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

[sixAMmom]

TCD is that "Bambi's mom" you mentioned before? It's kinda funny you saying seeing dear is rare, we see some everytime we go to the Fort. Blessed I guess! Can't wait to go back and see if we continue to be.

 

[DisCamper]

Disney is bring me in this week to sign papers. Hope to see flaming dog poop on my step next year from you Dis’ers

 

[AnotherAlice]

Here is the winner of the TCD best decorated campsite award:

TCD[/QUOTE]

Awesome display of American pride! But did you also notice the shoe rack by the door! That deserves a mention too. I need to get me one of those - our shoes end up anywhere and everywhere!

 

[2goofycampers]

We don't say is it ever going to end. We say we hope TCD's TR never ends.

 

[Magicbus]

But did you also notice the shoe rack by the door!

Wow, good eye Alice.
I feel so inadequate. I never would have thought of putting a shoe rack outside the MH.

 

[ambertides]

We don't say is it ever going to end. We say we hope TCD's TR never ends.

That's for sure.

 

[graciejane]

Awesome display of American pride! But did you also notice the shoe rack by the door! That deserves a mention too. I need to get me one of those - our shoes end up anywhere and everywhere! [/QUOTE]

I did NOT notice it but thank you for pointing it out. I think that is a great idea that I may just have to borrow

 

[BigDaddyRog]

TCD is that "Bambi's mom" you mentioned before? It's kinda funny you saying seeing dear is rare, we see some everytime we go to the Fort. Blessed I guess! Can't wait to go back and see if we continue to be.

I think what he meant was that it USED to be a rare thing, but that now they are everywhere, even in the middle of the day, in plain sight, and fearless.

 

[Disbug]

Magical Mystery Tour,,=

EXACTLY!

It's time to tell the story of the TCD canoe reconnaissance mission.


And here we are at the bridge:

Houston, we have a problem.

There is an obstruction all the way across the water which prevents me from paddling under the bridge.
TCD

Next time take the yellow submarine and you can go under the obstruction... no portage required. Problem solved! :

Still loving your TR, TCD!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

TCD,
for years I've told my wife that in Florida you can't carry a bucket of water around without someone dropp'n a line it it,Oh wait,,THATS ME !! I'd reck'n there may not be any fish in that ditch,,but if it was more than 6'' deep, I might give it a go.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

My 2 year old...LOL! Keeps me on my toes!

A two year old?

That's kid stuff!

Wait until you have some teens.

Then you will really be on your toes!

When we were camping in the 700 loop over Memorial Day, we were in site 704. Right behind our camper, there was evidence that the Old Disney Railroad ran thru there once since you could see the railroad ties. As we were packing up to leave the following Sunday, I heard this weird sound...turned around and about 6 deer ran run behind me, on the old railroad! We had ran into deer a few years ago on our way back from the boat dock, but that was kind of freaky.

Thanks for sharing that. It is amazing how many deer are around. It used to be peacocks everywhere. Now it's deer.

TCD, DH really wishes that I hadn't read about your canoe excursion. Every Summer, my family and I camp at the Coldwater Recreation Area near Milton. We've spent plenty of time canoeing and tubing the Coldwater Creek while there, so my canoe skills are pretty sharp. DH realizes this, and now he's totally freaked out that I'm going to try and continue your quest for Golden Oak. Knowing my luck, I'd try it, get caught, then get banned for life from DW. Sure does sound like an exciting challenge, but let's face it, I'm too chicken!

BTW, I have two Boxer's, one of which is a pup named Rocky. Just thought that was kinda neat! So, continue............

Well, it sounds like you are plenty qualified.

So, you should go for it!

How are you going to get caught?

The Disney po-po doesn't have a boat on the canal.

So, you can easily get away in your canoe.

How old is your Rocky?

TCD keep the TR coming... Who needs cable?

That's right!

We don't need no stinkin' cable.

I was excited when all the sites at the Fort got cable.

But, now that we have it, we never watch it.

There is too much else to do.

TCD is that "Bambi's mom" you mentioned before? It's kinda funny you saying seeing dear is rare, we see some everytime we go to the Fort. Blessed I guess! Can't wait to go back and see if we continue to be.

No. No. No.

I didn't see a rock that looked like Bambi's mom.

I saw a rock that looked like Bambi.

I'll go ahead and upload the photo and post it so you can see it and see if you agree.

I'll do that right after this post.

Disney is bring me in this week to sign papers. Hope to see flaming dog poop on my step next year from you Dis’ers

Way to go DisCamper.

Please be sure to give us your address.

I don't want to leave the housewarming gift on the wrong porch.

Awesome display of American pride! But did you also notice the shoe rack by the door! That deserves a mention too. I need to get me one of those - our shoes end up anywhere and everywhere!

No, I did not notice the shoe rack.

What a great idea.

Of course, my kids would never use it.

And, it would just be something else for me to trip over.

But, I really like the idea.

That camper has his stuff together.

I'm glad I gave him the award.

We don't say is it ever going to end. We say we hope TCD's TR never ends.

Ah, shucks.

Thanks.

Wow, good eye Alice.
I feel so inadequate. I never would have thought of putting a shoe rack outside the MH.

Same here. But, it's a great idea!

That's for sure.

Thanks to you too!

I did NOT notice it but thank you for pointing it out. I think that is a great idea that I may just have to borrow

I can see it now:

Every site in the Fort will have a clothesline and a shoe rack.

Viva La Fiends!

I think what he meant was that it USED to be a rare thing, but that now they are everywhere, even in the middle of the day, in plain sight, and fearless.

Thanks, Rog. That is what I meant. And, I think it's what I said.

EXACTLY!


Next time take the yellow submarine and you can go under the obstruction... no portage required. Problem solved! :

Still loving your TR, TCD!

Magical Mystery Tour?

Yellow Submarine?

Didn't I warn you hippies to scram?

TCD,
for years I've told my wife that in Florida you can't carry a bucket of water around without someone dropp'n a line it it,Oh wait,,THATS ME !! I'd reck'n there may not be any fish in that ditch,,but if it was more than 6'' deep, I might give it a go.

LOL Frank.

So true!

If that ditch is dry the next time you're at the Fort, I'll fill it up with some green hose water, and invite you over. Although, I'm not sure I would want to see anything you caught in there.

TCD

 

[kampfirekim]

You need to turn in your merit badge!

A rod is equal to 16.5 feet. All portages are measured in rods. My hippie husband spent a lot of his vacation time in his younger days in the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area). Don't worry. He isn't scary. He gave up the accordion years ago and the only thing left of his "hippiness" is the pony tail. He's even a conservative if you can believe that!

Very impressive! I thought the 2 rods was referring to the "2 rods" on either side of the bridge blocking passage.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

So, sixAMmom says that Bear Rock looks like Bambi's mom!

Heresy!

Get your pitchforks and torches!

Bear Rock looks like a Bear!

I think that's how it got its name.

Now, if you want to see a rock that looks like a deer, I've got you covered.

This rock was sitting outside a campsite on the 1100 loop.

I think it pretty much looks like a deer.

Maybe even Bambi himself:

What do you think?

That looks like a deer, right?

So, I am going to call this Deer Rock.

It might not be at the Fort the next time you go, though.

I think those campers brought the rock with them.

I don't remember it being there before.

But, you can still try to take a look.

Like I said- 1100 loop.

TCD

 

[medic9016]

Did you notice these things in the background that I circled in red?:

What are those things?

I have noticed them before.

But what are they, and why are they there?

Let's take a closer look:

This one has a small piece of hardware on it. It is one of those fasteners that a grommet fits over, and then you turn it to hold the grommet in place. Like on a boat cover or something. But, why is it on this post?:

They could be used to tie a horse to. Tey look like tey are in a noce shaded area. The small fastener is for a bucket for food or water, so the horse can not knock the bucket off.

 

[mgsmom]

The canoe trip looks like fun! How many people would you put in a canoe? Could you put, say, 2 medium size adults and one 2 year old?

I love all the pics!
Great TR, as usual!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Now, back to our report . . .

We are up to the late afternoon/early evening of the 4th.

The 4th of July activity schedule tells us that there will be something called the "Freedom Beach Bash" going on down at the beach.

An organized activity at the beach?

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Neither had I.

So, we had to go.

It was actually kind of fun.

Kind of like a pool party of epic proportions.

Kind of.

Minus the pool.

And the epic.

But, it was definitely a Freedom Beach Bash.

And that was good.

It began with some Hula Hooping.

Luckily for the young contestants, Mrs. BDR wasn't here.

Yet.

Or she would have whipped them all!

Let's take a look:

You know that it's a big day at the Fort when they break out this sign:

Fun suckers!

I last saw this sign on New Year's Eve.

And, hopefully, that will be the next time I see it.

Here are some photos from the FBB (that's Freedom Beach Bash for you slow folks):

Some Hula Hooping:

The Hula Hoop contest went on for ever.

The TCD twins have won a Hula Hooping contest or two.

But, there were some pro's in this contest.

After the first hour (I don't actually think it was an hour-but it seemed like it), they had to resort to the old stand on one foot and Hula Hoop, and then the old pick up another hoop, until finally they had a winner. The best part was when they gave out the prizes. Everyone got the same thing. You could pick out a plastic ring from a big bin they had. The TCD twins got spider rings. Woo-Hoo!

Next came the line dancing.

I think this went on for two hours.

They played every line dancing song you ever heard of.

And probably some you haven't.

You know, Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, Kung Foo Fighting (I am not making this up), etc. etc.

Here are some photos of that:

When they played the Hoe Down Throw Down (that's from the Hannah Montana movie for you uninformed nerds), the TCD twins were beside themselves! The Do-Si-Do'd like there was no tomorrow:

Then came the Chicken Dance!

Oy!

The people watching was great!

This foxy Grandma was dancing in her swimsuit:

I think we need to take a closer look at her:

Meow.

As the party progressed, some Disboarders showed up:

I'm not a stalker or anything, but I think I see Mrs. BDR there in the crowd.

She must have heard that there were Hula Hoops on the beach.

Good thing she heard late.

Or we might still be there.

After the hours of line dancing finally ended, it was time for everyone to get another spider ring:

I was kidding about the hours.

It just seemed like it.

To me.

The TCD twins had a blast.

And the whole thing just took an hour.

So, now it was around 7:30.

And we hadn't eaten our dinner.

But, Bingo on the Beach was about to begin.

And, it was free.

FREE!

And they were going to award fabulous prizes.

Better than spider rings.

They said pin sets.

And watermelons.

Again, I am not making this up.

By this time quite a crowd had gathered.

And they were passing out a lot of Bingo cards.

Maybe we could have won a prize.

But, we needed to go and eat and be heading back to the beach for the Fireworks at 9.

So we bailed.

If anyone was there for the Bingo, I would love to hear how it went.

And who won the watermelon.

I didn't want to cook.

So, I asked the girls if they would like pizza or chicken.

They picked chicken.

So, that means the TCD gang had two Giddyap and Goes on this four night trip.

Yee Haw!

If you ever see Mrs. TCD, don't mention this to her. She would think this was a bad idea.

I'll bet you were worried about the free Bingo.

How was WDW going to separate all those folks on the beach from their money?

Don't worry.

This is Disney.

They are way ahead of you.

They set up a refreshment stand and a souvenir stand! :

I'll bet those photos warm the hearts of bean counters everywhere.

While we were heading out of the beach, I took this photo of the Ft. Wilderness sign. It doesn't really have anything to do with our story, but I like this photo, so here you go:

So, as quickly as possible, we grabbed our chicken, and headed back to the campsite.

We even got Cowboy Beans!:

As soon as we were done with our delicious meal, it was time to head back to the beach. While we were leaving to go back to the campsite to eat, I noticed that they had castmembers stationed around the Settlement area directing cart traffic. There was even a castmember at the entrance to the 300 loop stopping folks from going down that loop unless they were actually camping on that loop. I guess they didn't want folks driving carts out the back of the loop.

As we approached the Settlement at about 8:30, a castmember said that there was no more cart parking available at the marina or Pioneer Hall, so we were directed out past the bus stop, toward the horse barn. There was another cast member there directing carts down the mulch path past the barn, toward the field that sits between Pioneer Hall and the Fort Wilderness Pavilion.

This photo is dark, but it shows carts driving back to the field:

We ended up parking pretty close to the pony area. The whole field was full of golf carts. It was kind of amazing to me to see all of these carts here, especially considering the big parking areas at the marina and Pioneer Hall were also full.

Here is a shot of the carts parked in the field. Pioneer Hall would be to the left in this photo, and I think you can see the Pavilion there in the background:

That is a lot of carts.

And, the beach was getting full:

The photo above was taken looking toward the boat dock. Look at all the folks lined up on the dock, too. By this time, boat traffic had been suspended.

This next photo was taken looking toward Discovery Island. You can see a resort boat heading toward the Fort. This was probably the last boat in before the Fireworks:

We chose a spot back on the beach, toward the wood line. The speakers are back here, and for whatever reason, we have always preferred to sit back behind the crowd here, rather than right up on the water. Here are the TCD twins waiting for the show to begin:

Look at those smiles.

I'll bet they have their dad wrapped around their little fingers.

Next up . . .

Fireworks!!!

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

They could be used to tie a horse to. Tey look like tey are in a noce shaded area. The small fastener is for a bucket for food or water, so the horse can not knock the bucket off.

These do look like they could be hitching posts, but I have never seen horses in this area. And, they are pretty close to the water. I don't think they would tie up horses here.

The canoe trip looks like fun! How many people would you put in a canoe? Could you put, say, 2 medium size adults and one 2 year old?

I love all the pics!
Great TR, as usual!

These are full sized canoes. You could definitely put three adults in one. So, two adults and a child would not be any problem.

So, I say go for it!

TCD

 

[DisCamper]

To keep in theme Disney put this up But it's purpose is to keep vehicles from breaking the water pipe

 

[BigDaddyRog]

.....Luckily for the young contestants, Mrs. BDR wasn't here.

Yet.

Or she would have whipped them all!

Haaa...yeah, she does love to show off her hula hooping techniques!!! Her skills have been sharpened from all of the hoops of being married to the likes of me have made her jump through!!


...The Hula Hoop contest went on for ever.

The TCD twins have won a Hula Hooping contest or two.

But, there were some pro's in this contest.

After the first hour (I don't actually think it was an hour-but it seemed like it),........

They really DO seem to go on for forever, dont they!!


Next came the line dancing.

I think this went on for two hours.

They played every line dancing song you ever heard of.

And probably some you haven't.

You know, Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, Kung Foo Fighting (I am not making this up), etc. etc......When they played the Hoe Down Throw Down (that's from the Hannah Montana movie for you uninformed nerds), the TCD twins were beside themselves! The Do-Si-Do'd like there was no tomorrow...

Dude, it SOOO nice to know that Im not the only guy in the world who has to suffer the immasculation of knowing the "Hoe Down Throw Down"!!!!

.....
As the party progressed, some Disboarders showed up:

.... I think I see Mrs. BDR there in the crowd.

She must have heard that there were Hula Hoops on the beach.

Good thing she heard late.

Or we might still be there

Yup...there's some of my gang...I see the elbow of my youngest right in front of her!



.....the TCD gang had two Giddyap and Goes on this four night trip.

Yee Haw!
We got the Giddyap & Go and Gottyup & Went twice on this trip too....that REALLY IS some good ol'homestyle, tasty, grease drippin' chicken, aint it??MmmMmm!

......

Look at those smiles.

I'll bet they have their dad wrapped around their little fingers....
TCD

I'll bet they have him wrapped even tighter than he realizes!!! The first night we met up, I just saw the back of her head and KNEW it was her...those kids have some beautiful ringlets!!! And the fact that they can "hang" with DAD and still produce smiles like that, well....that says ALOT for your parenting skills....dem girls LOVE dem some Dad!!!

 

[shafke]

So, sixAMmom says that Bear Rock looks like

What do you think?

That looks like a deer, right?


TCD

What is that white rope on the ground. It looks like the deer rock may be set out as bait and that rope is some sort of snare trap. Just set your foot in the rope and then... Gotcha. I would be careful around this camp site.