MetalDad 33 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 The best laid plans of mice and men…I had been planning for a whole year to go to the RV show in Tampa. I saw it last year…the camper of my dreams, the ship that would bring me and my people to the promised land (or even an impromtu weekend at the local KOA), the vessel that would deliver my children safely into nature’s bosom, with a killer floor plan and it’s own plumbing for MetalWife.I was hoping to plan a late January weekend getaway with the family, and even be at the Fort for the anniversary of the big flush, even discussed it with some fellow fiends. The big memorial flush was to be on Sunday at 9pm, although I was gonna have to use the comfort station unit, as the dream camper has plumbing, but the current popup alas does not. I’m new here, so I was excited to soon meet some of the fiends that will be there, and was also looking forward to looking up some fiends at the Tampa RV show. Then Ben called.Let me tell you about Ben. His part-time job was a DJ, you know…weddings, reunions…that sort of thing (at his real job, he’s a rocket scientist…no really! He’s got more crap floating in orbit around the earth than, well, anyone else I know.). Anyhoo, he used to buy records from me, and was a pain in the ass, so naturally I went into business with him.We’ve been pals now for 20 years, performed at each others weddings, been part of each other’s children’s births and Christenings, rocked thousands of parties, and only came to loggerheads on one point. “I’m not a camper” he says. A proclamation that has stuck with me since the day he uttered those words.Ya see, Ben likes to fish, and fish a lot, and as an engineer, he’s compelled to make a system of catching the biggest, best, and most fish. He’s very good at what he does, and his super-streamline methods, and well-thought-out-and-planned system for catching fish in an ergonomically sound fashion, work well at Fort Wilderness, where they stock and feed the fish, hedging his bets of a bountiful catch by a factor of 10. Getting “skunked” on a Disney fishing excursion would be…well, un-Disney-like.The idea of a target rich environment, such as the Fort, was enough to get him and his son William into our popup camper with the 5 members of the MetalFamily, and a Pekingese named Pepper, my dear old dog for a weekend once upon a time! The initial catch was plentiful, and he was, shall we say…’hooked’. Now the beer, the grilled food, and the campfire were enough to lull him into a state of mind that he finally had to admit that his “I’m not a camper” declaration was no longer truthful. He was now calling Disney reservations and Kenny on speed-dial like a crackhead looking for a rock. The deal was….I drag the camper up to the Fort, and he’ll pickup the site and cart costs…any objections? As a result of that arrangement, we’ve been on average every 6-8 weeks this past year.So, I tell him…great we’ll go to the RV show, then, end of the month we’ll get our Fortitude on! Best laid plans…. Then he hits me with MLK weekend, kids are off on Friday and Monday…except for me, I had to take MLK off as a vacation day (how does that work?), not to mention, miss the RV show, and watch the NFL playoffs by the campfire at Fort Wilderness…well maybe that part wouldn’t suck. So let it be written, so let it be done. We booked Friday through Monday for MLK weekend. It was time to pack up Maria and head out!Ah, introductions are necessary. When we first bought our camper (bought it on a Thursday), we took it out immediately on the Friday for my youngest daughter’s birthday. The set-up was pure rookie, no wheel chocks, no leveling, it’s a wonder we didn’t wake up in the middle of the street. Whilst we were there, my wife got a bit teary, saying that her mother would have loved this, camping with her grandkids. So my kids decided that we would name the camper Maria, after my late mother-in-law.Here is Maria at Ft. DeSoto in St. Petersburg, FL 1/1/11Anyway, I’ve been reading a lot of trip reports here on the site, and see it has blossomed into high art, so with the bar set that high, I thought I would develop a format for my reports that would help you live vicariously through our experience. I’ll give you the sights, sounds, and smells (if required).My first report pretty much laid out our trip in one post, and had maybe 4-5 photos at best. For this trip, I was going to have to step up my game. Aside from the over 90 photos to follow, I will give you a listing for the appropriate music to listen to, and the proper beverage to imbibe whilst reading along.Warning! As mentioned in other posts, we have not been to a park since 2007, and this trip is no different. While we love going to the parks, it’s been great to see my kids enjoy all the other aspects of Disney over the past few years, and we agree its time to start going back to the parks (as soon as Florida resident rates kick in!). But for this trip, it was all about relaxing, camping culture, and enjoying the nuances of Fort Wilderness and all who sail on her. Are you in? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Looking forward to more! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 WooHoo!!! A great beginning! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 This is great, John. I have made an executive decision,(even though I am not one and really have no right to do this.) You are no longer a newbie!!Can't wait to read more!! :jumpforjoy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
michele j 9 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I'm in. :)I love it when non campers become campers. The've been missing so much fun.More please Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Wow, MD, you are off to a great start here!Well done!Now, let me get this straight: Ben pays for the site and golf cart, and you supply the camper?I need a Ben.TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Heck yeah, I'm in!! I'm somewhat concerned about the smells, but WTFort, I'm along for the ride!Bring it!! :jumpforjoy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Awesome start MD!! Bring it on!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MetalDad 33 Posted January 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Day One:Music: Sports Radio in the car for the morning commute. Slayer on the way home.Drink: Diet Dr. PepperSmell: Exhaust and copy paperThe trip starts on a hassled and hectic Friday morning. It was the beginning of MLK weekend. The kids were off Friday and Monday, however MetalWife had a conference to attend ‘til about 1pm, and I had to go into the office until noon (closed a nice one though!), so we brought in my dear old mother to stay with the kids for the first part of the day.I pulled in to my driveway, the kids poured out of the house yelling and screaming “Daddy!”, I felt famous for a split-second, a great start! Ben stopped by to pick up the camper (he dragged it up there this time! The gas mileage fairy shone upon me!), and the camping boxes that go with it. The idea is that, he’d get there before me and have it unhitched and somewhat set-up when we get there. That way set-up would be quick and painless, and a half day could blossom into an almost full day.So we sent Mom on her way, ditched the dog, Ben and the camper were on their way to the Fort, I packed the rest of the truck, mostly a crap-load of pillow-pets, hit the store for the last minute groceries and firewood, and waited for the Mrs. Wheels up and rollin’Music: Emmylou Harris, Tears For Fears, Jackson Browne, Neil YoungDrink: Diet CokeSmell: FriesA quick stop in Oldsmar at the arches for a Mac wrap and fries, over to 275, then to I-4 with a load of wired, giddy kids. We play the road game with the cows…ya know one team has the right side of the car, the left has the other, and if your team is the first to spy a graveyard, you shout “Your cows are dead!” and the other team goes back to zero.Somewhere on I-4 near the Hillsborough-Polk line, the car went silent…Music: Kiss – Alive IIDrink: melted iceSmell: breath…and eventually gum.Air guitar, tongues a flyin’, and the rest of the crew snoozin’ away, we inched closer to the Fort. One of the cool things that you only get to see when you head north (or east…I just know how to get there…) on I-4 is the first Disney landmark, a not so hidden Mickey made out of an electrical tower, a somewhat difficult photo to capture at 80mph.On the approach…As we pass…Off the exit, swing around the clover-leaf and on to the property…always a mixed sensation of calm/joy/excitement, but one I never tire of!I went into this trip with a mission to do this very Trip Report that you are reading dear reader…so we took way more photos than usual, and of stuff that we normally wouldn’t take pictures of, but I was no longer on this trip for me…it was a mission for you too! So there!Now, the wife is awake, the two oldest as well, and I hand my phone to MetalWife to snap some photos, as I have no camera, Santa had me on the wrong list. She’s not used to my camera-phone, and I only know how to take the default “regular” photos…but some how she hit some buttons on the touch screen and we took entrance photos from the 50’s!A “happy accident” to be sure. I dig that photo in black and white! So, then we get to the booth and captured a normal one.A funny sidebar, I was comparing notes with Ben about these landmarks, and he told me the funniest thing about their travel habits. When they hit the entrance arch, his son William leans way up into the windshield, because he wants to be the first one “in”, and, on the way home, he dives into the back of the van, so he’s the last to leave…I know the feeling!Through the booth, a wave to the attendant. The kids always ask why I don’t pay, I tell them I know the guy! Then we followed the red line! You should know what that means!As stated before, I started taking photos of things I wouldn’t normally. Like, along the road to the Fort, we frequently see deer, but this time…construction!It looks like the gravel bed for a winding road that will be installed for some project across the street from the Fort, or it could be that I just never noticed. I’m sure someone ‘round these parts knows more than I do on the subject.As we approach the entrance to the Fort, the youngest awakens and exclaims “We’re here already? Boy that was quick!” Precocious. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 John, I am loving this report!! I miss having kids to play car games while we are on the road. Love, love, love the black and white photo!!Your kids a precious, I can't wait to see pictures of them awake!Ready for more!! :heartsmiley: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LORNADUCK 261 Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Great start can't wait to read more. Since you are from my neck of the woods it would be great to meet up with u sometime. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SCTigerCock 171 Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Love the TR!!! :heart: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MetalDad 33 Posted January 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Looking forward to more!WooHoo!!! A great beginning!Outstanding, I have tons left! Thanks for being along for the ride!This is great, John. I have made an executive decision,(even though I am not one and really have no right to do this.) You are no longer a newbie!!Can't wait to read more!! :jumpforjoyThanks! You know from the chat that it was an ongoing concern!I'm in. :)I love it when non campers become campers. The've been missing so much fun.More pleaseI've been trying like an evangelist...they all think I'm nuts!Wow, MD, you are off to a great start here!Well done!Now, let me get this straight: Ben pays for the site and golf cart, and you supply the camper?I need a Ben.TCDMy wife chuckled like Santa with the "I need a Ben". He's a good guy, he'll be joining FF.net shortly!Heck yeah, I'm in!! I'm somewhat concerned about the smells, but WTFort, I'm along for the ride!Bring it!! :jumpforjoyThe smells are somewhat benign...well, we'll get there!Awesome start MD!! Bring it on!!Dave, I'm anxious to chat some bluegrass with you, maybe we'll start a thread and share with the class! Thanks for reading along! Food and fishing photos to follow!John, I am loving this report!! I miss having kids to play car games while we are on the road. Love, love, love the black and white photo!!Your kids a precious, I can't wait to see pictures of them awake!Ready for more!! :heartsmiley:Thanks! I just yell "Your cows are dead" whenever we see a graveyard, even if we're not playing. My clients think I'm insane, but the story to follow lightens them up a bit. Thank you for the compliment on the kids. Lots of photos to follow!Great start can't wait to read more. Since you are from my neck of the woods it would be great to meet up with u sometime.Sounds good, are you in Riverview? Thanks for reading along! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64 Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 :pc: ready for more Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Ok, I'm here! I'm enjoying your commentary! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MetalDad 33 Posted January 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 Love the TR!!! :heart: :pc: ready for moreOk, I'm here! I'm enjoying your commentary!Nice...almost ready for the next segment! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 :pc: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MetalDad 33 Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Day One continued:Music: Leon Russell, The Band, k.d.lang, Rolling StonesDrink: Magic Hat #9Smell: CanvasApproaching nirvana! So, here we are at the front gate…and our very first photo of the entrance sign.Ben had sent me a message whilst on the road, we were already checked into site 1446. So through the gates we go, through the parking lot, past the bus depot, heading out past the cabins and the hitch and unhitch swerves (do you swing the cart through there too?), onward to the four-way stop, and right. We noticed all of the Disney Christmas decorations were down, however, there were still some on some of the sites, and some were scaled back to look not so much Christmas, but winter.As we came close to the 1600 loop, we saw two Orange County Sherriff cruisers leaving with their lights on, and a contingent of the Fort security at the 1600 loop. I would have taken a photo, but thought better of it. I later found out from a ubiquitous clandestine informant that there was a large family reunion from Miami that were rather raucous. And from another post here on the site, I have learned that they had dug two large pits and were attempting to roast two real pigs…ba-dit ba-dit, that’s all folks! They were confiscated and had a security guard parked at the entrance of the loop for the remainder of their stay. We looped through on the Sunday. The second half of the loop was a mess with kids, bikes, and towels strewn every wear…and some loud salsa music.We motored on through to our loop, Big Bear, and were thrilled to see that we were the very last site, closest to the road. We had one neighbor in a big 5’er behind us, and in front of us was the tetherball and that other ball sand courts (what’s the name of that game? It’s a big funnel shaped bucket that shoots the ball out in four different directions. I don’t know why, but we’ve been calling it shuttleball for the past few years!), we also had a large expanse of land between us and the road that had recently been cleared, lotsa room for the kids to explore!The camper was unhitched, set in place, stabs down, and leveled. Ben, in his ever-engineer thinking, wanted to maximize the room on the pad, so he nuzzled up old Maria as close to the pedestal side as possible, and the feet of the stabilizers actually sat on the railroad ties that skirt the site. There was a bit of a drain or gully behind us, so a good wind or nudge would have knocked the camper off, tipped over, and we all would have died to death.The next step, the obligatory first beer toast! A lot of fiends prefer a certain picture of some sort, whether it be food, signs, or a favorite spot. I like to take pictures of my beer!Magic Hat No. 9 is as vital to our packing as sleeping bags and kids hot dogs. So after we had our Magic Hat, we had another, then commenced to setting up. Popped up, patio mat, food station, fire pit, all while the kids went exploring.My youngest, the 5yo girl, discovered “a treasure of green diamonds”, which was very magical considering whose property we were on. She showed me her stash and I immediately recognized the kingdom which had lost their green diamonds, good King Heineken! I advised her to throw away the shards of broken glass, lest we spill blood on this hallowed land.It was then, that the eldest daughter, newly 10yo, discovered a box of pee. We’re setting up and she says “Hey, look what I found!” It was a clear Tupperware box with a blue lid that was filled with some sort of yellowish water. If it has cooties, my kids can find it! After a chorus of Get That Thing The Hell Outta Here!, she returned it back to under the bush from whence it came. The next morning’s sunlight revealed some minnows swimming around in the box, so we ate them.Moving forward, we had decided that we were going to celebrate my birthday this weekend, although we had no cake, and they didn’t sing the damn song to me. My birthday is actually next week, but Ben had advised them that we were celebrating, so I got a welcome packet!You wanna feel like a freakin’ rock star? Wear one of these on your travels through WDW…Opened doors, big greetings….very nice indeed. I’m gonna wear it every time I go!Now it was time for what I call “the dance”, it’s that process of collecting the golf carts and parking the vehicles in overflow. The carts were by the marina, and required a walk from the intersection to the beach parking area. That path is lined with speakers. I always hear cool music at the settlement/marina and Meadows, so each time I walked past a speaker, I’d track down the song with my phone app, and have since researched and compiled a collection of Fort music, as well as the holiday loop that they play.Back at the camper, nobody had done a thing. So, I prepared a snack…Then it was time explore our comfort station. It turns out we were only 4-5 sites from CS, the last site being occupied by a large tent collection of loud salsa music listening campers. I also noticed that our CS served as a backstage/entrance to the campfire sing-along. Here goes the staff…On return, I see that the latin tent campers, in a concrete site mind you, had the tents pushed into the trees, and had dug a hole, near the brush, and had a ground fire…safety! I’m a little reckless at times, maybe on the naughty side, but this was effing stupid! No photos, lest we spill blood on this hallowed land.Our original plan was to get some GAG, but it was getting dark…here’s proof:We were all really hungry, and we had the makings for hot dogs and chili already out, so I fired up Paul Jr…Paul Jr. is my grill that looks like a motorcycle. MetalWife won’t let me have a real one.After chili dogs and kraut (we’ll update the Smells category at another time). By this time, the temperature dropped to like 50, which, to Floridians is like 8 where you live!It was time for some looping. There went the 7 of us, wrapped in blankets with 18 layers of t-shirts on, trying to fend off the cold. We went to the Settlement, got the kids some hot chocolate from Trail’s End (they honored the old mugs!), played some jumbo checkers, listened to the fireworks. Someone, in t-shirt and shorts mind you, yells to his group “Hey some guy is lighting off fireworks!” New guy!I sauntered over to the window at Crockett’s and toured the bottom row in order. And it goes a little something like this…Back to the camper for a little fire, I found out how to get in the chat on my phone, and chatted for a few with some of the fiends. I couldn’t keep up because I was typing on a touch screen phone, and it was now 48 degrees, my fingers didn’t register on the screen. The heaters were on in the camper, fire was dying out, and by 10:30 we were all in our canvas castle, tucked in for a slumber party at the Fort… Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Exciting first day, John!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Wow, exciting day!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Love the green diamonds, pee and Paul Jr! :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Hmmm, I've worn some Magic Hats but I've never had one to drink! I'll put that on my "to try" list.You tell a great story, can't wait to hear more!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SCTigerCock 171 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I like to take pictures of my beer! :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:I am having a love hate relationship with you.....I love the pics but hate you for posting.I've committed to not buying any beer until we pack for Daytona and I am out of @#$% beer! :banghead: I have Feb 18th so circled on my calendar. :jumpforjoyCarry on :clint: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 You're a freakin comedian! This is a hilarious report. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SCTigerCock 171 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Hmmm, I've worn some Magic Hats but I've never had one to drink! I'll put that on my "to try" list.Psst, It's on our "to buy" list for Daytona. So if yall make it our way, your "to try" list (for this endeaver) can be checked off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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