TCD's Thanksgiving 2010 Trip Report

[Tri-circle-D]

Well, here we are.

It’s Black Friday.

We must leave the Fort today.

We have places to go and things to do.

I’ll let you know right now, this post will have the last of the photos from this trip.

If you looked at them all, there have been over 500.

That’s a lot.

Even for a TCD trip report.

So, here we are on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day.

I felt just like this Turkey:

Thanksgiving was now officially behind us.

Goodbye Mr. Turkey.

See you next year.

Here’s a photo of the 2000 loop bus stop.

I already said it.

But, I’ll say it again:

I like the new decorations.

Most people probably don’t even know that they’re new.

But you do.

After completing my final rounds, I headed to the Settlement for one more cup of coffee before heading back to camp to do the real packing.

I snapped this shot of the wooded area which shields Pioneer Hall from the paved path to the Settlement:

You can’t see it, but Pioneer Hall is right on the other side of the trees.

I believe it was Shan-man who named this area Pioneer Woods.

I like that name.

So, that’s what I call it too.

I am always worried that I am going to show up at the Fort one day and find Pioneer Woods cleared.

I like to tell people that Pioneer Woods is similar to what the interiors of the camping loops used to look like up until a few years ago, when they clear cut everything to make the Fort less Wildernessey and more park like. I liked it the old way. It’s called Fort Wilderness for Pete’s sake, not Fort Park-like.

For now, at least, Pioneer Woods remains.

Enjoy it while you can.

Someday Chainsaw Guy is going to get turned loose here.

And then Shan-man will have to come up with a new name for this area. Like Pioneer Clear-cut Area or Pioneer Wasteland or something like that.

Here are a few parting shots of Pioneer Hall:

And here’s a shot of the decorations on the DVC kiosk:

It’s pretty easy to take a quick peek inside Pioneer Hall in the mornings, so I did:

We tried something new on this trip.

The girls decided to go to Epcot for rope drop while I packed up the camper.

It worked out great for us.

To make sure they got there on time, I drove them over.

Epcot is really close to Fort Wilderness.

And the drop off area is easy to get to and away from.

It took me less than a half an hour to drop them off.

And, then I got packing.

First, I stopped by the Meadow Trading Post one last time. I saw this nicely decorated cart there:

I got everything packed up pretty well.

I even put two new stickers on the back of the pop-up.

We had seen the Wienermobile in Gainesville at the UF game on the Saturday before we checked in. And, on from this trip, I was awarded two That Guy stickers from the Laugh Floor. One is now on the back of the camper:

Before heading out, I needed to check on one more thing.

I wanted to see how things looked at the TCDRMOG's (remember Dishwasher Guy?) site. It looks like they really did use the dishwasher, and dump the wastewater right on the ground:

I can’t believe they did that.

And, I can’t believe that Fort management let them do that.

It’s not right.

I know at Florida State Park campgrounds they get pretty serious about not disposing of grey water on the ground.

And that right there was a lot of grey water that they discharged right on the ground.

Here’s my last photo from inside the Fort.

Look at this magnificently decorated site:

Make sure you take it all in. There’s a lot happening in this photo. I find the whole thing awesome. But, that is a lot of unmentionables on that clothesline, no? As far as I know, there’s just one lady in that camping party. So, I’m worried that maybe the DH on that site wears these green undergarments, too.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Anyway, good job on the site decorations there, fellow Disboarder. You know who you are.

With that, I left the Fort.

And headed to Epcot to pick up the DD’s.

And, this is where I found the great tip.

I didn't forget.

The RV parking for Epcot is in the very front row of the parking lot.

Like really close to the front gate.

This is a great place to go on your final day.

I’m going to do it from now on.

No need to leave your rig in the overflow lot.

Just drive to Epcot.

Park there.

Stroll into the park.

Have some fun.

And stroll out.

Easy.

Here’s the RV parking area:

Some bad Fort Wilderness guest (she had a FW parking pass) parked her regular SUV in one of the RV spots. She got a red tag from Epcot parking lot security:

Don’t do this.

RV parking only.

There aren’t many spaces here. This is the whole row:

So don’t tell anyone about this tip.

This is just for dedicated TCD trip report readers.

Everyone else can park in the over flow lot and take a bus.

Serves them right.

So that’s my story.

I don’t have anything more to add.

But, since it took me so dang long to get this trip report finished, I do have two epilogues.

About some things that happened after my trip that are kind-of related to it.

A little.

Who ever heard of an epilogue to a trip report?

Not me.

But try to stop me.

The epilogues will be coming up.

And, then this thing will be done.

TCD

 

[daddyphat808]

Awesome as always my friend! And the Epcot parking is awesome we have used it before.

 

[YensidCamper]

Great report! I really have enjoyed the decoration comparison. Thanks again for the fun.

 

[stefa70]

Great job, as usual!! No one does a TR quite like TCD!

We are going back after the holidays (Jan. 19th- 24th) so I think you should come back then and teach me your skills!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Awesome as always my friend! And the Epcot parking is awesome we have used it before.

Thanks. And one thing that I forgot to mention about the Epcot RV parking area is that you are about as close as you can be to the Epcot monorail station. So, it's a great place to park if you want to visit the MK too.

Great report! I really have enjoyed the decoration comparison. Thanks again for the fun.

You are welcome. And thank you for reading along.

Great job, as usual!! No one does a TR quite like TCD!

We are going back after the holidays (Jan. 19th- 24th) so I think you should come back then and teach me your skills!

We usually do camp some time in January, so you never know.

But, you already know how to write a trip report, so no skill teaching is necessary.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I menitoned that there will be two epilogues, and this is the first one.

I thought some of you might be interested in knowing why we packed up and left the Fort on Friday, instead of staying and enjoying the weekend.

Sometimes it is hard to be TCD.

I love the Fort, but I also love college football.

There is a thread on the community board where I already posted these photos. But, not all of the readers of this report have visited that thread, so I am going to re-post them here. If you already saw these, please feel free to skip ahead.

This is how our Thanksgiving week went: We started out the week by attending the final UF home game on Saturday, November 20. After getting back from Gainesville on Saturday night, we packed the camper and headed to the Fort on Sunday, November 21. We stayed at the Fort until Friday the 26th, and then headed home to get ready for an early drive to Tallahassee on Saturday morning, the 27th.

This is epilogue focuses on what we did on Saturday the 27th.

It's a big day in Florida.

The annual rivalry game between UF and FSU.

Both teams have had some rough spots this season.

FSU has lost the last six meetings.

Will this be FSU's year?

It would mean a lot to them to win.

It would mean a lot to the Gators to lose.

It was a great day.

The whole TCD gang turned out for this one.

Here we are at our tailgate right outside Doak Campbell Stadium:

Those two inflatables stood out back of site 1711 at Fort Wilderness all week. Now they are in Tallahassee.

In case you haven't heard, the TCD gang is a house divided.

Even the TCD twins are divided:

(there's a rare shot of Mrs. TCD in the background of this photo)

I have mentioned before that Mrs. TCD could give Martha Stewart a run for her money. Here is the centerpiece of the TCD tailgate table:

That's a Gator head wearing an Indian headdress in case you can't make it out.

A film crew came around to shoot some scenes for the telecast:

That's one of the TCD twins right there in front of the camera with the Gator head on.

I am pleased to report that DD was shown on national television doing the Gator chomp. They played this footage right at the beginning of the second half. When FSU was far up on Florida.

Here are the TCD DD's at the start of the game (plus oldest DD's friend who is a boy):

One of the great traditions at the UF/FSU game is that both bands come out on the field before the game and play the National Anthem. I really like that:

There's Chief Osceola!:

The Noles were pumped for this game. Here is the crowd doing the chop:

Chief Osceola came off his horse for the spear plant. At last year's last home game, they let retiring defensive coordinator, Mickey Andrews, plant the spear. But, as far as I know, Chief Osceola did it:

It was right about here that they announced that Florida Governor-elect, Rick Scott was here to help with the coin toss. The crowd booed him. Got to love the State of Florida!

My Gator DD was all smiles before things quickly went south:

Somehow, these two geniuses smuggled in some Vuvuzelas and used them liberally throughout the game:

I didn't like that so much.

But, it was pretty damned funny.

There is not much that I can say about this game other than that the Noles imposed a very thorough and complete butt whipping upon the Gators.

The Gators scored a touchdown on their first possession, but did not come close to scoring again.

Fortunately, the fourth quarter went quickly, and the game was over:

Some of the TCD DD's were truly happy, and one is just pretending:

Most of the Gator fans were long gone before the end of the game.

But we lingered.

The oldest TCD DD, who is currently a sophomore at FSU, and who has been an FSU fan her whole life, was ecstatic! And, I was happy for her. She got to see her team beat their rivals while she was a student. No FSU student has had that experience for the past six years.

During the game, they never announced what was happening in the Maryland/NC State game. I guess they didn't want the distraction. But, as the game ended, they played some live coverage of that game on the scoreboard. Maryland was up on NC State, and if Maryland won, FSU would get to go to the ACC Championship. Well, Maryland won. And FSU fans had a lot to celebrate!

We drove back home that night.

And, our Thanksgiving week was over!

I wish that I had stayed at the Fort.

We are now down to one more epilogue, and then this report is done!

Who said it's about time?

I heard that!

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

And now . . .

The final epilogue.

Before this trip report was finished, the TCD gang returned to WDW.

It was just a day trip.

On Saturday, December 11.

So we could see all of the Christmas decorations around the world before our Florida Residents Seasonal passes were blacked out for Christmas.

Of course, we stopped by the Fort.

We saw some old friends.

Like Hilda and Feisty.

And some great decorations.

And an unofficial golf cart parade.

I posted some photos and video from that here:

A Bit of Holiday Cheer From the Fort

I have a few last photos from that day trip to share.

First, this has nothing to do with anything, but it is a cool photo of a hidden Mickey and a hidden Donald from the Raiders of the Lost Ark room on the Great Movie Ride. I think it's cool:

We visited the Fort for dinner at Trail's End (take out), and then headed to the Contemporary Resort via the resort launch.

TCD DD purchased another Vinylmation figure.

Which she was able to trade for the Carousel of Progress dad that we looked at earlier in this report.

Here she is with the COP dad Vinylmation:

I thought that photo was blurry, so I took another:

And, then I noticed the big wreath in the background.

And, it gave me an idea.

I asked my DD to step over just a little.

And I tried again:

Not quite right, one more time:

Still not right, so again:

You see what I am trying to do here.

Right?

I saw that I needed DD to scrunch down just a bit.

Then the photo would have been perfect.

She told me that was enough.

And she was right.

So, that's all I have.

I will have to work on that photo some more the next time.

And that is that.

For real.

No more photos.

No more epilogues.

We are done!

The TCD gang wishes each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Until the next time.

TCD is out!

 

[Duane]

Great job as usual...

I can't wait until the 2010 TCD Trip Report Coffee Table book hits the shelves... They will sell like hotcakes!

You guys have a Merry Christmas, and thanks for sharing a part of your family times with all of us this past year!

Duane

 

[takeme2epcot]

Your trip reports are just the greatest. You really make this board a heck of a lot of fun. If you're not writing novels yet, what the heck are you waiting for?

You've got it, Andrew!

Great stuff. Can't wait until the next one.

 

[sharadoc]

Thanks again for the great trip report. You have me thoroughly convinced to return to the Fort for next year's trip - I'm thinking Thanksgiving week into the following week for a few days after the crowds thin out.

We saw the wonderful overachiever decorations last week, but it was SO freezing that we had to cut the looping short, or I think our noses would have broken off!

As always, looking forward to the next one!

 

[Lil' Lisa]

.

 

[anolefan]

Well done TCD!

Great report and epilogues. The first one was the best and I enjoyed reading it twice.

I'm going out on a limb and guess that you asked for more memory for your camera for Christmas right?

Thanks again for sharing!

 

[dblr]

As always great trip report it really helps us folks that are a far away and can not get there alot, love the pictures you do a great job. I hope some day when we get back to the Fort you might be there also. If I got really lucky you and the Troll would be there at the same time, just think of all the Fort info I could learn. Anyway thanks again and a Very Merry Christmas to you and the whole TCD Gang

 

[graciejane]

Thank you for another completely enjoyable TR!!!!

 

[itch1]

<------golf clapping

 

[ambertides]

Thank you for the great TR - happy holidays to you and your family.

 

[Sunshine1987]

Thank you TCD!!! I just finished reading your trip report and it was wonderful. I am not a Fort Wilderness camping veteran like many of the readers here, but I just loved exploring the campground via your pictorial tour!!! I appreciate your curiousity and humor too! The posts on the teepee campers were really funny. "Campfire in a box..." And Yuri's adventures were interesting too. I am sure my DH wishes Yuri would have been with us last May. We rented a boat from the Poly and my DH was fascinated with River Country. He took a ton of pics and I know he would have loved to dock there and explore the place. But alas he decided to stay on the straight and narrow path... after all, he is a lawman himself...

We will be going to Fort Wilderness in March for the first time. We are not buying park tickets (crazy, I know). We are saving our money for a big extended family gathering Disney trip in Dec 11. However, in March we will be in FL at a friends place near the beach for part of our spring break but we also want to go to Sea World. SO we LOVE Disney so much we decided to stay at the Fort and explore all the non-park Disney fun! We will probably do mini-golf, DTD, boats, swim, campfire, watch fireworks, etc... So much to do!!! Anyway, your trip report gave me a lot more ideas for fun at the Fort!

Thanks again for sharing your humor and delightful report! I will have to keep an eye out for any future trip reports!

ps LOVE the hidden Mickey from The Great Movie Ride! My boys will LOVE it! I have to file that one away for next December so they can look for it! Thank you!!!

 

[AuburnJen92]

Look at this magnificently decorated site:

Make sure you take it all in. There’s a lot happening in this photo. I find the whole thing awesome. But, that is a lot of unmentionables on that clothesline, no? As far as I know, there’s just one lady in that camping party. So, I’m worried that maybe the DH on that site wears these green undergarments, too.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Anyway, good job on the site decorations there, fellow Disboarder. You know who you are.

A little otter and a couple of peacocks told me that the mayor hung up his boxers on that line and that Lornaduck decided that she wouldn't be outdone and put all her bras there too. You might find yourself on the wrong side of the camera if you post things about men's undergarments and who is wearing them...people say and wonder things TCD

Tom and Sha stayed a very short while on this trip. I don't think you got to meet them when you visited. They mentioned some guy who was very confused and "plumb crazy" that had a bunch of blow ups from rival schools on his site. Did you happen to get a picture of that site?

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Great job as usual...

I can't wait until the 2010 TCD Trip Report Coffee Table book hits the shelves... They will sell like hotcakes!

You guys have a Merry Christmas, and thanks for sharing a part of your family times with all of us this past year!

Duane

Thanks, Duane.

And I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as well. I hope that 2011 brings many more visits to the Fort for all of us.

Your trip reports are just the greatest. You really make this board a heck of a lot of fun. If you're not writing novels yet, what the heck are you waiting for?

You've got it, Andrew!

Great stuff. Can't wait until the next one.

Well, thank you very much.

That is a high compliment coming from someone who writes very well himself.

Holiday wishes to you and your family as well.

Thanks again for the great trip report. You have me thoroughly convinced to return to the Fort for next year's trip - I'm thinking Thanksgiving week into the following week for a few days after the crowds thin out.

We saw the wonderful overachiever decorations last week, but it was SO freezing that we had to cut the looping short, or I think our noses would have broken off!

As always, looking forward to the next one!

I think visiting for part of Thanksgiving week and staying for part of the next week is an excellent plan. I don't get to do it often, but it is great to be able to stay at the Fort after a big holiday and watch everyone pack up and leave, and then have the Fort to yourself.

Another great report TCD. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you, Lisa.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Well done TCD!

Great report and epilogues. The first one was the best and I enjoyed reading it twice.

I'm going out on a limb and guess that you asked for more memory for your camera for Christmas right?

Thanks again for sharing!

Well, of course you would love the first epilogue.

My oldest DD wants a FSU license plate for her car for Christmas. She asked if she thought they would let her have one that says "31-7."

As always great trip report it really helps us folks that are a far away and can not get there alot, love the pictures you do a great job. I hope some day when we get back to the Fort you might be there also. If I got really lucky you and the Troll would be there at the same time, just think of all the Fort info I could learn. Anyway thanks again and a Very Merry Christmas to you and the whole TCD Gang

Merry Christmas to you.

I hope to meet you at the Fort sometime too.

Thank you for another completely enjoyable TR!!!!

Thank you for reading!

<------golf clapping

Golf clapping?

Wow!

Thanks!

Thank you for the great TR - happy holidays to you and your family.

Same to you! It looks like we are going to have a warm and rainy Christmas in our neck of the woods.

Thank you TCD!!! I just finished reading your trip report and it was wonderful. I am not a Fort Wilderness camping veteran like many of the readers here, but I just loved exploring the campground via your pictorial tour!!! I appreciate your curiousity and humor too! The posts on the teepee campers were really funny. "Campfire in a box..." And Yuri's adventures were interesting too. I am sure my DH wishes Yuri would have been with us last May. We rented a boat from the Poly and my DH was fascinated with River Country. He took a ton of pics and I know he would have loved to dock there and explore the place. But alas he decided to stay on the straight and narrow path... after all, he is a lawman himself...

We will be going to Fort Wilderness in March for the first time. We are not buying park tickets (crazy, I know). We are saving our money for a big extended family gathering Disney trip in Dec 11. However, in March we will be in FL at a friends place near the beach for part of our spring break but we also want to go to Sea World. SO we LOVE Disney so much we decided to stay at the Fort and explore all the non-park Disney fun! We will probably do mini-golf, DTD, boats, swim, campfire, watch fireworks, etc... So much to do!!! Anyway, your trip report gave me a lot more ideas for fun at the Fort!

Thanks again for sharing your humor and delightful report! I will have to keep an eye out for any future trip reports!

ps LOVE the hidden Mickey from The Great Movie Ride! My boys will LOVE it! I have to file that one away for next December so they can look for it! Thank you!!!

I don't think going to the Fort for a stay without park tickets is crazy at all!

We do that from time to time ourselves.

There are tons of things to do at the Fort, plus it is easy to get from the Fort to anyplace else on property.

Have a great time!

A little otter and a couple of peacocks told me that the mayor hung up his boxers on that line and that Lornaduck decided that she wouldn't be outdone and put all her bras there too. You might find yourself on the wrong side of the camera if you post things about men's undergarments and who is wearing them...people say and wonder things TCD

Tom and Sha stayed a very short while on this trip. I don't think you got to meet them when you visited. They mentioned some guy who was very confused and "plumb crazy" that had a bunch of blow ups from rival schools on his site. Did you happen to get a picture of that site?

I wasn't sure you would see that photo.

I hear you.

No more photos of sites with clothelines, fiendmingos and inflatable tigers.

And no more speculation about undergarments.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours. I hope you get the MH back on the road soon!

And, heck, I'll even throw in a War Eagle!

TCD

 

[caveat lector]

Outstanding.........as always.