Bama Ed's 2015 WDW Marathon Weekend Trip Report. ADDED-FT DESOTO UPDATE

[bama_ed]

Does your wife help drive when you are towing? I 'will not' drive the mh yet, but I did help tow all our trailers, except the 5th wheel. Never would drive the truck even without towing - just didn't feel comfortable.

No, NoM, DW does not drive the Suburban and she doesn't tow therefore. I think that's an unspoken mutual agreement between us....

Well it's checkout day. All good things must come to an end.

Yesterday afternoon before leaving for supper we had 6 visitors at my site. One little hussy wasn't shy and posed for a picture.



For dinner we wanted to add something new and avoid the DTD traffic snafu at the same time. So I drove to Port Orleans - Riverside and we caught a boat back and forth to DTD headed for a reservation at Raglan Road.





Your Fort parking pass and entry card makes it "no questions" getting into Riverside.

First time to eat at Raglan Road and it was good. Why this Irish influence didn't get into an Ireland section of Epcot I'll never understand.



The band "Drops of Green" performed outside before our meal. I bought 2 of their CD's. Enjoyed the live music tremendously.



At the top of every hour was some live Irish dancing.



This morning I decided to be a spectator in the MK for the Full Marathon and see the race from outside the ropes. We got there 5 minutes before the first wheelchair and runner athletes.













On the boat back to the Fort the runners were still coming in as we sailed through the waterway. The first picture looks toward the CR/MK side and the second (with the DJ who had the big Mickey hands) back toward TTC.





Then breakfast at Trails End. It was very good. Sadly, the old stuffed bear just inside the door on the lower Crockett's Tavern floor is gone (in hibernation). The TE manager told me people had taken parts of him home over the years and he only had 2 fingers and 3 toes left so he needed a rehab. The cost to do a good rehab was such that he is now in storage.

Also, we all have that McDonalds or small diner or shopping mall food court in the early hours in our towns where the old retired guys get together in the morning to chew the fat and nurse a cup or two of coffee. Coincidently, very few wives are ever present that I've seen. Well the Fort and Trails End has its very own "koffee klatch". Chummy with the manager, they sat at the empty tables of Crockett's and were careful not to make a mess.



Well time to hit the road. I will post some updates Monday on Fort Desoto in case anyone is looking for somewhere else to go. Otherwise, it was fun. Since no kids were along and no park days filled the days, I had time to do an unusual trip report. Thanks for following along.

Bama Ed

 

[ruthies12]

Thank you soooo much for all the pics! loved it! And congrats on your time on the race!!

I will definitely be checking back in later for info on the other campground. Thanks Ed!

 

[FLBBQMAN]

Thanks for the great trip report the wife and I are at animal kingdom today and we saw a lot of the runners going down the road today. When we were at the fort at Christmas time we were told the bear is gone for ever and not coming back.

Ryan

 

[bdcp]

I know the DJ you have referred to a couple of times. I graduated HS with him and he's my fb friend. I saw his pics and he was the DJ on the bridge. He lives in the Villages and DJ's there and at WDW (events and weddings), on cruises, etc. He was in Epcot for NYE. He's a great guy.

I'd also recognize those hands anywhere lol.

 

[garneska]

Ed thanks for cheering us on. I will update my thread next but I finished actually better than I expected.

BPC, I love the DJ with the hands. He is awesome.

 

[John VN]

BamaEd-sorry we couldn't hook up this trip. If only I could run a 2:20 marathon maybe I could have gotten back.

Thanks for posting all the pictures.

McFlurry again John

 

[cajuned79]

Thanks for the TR BamaEd. Had a friend (former supervisor) complete the Dopey challenge this year. I hope to get back in shape and do the marathon one of these years!

 

[mightyexplorers]

Turning into a pretty day.



Bama Ed

What!? Are you kidding me? I love see that pic. I can imagine I'm the one there. Oh well.

Looks like you were just to the left of me there...



Personally I prefer the bottom rail more leveled out position for my feet...
.

I couldn't resist posting my own pic here from our last trip. Can't wait to get back. Hopefully Fort management will have used the highboy tables for singalong firewood and placed more rockers by the time I return.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

That's a nice shiny metal ya got there - good job!

Thanks for such a detailed TR, really enjoyed it.

Safe travels.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Congratulations! Love this thread, even a pic of Pete Werner woo hoo! I don't know what it is but it even managed to get me a little teary eyed viewing the beautiful pics.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Hopefully Fort management will have used the highboy tables for singalong firewood . . .

From your lips to Ogre's (I meamn Iger's) ears.

 

[4077]

I couldn't resist posting my own pic here from our last trip. Can't wait to get back. Hopefully Fort management will have used the highboy tables for singalong firewood and placed more rockers by the time I return.

I think there needs to be a thread of feet kicked up on the rails at that spot....as much as possible, everyone could take the same picture and add it on...lol...if nothing else, you might find your next pair of shoes you like

 

[bama_ed]

I promise to post some pictures and descriptions of Ft Desoto. Spent 2 days dry camping at Macdill AFB in Tampa with no hookups and rain yesterday. Driving home now so i promise more is still coming.

Bama Ed

 

[tina.tina]

Thank you, again, so much for all the great pictures. I'm looking forward to more. Have a safe return trip!

(I've been thinking of running and you're inspiring me.)

 

[ForeverAlice]

Thanks for sharing!! Great pictures!

 

[bama_ed]

I couldn't resist posting my own pic here from our last trip. Can't wait to get back. Hopefully Fort management will have used the highboy tables for singalong firewood and placed more rockers by the time I return.

Hey there mightyX!

I think the feet on the porch railing appears to be a "guy" thing with you, me, and tiggerdad playing along.

Maybe other guys will post similar pictures in the future?

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

Ok. Welcome back...

I left the Fort Sunday and headed for Tampa to visit family (retired military) who were wintering at Macdill AFB campground. Unfortunately it gets VERY popular after New Years so all I could secure was a field with no hook-ups (dry camping, as it were) for two nights. But yesterday/Monday I did make it over to Fort Desoto Park Campground.

Ft Desoto is a Pinellas County park with a campground, 1900 era fort to guard the entrance to Tampa Bay, a long public beach, and nice views and sand. It's been rated in the past as one of the best beaches in Florida. Note it is NOT a state park but a county park. They also have kayak and canoe rentals for exploring the nearby mangroves.

The campground has 3 loops and almost 250 sites. Loop#1 is for tents and popups only with 30amp service. Loop#2 and #3 are for trailers or rv's with 50amp service. Loop #2 is a pet loop. But let me be clear:

1. There are NO sewer hookups at the sites. There are 2 dump stations up by the office.
2. There are no paved roads past the camp office
3. The sites are densely wooded and shaded for the most part and many have a view of the water.
4. Sites on the inside of a circle/loop as indicated on the map I'll post are LONG (most of them)

The roads and sites are the local light gray sand so you must have a sand abatement plan (no shoes in the camper, etc.). But since there is no grass on the sites, you can put down a rug or carpet to grab most of it. All the side have 30a or 50a elecrtrical, 2 household plugs, water, a grill, a picnic table, and a lantern post.

I took pictures of the tent/popup sites which are below. The trailer/rv sites are similar only a little bigger and deeper to allow for bigger rigs. But I did see some creative parking to allow for slideouts and awnings. Also, I saw several rv's that parked cab-first in the sites to allow a water view while sitting inside. All the loop roads are single wide, one-way, and all the outside sites are slanted at an angle to the road (back-in).





Another small, unusuall camper - a teepee. The Fort has teepee campers that come every year at Thanksgiving time, I think, and they set up in the Creekside Meadow group campsite next to loop 2000.



Trash containers are spaced every couple sites.













You can reserve specific sites but Pinellas county residents get a 7 month reservation window and outsiders a 6 month window. Naturally weekends are popular so often a Sunday-Thursday night might be available if a full week isn't. The max reservation is 14 days.

I also took some pictures of the shower house/men's side. These are your basic block construction and NOT air conditioned. It was humid the day I was there (and this is January). Each bathhouse has a coin washer and dryer for clothes. I would rate the facilities as less than par on a state park level.









And what would a visit to South Florida be without a beautiful sunset between rain clouds?



I'll scan the map/handout and try to get it up momentarily. Sites run $30-40 per night. There are two 50-cent tolls to get to the campground from I275. To reach the beaches and the old fort beyond the campground, that's a $5 per car toll. Ft Desoto is south of St Petersburg and you get off I275 just before the big toll bridge that goes over the entrance of Tampa Bay to Bradenton.

My decision is to try it but not in the hot months (maybe a spring break time). There is not a lot around it in the way of shopping or entertainment. It is a nice place to relax, enjoy the beach, visit the lighthouse on the neighboring key, and chill. The shade cover is not like any I've seen in the Keys. The sand issue (it was misty the day I visited and it stuck to everything) is one to plan for. But I would like to try it. It was booked full now in the winter months (snowbird season, don't ya know) but if you plan ahead and get in the reservation windows early, it's a nice Gulf-side diversion. You can day trip to Sanibel or other places from there.

As I said, I'll scan the handout and get it up soon.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

Here is the Ft Desoto handout. It has the weblink for reservations in the middle of page 2. Again, reservations are site/date specific (so it helps to have the map). And I think you have to pay in full in advance. Note the sites in white that touch the blue water are priced out extra as waterfront.





If you are planning to try other campgrounds in Florida besides the Fort, there are the state parks and now you can consider Ft Desoto. Personally, I prefer the Gulf-side beaches anyway over the Atlantic side (and I used to live on the Atlantic side!).

Bama Ed

 

[Maligator]

Alcoholic beverages not permitted? Wow. I am by no means a heavy drinker, I don't even have any booze in my house regularly. But, I do very much enjoy a nice cold beer or cocktail while relaxing at my site. Is there any reason why it is a dry campground?

 

[tina.tina]

Alcoholic beverages not permitted? Wow. I am by no means a heavy drinker, I don't even have any booze in my house regularly. But, I do very much enjoy a nice cold beer or cocktail while relaxing at my site. Is there any reason why it is a dry campground?

I know that State Parks in Virginia and South Carolina are dry. Maybe it has something to do with being government owned.