TCD is a VIP! A FW Cabin trip report May 2009

[Tri-circle-D]

TCD,
If we are coming in on the 17th do you think it will be crazy? I do not think we will get there until late afternoon?

From everything that I have read, all the craziness should be over by 4 pm. This past Sunday, the triathlon was shorter, and things were pretty settled down by noon. You should be fine. And, even if you arrived earlier, it's Disney. Nobody does crowd control better than them. Even though things were crazy, it was not bad. It actually was fun to watch.

No worries!

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I have been chomping at the bit since I took this next set of photos to get on the Disboards and post them.

But first, let's travel back in time a bit to set the stage for what I am about to share.

(cue the harp music)

We are traveling back to October, 2008, when I posted this:

OK, on with the report.

While we are talking about old FW photos, I am sure that you have seen these before:

These apparently are from the 70's. You see those big log slices that were used for signs? I remember a photo of one that served as a sign for the Tri-Circle-D ranch as well. I never got to see any of these in person. I figured they must have rotted, and that they were replaced with more boring signage.

Well, here is a little something interesting.

This past weekend, as I was driving down the main road, I happened to look over to the maintenance area. You can see some of the buildings from the road, but not much. Something back there caught my eye.

This is what I saw:

Now, a little closer:

And closer still:

What, may I ask, is that big log slice doing back there? I have snooped around here a bit before (no surprise there, eh?), and have never seen this big log slice before. And, it looks new, doesn't it? Unfinished even. Hmmmm. If you see a new sliced log sign around the Fort, remember that you saw it here first!

TCD

So, ever since I made that discovery, I have tried to get back to this back stage area for a better look.

I have tried, on a couple of occasions, to ride my bike back there.

Somehow, there is always a security guard coming in or out while I am attempting to sneak in.

Well, remember that today, they are all preoccupied.

So, I head to the maintenance area.

I'm going to look at that log.

Here we go.

As I drive in, I notice that the picnic table graveyard is getting bigger:

Here is the front of the maintenance building:

And here is the log!!!:

You know what?- it looks like this thing is a big fake. It looks like the surface is peeling, and that there is metal underneath. I am going to need to take a closer look.

Well, I am already in this far, and who knows if I will be back this way again, so I keep on driving.

Here is the back of the maintenance building:

And, then I turn around and head back out.

Look at what I saw- on the other side of the log!:

Wow!

I was stunned!

I felt like I was Charlton Heston at the end of The Planet of the Apes standing there and looking at the Statue of Liberty.

I can't believe it.

What is that doing here?

Who knew?

And, all this time I thought that this was made out of a slice of a redwood tree or something (hey, that kind of stuff happened in the 70's, right), but it does look like this is made out of metal and veneer. Notice the rocks along the bottom. I think this is the original Fort Wilderness sign. How cool is that?

What would that go for on E-bay?

TCD

Next up, more stuff I saw in the maintenance area (but it doesn't top the old Fort Wilderness sign).

 

[RvUsa]

opcorn: opcorn:

So where do we send the check for the gas money?? LOL

 

[BradyBz12]

I felt like I was Charlton Heston at the end of The Planet of the Apes standing there and looking at the Statue of Liberty.

What would that go for on E-bay?

I'd say that would be a whopper of a bidding war!

 

[bouncycat]

We check in on the 18th, hopefully all the triathalon people are gone!! Hoping for a nice quiet couple of days in the cabin. Loving the pics, keep 'em comin'!!

 

[Live4FW]

I also noticed this artwork on the wall:

If I am not mistaken, this is identical to an item that was recently up for sale on e-bay. Disboard member ynottony started a thread about it.
TCD

Well, since I lost the bid on e-bay, now I know where I can get one!

 

[I'mDownWithDisney]

Most excellent snooping. Bravo!

 

[lorac4disney]

Cool snooping! I'd be scared to death or at least shaking so bad that my pictures turned out like crap. Can't wait to be there in three weeks.

 

[Tigger0624]

Awesome as always!

 

[LONE-STAR]

 

[RocklandRVers]

TCD you remind me a lot of myself except you are way bolder

My DS is amazed at some of the wild things I do like going to "forbidden" places. For example driving our golf cart on the nature trails north of Bay Lake or on the road to Wilderness Lodge (until getting turned back). I also tried but failed miserably to get onto Discovery Island when I rented a boat from the marina. Those CM's on Bay Lake are way too fast. I said I just was catching some sun and drifted toward shore. I was reminded of the forbidden zone and warned not to get too close again. OOPS Sorry! DS says a man with a master's degree should not act so dumb as I act to get away with stuff. Anyway, my compliments on your very sneaky spy photos. I am impressed.

Now back to a question about the VIP thing which you sort of glossed over. Was this the first time you got the VIP cabin? Do they offer it only for cabin guests? What else do you get as a VIP? Just the cabin?

 

[Tri-circle-D]

TCD you remind me a lot of myself except you are way bolder

My DS is amazed at some of the wild things I do like going to "forbidden" places. For example driving our golf cart on the nature trails north of Bay Lake or on the road to Wilderness Lodge (until getting turned back). I also tried but failed miserably to get onto Discovery Island when I rented a boat from the marina. Those CM's on Bay Lake are way too fast. I said I just was catching some sun and drifted toward shore. I was reminded of the forbidden zone and warned not to get too close again. OOPS Sorry! DS says a man with a master's degree should not act so dumb as I act to get away with stuff. Anyway, my compliments on your very sneaky spy photos. I am impressed.

Now back to a question about the VIP thing which you sort of glossed over. Was this the first time you got the VIP cabin? Do they offer it only for cabin guests? What else do you get as a VIP? Just the cabin?

Discovery Island? Thanks for the idea. I'll bet there are some interesting things there. Some day, I also want to get into the old River Country area for a better look.

The VIP cabin is just a regular cabin. It is one of the two on the 100 loop, which is otherwise a camping loop. That's all. Some folks might not even like being assigned here, as there is a lot of activity around. I had reserved a regular cabin. This is the first time I ever stayed in one of the VIP cabins. It just worked out that I was assigned to this one. I think that maybe the assigner recognizes my name, as we visit the Fort a lot, and we have had some pretty nice site assignments on our recent visits.

It is a rare thing for us to stay in a cabin, as we normally camp. So, this won't be happening again for us anytime soon.


TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Well, since I lost the bid on e-bay, now I know where I can get one!

I just checked. The one on e-bay, which had some rips and wrinkles, and was not framed, went for $265. This one is in much better condition. And, it has actually been on display at the Fort. Maybe they had better move it behind the counter?

TCD

 

[FIREKYMMIE]

TCD

I noticed you said there was anothere tri... June 20th we are arriving that day do you have any info on that one?

thanks

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Here are some more photos from the maintenance area:

If you continued back on the path you see in this photo, you would come out on a path that enters the 1700 loop. I have traveled on this path, from the 1700 loop way, but only made it to the clearing that you see in the background:

More shots of the area:

As suspected, we did not run into any security types back here on this day.

This maintenance fellow did show up, though. And, they have radios in their trucks, so it was time for me to go:

It's too bad, too. Because there were some interesting looking posters hanging in the window on the side of the building. Looked like some old stuff.
I'll have to get back here again some day.

On the way out, I noticed this pile of old recycling bin racks:

And, here's another shot of the picnic table graveyard:

They should find a way to sell these old picnic tables. Wouldn't it be cool to have an old FW picnic table at your house?

Next up, since I'm on a roll, I do even more snooping.

Do not try this at home.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

TCD

I noticed you said there was anothere tri... June 20th we are arriving that day do you have any info on that one?

thanks

If I said 6/20, that was a typo. There is one on 9/20. So, no worries for you.

The information that I have about future triathlons at the Fort came from a pamphlet I picked up. It gave this website to consult for more information:

www.disneyenduranceseries.com

I presume that site has complete information about upcoming events.

TCD

 

[FIREKYMMIE]

wow that was close...lol.... not that i would mind i think it would be pretty dool to see if i had no plans that day... but with just arriving it could be a nightmare.... thanks

 

[RocklandRVers]

TCD what is the worst thing they might do to you if they caught you snooping? Couldn't you say you took a wrong turn and got lost and they would point you back in the right direction or are you that well known.

Sometimes being well known can be a good thing. If you look familiar enough they think you are a CM

 

[Goofyseven]

What a great job of bringing us up to date on the goings on. A hearty handshake, a happy hello, and a soft pat on the back

 

[Tri-circle-D]

From the maintenance area, I headed back down to the Settlement.

I had seen something earlier in the 700 loop that I wanted to go back and check on.

For some reason, the last four sites on the 700 loop were empty and blocked-off:

What is this all about?

I found out on Sunday.

If you look at the sign laying on the ground in the last photo, above, you can make-out that it says something about golf cart parking.

On Sunday morning, way before sunrise, all of the entrances to the Settlement area were blocked off. People on golf carts had to park them here on the 700 loop, and proceed on foot. No exceptions. The 100 loop was blocked off, too, so you couldn't go that way. It was blocked off until about noon.

But on Saturday, everything was still open, so we headed on back down to the Settlement area, toward the River Country entrance. The officials for the race were driving all over the place back here in golf carts, so no one even gave me a second glance as I rode my cart up the mulch path behind Pioneer Hall, all the way up to the horse barn, and the blacksmith shop. A long time ago, it was OK to ride golf carts back here, but no more. The blacksmith shop was empty, but I did get a good photo of the fireplace:

I saw an old photo of this same area someplace, and I'll compare the two when I get the chance.

I am sure that if I had wanted to, I could have gone ahead and driven my cart all the way to Wilderness Lodge. But, I didn't want to. What is there to see on the bike path?

I had something more interesting (well, to me anyway) in mind.

I was going to try to drive my cart down the Wilderness Swamp trail to the 300 loop.

I was going wild!

So, away I went. Past the Settlement Trading Post, and back on the trail.

I have never done this before.

Honest.

But, I have seen other people do it.

And, I am now feeling invincible. I am not going to get caught!

So, I drive all the way to the canal behind the 300 loop.

The canals in the Fort are low, but here they were pumping water into Bay Lake:

You see that bridge?

What the heck, why don't I go for broke and drive over it, and take a good look at the cabin on the other side of the canal?

So I do.

I snapped this photo looking back toward the Contemporary resort:

You can also see that there was a fellow doing some fishing back here at the time.

Just as I was about to hop off the cart to look at the cabin, I saw a flash of white.

A white pick-up truck was driving in from the 300 loop!

And there I was, in an unauthorized area, and the only way out was over the bridge that the guy was now driving toward me over.

Busted!

I have heard tales of a castmember that was labeled "Mean Gene." I never made his acquaintance. This fellow was named Brian. He asked me, in a nicer tone than I would have used, what the heck I was doing back here with my golf cart. I apologized profusely. He said he had better not see me back here again, and get out. He was pretty nice about the whole thing. But, we still felt that he needed a nick-name. We don't approve of profanity in the TCD household, but the only name that we could think of was itchy Brian, (you will need to add a B to the first word). I have seen BB around the Fort before. He usually patrols in the evening, telling people to move their extra cars, and put out their campfires and such. He is not a bad guy. But, we are calling him BB from now on.

I am still wondering how BB just happened to show up when I was over the bridge by the old cabin. Either it was just a coincidence that he showed up there then, or they have surveillance cameras along the trail, and he was sent there. I am not going to pull this stunt again, so somebody else will have to find out about that.

Anyhow, after our encounter with BB, we drove back over the bridge, and into the 300 loop. My spying on this trip was over

I didn't know you could tow a camper with a smart car, but check this out:

From here, we headed back to the cabin to chill for a while.

Thankfully, the DD's were smart enough not to mention our run-in with BB to Mrs. TCD. We kept that as our little secret.


Next up, a look at more triathlon stuff, and wasting away in paradise.

TCD