Stef's Freaky February Fort Trip

[beccaewert 10]

Great tr so far :)

[CKCK 45]

Woo hoo

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

If you stopped to think before you typed... what would there be to read? :rofl2:

I was thinking the same thing. Loving the report!

[stefa70 205]

AWESOME!!!!!

Yes, Carol, I had to get off the golf cart for that journey!

You and Trevor definitely earned your TCD Junior Deputy badges!

Congratulations!

TCD

:jumpforjoy Then it was well worth it!!

Good job, Stef!! No cuts or bruises? How about bug bites? Glad the po-po was too busy chit-chatting to notice you!!

I'm so proud of myself, other than whatever bit my eye, and a couple of mosquito bites from the beach, I came home injury free!

Those po-po's were so busy talking to each other, they probably would't have noticed if I had run through the 4 way stop naked.

LOVIN this TR...and LOVIN me some Mason!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If we are ever camping in the same place at the same time and he turns up missing......please don't search my camper.

My Marley girl needs a buddy. How old is Mason?

Thanks Holly! Mason will be 5 in September. He is a lover...when he wants to be. If he's not in the mood, he'll let you know instantly!! He loves other retrievers though, and will whine when he sees them. It's strange how he knows one from the other.

Great TR! Love all the pics! What did we do before digital cameras? I can barely remember.

I can't remember either Mike, but I think that's because I'm old.

Loved reading about the criminal act of exploring the fort. Dodging those rangers must have been hard!!! I gotta give it to ya I wouldn't go back there with all the critters that could be around!

I don't worry about critters during the day but you wouldn't catch me back there in the dark (unless I was armed) The rangers? They're a different kind of pest. :rofl2: They have the ability to do and enforce good things, but usually they just screw up traffic flow.

If you stopped to think before you typed... what would there be to read? :rofl2:

Ok, I'll just continue to be me...as long as you're entertained.

Great tr so far :)

Thanks for joining in! There's a lot more to come if you're not bored to tears.

Woo hoo

Yee-haw!! :clint:

I was thinking the same thing. Loving the report!

Thanks for reading Yvonne. Working on an update now!

[stefa70 205]

After our RR trek, we rode through some loops, then went back to 550 for some Mason time. I got some great pictures of him playing in the dog park. He loves the Fort as much as we all do! I just wish the grass would have been green for contrast. He almost blends right in.

First, we must sniff EVERY surface before even considering play time.

I was happy to see this brand new bench.

This is the bench that was in this spot back in December. Not very Disney like.

"Ok, done sniffing, now I want to play!"

It never fails, as soon as I squat down to take a picture, he comes running!

"Hey, look! I found a ball!"

"Ok, that's enough exercise for now!"

While Mason took a breather, I strolled to the back of the park.

It was time to head back to our site for a drink. Water for Mason, punch for me. After I had a couple of drinks, the thought of making dinner sounded too labor intensive, so we made our way down to Trails End for food.

These campers are set up on the corner of the 100 loop and have it lit up nicely. If I hadn't been into the punch so early, you would have seen how nice it was. Instead, it's half lights, half trees in the way.

We settled for ordering a pizza, so while Trevor went in to order I stayed in the cart and took pictures behind the bushes.

The pizza was going to be about 20 minutes, so we took our cocktails and headed down to the beach.

The weather was perfect & the sun was just going down.

It was about time to pick up our pizza, and I realized I was getting bit up by mosquitoes. WTFort? It's February 1st?!?! While the lack of a freeze has kept the landscaping nice, we really need that freeze to kill off some bugs. I have a feeling that they will pick me up and carry me away come summer time.

Back at our site, we enjoy our pizza.

I have found that when you're hungry and/or have had a few drinks, the pizza is pretty darn good. It's also quick and cheap, so it hit the spot!

Doodle & Mike made their nightly visit and left around 9:45. We didn't want to party too hard because we had plans to get up early and hit a park.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Nice update! The Mason photos are great, and I love all of the photos you took as the sun set at the Settlement.

That pizza does look pretty good. It has been a long time since we have picked up a pizza from Trail's End. I think it's time to give it another try.

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Thems some beautimous pictures you got there. sounds like a lovely visit to the beach!

[campingpixi 11]

Very nice.. you take some great pics and I just love your pup too darn cute!!! :heart:

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

First of all, how can Mason tell when you're squatting? Second of all why would you need too? :rofl2: Ok, all snarkyness aside, great pictures!

The mosquitoes or what ev er it was biting me were terrible, I am still itching, I can't imagine what they will be like in the spring and summer.

[stefa70 205]

That pizza does look pretty good. It has been a long time since we have picked up a pizza from Trail's End. I think it's time to give it another try.

TCD

Give it a shot. It's not amazing, but for $15 and quick, it's not too bad.

Thems some beautimous pictures you got there. sounds like a lovely visit to the beach!

We always try to take some time each visit to sit on the beach with a cocktail. It's a perfect spot to unwind and soak up the atmosphere.

Very nice.. you take some great pics and I just love your pup too darn cute!!! :heart:

Thanks Jess, he's my baby and we spoil him rotten.

First of all, how can Mason tell when you're squatting? Second of all why would you need too? :rofl2:

:dmmhu:

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

:dmmhu:

:doodebug: :heartsmiley:

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Oh please don't ever think before you type...you are way too much fun just the way you are!

The pictures are great. Mason is a beauty!!

[stefa70 205]

Thursday morning we got our asses up and dressed for a park. DHS was on the agenda as our last visit there was for the Osborne lights in December, and that's all we did while there.

Around 9:30 am we were at the outpost waiting for a bus. Lucky for us, the wait was only about 5 minutes and our bus was basically empty.

I chose to sit in the very back as the seats were warm and I like the rumble of the engine. After a short ride, we arrived at the studios. It was very quiet!

I assumed that every guest that was in the park was in Toy Story Mania, but just for sh*ts & giggles, we went to see how long the line was. I'm going to share another secret here.

We never do fastpasses, ever! It's some kind of commitment issues I have. Being AP holders, we never know if we're going to be in a park for 1/2 hour or all day and I don't want to take passes away from someone else when I may be outta there before my time slot. If something is too crowded to wait, we'll do it next time.

I get a couple of pictures on the way to Pixar place.

The wait time said 40 minutes, but you couldn't even begin to see a line so I knew that wasn't going to be accurate. The entire wait was about 20 minutes, which was just enough time to enjoy the sights inside. IMO, the best waiting area of all. Trevor and I laughed and talked about all those same toys that we had as kids.

If you look closely at this plane, you will see the wing is cocked....just like they always were when you played with them. Of course, then you would scotch tape them into place, and then your plane wouldn't fly correctly.

I never got into the tinker toy craze, but I did have Lincoln Logs.

Last visit, Mr. Potato head was still and silent. This time he was doing his thing, which required EVERY person in front of us to stop and pose in front of him.

Before we even got on this ride, I called a handicap. Right before this trip I screwed up my neck/shoulder in the gym and my right arm wasn't working as good as I had hoped. So I got beat.

After looking at my photos, I noticed that although I got beat, my accuracy was better than Trevor's. I told him "No fair, you just yanked away hoping to hit something!" (yeah, probably not the best wording) I hate to lose, but it was a lot of fun so I won't complain any further.

Trevor yanked it so much, he needed a cigarette.

And I took pictures around the area.

It was so dead around there, we couldn't even ask someone to take our picture. Ugly self-portrait it is!

With Toy Story out of the way, we wandered aimlessly. There was nothing else that we felt we needed to do. Real life is all about schedules, deadlines and rushing from one place to another. Disney life (for me) is slowing down, taking everything in and enjoying time with my family.

But.....we're not done here! Coming up, 3 "first times" and a bit of luck.

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

:rofl2:

I can't even respond. Tell Trevor not to yank it so hard next time...

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I will refrain... I will refrain.. Stef... It hurts me to have to refrain from commenting on the yanking but you will thank for it!

We always hit TSM first.. I'm also not a fan of fastpasses. ADRs are enough of a commitment when at WDW... fastpasses. AHHHHhhhhhhhh! Not to mention that sometimes the Fastpass line is longer the the wait to ride.... go figure!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

:what2: :hah: I hope Trevor didn't do any permanent damage! :rofl2:

[kampfirekim 260]

Again.... speechless. Stef, this TR may turn me into a mute. :rofl2: :heart:

[campingpixi 11]

OMG!!!

[stefa70 205]

Oh please don't ever think before you type...you are way too much fun just the way you are!

The pictures are great. Mason is a beauty!!

Thanks :heartsmiley: Some people think I'm fun, some just think I'm annoying.

:rofl2:

I can't even respond. Tell Trevor not to yank it so hard next time...

I'll pass that along

We always hit TSM first.. I'm also not a fan of fastpasses. ADRs are enough of a commitment when at WDW... fastpasses. AHHHHhhhhhhhh! Not to mention that sometimes the Fastpass line is longer the the wait to ride.... go figure!

Good to hear that. I thought someone would burn me at the fiend stake for being anti-fastpass. I don't have any beef with fastpasses, it's making any kind of commitment while I'm on vacation. I like to fly by the seat of my pants, or lack thereof.

:what2: :hah: I hope Trevor didn't do any permanent damage! :rofl2:

Nope....remember, it's ME with the damaged shoulder. :smug:

Again.... speechless. Stef, this TR may turn me into a mute. :rofl2: :heart:

Sorry Kim. Maybe I should have issued you a warning.

OMG!!!

[kampfirekim 260]

No warning necessary... this is a Stef report afterall. That is warning enough. :rofl2: :heart: :bighug:

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

We all know what Trevor's tag would be! LOLOLOL!!! :rofl2:

[stefa70 205]

Moving along through the Studios.

As you can see, this street looked much different than it did when the Osborne lights were going on. It was a nice treat to take in the details in this area.

While deciding what we were going to do next, Fozzy Bear told us to walka walka this way.

But I had other plans. We had not rode Star Tours since the redo. Trevor isn't a big fan of simulators, but he agreed to give it a shot.

I enjoyed it, and Trevor didn't want to vomit, so mission accomplished! One of my "firsts" down, 2 more to go.

We were getting a little hungry, so we decided to have an ooey gooey funnel cake. The funnel cake booth was closed! :banghead:

The funnel cake booth is located right next to the Indiana Jones theater.

We kept walking.

The Great Movie Ride is my favorite attraction at the Studios, so we headed in that direction. When we got there, there was nobody anywhere! Instead of riding the ride, we took the opportunity to look at all the handprints in the sidewalk that are normally being tromped upon by hundreds of feet.

As we were looking around, a side door opened and a bunch of characters came strolling out with their handlers. Score!

Piglet

Minnie & Donald

Goofy & Eyeore

Pluto

Tigger

Chip & Dale

Stitch

Daisy & Donald

That's definitely being in the right place at the right time!

We decided to try our luck with a snack of some sort on Sunset Boulevard. (And Trevor thought he could convince me to ride Rock & Roll roller coaster...funny!)

And that's where my second "first" happened! I got caught!

Of course, I flirted my way out of it. There were 2 "cops" having fun with the guests. Again, another thing that you may miss when the park is crowded.

Picture limit, continuing on..............

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

Cool Stef!! Even though I didn't go in the parks, just walking past the Magic Kingdom I commented that it was "nice" that the parks didn't have any extra holiday decorations at this time. Disney World as it is MEANT to be. With appropriate music for each area, and the regular details that don't NEED decorations!! As much as I love the holidays, it's nice to see everything normal!!

[SCTigerCock 171]

And that's where my second "first" happened! I got caught!

Of course, I flirted my way out of it.

Whew, my $.44 bail fund is STILL safe.....until next time. :jumpforjoy

Love the update, really enjoyed the pics. :heart:

[stefa70 205]

This made me think of Nate, he loves turkey legs!

We finally agreed on a snack, and Trevor got in line.

Don't get too excited, we're pretty boring eaters.

Yep, we shared a pretzel!

After our boring pretzel, we wanted to see what the wait time was for Rock & Roll roller coaster.

Stand by time posted...10 minutes! That still wasn't enough to convince me to ride, but we did stroll into the gift shop to snoop around. I took a picture of a picture for my Mom. She loves Steven Tyler and sometimes fantasizes about him out loud and makes me blush. You know what they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Now we had our fill of the Studios so we headed towards the exit.

Trevor would kill to have this truck, so while he spent 20 minutes checking it out from top to bottom, I took a couple other pictures.

I have to back track for one second. We did make one other purchase before we left the park and this purchase was the way I finally pried Trevor away from the old truck. I reminded him of what I had hiding in my backpack, and we exited the studios.

It's nice to see that Fort Wilderness isn't the very last bus stop, only the second to last.

Our bus pulled up after about 10 minutes, and we were on our way back to the Fort on another nearly empty bus, with a treasure in my back pack.

My third and final "first" for the day......

Our first carrot cake cookie!! Yummy!! It was a perfect mid afternoon snack, but I'm not sure that I could eat a whole one as it's very sweet.

In case you're wondering, NO, we don't normally eat this much junk! We knew on this day, dinner would be almost ready by the time we got back to camp, so it was easier to just nibble. Just as planned, dinner was almost ready!

A pork tenderloin cooked in root beer, mixed with this.

Ferris Groves is owned by a close friend who had given us this sauce before our trip. I usually use a sweet BBQ sauce, but this had a nice orange tang to it, and was a pleasant change.

While our pulled pork soaked up some of the BBQ sauce we took Mason over to the dog park for his play time.

Here's the finished product, complete with cole slaw that I had made that morning.

While we had a sandwich, I checked in on Fort Fiends and then a very handsome man wearing a #48 Johnson hat, pulled into my site.

It was our hottie bus driver Lou! We had a nice visit, and Mason couldn't get close enough to him. He was all up in Lou's business, which is unusual. If Mason was a female, I could understand because Lou seems to have that effect on woman. :heart:

After Lou left, I cleaned up as Nate & Amanda would be coming in Friday evening. While I was sweeping the outdoor mats, I heard a familiar southern voice. It was Judy, who brought a couple of friends by to visit, and I gave her an early birthday present. We discussed holding off on partying until Friday night when Nate & Bernard (Judy's hubby) would be there.

Thursday isn't over yet, but we'll finish off the evening in the next update.