We really are getting near the end of this report.
But, we are still not quite there yet.
On Monday morning, June 14, I was the only person at the Marina.
Sunday night was an EMH night at the MK. The MK was open until 3 am! So, nobody is up for an early start on Monday morning.
Except for TCD!
I took another good look at the Fort Wilderness Marina building:
It's kind of mind boggling for me sometimes to contemplate what used to be here. People used to swim in the lake here. They used to step up to this building and buy snacks and drinks. There were no pools at the Fort, so folks probably hung out here all day. It's really hard to imagine. I'm sure thousands of people have walked right past this building, and have no idea of its history.
And the Settlement Trading Post:
I don't know why, but I really enjoy coming down to the Marina early in the morning, and being the only person there. As the day goes on, hundreds of people, maybe even thousands, will pass by here, well into the night, but on this morning it's just me.
There are a few folks way over on the porch of Crockett's Tavern, but I can't hear them from here:
Of course, moments of solitude at WDW are hard to come by. And, sure enough, my peace and quiet was soon disturbed by an intruder. Here he is:
Do you see him?
Right there on the fence next to the Lawnmower Tree?
How about now?:
Look, now he is on the sign:
Although these photos may look like it was a peaceful morning here at the Settlement, that actually isn't true. There actually was a lot going on around here, from grass being mowed, to pest control operators spraying, to landscapers watering, etc. Early mornings are when a lot of the maintenance work for the Fort gets done. It has to be done sometime, and this obviously is when it can be done in the least disruptive manner for guests.
Here is a tractor with a water tank heading off to who knows where:
I actually do wonder where this guy was going. There are sprinklers for irrigation everywhere around the Fort. And there is certainly water available for whatever purpose is needed on all of the loops-even the cabin loops. So, just where was this guy headed? And why? Do you think it had something to do with those blue tanks?
Here's an interesting photo . . .
Check out this guy:
He was parked out front on Monday morning.
Just past the check in lanes.
His truck is facing toward the check-in lanes.
He spent the night there.
This guy would have been a candidate for a TCD Real Man of Genius Award, but by Monday morning, the nominations had closed.
So, this is what I know about this . . .
On Sunday night, as we were heading out to the back of the 300 loop to watch the EWP and Fireworks (you already saw the photos), we came across this guy in the 300 loop. He was trying to back into one of the first few outside sites. The ones that back up to the canal. Things are pretty tight there on that stretch of the 300 loop. Even though this guy seems to know what he's doing, there just was no way that trailer was going into that site. When we checked back later in the evening, we saw the site was still empty, and figured the guy had given up, and was given a different site. But here he was on Monday morning. I'm not sure what happened here, as there were open sites on other loops. Later, we saw the truck without the trailer in the overflow lot, so this guy must have gotten the trailer in somewhere.
Speaking of tight loops.
I have a few more photos of the 1900 loop.
These show how the 1900 loop has been widened.
But, at the expense of loosing some of the use-able space on the concrete pads. I don't think that this was a very good idea:
Those one or two of you who may have read my April, 2010 trip report may remember the Mystery of the Lazy Days Fifth Wheel. Well, that trailer is still sitting in the exact same spot on the 900 loop:
Here are a few shots taken from the porch at Crockett's Tavern. Notice all the nice flowers:
The Crepe Myrtle trees in this area are just starting to bloom. In November and December, this is the site of a big Christmas tree, and these trees are usually bare:
I need a photo of those trees in full bloom.
Sounds like a good reason for another visit.
I reckon that's enough photos for this post.
Next up . . .
We will look at the new Trail's End take out menu . . .
And then, maybe one more batch of photos.
It looks like we are going to make it.
Thanks for reading along.
TCD
I have to live next door and see him working outside without a shirt on. I am not quite sure why he feels the need to do this though... With that much body hair, removing a T-shirt wouldn't make you feel much cooler and he certainly isn't going to get a tan. 
