TCD is proud to be an American!-July 4th at the Fort!

[Tri-circle-D]

site 617 has some new fencing since Christmas, while we were there we had to use strings of lights to block folks from walking right into our patio. The foot traffic was one things but some jerk kept driving his cart back and forth through there.

Whoops! What dates were you at the Fort over Christmas?

I have to admit, that sometimes I drive down that sidewalk.

There isn't a sign there that says you can't.

And, I always want to see if there is anything good cooking on the grill. . .

As always, I'm loving your TR. DD is especially enjoying the pictures.

Well good, because I have a lot more photos on the way!

Interesting report as always! Okay, I'll go back to lurking now........

Well, thanks for popping in. Don't be a stranger!

TCD, as usual, you're making it very difficult for us to post our, compared to yours, wimpy little TRs.

It was a pleasure to meet you. Wish we had chatted a little bit.

It was good to meet you, too, Magicbus. One of these days we will need to have a longer chat, but as I told you, I can't stay in one place very long at the Fort.

Love that Bear Head rock

Me too! And, it is definitely a bear head.

Enjoying the TR TCD! I'll go back to silently lurking...

Thanks to you, too. You should come out of lurking more often.

Anxiously awaiting the next update.



Awesome as usual.

Thanks, and an update will be immediately following.

I spent hours today ignoring my children to get caught up on reading your TR. Now there is another one?? Will my laundry ever get done????

Seriously, I am enjoying the reading and learning so much. Thanks for taking the time!

Trust me, the kids will be fine. Maybe have them do the laundry?

YAY!

There was a rumor on the boards that you were there for the 4th.

You are very famous, you know. I know that already and I'm new!

Yeah, tell me about it. I'm pretty much like a rock star around the Fort.

At least in my mind anyway.

TCD, once again you have entertained my wife an I with your awsome trip reports. I have never done a trip report yet due to I'm chasing the kids all the time at the fort and never have the time to take enough pics. Hopefully one day I'll make you proud...lol

Hey, were y'all around the Fort last weekend. If not, there's another Herbie golf cart out and about.

So glad I finished all my chores early enough to catch this!

Why did you do the chores first?

I don't want to offend TCD but I think "bear rock" looks more like a sleeping dear, like Bambi's mom. BTW I always enjoy your trip reports and so does my non-Disney husbend!! Can't wait for the next installment!

Sorry, but that is no deer.

That is a bear.

Funny that you should mention Bambi.

I have a photo of a rock that looks like Bambi.

I will post it a bit later, so be on the look out.

YIPEE!!! another tr from TCD. How awesome that we are getting trip reports back to back. I have many months to go before we get to the fort so maybe you can go at least once or twice a month to help time go by Really thanks so much for working to keep all the rest of us entertained. carry on

Hey, you are welcome!

Love the TR . Waiting ....

Thanks.

Dave, You know you wuz wrong for that! Now I may have to order the Cowboy beans just so I can post a pic!

Great TR TCD! I'm neglecting DH right now to catch up! I must admit I was getting a little suspicious of your whereabouts......but quickly dismissed the idea since you just got back from the Fort!

Poor DH. Maybe make him some cowboy beans?

This is way better than TV...

It sure is!

But that isn't saying much these days, is it?

I am so glad I stumbled on your latest report, loved the last one! You really make me homesick for the Fort, we had stayed there several times when our kids were really small. Thinking we may have to book a couple of nights there next trip.

I have to ask, how did you ever get to the top of BLT? I have never stayed there but heard they are very strict about that.

Please keep the pictures coming, I love the ones where I scratch my head and say "How the heck did he get that shot?"

Sorry. I can't tell you how I got to the top of BLT. That information is still classified. But, it wasn't as hard as you would think.

I love your trip reports

Well, thanks.

TCD, it was great to finaly meet you and all the other diser's. Hope to see everyone next time.

Same here, mk199. I never did stop by for the tour, but I did pass by your site on the 800 loop plenty. I will take the tour next time, though.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

OK, let's get this report moving along. . .

The next cart in the golf cart parade is the one that won first prize:

These folks were camped on the 200 loop. I never did get to ask them what the prize was. I know in the past it has been things like meals at Trail's End or boat rentals. Does anyone know what the prizes were for this parade?

This golf cart was decorated with a Toy Story theme. I thought they did a great job, but no prize for them:

Here is Disboarder TiggerinBama. Notice the object in her hand. She was passing out water pistols. She gave one to my DD, who promptly filled it from her water bottle and proceeded to squirt her sister and I, and innocent bystanders, too. I eventually had to confiscate the danged thing:

Thanks TiggerinBama!

I owe you a special return favor for this water pistol!

This next cart was decorated in a Polynesian theme. They won an award for second or third place in the best theme category:

The parade ended at Pioneer Hall, and they were going to announce the winners right there from the front porch.

Quite a crowd gathered:

One of the TCD twins got to meet the pirate from the Peter Pan golf cart. She was thrilled!:

Then, the head judge was introduced, and he announced the winners:

Does anyone remember the time that TCD shimmied up the column at Pioneer Hall to get a photo from the upper deck of the porch?

Well, there are a lot of Disboarders who do remember that event, and several of them asked me to show them how to do it on this trip. One Disboarder was particularly persistent, so I finally told him my secret. And, since I told him, I will tell you: you need to take off your shoes, and use both your hands and feet to climb up the column. The toe grip is the secret to the whole thing.

Well, I was thinking of this Disboarder as I looked up at the second level of the porch:

And, I decided to walk over to the side just a bit to get a photo of the second level with the Pioneer Hall sign in it. As I got ready to snap this next photo, someone suddenly jumped up from behind the railing of the second level of the porch!:

OMG!

My protege used my secret tip to shimmy up the pole to watch the 4th of July parade awards!

He was not really wearing groucho glasses.

I had to add those to protect his identity.

This guy doesn't need any more trouble with the Disney Po-Po.

Or, more importantly, his DW.

In case you are wondering, he is no relation to KatieKomo, who is also partial to groucho glasses.

That was a nice surprise, wasn't it?

If anyone wants to guess who that is, go right ahead. I will still have to protect this fellow's identity, but maybe he will reveal his secret.

Anyway, after the awards were announced, they went over the schedule for the rest of the day, and also told the crowd that Goofy would be posing for photos!

So, we had to go get a photo with Goofy, right?

The line wasn't that bad:

Did you ever notice that the flowers planted outside of the Pioneer Hall restrooms are red, white and blue?:

This lady in line ahead of us brought her dog to meet Goofy.

As far as I know, dogs aren't allowed in the Settlement area.

But, Goofy is a dog, right?

And he clearly had no objection to meeting this dog, either. In fact, I think Goofy and this dog are now officially an item, as these photos show:

That ain't right.

Is it?

Whatever.

Finally, it was our turn to meet Goofy.

DD thought it would be funny to squirt Goofy with her water pistol.

Goofy didn't think so.

That's when the gun got confiscated.

But, Goofy didn't hold a grudge, and we got our photos:

And, with that, the first official activity of the 4th of July weekend was done.

But, there was plenty more to come.

In case you're wondering, here is what was on the agenda for the 3rd and 4th:

Looks like a lot of fun, no?

It was!

And, we tried to make it to as many of these activities as possible.

Notice the enthusiasm of the author of this little flyer. It wasn't just going to be a pool party- it was going to be a pool party of epic proportions!

Wow!

We won't want to miss that, will we?

It will all be coming up . . .

TCD

 

[Lil' Lisa]

This lady in line ahead of us brought her dog to meet Goofy.

As far as I know, dogs aren't allowed in the Settlement area.

But, Goofy is a dog, right?

And he clearly had no objection to meeting this dog, either. In fact, I think Goofy and this dog are now officially an item, as these photos show:

That ain't right.

Is it?

Whatever.
TCD

Poodles rank high on the "cuteness" scale which often gives them an edge when it comes to getting away with things. They also fit in bags or large purses which makes them easy to smuggle into places they may not belong. I have never tried this with ours though because I know that he would never stay in the bag.

 

[3gr8kids]

as always, great report!! Can't wait for more

 

[Tri-circle-D]

After the parade, we headed back to our site to put up some of our decorations.

Because of the threat of rain, we had held off on the decorations on Friday.

But, it looked like maybe we would have a clear day on Saturday, so we broke out the decorations.

This is what we came up with:

Here's a nice hammock shot for you hammock lovers out there:

When looping a bit later, we came across this site on the 2000 loop. Someone was going to be having a birthday here, and his or her friends pre-decorated the site:

Some more photos of the TCD campsite for the weekend:

I know that I told you that we would be visiting the 3rd of July activities. And we did stop by the Red, White and Blue ice cream activity, but it was really packed, with a line of folks waiting to make ice cream. The DD's wanted to wait on line. But, I instead asked if they would rather head to the Contemporary for some of their soft serve? That was a brilliant move on my part, as they chose to head to the Contemporary. So, we didn't have to wait on line to make home made ice cream in a bag.

We headed down to the dock to catch a boat.

This sign was posted:

Did you know that they decorate the boats at WDW for the 4th of July?

Neither did I.

But, the budget is apparently quite limited:

We hopped on the resort boat. At this time of day, the first stop was still WL. As we traveled along, we noticed that the sky was getting quite dark. It looked like a big storm was coming in. So, we decided to get off the boat at WL. That way, if the storm came in, we could take the bus back to FW, and we wouldn't be trapped at the Contemporary.

So, we headed to the WL ice cream machine.

We haven't had WL ice cream in a while.

We normally go to the Poly for Dole Whip.

But, the WL ice cream is very good.

It was just the right snack for us.

And, the rain did come.

It wasn't raining too hard.

But, it was raining.

So, we decided to take the bus back.

While heading to the bus, we took a brief detour, where I snapped this photo:

Can anyone tell me where this was taken?

I will give you a huge hint and tell you that it was somewhere on the WL property.

This is a pretty rare site now-a-days.

You don't see Mickey toting a gun very much at all these days.

But the big Mouse is definitely packing heat here!

Just as we walked up to the bus stop, the FW bus pulled up.

Sweet!

I love it when that happens.

So, we were back at the Fort before we knew it.

And we did a little looping.

I think this site on the 1600 loop had the best clothesline:

And, check out this tent near the canal on the 1500 loop. This is way back from the actual campsites:

At one point in our travels, we noticed that they had closed the pool, and made everyone get out. There must have been lightning nearby. But, other than that one instance, the pool seemed to have been open and busy all weekend, even when it was raining.

We got a pretty good soaking on Saturday afternoon:

I am sorry to tell you that the rain kept us away from the pool party of epic proportions. I can't tell you whether or not it went off as scheduled or whether or not it was epic.

But, we were definitely planning to go to the Poly to watch the fireworks that evening. So, we ate dinner at our site (pulled pork sandwiches from home), and headed down to the marina to catch the boat at 7:30. The fireworks were set to go off at 9 pm, but we wanted to allow time to get to the Contemporary, catch the monorail, and get there.

So, right at 7:30, we headed for the marina. . .

TCD

 

[starbuc71]

Whoops! What dates were you at the Fort over Christmas?

I have to admit, that sometimes I drive down that sidewalk.

There isn't a sign there that says you can't.

And, I always want to see if there is anything good cooking on the grill. . .




Well good, because I have a lot more photos on the way!




Well, thanks for popping in. Don't be a stranger!



It was good to meet you, too, Magicbus. One of these days we will need to have a longer chat, but as I told you, I can't stay in one place very long at the Fort.



Me too! And, it is definitely a bear head.



Thanks to you, too. You should come out of lurking more often.



Thanks, and an update will be immediately following.



Trust me, the kids will be fine. Maybe have them do the laundry?





Yeah, tell me about it. I'm pretty much like a rock star around the Fort.

At least in my mind anyway.




Hey, were y'all around the Fort last weekend. If not, there's another Herbie golf cart out and about.



Why did you do the chores first?



Sorry, but that is no deer.

That is a bear.

Funny that you should mention Bambi.

I have a photo of a rock that looks like Bambi.

I will post it a bit later, so be on the look out.



Hey, you are welcome!




Thanks.



Poor DH. Maybe make him some cowboy beans?



It sure is!

But that isn't saying much these days, is it?




Sorry. I can't tell you how I got to the top of BLT. That information is still classified. But, it wasn't as hard as you would think.



Well, thanks.



Same here, mk199. I never did stop by for the tour, but I did pass by your site on the 800 loop plenty. I will take the tour next time, though.

TCD

I knew someone would snag my herbie idea. Unfortunatley it was not us last week. I should change my avatar so the fort won't be overtaken by herbie clones...lol. I like to think I was the first

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Sorry, but somehow I omitted two photos from my previous post.

I wasn't kidding about DD trying to squirt Goofy with the water pistol she got from TiggerinBama:

Not to worry, though, that was the last we will see of the water pistol on this trip.

TCD

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Great stuff TCD
You da man !!
I know you must have some fishy pictures ?

popcorn:

 

[LONE-STAR]

TCD did you buy a golf cart? That does not look like a rental at your site.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I knew someone would snag my herbie idea. Unfortunatley it was not us last week. I should change my avatar so the fort won't be overtaken by herbie clones...lol. I like to think I was the first

I should have taken a photo of that other Herbie cart, but I didn't. Did you notice the Herbie sidecar in the parade?

Great stuff TCD
You da man !!
I know you must have some fishy pictures ?

popcorn:

Yes, I do, Frank. Just for you. I even have a photo of a fisherman whom I think you will recognize. But, I have to get these things posted in order.

TCD did you buy a golf cart? That does not look like a rental at your site.

No. TCD is still cartless. But, I have a friend who lets me borrow a cart when I visit. It is good to be TCD.

TCD

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Whoops! What dates were you at the Fort over Christmas?

I have to admit, that sometimes I drive down that sidewalk.

There isn't a sign there that says you can't.

And, I always want to see if there is anything good cooking on the grill. . .


We got there about Dec23rd and stayed until Jan 2nd. We were right across from Tiggerinbama and right next door to Mrsgus06, Millermouseketeers was just down the street.
The novelty of the site wore off quickly but we made the best of it, the real sting is when you have to pay premium prices for a site with that many deficiencies. I should have stayed with my original plan and taken my chances on getting a site in 1700.

 

[stacktester]

The funny thing about the Herbie sidecar on the scooter is I remember when the little girl actually fit in it. They are regular forters.

 

[DaveInTN]

No. TCD is still cartless. But, I have a friend who lets me borrow a cart when I visit. It is good to be TCD.

TCD

I was wondering the same thing, in particular how you got a cart to the Fort in the Ex while towing a pup.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Where were we?

Oh, yes, we were heading over to the Poly to see the fireworks.

On Friday night, July 3rd, it would not be Summer Nightastic fireworks, but a special patriotic fireworks display.

And, as we saw earlier, these fireworks would necessitate shutting down boat transportation.

These must be some good fireworks.

We saw a very good fireworks display from the Poly beach on December 30th this past year. We tried to go again on the 31st, but they were turning people away.

So, we headed out early.

The plan was to take whichever boat came to the dock first, and catch the monorail from there.

The resort boat came first.

In the late afternoon, the resort boat changes the order that it goes to the resorts, so the the first stop was the Contemporary. That was good for us.

And guess what?

This boat was decorated too!

See?:

If you are so inclined, go back and look at the previous photo from earlier in the day, and you will see that this is a different boat, but it has the same pinwheel and duct tape treatment. Very impressive. My hat is off to whatever castmember was in charge of this.

We made it to the Contemporary by about 7:45, so we were doing great with our time.

Here is a sign that I have never noticed before:

It was EMH at the MK on Saturday night, so the MK was open until 2:00. But, I had no idea that the monorails would operate this late. 4:30 am? Wow!

We made it to the Poly by just after 8, and found that things were already a bit crowded. It was drizzling outside, and there were lots of folks waiting around the lobby. There was really no place to sit and wait, so we decided to head out to the beach and claim our spot.

I brought ponchos, and the good folks of the Poly had a two huge carts with towels right there on the beach. They were handing the towels to anyone. No KTTW card required. So we got some towels, and we dragged some loungers down to the edge of the water, and we got ready for the fireworks.

It was just getting dark:

Do you see all the boats in the water there near shore? These were all people who paid for fireworks cruises. The boats were all lined up right here by the shore, just to the right of the beach. I guess that tells you that this is a primo spot from which to watch the fireworks, right?

Here we are. You can see that there are already a lot of folks setting up and getting ready for the big show:

As 9:00 approached, it got pretty dark.

But, the rain stopped.

We didn't have a drop for the whole fireworks show.

And we received a visit from a very strange duck:

Or is that a goose?

I don't know, but something didn't seem quite right about this bird.

Remember him, you will be seeing him again.

My camera says this photo was taken at 9:05 pm. That little green blob near the center of the photo is Cinderella's Castle. Also, do you see the little green lights in the water? Those are the marker lights for the EWP boats. What were they doing here?

Just then, the narration began. It was what you would expect from Disney. Very dramatic, with popular patriotic music. It was perfect.

The audio was being transmitted across the lake from the EWP boats. That surprised me. But, it was a great effect.

Then the fireworks began!:

After the show went on for a while, the EWP boats lit up with the Stars and Stripes!

This was another surprise.

And, it was great!

Obviously, you can only see this from the Poly beach:

Take a closer look at the photo immediately above.

Look who is poking his head up at the bottom of the photo.

What the duck?

Who is this bird and why is he here?

Weird!

Now, on with the show:

I have seen a lot of fireworks.

And, I have to say that these are right up there with the best that I have ever seen.

Ever.

Check out these next ones.

Note the red, white and blue stars!:

And, it all ended with a grand finale like nothing I have ever seen before.

Simply breathtaking!:

After watching that display, the crowd erupted with cheers of USA, USA, USA!

What a great and magical moment!

I have to tell the truth here.

The Poly beach beats the heck out of the FW beach as a location from which to watch the fireworks.

Wow!

We will be watching the actual 4th of July fireworks from the Fort beach.

But, if you ever have the chance, go to the Poly.

I can't imagine that there is a better location anywhere in WDW from which to watch the fireworks. Even those crowded like sardines on Main Street could not have seen what we saw. I think that you really need to be where we were to appreciate the magnitude of this show.

Next up . . .

A magical encounter at the Contemporary Resort.

Where we meet an old and familiar friend, and we get our answer to the mysterious Friday night fireworks . . .

TCD

 

[starbuc71]

The funny thing about the Herbie sidecar on the scooter is I remember when the little girl actually fit in it. They are regular forters.

It's nice to see people take the time and effort to build or create things like that sidecar to represent one of thier favorite disney characters. They must be herbie lovers like me. I hope Linsey Lohan didn't ruin the franchise

 

[DaveInTN]

Those fireworks look spectacular! And your photos are awesome. You've always said that you are all about photo quantity, and not quality, but these pics rock!

 

[kampfirekim]

TCD, kudos to you for tying your canopy AND hammock to a tree! But where's the clothesline, cupcake?

After watching that display, the crowd erupted with cheers of USA, USA, USA!

What a great and magical moment!

I have to tell the truth here.

The Poly beach beats the heck out of the FW beach as a location from which to watch the fireworks.

Wow!

TCD

What a stunning photo!

You've done yourself proud w/this TR, TCD!

We have made plans to be there July 4th 2011 and will definitely take all of this advice to heart! Thanks so much! (We were there on the 4th last year and witnessed a couple become engaged during the Fireworks!)

 

[Born 2 Fish]

AWESOME pics !!

I'll agree with you, we saw the fireworks from the Poly, (don't tell anyone I said this, but the view is better than from the Fort beach).

I gotta say, I don't believe I've ever seen anyone enjoy Disney more than you and the girls !
Well, cept maybe me.

 

[LONE-STAR]

I was wondering the same thing, in particular how you got a cart to the Fort in the Ex while towing a pup.

Me and Donnie could figure away to do it for him but that's a whole other thread.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

We got there about Dec23rd and stayed until Jan 2nd. We were right across from Tiggerinbama and right next door to Mrsgus06, Millermouseketeers was just down the street.
The novelty of the site wore off quickly but we made the best of it, the real sting is when you have to pay premium prices for a site with that many deficiencies. I should have stayed with my original plan and taken my chances on getting a site in 1700.

Well, then, Scott, I guess I owe you an apology, because I would be willing to bet that I drove a cart up and down that sidewalk a couple of times between December 30 and January 2.

You are right about that site. I would rather have a site on the 2000 loop any day than that site.

The funny thing about the Herbie sidecar on the scooter is I remember when the little girl actually fit in it. They are regular forters.

Regular forters?

That's a good one.

I know quite a few regular forters.

I was wondering the same thing, in particular how you got a cart to the Fort in the Ex while towing a pup.

Yeah. I am good, but not that good. I solved my problem another way.

It's nice to see people take the time and effort to build or create things like that sidecar to represent one of thier favorite disney characters. They must be herbie lovers like me. I hope Linsey Lohan didn't ruin the franchise

I love the Love Bug franchise. Even the Lindsay Lohan one. My oldest DD drives a Beetle!

Those fireworks look spectacular! And your photos are awesome. You've always said that you are all about photo quantity, and not quality, but these pics rock!

Every now and then I get lucky with a shot. But, you can never deny me the quantity thing. That is what I am all about.

TCD, kudos to you for tying your canopy AND hammock to a tree! But where's the clothesline, cupcake?



What a stunning photo!

You've done yourself proud w/this TR, TCD!

We have made plans to be there July 4th 2011 and will definitely take all of this advice to heart! Thanks so much! (We were there on the 4th last year and witnessed a couple become engaged during the Fireworks!)

Um, don't tell anyone, but my clothesline with clothes is on Jen's clothesline thread. I try to take the clothes off for my photos.

So, to keep this straight, I had a clothesline, hammock, and my official BSA dining fly all tied to trees. I think that adds up to 10 trees that I roped. Not bad, eh?

AWESOME pics !!

I'll agree with you, we saw the fireworks from the Poly, (don't tell anyone I said this, but the view is better than from the Fort beach).

I gotta say, I don't believe I've ever seen anyone enjoy Disney and more than you and the girls !
Well, cept maybe me.

Yes, I hate to say any resort is better than the Fort, but in this instance, the Poly gets the nod. But, I will take the ambiance of the Fort over the Poly any day.

And, Frank, I'll have to say you're right. I am blessed that my girls love the Fort as much as I do. Unfortunately, my oldest is now off at college, and was working an internship this summer. But, she did make it over for a day on this trip. The TCD twins are 15 now, so it won't be long until they leave the nest. I am hoping for lots of grandchildren. I can see it now . . . Old Grandaddy TCD in his old, decrepit camper, and beat up golf cart, still outrunning the Fort po-po.

TCD