Arrival at Fort Wilderness was a smooth event. We pulled into the check in station to find that our arrival was all setup from my online check-in that I completed a few weeks earlier. The staff member checking us in was very polite and explained things to us clearly and handed us packets of information, along with "First Visit" buttons for each of us. We were soon on our way to loop 1200 to find our site, and not a moment to soon, as dark was only a few minutes away.
Our site
There are many videos on YouTube that you can see the campground loops and the Fortfiends site has a lot of good info too for first time campers like us. We entered the 1200 loop which has a very nice layout of sites that are quite lengthy too for the camper and tow vehicle. We were on 1221, which was backed up to the rear of the comfort station. At first we thought it was a good idea,.. but,.. the AC unit kicks on and it made a good noise that we thought would keep up Allison who is sensitive to noise. But, since we already had a very long day we weren't going to go back to the front and see if we could get a different site. After the first night, it was fine and none of the kids had any issue with it.
Our Site! Very nice!
We've added some states to our Map!
The camping pad was a fully paved pad that was plenty long enough for us to have our camper fully open and our truck in front, with another 15 feet or so to spare. Plus, it was about 16 feet wide. All the sites were very clean and the site was washed down prior to our arrival. The power pedestal contained a water hose, a water hookup, 50 / 30 / 20 amp power receptacles, and a cable hookup. The sewer dump drain was a very nice and recessed pit a few feet back from the pedestal, which made a nice layout for our drain location.
The comfort station was large and very clean with nice tile floors and walls. Restrooms in the front and individual showers with attached changing area in the back. They were cleaned regularly throughout the week. Between the hours of 12 midnight and 6am, the doors were locked but would open with your MagicBand. Between the Men and Women entrances the laundry was located. These were more modern commercial washers and dryers than we had in college or at a laundromat. Each load was $3, same with the dryers.
Getting Around
Most people get around by walking to the bus stops located throughout the campground. At the front of the campground is the Outpost Depot, where you can catch transportation buses to the other parks and resorts. From there, there are three buses that run thru the campground to the beach side, at the Settlement Depot. Purple bus line runs the West side, Orange Bus runs the middle, and Yellow Bus runs the East side. Simple once you get used to it. From our site it was about a 10-12 minute steady walk to the front. It is a BIG campground.
The Golf Cart for the Day
If walking or taking the bus isn't your style, you can also rent an electric golf cart. These are great as you can zip around the campground for different events much easier and quicker. But, convenience comes at a cost, of $60 / day. We rented one for the Thursday we would be solely at the campground and it was worth it. Front to back, Pool to camper, back to restaurant, back to camper, seeing the whole campground and holiday decorations of the campers, we ran it quite a bit.
Trails End Restaurant
This restaurant is up at the front and was our first experience pulling in late that first night. We had a sit down dinner reservation which was much needed, even after sitting in the truck all day. The server staff was great and very polite. The main restaurant is an all you can eat buffet of goodness. Oh My,... so much food. There is also a separate entrance for a quick service counter and beverage station.
Great food and Dessert!
Meadows Snack Bar
This is located next to the swimming pool and in about the middle of the campground. The food was pretty good. Sandwiches, snacks, and a variety of ice creams and drinks are available here. What we found out later in the week is that you can get these sandwiches and meals to go which would be nice for packing or using those Dining Plan meal credits at the end of your trip.
Things to do
There is really not much need to go to the Disney Parks at all,... the campground has so much stuff to do if you are interested in Boating, Horseback riding, hiking, boating, fishing, games, swimming, campfires with Chip and Dale, and so much S'More.... get it,... Haha.
Horse and Carriage Ride
Our very large horse!
Charging the backup battery packs,.. the nightly ritual
Some Deer on the campground
Go Go Go!
Getting the propane tank refilled!
Enjoying the playground
Setting off on Day one! Our Adventure Begins
Taking the small ferry boat for a trip to the resorts
The Blue Ferry takes you to the other resorts
The Green Ferry takes you direct to Magic Kingdom
Becky dancing with Chip!
Boo Bear,... resting with Pooh Bear....
At the Contemporary Resort
Sand Sculpture at the Contemporary
Mickey Everywhere!
These guys are glad Allison is gone,...
Rock On Dude!
Relaxing in the Pool
Our Little Mermaid
WEEeeee!!! Going down the Slide
As you can see, lots to do at Fort Wilderness, and we only got to do a small taste of what is there.
See Post 2.1 for the Dinner Show!
After over a year of planning, the day finally arrived for us to take our massive Family Road Trip down to the magical entertainment of Disney World!
Day 1 went really well, with little traffic on Route 95 all the way down to Baltimore, where we then went on 695 to the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I was battling the winds occasionally on the drive, and I was worried about making the bridge crossing. We took our time and did 45 mph along the crossing, and while blown around a bit, it was pretty manageable even though I was white knuckled. With regular rest stops and fuel ups, the kids were doing very well. In fact, it was just the first 45 minutes that they fought over space in the truck cause they were cranky and just woken up by us.
As afternoon approached, we began to play the ruse that we couldn't trust the GPS, as it was trying to keep us going into the cities which I can't do with the trailer (like the tunnels in Baltimore for example). Taking 301 from Baltimore instead of 95 was a great idea by the members on the Keystone Forums, as it made the drive enjoyable and soon we were just above Richmond VA. Now, we played more on the "lost" theme and crossed into North Carolina and made our way to Fayetteville where our hotel awaited. It was bit tricky with the parking lot layout, but we managed to convince the kids we were lost, which made Madison upset a bit, and we backed down the long narrow lot to our room for the night.
Disappointed faces on the kids.... so sad.
Fueled up for the next leg of the trip, Day 2
Day 2 -- NC to FL
Up and ready to go, we got back in the truck and topped off the gas at the station out front. Being just off of 95, we were up to speed and rolling down the highway. Not more than 45 minutes or so, and we crossed into South Carolina and pulled into a rest area to make the big announcement to the kids,... and here is how it went. ( Click here to view bigger on YouTube )
So, with a new found excitement for the trip, we were off, heading thru South Carolina, Georgia, and around Jacksonville. We arrived in Starke Florida,.... which is a town past its prime and is quite starke,..... but, the kids were still excited to be in Florida!!
Parked at the hotel in Starke FL
We had another surprise for the kids tonight. Since we have been saving for this trip for a while, we also got each of them a Disney Gift Card that followed there personality so that they could have some money lessons on our trip. I explained I didn't have 'extra' money to be getting souvenirs and things, and that this was theirs to use how they wanted, but once gone it was gone. They seemed pretty happy about it.
Isabella with her Tinkerbell Card
Madison with Cinderella on her Card
Allison with the Inside Out Characters
Day 3 -- Everything started off normal and we were on our way south out of Starke Florida making good time and the kids were excited that today was the day we would be at Disney,... and,.. it was only 2 hrs away, not another full day on the road,..... well,..... at least we thought.
The Breakdown
Well, it was a chance that this would happen, and on our final day about 1 hr remaining in our Quest to Disney, we were on highway 75 south of Ocala Florida when we had all types of notifications popping up on our dashboard. Battery Not Charging, Engine Overheating, and lights everywhere. We quickly made way for the shoulder and coasted down to a stop. Opening the hood, I saw shreds of belt everywhere. The main belt in the front of our V-8 engine was shredded and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air. I set out the safety cones behind the camper and began to call AAA for help. As the tractor trailers swayed the camper and truck, I off loaded the kids to the tree line for safety. Upon some further inspection, we had the tensioner pulley on the engine seize up and get twisted on its shaft, locking up the works and shredding the belt.
On the side of Highway 75, south of Ocala FL
Making the best of the shade and snacks while we waited
The broken Pulley and piece of the main belt
AAA said they had someone on there way, so I used my Google-Fu to track down some Chevy dealers nearby. One in Ocala, and one down south of us in Wildwood, both seemed very helpfull over the phone. Also, via text with my Dad and Brother, we diagnosed things a little and I was able to give the Chevy dealer a little more information. About an hour and a half later, Interstate Tow arrived with a flatbed. He was able to have three passengers in the second row of his extended cab tow truck, and Madie and I in the front bench. Silverado on the flatbed, and Camper in tow, we made our way down the highway to the Chevy dealer.
We setup a quick camp in the outer parking lot of the dealership and the service tech, Paul, helped get us started. Suprisingly, they were able to get us done rather quickly and we were back in business. A new pulley mount and assembly, along with a new AC belt and Main belt,... and the exchange of a few benjamins, and we were on our way. I took it for a quick test drive up the road first before going back to the parking lot to hitch up the camper. This whole ordeal set us back about 4 hrs, but we could have been a lot worse. Luckily, it wasn't something worse with the truck.
Camping at the Chevy Dealer,.... doing some reading.
We made it down to Target to get our groceries, then to Orlando Stroller Rental / Tanner Scooter Rentals, to pickup our chariots for the week, and then we made it finally under the Walt Disney World arrival arch!! I was never so happy to see a mouse!
Arrival at Fort Wilderness was simple and well organized. Soon we were off to our site, 1221, to get parked and leveled before still trying to make our dinner reservation at 6:40 at the Trails End Restaurant.
Check back,... many more posts coming up in the next few days/week!
Now that we are back from our final camping trip of the 2015 season, we have to quickly winterize the camper as the freezing temps are upon us.
Today I opened the camper up, emptied it out, washed the canvas, and will keep it open for a few days while I do a good interior cleaning and let things air out / dry out before closing back up for the winter. But, first things first, I have to winterize that water system. I prepared a quick video of the steps I use to winterize,... hopefully that is visible below here, but you can also follow this link to view on YouTube.
Some more modifications and add-ons that I found useful or as good tips online.
1. Added duct tape warning markers for the electrical cord. Sometimes you are going to use all the cord, and at least this way I have a warning before it is pulled tight inside. 3', 2', 1' or there abouts.
Added Orange duct tape warning markers
2. Added an exterior door handle. On our popup, we had a large handle like this which made it nice for Madison to get in and out of the camper. Found this one on Amazon for a good price, with all mounting hardware. The offset holes in the bracket just hit the structure of the door frame at the top, but the bottom one needed to go all the way thru to the inside. Longer stainless screws, fender washers, and lock nuts were used to secure it there.
3. For winterizing, I also found this Aluminum air hose bracket that screws directly to the camper city water connection. This makes it really easy to blow out the lines after a camping trip. Also, it is made so it doesn't damage the filter screen on the camper! Works great, and saves time winterizing. Also found on Amazon.
4. Having run out of Propane once, I couldn't see the indicator window with the black propane cover over the tanks and valves. On the camper side, I used a 2" hole saw bit and created a nice opening to view the window as well as to change the tank with the selector. Works great, especially once the front bunk is in the open position.
5. While not necessary for a 16' awning, there have been some reports of longer awnings bowing over time due to long distance travel and bumps in the road. This simple bracket pivots into postion to allow support of the awning in the closed position. A reinforcement plate was added (included in package) to allow you to Pop-rivet to the camper wall if there is not structure there. Luckily, I had both structure for the main bolts and used the pop rivits.
6. Counter space is a premium in our camper. So, the oven rack is a pain 90% of the time. Camco makes a universal oven cover that fastens to the camper counter along a hinge and folds into two positions. Now making regular sandwiches at lunch is not all over the dining table where you want to eat too!
Closed Position
Half hinged, allows front burner to be used.
Fully open, almost acts as a backsplash for the stove.
Lots of new posts upcoming! So please check back. We made our big trip to Disney and back up the East Coast and will have lots of info to share there as well.
Well,... the big event is down to 2 weeks away from today. I can hardly believe that we are this close to our biggest camping trip ever..... where you say....
M I C...
K E Y....
M O U S E....
That's right! The kids think we are going to Yogi Bear Campground for another last trip of the camping season outing. In fact, originally we weren't necessarily lying to them when we said that, as we were planning to go to the Yogi Bear Campground in Emporia VA on the way home from Disney, however, this past year it was getting some pretty good negative reviews and since we are off season anyway there wasn't a lot of themed activities for them. So, that's been cancelled and replaced with a trip to Williamsburg Virgina on the way home. Hopefully they won't mind.
2 WEEKS LEFT -- NO BODY BETTER SAY OR HINT AT ANYTHING !!!
For those of you that know me personally, you'll appreciate my one Google Drive snapshot here of a folder. Brochures, Planning Maps, and of course lists. One for our itinerary of travel to and from, with the contact info and drive times (including snack and rest breaks), a budget sheet to keep track of the insanity, a list of RV service centers every 100 miles from here to there, and our Character Meal reservations and activities.
For the route down, we are hoping to make it one long day to middle of North Carolina,... "Getting Lost" trying to get to Yogi Bear. I figure the kids expect it is 6 hrs in the car,.. what is a few more. We will take a break for the night at a Hotel to figure out where we are and I'll be pacing around making phone calls, trying to keep putting on the ruse that we are Lost. Goal being, that they don't know and may be disappointed, but we are making the best of it. Becky and I both hope we can hold it off till then.
At our first rest area that we come to that day on 95, we will get out to check the maps again and have a snack. That's when we have something special for snack to give it away and let the excitement begin! Still, it's a long day, so back on the road with excitement I better take some Excedrin, with the goal of getting south of Jacksonville Florida by dinner time. Should be an easy drive, as we don't have any major cities to beltway around on this day. Also, while I could go all the way to the Campground, it will already be dark due to the change in daylight savings.
On day 3, we will make a final little run, do some grocery shopping, and pass under the Walt Disney World entrance arch,... finally! Time to setup camp and begin our Magical week.
After staying a few days and having 3 days at the parks and 2 days in the area / campground, we will have to begin our journey home. This time, we will camp along the way. Note the difference in maps, this one is more evenly planned out between stops. Luckily, our first stop didn't get flooded out in South Carolina and we will have some time there to catch our breath and reflect on the week.
Following South Carolina, we will head to Richmond VA and then turn East to Williamsburg VA. This will be a nice break and hopefully get some history involved with the kids with the colonial village and southern charm. Finally, we have to make the last run home, around DC, Baltimore, Wilmington, and Philadelphia.
Oh,... to cap it off.... check out this new footwear Becky has! While I didn't dive into writing about it much on our last trip, Becky took a trip of her own down the back steps when loading the camper for Knoebels. At first it was thought to be a bad sprain, but it is worse. 2 X-rays later and nothing is broken, but the thought is that one of the tendons that goes thru the ankle to the outer part of your foot may have a tear. Waiting to get an MRI appointment, hopefully before we leave to at least get an answer, but she will be dealing with this and riding a motorized scooter around while we are down in FL. 8-10 miles a day in this walking boot wouldn't be good or any of us,... so scooter rental it is.
More to come as we do our final preparations and an update on the surprise if it all goes well. So for now, readers, keep your traps shut! HAHA
Fall camping is some of the best camping there is. Temps are comfortable, air is crisp, and taking naps in the hammock are restful. Now that I have you thinking,.... combine that with over 350 craft and food vendors at a nearby amazing amusement park, and you are one step closer to heaven!,... or being broke,... whichever way you want to look at it. HaHa
For the second year in a row we are embarking on our trip to the Columbia County Covered Bridge Festival which Knoebels hosts a very large craft fair on its grounds. It is a transition point between summer activities and the Spooky Halloween weekends ahead, and just about at the beginning of the leaves changing on the trees. This is a great way to finish out those ticket books that you have pieces of from the earlier trips to the park.
Final adjustments made the camper ride more level
On our last trip I noticed that while the truck was riding level, our camper was still nose down when we parked at Hickory Run Rest area, which has a very flat parking lot. So we enlisted the help of my Dad to get the large sockets and wrenches out to unbolt the 1 1/8 inch diameter bolts on the Weight Distribution hitch and raise it up from 18 1/4 inches, to just about 20 inches. This flipped the coupler assembly to make this adjustment, but it really made a difference and the camper is almost nearly level now during tow. This means a much better weight distribution on the axles and less wear on the front wheels of the camper than if I left it the way it was. The photo above shows the final setup parked again at Hickory Run Rest area on this trip.
Wednesday I get a call from Becky,... she broke the crock pot. She was more concerned about the crock pot than she was about the bad sprain she got when she missed the step which caused her to drop and break the crock pot! So on my way home she calls again and said she is going to Urgent Care. Ok,... this isn't good. After a bit, she comes home with crutches and an air cast on her ankle, and while not swollen or black and blue, it is a bad mid-foot sprain. Luckily, living with my Mother In Law, she has lots of accessories Becky would be able to use for the next few days to keep pressure off her foot.
The site we have at Lake Glory this weekend is not really setup well for a travel trailer. It is a camping site with power and water, but not sewer. To access the site, we have to back down the driveway off the loop road, and then try to make a 90* turn inward on the driver side around a pine tree and between a bunch of other trees. That was my plan anyway till I arrived. There wasn't anyone on the site across from us so I figured I could pull down the driveway and swing wide, then pull the truck into their site. This allowed me a much better angle to back up into our site and made it quite easy as a matter of fact. It took a few tries to get the bed and slideout situation on the power side to be aligned, but then the awning on the door side to clear the trees, but we got it. After some unfolding of the beds and setting up the site, we hung the hammock and had to test it out.
Madie and I testing out the hammock before Becky rested in it for a while
AAHHH!.... Sad Spooky Kids, and a hay bale.
Now that's better,... Looks like a Pumpkin,.. oh,.. and smiling kids.
Oh My,... did I really bring these guys?
Thursday evening was mostly hanging around the campground and getting setup, some R&R, and greeting our fellow camper friends as they arrived. We had two sites together in this cluster of trees that made it like our own corral.
Friday was craft fair day. Things get very crowded on the weekend so we try to make the best of it early on Friday. There are also things to do for the kids on Friday but not on Saturday at the craft fair like Pony Rides and some games. The parking lot was already half full when we arrived and the pavilions and tents where moderately crowded. The vendors were great and the variety abounded as we walked thru them. Some of our favorites from last year were visited again and we found some new cool things that we have to keep in mind. One woman said it is a 3 year waiting list to get into the craft fair as a vendor, and because of this weekends popularity I could see why.
At first, I seemed to be the one spending the money, not the girls. I think they had it planned that way. They would find something and I would hold it while they looked, and then Becky would move out of the booth on the wheelie scooter she had and I'd be there to pay..... hmm,... planned? HaHa.
We got some good deals, Christmas gifts, and a cool metal scarecrow that we can use for our garden next year. Of course, with the food vendors there, you can't leave on an empty stomach! We had some ice cream and then decided it would be best to get back to the camper before the line of rain showers hit, and we timed it pretty well.
Homework Time!
Saturday was a day at the park. The kids wanted to go on the rides and they had a good amount of them open for the day. Everyone was able to use up the tickets we had left from our August trip, so that saved one expense. Madie is growing so fast and it is hard to believe that she doesn't ride the Kiddy Rides much anymore. Some of her old favs she isn't able to do anymore,.... Sad. But, she loves the Italian Trapeeze swings now and must have gone on them 3 or 4 times between Saturday and Sunday.
Bella shopped for some homemade outfits for her dolls. Here is the baking outfit.
I was teaching Madie how to fly on the Italian Trapeeze Swings, She loved them!
But, before you know it, the weekend is nearly over. Wait,... Monday the kids have off school because it is Columbus Day,... Hmm,....
A few phone calls later, and a walk to the front desk, and we were staying the extra night and heading home Monday. The campground had about 1/3rd of the spots filled overnight, so it was a nice and restful evening with some food on the fire burning the last of our wood. Cleanup on Monday was simple, and there was no line at the dump station so we had some extra time to add water to the tanks and get a good flush or two before the trip home.
Morning at the Lake behind our spot
Fall is all around
But,.. while it is nearing the end of the PA Camping season with November first rapidly approaching,... we aren't done yet! Stay tuned for a BIG adventure coming up! Here's a hint,... it is over 1000 miles away, Sunny most of the time, and there seems to be a lot of Magic happening there.
