My Week at Fort Wilderness - Disney - Monday 1/17/2022

 

Welcome to Fort Wilderness campground at Disney. This is my second experience at this "people park run by a mouse." To know the real value of why I enjoy writing these journal entries in the form on a blog, visit and read my impressions six years ago, My Trip to Ft. Wilderness:  Part 1 and Part 2 during the winter of 2016. So long ago but so many great memories refreshed.

As everyone knows, Disney is a huge production, 25,000 acres huge of which 700 is Fort Wilderness. I arrived Sunday and got settled in the "Preferred Campsites" in the 200 Loop. I'm in site 204, Tony/Doreen in site 211 and Roberta, next door in site 205. We all will leave after our week here and return to Elite in Clermont. Mid afternoon we were honored for a few hours with a visit from Noreen/Jack over from Elite, about twenty miles away. Cousin Norma made the trip with daughter Cheri and husband from the Boca Raton and Boynton Beach, respectively for the week and are camped in the 700 loop at site 727 with their 37' 5th wheel.

799 campsites.  Mine, a long way from the entrance at the bottom of the map.

Tight quarters with not much "backyard" but clean, level and
adequate for my needs as I plan to spend most of my time at
the more spacious site 211 with others or visiting the Park with my free
two-day pass that came with my reservation. The ladies made the week's itinerary.

As there was so much to share, I decided to post highlights one day at a time. (You're welcome). For most descriptions, I've referenced other sites. I've taken the many photos, made their own pages with captions and linked them in RED or BLUE for the interested.

At the very beginning, I'd like to thank Tony/Doreen and Roberta for making the experience extra special. Being annual pass holders, frequent visitors since Disney's opening and in Doreen/Tony's case, DVC (Disney Vacation Club members), their knowledge of the ins and outs of planning, timing and accessing attractions was most impressive. If I wasn't a "guest" under Tony/Doreen's name, I was on Roberta's. With my Fort Wilderness reservation, I had two Day Passes to enter the park free. Most attractions gave notice of a minimum of a 60 to 90 minute wait. But with the iPhone app and the "Lightning Pass", we waited no more than three minutes to enter any of the attractions that follow.  This post is for Monday, January 17, 2022.

MONDAY AT Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow

Loading Roberta's disassembled scooter...
a must for a day at Disney.

It was a long day. After all, how many times to you get the opportunity...and the cost? It is staggering BUT when you learn that they spend $59 million/year of fireworks to make people ooh and ahh 365 days a year for 15 minutes in two theme parks or that it costs $5.5 million/day to keep it running, one can appreciate the bang you get for the buck. 

The "just in case" wheelchair for whoever needed it.

Yes, they came in handy AND were put to frequent use taking turns.

When I get old, I may look into getting one

For a look at all the photos with captions I took while at EPCOT, CLICK ON THIS LINK.

The attractions visited:

1. Soarin’ Around the World

When you enter the theater you are loaded onto rows of seats that swing up into position when the ride starts. Your legs are dangling high above the floor while looking out into a fully enveloping 80-foot IMAX digital projection screen as you take the tour. Locations in Soarin’ Around the World include The Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Pyramids of Egypt, the Eiffel Tower, and an elephant-filled African savanna. Everything about this attraction is unbelievable. From the incredible visuals, moving musical score, and authentic smells in each location, it was a top-notch experience.

2. Spaceship Earth

One of the park’s best rides is located inside EPCOT’s iconic geodesic sphere, Spaceship Earth. This classic dark ride takes guests on a 15-minute journey through the evolution of communication throughout the history of humankind. Spaceship Earth is a slow-moving ride with elaborate show scenes populated with dozens of audio-animatronic figures. Some scenes include ancient Egypt and Rome, the moon landing, the Renaissance, and the Industrial Revolution.

3. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

In this 4D ride experience, we shrink in size and join Chef Remy on a daring culinary caper that will captivate all your senses as you zip, dash and scurry through the bustling kitchen, dining room and walls of Gusteau’s famous Paris restaurant. The projection and cinematography is outstanding. 

4. Frozen Ever After

You board a wooden Viking ship and sail through the fantastical world of "Frozen." Guess you have to see the movie to appreciate the story depicted through great animatronics and set designs.

5.  Living with the Land

The ride takes you on a journey to see experimental new horticulture techniques like hydroponics and aquaponics aimed at improving the relationship between humans and the land. The first part of the ride takes is more like a traditional dark ride, while the rest is a tour through EPCOT’s greenhouse where these techniques are being tested.

6. The American Adventure

Taking Disney's Imagineers five years to complete, this is a journey through history that unfolds America's history guided by Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin. It has 35 audio-animatronic figure, digital rear-projection images on a 72-foot screen accompanied by patriotic songs.

And, as you would expect, the highlight of the day: Dining at Chef's de France. The link brings you the menu:

Soupe à l'oignon gratinée
French onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese

Boeuf Bourguignon, linguine
Braised beef in Cabernet, baby onions, carrots, pasta
accompanied by a 2019 Fleur des Templiers Malbec.
(Got three meals from that portion)

No dessert for me, thank you. But Tony enjoyed
the Tarte au chocolat Valrhone:
Chocolate tart, white chocolate mousse, cocoa coulis insert

The ladies enjoyed the vanilla cremé brulée

And so, over 10,000 steps and nine hours later, it was back to the campground. Tuesday's post will be short and sweet with the next trip to the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday. Before finishing, here's some Disney trivia you may not know:

1. Walt Disney named Mickey Mouse after Mickey Rooney whose mother he dated for some time. Walt Disney originally supplied the voice for Mickey Mouse.
2. Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy. He was the first nonhuman to win an Oscar. His birthday is November 18.
3. Mickey Mouse's ears are always turned to the front, no matter which direction his head is pointing.
4. Goofy has a wife, Mrs. Goofy, and one son Goofy Jr.
5. Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
6. Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy. His sister is named Dumbella.
7. In Fantasia, the sorcerer's name is Yensid--Disney spelled backward.
8. Walt Disney's autograph bears no resemblance to the famous Disney logo.

See you soon.

My First Week at Elite

A very spacious and well kept site 97. My home for the next week.

  

I entered into the 13-page rental agreement in April of last year and was able to split my time. A week here followed by a week at Fort Wilderness in Disney and finishing back here at Elite for the second week before heading south to the Everglades. It took very little time to become acclimated to life in Florida. 
A large complex, Elite Resorts at Citrus Valley is a Condominium Ownership Community located in southern Lake County, Florida. There are 305 privately owned lots within the resort, restricted to park model units and RVs.  Within the gated community are numerous amenities, including a clubhouse, large pool, laundry, two bathhouses and a recreation building. I've stayed here several times in the past allowing me to visit with fellow retirees, Ray/Kathy and George/Vicki. This year in addition to these two local residents who are also Hudson Islanders members, Walter/Fran, are also residents here. Other fellow Hudson Islanders who will also be here include Jack/Noreen, Roberta, and Tony/Doreen. Their extended stays will see them through these winter months.  

Walter & Fran

l. to r. Jack, Fran, Ray, Kathy, Walter
At wine o'clock, they stopped by
for a Welcome to Florida drink

Nettie, the resident/agent that made the arrangements for my stay came by with husband, Chuck and their pets, Clara and Finn.

l. to r. Clara & Finn
Yes. They received their complimentary Milk Bone

 

Along the rear perimeter of the property lies a dried
up stream bed. View is looking south.

Looking north, the bed is more of a marshy wetland
suitable for my late afternoon visitors...

...a pair of Sand Hill Cranes.

These birds spent a good hour foraging in
the marsh like shallows of the stream bed. 

If you'd like to learn more about the Sandhill Crane, including their distinctive call, click on the link I've provided in red. Hit the back button to return to the blog.

The other friends I'll soon be together with include Tony/Doreen, Roberta who are currently in Ft. Wilderness over at Disney, eleven miles away. My cousin, Cheri and husband, David will be joined by Cheri's mother, Norma. They're from Boynton Beach and Boca Raton, respectively. My next blog will be about my week there. Meanwhile, I've had a busy, very pleasant first week. My frig is stocked and my meals have been delicious. Preparing for the trip, I had to keep reminding myself that there will be supermarkets to resupply my grocery needs. Yet I packed my freezer to the max.

 

Doing my best to maintain my weight loss diet, each container
holds premeasured portions for one meal. Some frozen delights
(like the two A&S's eggplant parmigiana will serve for two meals each)

I even brought along two of neighbor, Jack's frozen tubs of soup. As there was no room to store, they were meals enjoyed early in the trip as they thawed in the frig. The first was beef vegetable from which I enjoyed two meals and the second was labeled a "Multi-Bean/Multi-Veg Bisque." Here's his list of the pureed ingredients:

Yellow split peas            Shallots            Celery                    Cannelloni Beans         Carrots

Green split peas            Onion                Turnips                  Parsnips                       Kidney beans

Great Northern             Roman              Pinto                      Pink                              Navy

Barley                             Bay Leaf           Peppercorn           Smoked Turkey Wings   Cumin

Thyme                            Sage                    Fresh Ginger       Garlic                           Oregano

Basil                               Paprika               Turmeric              Chicken Stock             Water

Personally, I think he left out the kitchen sink.      

Once again, morning coffee with Ray started each he was able to make over to Elite. He live a short distance away, so either by bike or by car, he'd take the time to join me to discuss the important things of life and we'd solve most of the problems that exist in the world today...our way, of course. He's been instrumental in being the recipient of all my mail orders that I was unable to receive at home. These included:

2 cases (8 gallons) of DEF (diesel emission fluid) 

My new bank card which he was good enough not to activate and use

My new Dell XPS 17 Laptop

A battery for an Inspiron 15 5000 series laptop I'm rejuvenating.

An adaptor for my air compressor to simplify the winterization process for the RV; and

A trickle charger for the chassis battery of the RV

Each of these items, including working on three laptops, has given me nighttime activities to keep me busy after enjoying my friends and "near perfect" Florida weather. Near perfect = daytime temps in mid 70's, night time temps in the 40-50's range. Heat has been triggered each evening assuring a very comfy sleep.

Thursday morning, I enjoyed breakfast at Jack's site 834 steps away. (Yup, I walked.) 

Slow sizzled bacon strips...

...turned frequently produced perfect strips
(for me: they shatter when dropped)

Pancakes also done to perfection.
Thank you, Jack. Your Guinness awaits.

That night Jack and wife, Noreen drove me to Miller's Ale House in Winter Garden. Miller's is a very popular restaurant with 96 locations across the country. There we met Tony/Doreen and Roberta to make our cozy group of six. Of course, my go-to meal was a filet mignon and baked potato. What could go wrong? To quote Jack, "That was the worst restaurant experience I've ever had in all my life." Whew, what does that say? Well, we were seated and ordered by 6:45 pm. Our dinners were served at 8:05 pm and all were cold...except my fillet. It still wasn't ready. The manager was accommodating and provided some plausible explanations but long story short, we were each comped to varying degrees. Me? 100%. We boxed what we didn't finish and bid Miller's adieu.

My bill tells the story.

A very chilly Friday night was spent at Walt & Fran's site for a fire...in a low smoke firepit. See details at Amazon.

Available in a range of diameters, Ray has a smaller version
I'll be borrowing for the week at Ft. Wilderness. I'll be getting one if
it's small enough to be stowed away easily in my small RV.

With free time, I finalized plans for next week at Disney by updating my account and itinerary where I'll join Tony/Doreen and Roberta. Cousins Cheri/David/Norma will arrive Monday. More next week. Till then stay well. I'll see you at Fort Wilderness. And to my Northern readers be careful. Here's what's coming which I think you already know. By the time you read this, let me know in the comments below how you're doing. 

On The Road Again

 

Welcome back for what will probably be the best trip of the year. As it happens, it's also the first trip of the year so it's got to be something to "write home about" and that's what I intend to do. It's Monday, January 3, 2022 and Winnie is sitting in the lower parking lot of my apartment complex. I'm not leaving until the 6th so I'm using the time for transporting 'stuff' from my apartment to the RV. Not one to complain, but the weather last week was in the mid 50's, a good time for packing. The temperature today is 28° and the wind chill is at 10°. As I sit here composing,  I'm about to witness another incredible sunset looking west out from my balcony. 

And after 4 days of foggy weather, I'm also enjoying
the beautiful sight of The Mighty Hudson."

And, in the blink of an eye, Mother Nature
 gently pulls the shade down on another day we've been blest of enjoy.

Well, back to the blog. I created the following graphic that may better illustrate what I'm about to undertake. My last blog shared what was written in stone; that is, scheduled with deposits or tickets to attractions paid for. 

Each triangle represents a campground I'll be staying at
for an overnight or for three depending on the sights and 
attractions I plan to see. In addition, I'll be adding 6 more stickers
representing States in which I've slept. 

I expect the trip down will be uneventful and so I won't take the time to describe campgrounds, many of which I've already stayed at. The weather, as always, will present challenges as will the price of diesel as time goes on. I've topped off this afternoon with the price at $3.35 in Croton.

Leaving Peekskill in the morning hours afforded me a pleasant
ride to Harpers Ferry, WV, 357 miles southwest and beat...

...what was to come: 6" of overnight snow with conditions
about the same as back home. My first internal debate; should I remain at
this campground another night worrying about road conditions? Or take off
as planned the next day for another six hour drive to Lumberton, NC ? It was decided
when I watched a similar RV in the next site take off at 8:30 a.m. 

Picnic table at Harpers Ferry, WV

I made the right decision. After leaving the campground, the main road leading to I-270 to I-495 and to I-95 was clean, dry and the traffic light. With that pleasant glow that comes after making a good decision, I treated myself to a Cracker Barrell brunch in Fredrick, MD. I needed two tanksful to complete my drive to Lumberton, NC, arriving at 5:30.

Saturday, after doing some Google map research, I found that my long time friends and fellow retirees, Roger and Wendy, live right smack midway between Lumberton, NC and Starke, FL. When I say "midway," it turns out the first leg of the trip was 3 hours, 2 minutes and 208 miles to Bluffton, SC. After our lunch, the second leg to Starke, FL, was 3 hours, 8 minutes and 202 miles.  You can't get much more 'midway' than that. This meeting resulted from another good decision I made after my second internal debate: should I take the time? Are they available? It's a six hour drive. Unplanned and unscheduled, I texted to see if they were available; literally, a spur of the moment get-together. I'm so glad I did. I met them at the Oaktie Ale House. It was great to see them and catch up on the latest news of family and grandkids. For me, it was another one of those reality checks. To see photos of little tots I knew from the past now growing by leaps and bounds puts things into perspective. Most gratifying, of course, is they're all healthy, intelligent and happy. For my second good decision, I treated myself to the Ale House's Walnut Salad: Grilled chicken breast atop a bed of romaine and served with apples, walnuts, grapes, cucumbers, red onions and a raspberry walnut vinaigrette. 

Blue Mountain Middle School English teacher, Wendy and
Hendrick Hudson High School Physics teacher, Roger.
 Longtime residents of Sun City, Bluffton, SC.

And so off I went on the final leg of my journey into Florida. Again, the ride was uneventful but there were two...not one...but two back-to-back incidents that aggravated the daylights out of me. I needed to stop and refuel two times, once in Manassas, VA, the second in Florence, SC. No problem, it was expected. But to spend 10--15 minutes standing at the pump each time watching 2 gallons per minute s-l-o-w-l-y fill your 26 gallon tank was...excruciating; especially when you knew the time left for driving that day.

The 3-day trip to my final destination at Elite Resorts at Citrus Valley in Clermont, FL ended at 5:30 Sunday, January 9th. Averaging 400 miles a day, my trip was 1,316 miles. The price of diesel averaged $3.54. What a good feeling it was to have changed somewhere in Georgia from jeans to shorts. It's chilly but the sun feels good. Night time temps are in the mid-50's. I'll now collect the good times of my first week at Elite and share them with you next week. See you back here soon. Till next time, stay warm, stay safe and stay happy.