An Update on the Updates by TCD!!!

[Tri-circle-D]

Well, I have been waiting patiently for a photo of the upgraded grills and picnic tables that we have heard about.

On my visit to the Fort in early September, I saw the work finishing up in the 500 loop, but no grills or picnic tables yet.

Some other Dis Board members have visited since then, and said the grills and tables are in, but no photos!

Patience is not one of my qualities, so I hopped on line last week and looked to see if I could reserve a campsite for the weekend.

I was offered three nights in a partial loop, or for a mere $80 more, three nights in a new PREMIUM site. I booked the premium site.

I arrived at about 7 pm on Friday October 3, and was assigned to site 513. The second site from the comfort station. Nice site. Lots of concrete! And a new grill. In fact, the grill was brand new- had never been used. But, the picnic table is just one of the cruddy old ones with a new coat of paint.

It is getting dark, so I get all set up in the site. Last thing I do is hook up the cable, and I get nothing. I fiddle with the connection on the post and on the back of the set. Still nothing. I make a call to the front desk, and find out that the cable is not working in the 500 loop, and won't be all weekend. I say it would have been nice if someone told me when I checked in. The manager was polite, and agreed to charge me for only a partial hook up for the weekend. That was OK with me, but I say bad show on the Fort management for not having the cable done before reopening the loop.

So, who wants to see a photo of the new grills?

Are you sure?

Wait for it . . . . . . .

Here you go . . . .

TA DA! :

Wait just a dog gone second here, you say. These new grills are the same as the old grills, except that they have a lid on them. I say, you are right. Some upgrade, Huh?

Here is a close up of the shiny new tag on the grill. If you check that company's web site, you will see all of the possible options that the Fort management had to choose from. This is what they picked. Thanks a lot.

Check it out for yourself:

And the upgrade picnic tables? Nowhere to be seen.

Here's your photographic proof, as they say:

Well, these "new" tables do feature fancy hand-carved details:

Here's a photo of another site in the 500 loop, just to illustrate that the grills are new, but the tables are not:

So, am I bitter? No. I didn't really care about a new grill or picnic table (and on this trip I am not paying for them anyway), but there is no way that I would be happy with paying more than twenty five bucks a night more than a partial site for one of these premium sites. That is nuts! I do admit that I like the extra concrete. It lets everyone set back further on the site. That keeps all of the tow vehicles back, too, and gives the loop a more open and spacious feel. So, that is good. Just not worth the extra $$$.

You will be happy to know that the TCD gang spent three nights enjoying the Fort on this visit, and I have many more photos to come, many showing lots more changes at the Fort, so be sure to check back on this thread often.

TCD

 

[2goofycampers]

 

[PanFanAL]

3 cheers for TCD, and another of his reports!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I'll be the first to admit that I am no expert in cable television, but I think this photo illustrates why the cable in the 500 loop was not working all weekend:

I was going to try hot wiring some of these cables, but I didn't have enough time. Too much spying to do.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Sometime since 5/08, the entrance for the Backyard Barbecue has been moved over to the old River County Entrance.

Here are some photos of what the River Country Entrance looked like in August, 2007. It looked like this through my last visit in May, 2008, as well.
Quite sad . . . .

Well, now the sign that used to be in front of the River Country Pavilion (right behind Pioneer Hall), has been moved over to the old River Country entrance. See what I mean:

The old ticket booth has been cleaned up, and the plywood wall has been removed, as has the bait tanks and other stuff formerly being used by the fishing guides:

This little building has been cleaned up, too. This display used to promote Discovery Island. Back in the day, there used to be a little burrowing owl that lived here. He is not back (yet). The cage is empty. Maybe they could put an otter in there?

These benches are also new to this area. The back of the sign is the same, but this is a new location, as already mentioned:

Now that the barriers are down, there is no "Do Not Enter" sign, and you can walk in to the entry area and get a good look at the old River Country Water Tower. It has been cleaned up and painted, too. I am not so sure about them using this at the pool refurbishment, as has been rumored:

Here is what you see when you look into the entry area:

You can't see any of the old River Country attractions, as they are all fenced off. There are probably some places where a camera could be held over the fence, but I am going to save that for another time.

Here is a shot of the back of the old River Country ticket booth, on the way out of this area:

Overall, I would say that this is a vastly improved use of this area. It is also a pretty good indication that River County is gone for good.

TCD

 

[loveDmouse]

Thanks for the updates. I can't wait to try the new premium sites in December. Not concerned about the grill and table. I like the extra concrete area.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

A lot of sites have Halloween decorations up. Here are a few from the 500 loop:

This is an inflatable display. The organ player moves, and the dancing couples twirl around-

This display also moves. The driver's face moves back and forth, and the ghost in the pumpkin coach moves up and down-

Here, we have a little more subdued display:

This arch was behind a site on the 100 loop, facing the sidewalk that goes to the Settlement Trading Post:

I have more photos of decorated sites- be sure to check back!

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Some folks on this board (myself included) have complained from time to time about the degree of clearing going on at the Fort. Now I say, give it time. Things will grow, and in the end, the Fort will look a lot better.

Here is a photo that I took last year (I think it was in October) of the new trees and shrubs planted along the back of the 700 loop:

Here is the same area this past weekend:

You can barely see the campsites now!

There are lots of new trees and plants planted all over the Fort. In a couple of years, things will look great.

TCD

 

[gmflanigan]

Thanks for the updates and photos. I too agree I'm not interested in the grill or table. DH says it's worth the money for the extra concrete for backing in. We have requested 500 for 11/29-12/6. Hope the cable is working by then. Grandkids won't be happy if it's not--it keeps them occupied while the adults get ready for the day. LOL

 

[Shan-man]

Love it! Waiting, anxiously

 

[Us3]

Thanks for the updates and pics TCD! The barrier coming down in front of RC has just happened during past two weeks! The area really does look a lot nicer now! The intricate carving on the "new" tables is priceless!

 

[We4mickey]

Great pics as usual TCD! I guess if they don't have the cable in 500 yet they probably don't in any other loop either. I guess my dad will have to bring his dish with him after all.

 

[Stepanie]

You have some great pictures,we can not wait to go this will be ae first time.
? with the new expended sites in 500 are the big enough for a 40ft. 5'er? Again thanks for the pic.

 

[DznyRulz]

TCD,
Great report as usual. I'm sure the pictures are great as well but for some reason they're blocked at work. I don't understand it. Oh well, I'll just have to view them at home.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Thanks for the updates and photos. I too agree I'm not interested in the grill or table. DH says it's worth the money for the extra concrete for backing in. We have requested 500 for 11/29-12/6. Hope the cable is working by then. Grandkids won't be happy if it's not--it keeps them occupied while the adults get ready for the day. LOL

As you will read later in this report, there was a crew working on the 500 loop cable on Monday, October 6. I would expect that the cable will be back to working order by the end of this week.

Thanks for the updates and pics TCD! The barrier coming down in front of RC has just happened during past two weeks! The area really does look a lot nicer now! The intricate carving on the "new" tables is priceless!

I thought the changes to the River Country entrance were recent. I didn't inspect that area during my September walk through, so I wasn't sure when it was done. Things are changing on an almost daily basis around the Fort. Keep reading this thread- I have more changes to report.

Great pics as usual TCD! I guess if they don't have the cable in 500 yet they probably don't in any other loop either. I guess my dad will have to bring his dish with him after all.

If I recall correctly, you were interested in the 1700 loop. I have some good news to report to you regarding the cable situation in the 1700 loop, but I have some other things to report first. Stay tuned.

You have some great pictures,we can not wait to go this will be ae first time.
? with the new expended sites in 500 are the big enough for a 40ft. 5'er? Again thanks for the pic.

The new sites are huge! You will have no problem with a 40 footer, and you will have plenty of room to actually park your tow vehicle on the concrete, too.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

In case you didn't know it, Florida is considered an battleground state for the upcoming Presidential election. In the past couple of weeks, Obama had a big rally right here in my hometown, and on Monday, Palin made an appearance in the town right next door.

The candidates are everywhere!

So, it really wasn't that big of a surprise when Barack himself stopped by our loop on this past Saturday for a visit. I think he and his family had a pop-up set up over on the 1500 loop.

You think I'm lying?

Would a photo or two convince you?

Here you go:

While we are looking at this photo, may I point out to you the skeleton lights displayed on the front part of the roof? They flash different colors, and play music, and run on two AA batteries. $9.99 at the local Walgreen's. There have been some questions on these boards about golf cart lights. These worked great! Also, please notice the cigarette dangling from Barack's mouth. That is a tribute to our friend Gator Dad.

OK, so where were we? Oh yes, Barack stopped by for a visit. He asked if he could take the cart our for a spin so he could cover some more ground. I said I guess that would be OK. Before you know it he was off!

He waved hello to these fellow campers:

Do you see this lady's body language when she sees Barack? What is going on here? I'll bet Barack does alright for himself with the ladies.

Barack says he is thirsty, so he heads down to Crockett's tavern.

You can see these folks were a little startled that Barack was sitting right there rocking with them on the porch. Republicans, maybe?

I'm not sure what Barack did after this. When I last saw him, he was enjoying some cold ones there on the porch:

(notice the four "Republicans" that were just sitting there for some reason decided it was time to go?)

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Speaking of Crockett's Tavern, I think this sign is new:

I know the window showed up recently, but I don't think that there was a sign like this on my last visit.

TCD

 

[Us3]

OMG, those pics are great...you're too much TCD. Hope we get to meet you guys over halloween!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

TCD...you are right....

She is posed and completely ready for a Barackasm!!!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

It has been rumored that the golf cart rental area will be relocated from the Bike Barn to somewhere up by the front desk.

In September, I noticed a new road being constructed near the drive through lanes at the Outpost Reception area.

On this visit, just a month later, the road is now paved:

To orient yourself, this is looking back toward the drive through lanes at check in. You can see the overhang in the top left of the photo.

Do you see any Do Not Enter signs?

Neither did I.

Let's see what this road leads to.

There is a large paved area just past the tree cover:

And, adjacent to this is a fenced in area with lots of new golf cart parking spaces. Each space has its own power pole:

See those cast members on the golf cart? They were hopping on to chase me out of there.

So, here is the path on the way out:

Clearly, this new construction relates to the golf carts. What I am not able to figure out is where the rentals themselves will actually be handled. I am thinking that the area that we just looked at is a back stage area where the carts will be kept and charged. I think a castmember will bring the carts out from here, but I don't think that customers are actually going to have to walk all the way back here to get the carts. This area has an industrial feel. No theme-ing. I don't see any signs of a building being erected. There is going to need to be a counter of some type, and a computer terminal or two. Are they going to make folks go into the lobby to rent golf carts? That is going to be a pain. I guess we will have to wait and see on that one. It looks like this project is moving along quickly, so we should know more soon.

TCD