TCD is just back from the Fort with Big news to report!

[des1954]

hey tcd never read this report till today after seeing your post about new years eve. the camper you state as a homemade is actually a factory built blue bird owned by a fellow diser. mk199 owns that camper. it is in his signature. it is actually a pretty cool story. our grandfather bought it way back then it is it think a 1968/69 bluebird. they only made 11 or 14 of them. he drives it to the fort quite a bit. it actually has a plaque on the door now stating it is # whatever of only 14 made it think. and inside he also has the original pamphlet with the specs of the camper by bluebird. it has a log book of all the trips it has been on with the family from here to california and back and alot of other places. our parents actually honeymooned in it when the fort opened in 1972. yes our parents honeymooned in fort wilderness. however it has alot of the original stuff in it. it is like taking a step back in time. we were there with about 4 campers the same week from dec 26th 2008 through i think jan 4th or 5th. if you ever see it in there stop buy and knock. he loves to show it off. he has done a good job restoring it and keeping it up. we will most likely be there halloween. he does a big haunted campsite with haunted house and all. last year we were on the 500 loop with about 8 campers. stop buy i am sure he will offer you a beer. and if he doesnt i am usually on the next campsite. i will definitely buy you a beer. i am in the sprinter 311bhs. we usually have our green mickeys flying somewhere. however the shot taken was before we joined the boards so no mickey ears yet

I've seen that Bluebird a time or two. Next time I see it, I'll be sure to knock. Just for the record....way back in 1972? My DH & I honeymooned at FtW way back in 1974!! I know you yungin's think that was the dark ages, but damn!! We had some good music!!

 

[rm0530]

Pg 5, you said your family ate at Whispering Canyon one night for dinner. What were your thoughts on the place? I've made an ADR for one night during our September trip. The all-you-can-eat skillets looked interesting. What kind of antics happen?

I remember reading there was a path from FW to WL. Could we bike over there and have a place to park them or rely on the boat?

 

[des1954]

Pg 5, you said your family ate at Whispering Canyon one night for dinner. What were your thoughts on the place? I've made an ADR for one night during our September trip. The all-you-can-eat skillets looked interesting. What kind of antics happen?

I remember reading there was a path from FW to WL. Could we bike over there and have a place to park them or rely on the boat?

W.C. is fun and if you can, you should do it at least once. I won't give away the antics because it would spoil your fun. Be sure to ask for ketchup, though!

Yes, you can pick up the bike/walking path across the street from the horse stables. It takes you right up to the walkway at the side entrance to WL. Be sure to work some time into your schedule to explore the grounds at WL. They're beautiful!

 

[thegooftroopfla]

I've seen that Bluebird a time or two. Next time I see it, I'll be sure to knock. Just for the record....way back in 1972? My DH & I honeymooned at FtW way back in 1974!! I know you yungin's think that was the dark ages, but damn!! We had some good music!!

i wasnt trying to be offensive. sorry. and i agree it was great music. yeah i sent him an email to tell him to jump on here and explain the bluebird better. last year i think he made it up thre about 6 times. i went up about 8. we try and schedeule them at the same time. i think he is gonna be there for july 4th. we both booked it but i do not think i will make it. so hopefully he upholds my offer of a beer for tcd. that is if tcd is there. we will probably both be up there sometime sept/oct for the food and wine fest and then agina for halloween most likely. we booked two places for halloween to see where the rest of the group could afford. the fort being our number one pick

 

[mk199]

i wasnt trying to be offensive. sorry. and i agree it was great music. yeah i sent him an email to tell him to jump on here and explain the bluebird better. last year i think he made it up thre about 6 times. i went up about 8. we try and schedeule them at the same time. i think he is gonna be there for july 4th. we both booked it but i do not think i will make it. so hopefully he upholds my offer of a beer for tcd. that is if tcd is there. we will probably both be up there sometime sept/oct for the food and wine fest and then agina for halloween most likely. we booked two places for halloween to see where the rest of the group could afford. the fort being our number one pick

John, Here is the ad for the Blue Bird.

It was one of 12 made, per Blue Bird, and has been in the family since 1972. Grandpa bought it for $16,000.00. They were built as an economical version of the popular Wanderlodge, in hopes to compete with Winnebago. The Drive train consist of a Ford 330 motor and 5 speed manual overdrive transmission. The generator is the original Onan 5 Kw. It is built on a Ford frame, but they also made them on Dodge and Chevy frames.

If anybody sees the camper at the Fort, feel free to stop in. I would love to show her off and chat.

 

[thegooftroopfla]

see i knew i was off on some of the facts. thanks for clearing it up

 

[des1954]

Now, I KNOW I've seen that bus! Very cool, indeed. May I ask if this is going to be passed to a third generation? It might be the only RV in U.S. history to be passed down that long! That's gotta be worth something to the Guiness Book of Records. Or at least worth a 6 pack of Guiness!

No offense taken to the 1972 reference. Heck, I always heckled my folks about their 1945 wedding date, and DAMN,,,,the WWII generation had some awesome music, too. Weird, nonsensical lyrics, without the benefit of psychedelic drugs! Gotta love it! If you can't take a little ribbing once you've hit that "old fort" stage of life, you're not gonna make it past 60 - and I plan on living well past 60!

The 4th last year was a stinking zoo at the Fort. We've gone over just for the day for several years, now. But after last year, I think we're going to pass it up.

Goof - you MUST get up here before August 14th for the Electric Light Parade & Nightastic fireworks. Well.....you just should....it's GREAT!

 

[mk199]

John, Here is the ad for the Blue Bird.

It was one of 12 made, per Blue Bird, and has been in the family since 1972. Grandpa bought it for $16,000.00. They were built as an economical version of the popular Wanderlodge, in hopes to compete with Winnebago. The Drive train consist of a Ford 330 motor and 5 speed manual overdrive transmission. The generator is the original Onan 5 Kw. It is built on a Ford frame, but they also made them on Dodge and Chevy frames.

If anybody sees the camper at the Fort, feel free to stop in. I would love to show her off and chat.

Here are some more pictures.

The start of the project.

 

[thegooftroopfla]

yeah it is on its third generation now. our grandfather bought it then after a couple years past it to our parents because they used it more than him anyways. and then it was passed down to our generation. however due to finances during the rebuild my brother is the sole owner. and i am sure it will be passed to the fourth generation the way he takes care of it.
whats going on august that i have to be there before then i they taking the light parade away. me and my wife went so much last year we were trying to take off till at least september this year to save some dough. we like to do it up when we go there. and the kids love it. although we do have july 4th booked and have not cancelled it yet. i think mk199 is going to be there though. so go check it out. mike you should post some of the halloween pictures on here.
i keep telling him to call blue bird and give them the story of the bus. i am sure they would love it.

 

[thegooftroopfla]

oh yeah does anyone know how long it takes to be able to post pictures. i am still not allowed to post attachments

 

[des1954]

whats going on august that i have to be there before then

Starting June 6th and continuing through August 14th, Spectromagic has been replaced by the original Electric Light Parade. Also, Wishes fireworks has been replaced by Nightastic (the "new" fireworks show is the former Princess & Pirate Party fireworks) The fireworks are the peripheral variety - which are usually reserved for special holidays only. Now, they will be "performing" nightly until August 14th. On August 15th they are back to Spectromagic and Wishes.

Because we're only 30 minutes from WDW, we drove over Sunday night to see the debut. We're probably going to head over again tomorrow night (Thursday) to view the fireworks from either the PR, CR, or FtW. Peripheral fireworks are best viewed from a distance IMO. The only thing is...a lot of the fireworks during the show are low to the ground (more than Wishes), so I don't know how much we will actually get to see from outside the park. That being said, the panoramic part is definitely better outside the park.

 

[thegooftroopfla]

that sounds awesome i will have to try and just get to the fort sometime. gotta love the light parade and fireworks form clementines

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Jeez Oh Pete- this thread is a year and a half old, and it has been resurrected.

But, thanks, thegooftroopfla and mk199- it is good to know that the Blue Bird Inn belongs to one of us. That is a really cool looking RV. I thought it was a converted school bus- I had no idea it was factory made. $16,000 was a lot of money back in 1972. That was a nice item in its day, and it is still nice today. When and if I see it again at the Fort, I will definitely stop by and say hello.

rm0530- Des1954 did a great job answering your questions about Whispering Canyon Cafe (as I would expect). My honest assessment of the place is that it is way overpriced, but that is how I feel about all WDW restaurants of late. It is a fun place to eat, and there are antics. Oh boy are there antics! Sometimes we will just sit in the WL lobby and watch the antics (the restaurant is open to the lobby). I agree with Deb, it could spoil your experience if you hear about them all before you go- so if you go, just go with the intent of having some silly fun, and you surely will.

thegooftroopfla- I think you only need 10 posts in order to post photos, so you should be able to post photos. These are not attachments to your posts, they are links that you add to your post. It looks like your bro has it figured out-ask him to explain it to you.

Also thegooftroopfla and mk199- if you guys have any old FW photos or other relics, there is a great thread going on right now with all kinds of old FW photos and memories- it starts with the word "ignore." Don't ignore it, you both might enjoy it, and if your folks are still around and have access to a computer, they surely would enjoy looking at that thread.


thegooftroopfla- thanks for reviving this thread. I enjoyed reading it again. There have been a lot of changes at the Fort since then.

TCD

 

[Disneylitch]

Gotta question about the Bluebird. Is that a rv refrigerator or a standard model? Just want to be prepared for when we need a replacement. Thanks

 

[mk199]

Gotta question about the Bluebird. Is that a rv refrigerator or a standard model? Just want to be prepared for when we need a replacement. Thanks

It is a 8 cubic ft rerigerator. They are much cheaper than the rv refridgerators.

 

[Disneylitch]

It is a 8 cubic ft rerigerator. They are much cheaper than the rv refridgerators.

Thanks, that's what I was hoping to hear. I assume you just put it into the existing space and plugged it in. We always run our generator going down the road and have never had the refrigerator on any other setting.

 

[mk199]

Now, I KNOW I've seen that bus! Very cool, indeed. May I ask if this is going to be passed to a third generation? It might be the only RV in U.S. history to be passed down that long! That's gotta be worth something to the Guiness Book of Records. Or at least worth a 6 pack of Guiness!

No offense taken to the 1972 reference. Heck, I always heckled my folks about their 1945 wedding date, and DAMN,,,,the WWII generation had some awesome music, too. Weird, nonsensical lyrics, without the benefit of psychedelic drugs! Gotta love it! If you can't take a little ribbing once you've hit that "old fort" stage of life, you're not gonna make it past 60 - and I plan on living well past 60!

The 4th last year was a stinking zoo at the Fort. We've gone over just for the day for several years, now. But after last year, I think we're going to pass it up.

Goof - you MUST get up here before August 14th for the Electric Light Parade & Nightastic fireworks. Well.....you just should....it's GREAT!

The Blue Bird is currently in its third generation, and I do plan on passing it to the forth. Our family has enjoyed it and I cant even think about getting rid of it. As long as she will keep on trucking we will be proud to use it.

I appreciate the intrest and hope to see you all July 4. I am looking forward to the parade and the fire works.

 

[mk199]

Thanks, that's what I was hoping to hear. I assume you just put it into the existing space and plugged it in. We always run our generator going down the road and have never had the refrigerator on any other setting.

That is correct, it eas fairly simple. I just found a fidge that matched the dimensions. We also run the gen when driving and never used the gas functiom on the old one.