our site. We backed up to Big Pine Drive. The four-way stop that everyone comes to when entering the Fort is back there behind the bushes. We ate our GAG right there at that picnic table the night before:

You can see the TCD outdoor gourmet kitchen in this photo along with the official TCD hammock.

It is good to be TCD.

Here's the good old TCD pop-up. I bought this beauty new 12 years ago in November 1999, and our first visit to the Fort in it was taken that month. So this was the 12th anniversary of the TCD gang visiting the Fort in that camper:

The funny thing about that is that when I bought the camper, it was my intention that it would be our entry in to the RV world. I expected to move up to a TT and then maybe a motorhome, but that never happened. That camper ended up being the perfect thing for us, and at this point, I can't envision ever parting with it. You have no idea the fun we have had in this thing. Buying it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Here's a view from the front of our site. At this point, I had not put up any decorations. It was already getting late when I finished the set-up the night before, and I decided to wait until morning so I wouldn't have to mess with trying to set stuff up in the dark:

Don't you worry, this site will have some decorations on it the next time you see it.

From here, you may have guessed that the first stop will be Trail's End for some coffee. I had my coffee maker along with some quality coffee to make, but for some reason I cannot resist drinking that awful swill they serve at Trail's End. I really don't like that Nescafe' coffee, but at the same time I can't help drinking several cups of it every morning. Weird.

While I was in the neighborhood, I couldn't help pushing back the sliding door there next to the drink machine and taking a peak into Pioneer Hall. Sure enough, it was decorated for Christmas:

And, of course, the outside was decorated too:

Trail's End and Crockett's was decorated too:

I guess that all of the WDW resorts end up with some kind of Christmas tree this time of year, and I have seen a lot of them. Some resorts have much bigger trees, and probably some have fancier ones. I don't care- the Christmas tree that is set up every year here in the Settlement is my favorite one anywhere in WDW, and I am glad every time I get a chance to see it:

Here is another exclusive photo from the TCD Sunrise Over . . . collection.

I call this one Sunrise Over the Pioneer Hall Golf Cart Parking Lot:

Since I was in the area, and since it is a requirement for every TCD visit to the Fort, I decided to pop over to the old River Country area for a look-see.

The old River Country ticket booth was decorated:

And so was the dining pavilion:

The scarecrow that they put up for Halloween was still here. They just yanked the gravestones and skulls, and used it as a Thanksgiving prop. Nothing wrong with that:

I didn't bring my broomstick or duct tape along, so I was limited to just taking a few photos of the old River Country slides through gaps in the fence. Here's the old slides:

The rock under the left slide is really crumbling. I can't imagine that this is happening on its own- somebody has been breaking it up:

Dislike!

Those mysterious blue tanks are still out there near the old beach area. The weeds have grown up so high that you can barely see them in this shot. Next time, I'll bring the broom and duct tape:

Here's what's left of the restroom and shower building:

That's all I have of River Country.

Nothing is going on around there.

Yet.

From here I topped off my coffee, and headed to one of my favorite places to stop and enjoy the view.

I'm talking about this place:

Look at what a pretty morning it was!

Glorious!

I headed back toward the 300 loop, and stopped for just a moment to take this photo of a genius who set his tent up way behind his site:

That's a sweet place to pitch a tent!

As long as you don't mind everyone walking their dogs past you.

From here, I was off to see one of the things I most enjoy about visiting the Fort for Thanksgiving week.

I am thankful for the beautiful weather that we had all week!

And, I am thankful that the Christmas decorations went up early this year- I really enjoyed seeing them throughout the week.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

This is just a quick follow up post to point out something in one of the photos in my last post.

(for some reason my spacing gets messed up when I try to edit my posts, so I am handling it this way).

Note how the two notice signs in front of Pioneer Hall are blank. They are currently experimenting with different start times for the Hoop Dee Doo Review, so the old signs were taken down. I think it's interesting that they have not put up new signs. I guess this is really just an experiment, and they're not sure what they are going to do:

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

1. Ahhh... the beauty of mornings at the Fort.

2. We enjoy a nice walk to refill our mugs every morning.. just not with the coffee!!

3. Love your kitchen.

4. If the RV works for you... why change it. The memories can never be replaced by a bigger rig.

[stefa70 205]

YOU slept til 7:30? :siren: You must have been whooped!

We did the exact same thing as you with your pup. We bought mine from my uncle as he bought it new in Maine 2 years earlier, used it twice and then moved to Florida. That thing had a great furnace (remember, Maine) but no A/C. He quickly found out A/C is crucial in Florida, so he sold it to us.

We had always enjoyed tenting at the Fort, but it was time to get off the ground. Maybe eventually we would move up through the classes. We loved our pup!! The only thing I missed was the bathroom. Most campgrounds bath houses are NOT like the Fort, and since I'm an early riser, there were occasions that I got the heebie jeebies walking alone to the bath houses at 4:00am.

So that's how we ended up with our hybrid! Best of both worlds, and I wouldn't even think of "upgrading"

Backing up a bit....what do you mean you might not camp much once the kids are gone? It's definitely an adjustment, but you saw first hand how much fun we had without the kids. (Well you didn't see all the fun, but this is a family board, so I'll leave that part out ) You can't just quit! TCD and Disney are like PB & J, or Peas & Carrots!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

1. Ahhh... the beauty of mornings at the Fort.

2. We enjoy a nice walk to refill our mugs every morning.. just not with the coffee!!

3. Love your kitchen.

4. If the RV works for you... why change it. The memories can never be replaced by a bigger rig.

1. Yes, morning is my favorite time at the Fort!

2. Where do you fill your mugs with beer in the morning?

3. Looking at the photo of my kitchen again, I noticed that I don't have all my equipment set up. I'll have a better photo of it later.

4. Yep. That pup is perfect for us, so at this point, I'm not going to be making a change.

YOU slept til 7:30? :siren: You must have been whooped!

We did the exact same thing as you with your pup. We bought mine from my uncle as he bought it new in Maine 2 years earlier, used it twice and then moved to Florida. That thing had a great furnace (remember, Maine) but no A/C. He quickly found out A/C is crucial in Florida, so he sold it to us.

We had always enjoyed tenting at the Fort, but it was time to get off the ground. Maybe eventually we would move up through the classes. We loved our pup!! The only thing I missed was the bathroom. Most campgrounds bath houses are NOT like the Fort, and since I'm an early riser, there were occasions that I got the heebie jeebies walking alone to the bath houses at 4:00am.

So that's how we ended up with our hybrid! Best of both worlds, and I wouldn't even think of "upgrading"

Backing up a bit....what do you mean you might not camp much once the kids are gone? It's definitely an adjustment, but you saw first hand how much fun we had without the kids. (Well you didn't see all the fun, but this is a family board, so I'll leave that part out ) You can't just quit! TCD and Disney are like PB & J, or Peas & Carrots!

I was really tired- but don't worry, there was no more sleeping in on this trip.

We do have a toilet in our pup. It's a cassette potty. I wasn't really sure that I wanted it or that we would use it, but it has ended up being the best thing ever for the girls. Plus, it is enclosed with a curtain which gives us a place to change clothes privately, which is important to the DD's.

I love hybrids like you have, and that is probably what we would upgrade to when this old pup finally is worn out.

I hope that I will always camp at the Fort, I just don't see it being anywhere near as frequently once the girls have moved on. Mrs. TCD loves the Fort just fine, but it's not her favorite place to visit. She is more of a beach person. And there's nothing wrong with that.

TCD

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Perhaps the girls can go to UCF. Then its just a short drive for them to join you at the Fort!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well. I have a lot of ground to cover, so here comes today's second installment.

After visiting the Settlement area on Monday morning, I headed out to the group camping area.

There is something very cool that happens out in the group camping area every Thanksgiving week.

A tee-pee invasion!

Sure enough, the tee-pees were here!

Here's a shot from out near the road, looking in to the group camping area:

It is fascinating to watch the enthusiasts put their tee pees up. Here is one in the process of being assembled:

Here are some more tee-pees:

This group obviously prefers plain white tee-pees, but of course, there has to be a show off in every bunch. There's a guy back there with a colorful tee-pee:

The guy with the fancy tee-pee is here every year. There is always a bunch of smoke pouring out of the top of his tee-pee, and the guy could pass as a brother of Cheech and Chong. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The tee-pees are set up in small groups, and each group also sets up a kitchen area. They try to keep things low tech, and carry all there stuff around in wooden boxes. Here's one of the kitchen areas:

I have chatted with these folks before, and all of the decorations and doo dads that they hang on there tee-pees are there for a reason. Like these streamers and the dream catcher:

These folks have a lantern and cow skull hanging outside of their tee-pee:

This kitchen area has not been set-up completely yet. There are those wooden boxes I was talking about:

This is another group of tee-pees that was set up in the back of the group camping area, near the bridge to the 900 loop:

There are big firepits in the group camping area, and these folks always bring plenty of firewood and enjoy nice campfires:

Here we are near the back of the group camping area, looking toward the comfort station:

Here's another kitchen area set-up:

You can see the entrance to the 900 loop bridge next to the tent in the background of this photo. I don't know what that tent was doing there. These tee-pee folks seem to be anti-tent:

Be sure you notice the collection of axes they have there!

Here we are looking across the field:

And across the volleyball court:

Here's another pile of firewood and a kitchen set-up:

I have commented before, and will do so again later in this report, about how the water level in the Fort's canals and lakes seems to be low. Also, a lot of the water seems stagnant, and there is slime on top of some of it. But this little pond by the group camping area looked nicer than I have ever seen it:

The group camping area bus stop was decorated:

I think that's enough tee-pee photos for now.

We will be back here to visit again to take a look at some of the things these folks do over the course of the week.

But for now, we will be heading over to the Meadow Trading Post for some more coffee.

I found a few interesting things to report on there.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Perhaps the girls can go to UCF. Then its just a short drive for them to join you at the Fort!

That would be great.

A lot of kids from their High School end up at UCF, and two of my nieces (the girls' cousins) attend there now.

When my oldest DD was choosing her college, I took her to UCF for the tour and really encouraged it. But, she had her mind set on FSU, and that is where she ended up, and she's very happy there.

I am taking the twins on their college visits after the first of the year. UCF will definitely be considered.

TCD

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

While adults only trips can be fun, don't rush the years with your little ones. It will be over before you know it and you will miss all the "Mom duties"

But just think you are closer to the Grandparents trip. My parents laughed if they knew how fun grandkids were they would have skipped right to that (not sure how) :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Notice I did not bring up this past week's game!

I forgot to comment on this.

Thanks for not rubbing it in.

Although, we Gators deserve to have it rubbed in.

Congratulations.

My Seminole DD is ecstatic.

She is crossing her fingers that FSU gets to go back to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl this year.

If they do, I told her I would take her.

That would be good for her, but bad for my proposed NYE trip to the Fort.

Go Tigers!

TCD

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

Speaking of Fiends, I should mention early in this report that I saw exactly zero signs sporting green Mickey ears at the Fort over our Thanksgiving visit. ZERO! Again, no name calling, just stating facts. You know what they say about Karma? It's true! And that is all that I will be saying about that.

I might have to dust off the old LGMH sign and put it out next Thanksgiving... right next to my FF sign (note to self get FF sign). Crap if I do this I might never get a new tag. Another great TR in progress but what else do you get from TCD? (ok I know, Spikes, info, etc I didn't really want an answer to my question) Note: if you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect to get an answer you don't want to hear.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I might have to dust off the old LGMH sign and put it out next Thanksgiving... right next to my FF sign (note to self get FF sign). Crap if I do this I might never get a new tag. Another great TR in progress but what else do you get from TCD? (ok I know, Spikes, info, etc I didn't really want an answer to my question) Note: if you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect to get an answer you don't want to hear.

Sorry for the slight hijack, Andrew but this is especially for Jeff. :rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

What good fortune has been bestowed on all of you today!

Because here comes another update.

Not that I'm counting, but that's three times in one day!

You cannot call that slacking!

We left off with the tee pees.

The TCD twins are still fast asleep in the camper.

And, I am in need of more java.

So, on to the Meadow Trading Post.

It opens at 8, and it wasn't even 9 yet when I walked in.

As I came in the front door, I ran right in to a castmember putting out some new merchandise.

It was a Fort Wilderness license plate, license plate frame, and car magnet. You can see that there is only one license plate on display- the guy was trying to hang those up when I showed up:

So, I can safely say that you have just looked at the very first photo of the new FW merch.

Perhaps some photos have already been posted, but this was the first one taken.

Bragging rights!

The fellow had also just finished hanging some new men's' t-shirts. They looked awesome. I checked my pockets- I didn't have enough cash on me to buy one. That's where camping in the 1200 loop came in handy. I would run back to the camper, grab some cash, and be back to buy a shirt.

But first, I had to look around.

There was something going on out back:

The back door was locked.

Someone had been busy with the brown paint.

I had a good idea who it may have been.

But, there was no one out there at the moment.

Just this blower:

They had the side porch blocked off too:

Here's a sad sight:

That was someone's Mickey Bar. It fell off of its stick. I'll bet some tears were shed when that happened. Heck, the sight of it almost made me tear up.

A blocked porch was no match for me.

I just walked around to the back.

Here's TnBob's dock. Minus the TnBob:

I like that dock much better when TnBob is on it.

Here's the expected Bear Rock photo:

I would say the water looked a bit higher than it had last month around Halloween, but it still isn't at its normal level.

Here's a look at the back of the Trading Post from down by the lake bank. Note how many leaves have fallen:

Here's another look at the Bob-less dock:

Here's a good view of all the fallen leaves:

Also note the worker. That is not the Barrel Painter, who is normally in charge of painting things brown at the Fort. As best I can figure, this job was too much for him so they brought in an outside contractor.

Here's a look at the giant Sycamore tree that stands right behind the Trading Post. You can see that all of its leaves are turning, and it won't be long until they all drop:

Here's a shot of the bridge from over this way:

From here, I ran back to my site to grab some cash, and came back to buy my shirt. I was able to get a 10% passholder discount, so it ended up costing just $20 and change. Not bad for Disney.

Here's a better look at the license plate:

And the frame. Both of these were plastic, and the frame was incredibly flimsy:

Here's something interesting I learned- it is illegal to use a license plate frame in Texas. Lonestar told me that. He was sad that he couldn't use one of the frames.

I already posted these photos elsewhere on ff.net, but here's the new men's t shirt front and back:

This is quite significant, because there has been no Fort Wilderness specific gear for sale for about the last two years.

I really like the artwork used on the license plate and t-shirt.

After my shopping spree, it was time for yet more looping.

This time, I hit the 800 loop.

Where I saw this guy:

So, who is this joker?

A Shanta wannabe, that's who.

But look at him.

Not even close.

We will be visiting this issue again later in the report.

From the 800 loop, it was on to the 600 loop and a look at good old site 617:

So nice!

Here's the usual photo of the canal. The 600 loop is on the left, and 1400 on the right:

Here's the usual photo of the lake behind the Meadow Trading Post:

And here's the famous Theater Under The Stars:

Even the projection building is decorated for Christmas:

Do you want to know what movies were shown Thanksgiving week?

If so, here you go:

So, we got Brother Bear for Thanksgiving.

Why Brother Bear?

I don't know.

But at least it wasn't Lemonade Mouth.

While I was checking out things here, these kids came walking out of the 1400 loop with their dog:

Which is interesting because the 1400 loop is not a pet loop, and dogs are not allowed in the Meadow area. But, since when are rules enforced at the Fort?

From here, it was back to the site to get some decorations up.

I am thankful for the new Fort merchandise and for brown paint.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

3 times in one day? Even I am impressed!

Can you honestly blame the management for hiring an outside contractor? Thanks to you, we know how long it takes the barrel guy to paint a barrel. I can only imagine how long it would take him to paint the Meadows porch.

Ok, hold all jokes......

Did you happen to notice if they had any "tiny" brown shirts? I want one, but a lot of times size medium is the starting size.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Thanks for the extra update, Andrew. You are definitely not a slacker. :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

3 times in one day? Even I am impressed!

You should be.

I'm 50 years old, after all.

And I'll tell you something else- I could go for #4 right now.

But, I'm going to hold off for just a bit.

No need to rush things, and I need to give everyone a chance to catch up.

Can you honestly blame the management for hiring an outside contractor? Thanks to you, we know how long it takes the barrel guy to paint a barrel. I can only imagine how long it would take him to paint the Meadows porch.

Yeah.

I thought of that.

I think if he worked his normal pace with breaks and all, the Barrel Painter would take about a year and a half to paint the back porch.

Did you happen to notice if they had any "tiny" brown shirts? I want one, but a lot of times size medium is the starting size.

I can't remember for sure, but it seems like they had all sizes from Adult Small through 2XL.

There is also an orange shirt in kid' sizes. That one has Chip and Dale on it, though. And then there's a pink ladies' shirt with Minnie Mouse on it.

TCD

[Live4FW 30]

This is just a quick follow up post to point out something in one of the photos in my last post.

Note how the two notice signs in front of Pioneer Hall are blank. They are currently experimenting with different start times for the Hoop Dee Doo Review, so the old signs were taken down. I think it's interesting that they have not put up new signs. I guess this is really just an experiment, and they're not sure what they are going to do:

TCD

Yes, I noticed that and thought that was rather odd as well. I didn't think about their "experiement". How has attendance been lately? I am curious if this could be another of Disney's smart ideas in the works.

[stefa70 205]

I can't remember for sure, but it seems like they had all sizes from Adult Small through 2XL.

TCD

:waycool: I can do an adults small. Remember, I have big......shoulders to fill it out.

[blm2003 2]

Here's something interesting I learned- it is illegal to use a license plate frame in Texas. Lonestar told me that. He was sad that he couldn't use one of the frames.

These are illegal in Mass as well, although it is rarely enforced. This is one of those things that if you get stopped for something else they will tack on an additional fine for the license plate frame.

I'm thankful for Three updates in one day! :dance:

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

I started reading and there were only 2 pages...by the time I finished and got to post, there were 4!! Everyone's on a TCD report like flies on...well you know what I mean! LOL

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes, I noticed that and thought that was rather odd as well. I didn't think about their "experiement". How has attendance been lately? I am curious if this could be another of Disney's smart ideas in the works.

I know when we went in September, there was no one sitting up in the balcony area. Granted that was for the last show of the night, but it was a Saturday night, and on our last visit a few years prior, the place was packed.

Based on the long lines of folks waiting to get in over the weekend, I would say they still draw a good crowd most of the time.

Note that they are still offering three seatings, but they have made them all earlier, I presume so the last seating isn't so late.

:waycool: I can do an adults small. Remember, I have big......shoulders to fill it out.

Really?

I never noticed.

I hope that they have some smalls there for you next week.

These are illegal in Mass as well, although it is rarely enforced. This is one of those things that if you get stopped for something else they will tack on an additional fine for the license plate frame.

I'm thankful for Three updates in one day! :dance:

I understand the law- some of the frames I see people use here in Florida completely cover the State name as well as other information.

I started reading and there were only 2 pages...by the time I finished and got to post, there were 4!! Everyone's on a TCD report like flies on...well you know what I mean! LOL

Yes, I know what you mean.

It's an apt analogy.

Or is it a simile?

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I was actually disappointed that Lemonaid Mouth wasn't on the schedule that week. I had quite the protest planned....Occupy the Campfire. It would have been my greatest achievement.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I was actually disappointed that Lemonaid Mouth wasn't on the schedule that week. I had quite the protest planned....Occupy the Campfire. It would have been my greatest achievement.

I know.

Where you went wrong is that Fort management carefully monitors this board.

So, they knew you were coming and decided to avoid the issue.

I'll bet that movie goes back into the rotation soon.

TCD