Pre-Halloween 2009 Trip Report!!!

[Tri-circle-D]

So how early do folks start decorating for Halloween? We will be there next year at the end of September. The MNSSHP will have started already, but are there any decorations up at that time?

I visited the Fort on a day-trip this year on September 29. Some folks had already put up Halloween decorations, but not many. There are some photos from that visit in this little report: September 29, 2009 Trip Report

So, you could decorate any time in September, but you will not have a lot of company until mid-October. The Magic Kingdom itself will be very well decorated, if they are going to begin the Halloween Parties as early as they have in the past couple of years.

Since I am posting again already, I notice that the gravestones I pointed out in an earlier photo are hard to read, so here are a couple of zoomed-in shots:

I am assuming that these were home-made, and that the names used were from people that were in the camping party. I say Great job!


TCD

 

[big kahuna1]

Glad they posted when they would be Corn Holin'. I'll be sure and stay far, far away at that time.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Glad they posted when they would be Corn Holin'. I'll be sure and stay far, far away at that time.

I hear you.

I can't bring myself to use that name either.

I swear I hear banjo music when I say corn hole.

So, I call it beanbag toss.

Which also makes me feel a little weird.

I avoid the whole thing by not playing.

TCD

 

[DaveInTN]

I hear you.

I can't bring myself to use that name either.

I swear I hear banjo music when I say corn hole.

So, I call it beanbag toss.

Which also makes me feel a little weird.

I avoid the whole thing by not playing.

TCD

Those awkward feelings go away around the 4th beer.

 

[guardwife66]

Great report as always TCD! I can't wait till you post more.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Here comes another batch of photos!

I told you I had a lot.

But you probably would have expected a lot even if I didn't tell you.

We left off at the 700 loop, and that's where we shall begin.

These photos are from the last site on the left in the 700 loop.

These campers were on this site last year, and according to a member of this party, they will be there through January, 2010 this season. Lucky!

They were still getting their decorations squared away over the weekend:

This is the same site that had the Disney stuffed animals sitting around the campfire that I posted a photo of in post #1, above. These folks are real creative. Make sure you visit this site. You really can't miss this one, as you must pass by it when going to or coming from the Settlement.

As many of you know, right across the loop from this site sits another famous site. I know some of you know these folks, but I have never met them. They, are, however, famous, because Samantha Brown stopped at their site for a ride over to the 300 loop in the Travel Channel special that aired a couple of years ago.

I think they have a new golf cart.

And, I like it:

From here, we head over to the 100 loop:

Judy and Bernard, in site 114, have all of their Halloween decorating done. And, they did a great job, as usual:

These folks are on the last site on the outside of the 100 loop. I recognize their decorations from years past. They used to be set up on the 1300 loop:

I am pretty sure that these next photos were taken on the 400 loop:

This is a camper on the 800 loop, with decorations in back of his site:

More from 800:

Now, here we are on 2000:

Also, on 2000. Last site on the inside. This doesn't look like a tent or pop-up camper to me. Take a good look at this photo. There is a lot going on here:

Also, notice the awning. I would like to see what happens if it rained.

And, next, we head over to the group camping area.

Remember, a lot of schools in Florida had Friday off. Do you think that plus the promise of cooler weather brought out the group campers?

You had better believe it did!

But, first, here are some new bat houses in the group camping area parking lot:

Next up . . .

We will look at some group campers.

And some more Halloween decorations (can you believe it?).

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Those awkward feelings go away around the 4th beer.

Note to self:

When visiting with Dave from Tennessee, politely and quickly excuse self when he starts in on his fourth beer.

TCD

 

[DaveInTN]

Note to self:

When visiting with Dave from Tennessee, politely and quickly excuse self when he starts in on his fourth beer.

TCD

Yep! That's when I get out my banjo!

 

[Shan-man]

I hear you.

I can't bring myself to use that name either.

I swear I hear banjo music when I say corn hole.

So, I call it beanbag toss.

Which also makes me feel a little weird.

I avoid the whole thing by not playing.

TCD

We were at Target yesterday and found that Eddie Bauer has a corn hole set and a hillbilly golf set, oddly they call them Bean Bag Toss and Competitive Ladder Ball!

 

[des1954]

Woo-Wee, TCD!!! Them pictures make me want to load up the ol' RV & head on over to the Fort!!

The people in this picture have been wintering at the Fort since 2002 that I know of. They got in about September 11th & will be staying until March. Even though I've talked with them a lot over the years, I've never learned their first names. I just call them Mr. & Mrs. Ware. Nice people.

Now, do you have any idea if Tom & Agnes were there? They have a 5'er, are usually on the 1700 loop, and have a big Steelers flag hanging from their awning. They were at the GG last Halloween.

See ya real soon!

 

[liv luvs disney]

They got in about September 11th & will be staying until March.

This couple was right around the corner from us when we were there the end of September. September-March I could probably pay my house off for what that costs!!!

 

[Pirate-Jeff]

Thats Charlie, Hilda and Stephanie. They are also from Delaware.
I forgot what she said her Dis Board name is.

 

[Cockburn Family]

When the heck did they do those reno's to the cabin pool...that hot tub looks great!!!

Wow I have been off the boards W A Y too long.....

 

[rapriebe]

. . .
The people in this picture have been wintering at the Fort since 2002 that I know of. They got in about September 11th & will be staying until March. Even though I've talked with them a lot over the years, I've never learned their first names. I just call them Mr. & Mrs. Ware. Nice people.
. .

Their names are Linda and Al and yes, they are very nice people!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Yep! That's when I get out my banjo!

That is exactly what I was afraid of!

We were at Target yesterday and found that Eddie Bauer has a corn hole set and a hillbilly golf set, oddly they call them Bean Bag Toss and Competitive Ladder Ball!

This corn hole thing has really become popular. There were a lot of folks with sets at the Fort this past weekend. Many more than ladder golf.

Now, do you have any idea if Tom & Agnes were there? They have a 5'er, are usually on the 1700 loop, and have a big Steelers flag hanging from their awning. They were at the GG last Halloween.

I saw quite a few Steelers flags. I am not sure if any belonged to Tom and Agnes, sorry. There were some regulars on the 1800 loop that I think you know. They are usually set up on the site right next to the entrance to the pet walk. They have a golden retriever named Bailey. I think you know them.

This couple was right around the corner from us when we were there the end of September. September-March I could probably pay my house off for what that costs!!!

There are quite a few folks who have set up camp for the winter season. I envy them, too.

Thats Charlie, Hilda and Stephanie. They are also from Delaware.
I forgot what she said her Dis Board name is.

I knew some folks on the camping boards knew them. It kind of surprises me that not many (if any) of the long-term campers are active on the Disboards.

When the heck did they do those reno's to the cabin pool...that hot tub looks great!!!

Wow I have been off the boards W A Y too long.....

The cabin hot tub was installed pretty quickly in the past few months. It was not quite finished when I visited at the end of September, but it was open for business when I visited last weekend. I agree that it does look nice. I like how it is more private than the hot tub at the main pool. But it is smaller.

Their names are Linda and Al and yes, they are very nice people!

Thanks. I knew they have been on that site for the past few winters, but I have never met them.

TCD

 

[stacktester]

Alrighty then, how bout a little less chit chat and on with the pics and report. We need more info!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

The Mayor has spoken!

Time for another installment.

If I am recalling correctly, the day-time photos that we have been looking at so far were taken on Friday, October 16. We had done rope drop at Hollywood Studios that morning, eaten lunch at the Poly, and spent the afternoon at the Fort. It was still pretty warm on Friday. The cold front was still coming in, but the weather had not cooled that much.

Here is some more of what we saw while looping on Friday afternoon:

There are new bat houses installed around the group camping and cabin areas:

The group camping area was full!:

There were a few cabin people who decorated:

I took a couple photos of this truck pulling the housekeeping carts out of one of the cabin loops. Note the Musket Mickey on the truck door:

It looks like that was the last Fort photo I took on Friday. We went to Animal Kingdom for EMH hours on Friday night. This was something new, as it seemed in years past that EMH's were usually at Epcot on Friday nights. Anyway, the cold front started moving in for real on Friday evening, and with that, we had a bit of steady rain. Not a lot, but enough. That worked to our advantage, because people were leaving AK in droves as we arrived at 6 PM. We enjoyed take-out from Yak and Yeti, and enjoyed our meal in relative dryness under an umbrella. By the time we were finished and ready to hit some rides, the park was almost empty! There were no waits at Dinosaur and Expedition Everest! None! A rare treat these days. We rode Dinosaur once, and EE many times. We could have kept going, but we all agreed that we had enough, and we headed back to the Fort at around 8:30. We hung around the campsite, did some looping, and called it a night.

Since we had done rope drop on Friday, the girls wanted to sleep in on Saturday. No problem. It gave me a chance to go out and get some photos. I was pleasantly surprised by cool air when I exited the camper on Saturday morning. The temperature had definitely dropped. I would say it was in the low 60's. Sweet.

I knew I wanted to head up front to check out the parking lot modifications that have been recently reported on the camping board, so that's where I headed.

I saw the first trail ride heading out:

If you are at all interested in the trail rides, here are some of the rules:

I also snapped some photos of the new, improved, golf cart parking lot at the Outpost bus stop. It is definitely wider, and you now park diagonal in the spots. There is a loop pattern now, with one way traffic around. Pretty simple improvements, but they are improvements:

Here we are looking toward the overflow lot as we pull into the parking lot area:

I did see that there have been some new barricade poles installed in the lot. I looked around to see if there were any new signs posted, or any indication of the purpose of these new poles.

I only saw this old sign:

Here we are leaving the guest parking lot, and heading into the overflow parking lot:

This is one set of the new poles:

These block off the entrance/exit lane from the parking lot closest to Vista Blvd.

This is the other set of poles:

So that you are properly oriented, my back is to Vista Blvd., and we are looking toward the open area next to the kennel. The kennel would be to the left if you could see it in this photo.

I am not sure that these poles are that significant. There is not indication that the parking lot is going to be blocked off in any fashion. You can still enter and exit from Vista Blvd. It could be that these poles were installed so folks wouldn't pull out in front of the Disney Buses trying to get in and out of the parking lot.

So, for now, this does not seem to be a big deal at all.

I would say that this installment is long enough.

Next up . . .

More Halloween decorations!

And the Sum of All Thrills!

And other Fort stuff!

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

As already mentioned, Saturday was a beautiful Fall day in Florida. The first day with a comfortable temperature and low humidity that any of us in Florida have felt for months.

We decided that we would spend our day at the Fort, watch a little college football, and head to Epcot in the early evening.

So, we spent some more time exploring.

These campers were set up in one of the sites on the 500 loop that backs up to the main road (Fort Wilderness Trail). There is something interesting going on here (make sure to note the outboard motor (?), hot tub (?) and Smart car on the trailer):

Here is the same site from the front:

Notice that there is a big dog food bag in front of the tire:

I don't know if you picked up on it, but there was a website address posted on the back of the trailer. See?:

If you get a chance, check out their website: www.rummur.com This appears to be a group of three hippies and a bunch of dogs aimlessly traveling the country. The site hasn't been updated since before they arrived at the Fort, but I would love to hear what they thought about it. I hope they thought it was groovy.

If you memorized the schedule for the 1700 loop partiers, you would remember that they were planning a big tug of war competition on Saturday afternoon. One of the campers had a big Great Dane, and walked her over to the Meadow for the competition (which I believe is off limits to dogs- but who was going to tell this dog to scram?):

You can see the dog at the far left of the group in each of the above photos.

I already posted this photo in my preview post, but I am posting it again to make note of the fact that I think it was the campers themselves who changed the props in Frank's hands and gave him a cigar. I know I didn't do it. And, I would hope that no one else messes with other people's decorations. Some people put a lot of time and expense into these, and it is nice that everyone seems to be respectful at the Fort.

I already posted some photos of the finished product on this site in the 700 loop, but I wanted to post some of the earlier photos I took while they were putting up their decorations. These people were from Pennsylvania, and they had just arrived on Saturday. They worked for several hours putting up their decorations. The lady of the site told me that she hand-made the spider webs and a lot of the other decorations they were putting up. Great job! :

We have also already looked at some photos of the last outside site in the 700 loop, but here are some more:

I also posted a photo of the new golf cart across the loop, but here's a better photo of it:

These rule breakers were enjoying a football watching party in the 500 loop:

I recently promised to conduct a covert mission to look for abandoned kazoos back stage at Pioneer Hall. I did manage to sneak in during the day, and take a look around:

I am sorry to report that I found no kazoos, but I did find where they keep the buckets that they use to serve the food at the Hoop Dee Doo Review:

And while we are looking at snooping photos, here's one of the wagon prop that is used during the Haunted Carriage Rides:

This thing is very heavily decorated at night, but they take the decorations down and put them back up nightly.

Next up . . .

More Fort.

Then some Food and Wine.

TCD

 

[DaveInTN]

I am sorry to report that I found no kazoos

Darn! I was really counting on that kazoo. Now I have to think of something else to give my wife for Christmas.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Darn! I was really counting on that kazoo. Now I have to think of something else to give my wife for Christmas.

Do you think she would like a pewter bucket that she could use to bring you your dinner in each evening?

She could slam it on the table and say: "Here's your food!"

I'll bet she would like that.

Maybe not as much as a kazoo, but I know where I can get you one of those.

TCD