Trip report: Wally World, scratch that, Disney World here we come!

[Sjm9911]

Ok, starting this up as we leave tomorrow for the fort. It will be a longer stay , and I will update when i can. There will be 2 of us , then 3 and sometimes 4. And a stowaway rock. So follow along here with me, and there is also a site for the rock. If I lag behind, blame the phone as G+ will eat up my batteries. Its an 16 day trip, from NJ to the Fort and back. We are doing KOAs on the way, 2 overnights each way. There will be rides, shows , decorations, drama, and pictures for the foodies. Ok i made the last thing up. Were cooking at the camper, but there will be pictures! So get excited. Here we go! And thats our rock. Its got its own blog. https://rockingtothemagic.com/

 

[garneska]

Enjoy And safe, uneventful travels.

 

[bama_ed]

I'm in. Safe travels, @Sjm9911.

Bama Ed

 

[tigger92662]

Make sure to buckle the rock in.

 

[Sjm9911]

Ok first like 480 miles is done, we are at enfield rocky mount koa. There are like 10 other campers here. Set up, and its quiet. But that just may be bacuse its empty. Nothing is open, but the laundry. But its still an ok place to overnight. I filled up the tanks with water and will use the shower and stuff in the camper. The bathrooms look clean, just kinda old. There is a nice veiw of a feild.

 

[PaHunter]

Ok first like 480 miles is done, we are at enfield rocky mount koa. There are like 10 other campers here. Set up, and its quiet. But that just may be bacuse its empty. Nothing is open, but the laundry. But its still an ok place to overnight. I filled up the tanks with water and will use the shower and stuff in the camper. The bathrooms look clean, just kinda old. There is a nice veiw of a feild. View attachment 618231View attachment 618232View attachment 618233

We have stayed there before on our way back from Disney. Nothing super but ok.

 

[JETS70]

Safe travels

 

[Sjm9911]

Ok made it to Jacksonville north/ st marrys koa. Very nice and freindly as usally. We hit up the mini golf. And im beat so we let them cook, we had ribs and 2 sides, it was surprisingly good. No pictures as we were starving. So , only a few more miles to go in the am. We will leave around 9 am ish. For a fort arrival at like 1230 ish. The rock played some golf with us. And they had a bench someone here may like.......

 

[Sjm9911]

Oh , and tognight was an open campfire, since i can't do that at disney. We took inspiration from the teepees that are across from us.

 

[Sjm9911]

Ok , i have to say this, because this never happens. The wood i bought, for like 6.58 cents ( tax i assume, i never asked price) is dry, and all good hardwood. Added one piece in an hour or more and still is going strong. It caught up nicely and burns clean. No smoked smores for us. I just never had this happen before. Usally its all pine that burns up in an hour, wet as hell so it dosent light with any amount of lighter fluid, or smokes up the whole area so bad you have to go insinde the camper. So , another good thing about Jacksonville north/ st marrys koa.

 

[bama_ed]

Great job so far, Spencer!



Bama Ed

 

[Sjm9911]

Ok so , sitting in overflow right now. I could have a site in the 300 loop, but chose to have the 100 loop, i will get one of the bigger sites there as soon as ots cleaned off. So, we will see. I told then i cant back in and needed extra room so i dont hit anything. Fingers crossed! Having lunch in the camper. Thanks to bama ed , on how to get a site.

 

[Sjm9911]

Just saw this on the loop map, and maybe i missed it. I never saw this before. There is a primitive camping area at the fort. 1 common area and 6 areas that are dictated by color code. Will this be the new tent sites? And will the other tent loops go to smaller self cotained campers? Or was this always here and i just missed it?

 

[Sjm9911]

 

[2goofycampers]

That is the group camping. Scouts and such.

 

[Sjm9911]

Got it, i dont remember it being on the map, but we allready went by it. It was definitely there before.

 

[bama_ed]

Got it, i dont remember it being on the map, but we allready went by it. It was definitely there before.

I camped at the Fort group camping area in 1981 with the Scouts. It is called Creekside Meadow as the map says - nice memories. It was the first time I had ever seen Spanish Moss. The Fort, after its initial build-out for Opening Day (loops 100-600), expanded in 1976/77 to build the Meadow Trading Post complex and loops 700-2100 (so it was a big expansion) plus the check-in building complex and that included Creekside Meadow maybe a year or two later. The group camping area also has a footbridge over a drainage ditch to the right of the diagram above (just beyond the green area) that comes out into the back of 900 loop so it's a short cut to the Meadow Complex.

But CM is not the first group camping area at Fort Wilderness. THAT during the early years was along the bus line/road that now runs between Wilderness Lodge and the Settlement Depot on the Bay Lake side.

So what site did you end up with?

Bama Ed

 

[Sjm9911]

Ok, so we got site 125. I like it. Big enough for my little camper, so lots of room to set up the kitchen stuff. And off the side we have a palm tree. Out front, not a lot of room but enough for some decorations. We are set up.

 

[Sjm9911]

While we waited for thw site we hit the new stable. Was fun to see the horses, but they apparently didn't like me so much, as they made lots of unfriendly gunts.

 

[Sjm9911]

Dinner was the disneys best bargen of the whole park, the familly take out fried chicken and 2 sides with corn bread. Yea, the chicken was really good. Smoked then fried? Or fried then smoked? Tbh, the mashed potatoes were the best i have ever had. They went into some way back french clasic stuff to get an almost 50/ 50 potatoe to butter ratio. So, i ate that all myself. All for under 25$ no we didnt get drinks.