It's All About The Beards

I believe every good story should begin with a "grab-ya" kind of start. Well, here you go:

I'M DISNEYED OUT!!

Don't get me wrong, I am not Forted out, meaning I still love the Fort and all it has to offer, but I may need a break from the parks and such.

Of all the years of going to the Fort, we normally would purchase annual passes, then take a year or so off, rinse and repeat. We just renewed our passes for the 4th year and I kind of wish I hadn't.

I wrestled with this decision for a couple weeks and finally decided to bite the bullet and renew once again. I enjoy having the ability to hop in and out of the parks even if just for some grub and some people watching. This trip, however, I could hardly muster that much energy.

Maybe it's because we had just been there for a week, one month earlier. I normally wouldn't schedule trips so close to each other, but I didn't have a choice. My favorite band, Blackberry Smoke, was to perform at House of Blues at Downtown Disney on January 11th. I could have stayed off site, much cheaper, or I could stay at the Fort and use Disney's transportation system, which means we had a built in designated driver. 

Foreshadowing: GOOD CALL, we needed it

I went ahead and booked a site for Wednesday the 8th through Sunday the 12th. 

With my BBS tickets and my annual pass renewals in hand, we set out to Orlando.

An hour or so later we arrived back at the Fort.

I hadn't requested a site, this is normally a quiet time of year, so we took our chances.

I had customized magic bands from the previous trip (which didn't work right) but at check in they gave us another set (which also didn't work right) Strike #1 against Disney. I HATE the new bands and refused to use them even when we got our renewed passes. 

We were asked if we had a favorite loop, which we do, the 500's. They assigned us to site 549 and we got set up.

When looking at our check-in package we noticed it was marathon weekend. That meant BIG crowds for the weekend!! No problem for us, the healthy marathon runners would not be affecting our drunken concert event.

This was Risky Kitty's second camping trip and she made herself comfortable in her bed, while Trevor taunted her through the window.

We spent the afternoon looping and visiting with some friends who were also there.

For dinner we grilled some steaks

Nate and Karissa wouldn't be in until Thursday evening so we had no plans other than to relax and prepare for Saturday night. 

Thursday morning we got up, had some coffee and did some more looping.

We were able to catch up with an old friend from another forum board I belonged to, but had never met in person. They were about to check out so I was super glad that I caught them!

Trevor was really impressed with this tow vehicle and made me take a photo in case it was gone by the time Nate got there.

It's amusing how male and females "loop" differently. I am one who notices set-ups, site decorations and even pets a camper may have. The only things that Trevor and Nate notice are trucks, tires, wheels, gears and the occasional good looking woman. Yes, in that order!

The temps were great, in the 70's but it was also very overcast and calling for rain.

And rain it did!!

While it rained all afternoon there was a lot of this

It was a welcome change! I laid down in bed, caught a rerun of Criminal Minds and listened to the rain on the canvas above my head. So many of us RVers spend a small fortune on an RV but never really use it to it's potential, especially at Disney. It also reminded me the reason why we chose a hybrid camper, I truly enjoy the sounds of camping, while still having all the comforts of a motor home. Normally we're always outside or running around. It was nice to just be a couch potato!

Finally the rains stopped and we were able to venture out. The kids were on their way down and Karissa had requested Italian sausages for dinner. What the kids want, the kids get!!

I also grilled up some peppers and made a salad. (as you can see, there was also beer!)

Mason was so happy to see the kids!! No matter how hard he is sleeping, he hears Nate's truck LONG before we do and jumps up smiling.

Don't get me wrong, I smile too when they arrive!!

The evening was filled with music, beer and family time. Can't get much better than that!

Friday morning I let the kids sleep in for a bit. We took Mason out  for a walk.

Here's Nate's truck bullying mine.

Trevor had been dealing with a cold/sinus thing which prompted him to leave property and go to Walgreens for some medicine. Nate & Mason rode with him, while Karissa and I had a girls afternoon at Epcot!

The boys dropped us off at the outpost.

And we hopped on a nearly empty bus

Soon we arrived.

We had plans to ride Test Track in the single rider line until we saw it was a 50 minute wait!! For single rider! No thanks, let's go see if we can do a couple things that Karissa hadn't ever done.

Living with the Land was a walk on, so that's what we did.

Looks like Mason on the porch!

This part of the ride always makes me think of the scene in Willie Wonka where they take the boat through the factory.

There's no earthly way of knowing, 

which direction we are going 

there's no knowing where we're rowing

 or which way the rivers flowing.....

Since we were not greeted by Oompa Loompa's, I was whisked back to reality.

I've heard a lot of folks skip this ride since it's not "fun" but I enjoy it and Karissa said she enjoyed it.

(I know, she may have just been humoring me)

The only other ride she hadn't rode was Imagination, so I took one for the team, and we hopped on.

I liked this ride when it was the original version, now, not so much.

I do still appreciate Figment, though I think he's under used in this attraction now.

I also used to like the fun stuff at the end. In 1982, all of this stuff was neat and futuristic. Unfortunately, Epcot hasn't been able to stay ahead of the times and most of this stuff is old news.

In 1982, it was awesome to use a computer to design something and send it by e-mail. Most folks didn't have computers in their homes. We're so past that now, most of us have computers at our fingertips via cell phones.

Just for shits and giggles we did build the creepiest Figment we could manage, though we didn't send him anywhere.

I did draw the line at Captain EO!!! For those of you not familiar with that attraction, let me explain.

When Epcot first opened they had a 3D film starring Micheal Jackson. 3D was pretty awesome in the 80's, and so was MJ.

When MJ was accused of child molesting, Epcot removed MJ and put in a film called "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" with Rick Moranis.

(Was borderline cheesy and outdated even at this time)

When MJ died, they brought back Captain EO.

30 years later, the 3D technology is BAD, and I'm not even sure that kids know who MJ is. 

There is a lot of wasted space in Epcot and this theater could be utilized in so many better ways.

BUT....one thing Epcot is still good for is the World Showcase. Great spot to get some worldly food/snacks & drinks and it's still a beautiful area to stroll around. We headed in that direction.

Let's face it, the monorail is still pretty darn cool, even today.

And Epcot's landscaping is always great.

 Sometimes you've got to stop and smell the roses.

Karissa and I discussed food choices and decided eggrolls would be the perfect snack. Just enough to allow us a cocktail without being too full.

China, here we come!

I have no comment.......

We did get a good laugh at the couple who approached the eggroll stand, IN CHINA, and asked for a hot dog! The castmembers, who speak very broken English, directed them to America. You can't fix stupid.

Our eggrolls were fantastic, the view could have been better had the sun been out, but still better than rain.

After our snack, we wandered over to Italy to sniff around. Sadly, none of the castmembers were the Italian Stallions I was searching for. Still nice to listen to them speak though.

Since Trevor wasn't feeling well I stopped into Germany to pick him up a goodie for later. Karissa and I then went and got a goodie for ourselves.

A frozen margarita is extra refreshing while behind a big ball!

We sat down and enjoyed our drinks while some friends joined us.

The boys were back at camp, Trevor was all hopped up on Alka-seltzer cold medicine and feeling better, so we headed back.

We had taken a bus to Epcot but decided to take the monorail back.

After a quick change-over at Magic Kingdom ticket center, we were on our way.

The MK parking lot was packed with cars!!

Pulling up to MK, crowds didn't seem so bad.

But we hopped off the monorail and right onto our boat back to the Fort.

All ashore that's going ashore!!

Back at camp, we grabbed a beer and I gave Trevor this little beauty

That is a milk chocolate covered caramel, topped with sea salt. OMG, it was fabulous!! 

For the last two days, Trevor and I had heard some sort of construction going on.

 LOUD, like a jackhammer. Nate, Karissa and I hopped on the cart and went to investigate.

 We found workers back at the canal, rebuilding the old dam.

They are also building a bat house, a 14 foot tall bat house to combat mosquitoes. Nate actually chatted with one of the guys. Wonder why it's 14 foot tall? It takes a bat 11 feet to take flight.

See, you're never too old to learn something new. I'm not sure that tidbit will ever come in handy, but there you have it!

After our dam lesson on dams and bat houses, we sat at camp with a couple beers and Trevor lit the grill for a quick and easy dinner.

Hot dogs, brats and mac and cheese.

On a side note:

Why do I love Blackberry Smoke? They are a throwback to good old southern rock. Since I am a child of the 70's, born to young parents, I grew up with all types of music and still listen to a little bit of everything. I thank my parents for that tremendously!  I have tried to keep that tradition going with Nathen, and it was at this moment that I knew I had succeeded!

Picture Nate and I in the RV.

 I asked him to get the mac out of the microwave since it's way above my head.

Nate: "Mom! You didn't make mac & cheese from scratch?!"

Me: "Nate! This is Stouffers mac. This crap is like $7.00!! It's about the best pre-made mac you can buy and I didn't feel like cooking this trip!!"

Under my breath: "I beg your pardon....."

Nate: breaking into song "I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden...."

I was so proud!! I high-fived him and we giggled our ass off. It's moments like this that make camping so special.

After dinner was eaten and cleaned up, the kids went out to mini-golf and Trevor and I chilled out. I knew Saturday was going to be a train wreck and this old fart needed to rest up for it.

Saturday morning we still needed to get our new passes so  I told Trevor he must get out of his lawn chair and go to a park, even if he wanted to come right back since he still wasn't feeling great.

We figured MK was the easiest to get to, transportation wise, so we headed down to the dock.

Everybody together now.....AWWWWW!

When we pulled up to the kingdom, I knew Miss Crankypants (me) was about to make an appearance.

This was the line just to get through bag check which we had to do just to get to the will call window!

I didn't take any more photos at this point. When we approached the will call window and had a 45 minute wait, I wasn't feeling too "magical"

Candy Crush may have actually saved some lives that day as I broke out my phone and played to keep my mind occupied.

After getting our passes and telling the CM how shitty the Magic Band system was (he sort of agreed) we debated on even going into the gates, it was that crazy! But, the boys were hungry and we were already there, so we went inside.

We didn't screw around! The boys wanted Cosmic Ray burgers and we bee-lined right in that direction.

Of course, the Move It Shake It parade was happening. I seem to have really bad luck with walking in while that parade is going on. 

Donald wouldn't even look at me while I snapped his picture. He may have felt my aggravated mojo from the street. 

Of course, the castle can always make me feel better.

Trevor wasted no time getting to his beloved burger...nor did he wait for any of us.

Please take note of the awesome Hendrick Motorsport shirt I bought him.

11 championships, with the last 6 being Jimmie Johnson. Good stuff right there!

Our burger was great, the view even better.

Can you guess what we did after lunch?

WE BAILED!! 

It was insane!!

While we waited for our boat, the people were piling in from both the ferry boats and the monorail. One ferry was still unloading, which forced another one to sit in the lake to wait.

And the gate looked like this

We looked like this

Happy that we were getting out of there and could come back at any time.

Back at the Fort we had some time to kill so we took Mason out on the cart

This picture is what the Fort is all about. People biking, walking and carting on a sunny day.

We stopped at the store for some ice as we were expecting some company.

Karissa modeled a chipmunk cap

Mickey had changed from his holiday wear on our last trip to some farmers gear.

Karissa and I, like good little girls, walked the sidewalk back to the cart, while Nate cut through the grass and hopped the fence. Heathen.

Back at our site we iced down the beer for our guests. Another friend I met through a forum, and his wife, were in Orlando for the concert also. He got in touch with me a few days before and they were on their way to the Fort for a few pre-concert beers. John and his wife Marta were awesome!! The beers were flowing, and we discussed getting together on another camping trip. Right before we were splitting up to SSS (that's shit, shower and shave) for our night out, Donnie showed up.

Did I mention that Donnie was coming?! No camping party is complete without my buddy Donnie. He drove down just for the concert that night. Unfortunately I had to leave him sitting in the screen room while we all went to get ready. 

Our plan was to meet up at Downtown around 6:30, grab a bite to eat and walk over to House Of Blues.

Cleaned up and waiting on a bus.

My pictures got few and far between at this point. I had already had 3 beers and was ready to get my groove on!

We met up with Donnie at Earl Of Sandwich where the boys all ate. Karissa and I headed to the margarita stand for dinner. 

You can see where this is going, right?

As we strolled toward HOB, we stopped for an Armadillo punch.  (grey goose vodka, triple sec, sour mix, cranberry juice and sprite) DELISH!!

About halfway through my drink, I felt a rain drop. Uh-Oh!! By the time we made a quick stop at the restrooms, it was pouring. So much for us girls doing our hair!!! The good news is, I had had enough to drink to not really care. I was about to see BBS, nothing could dampen my mood.

(see what I did there?! "Dampen?"  Never mind....)

Once inside, we met up with some other friends, Dan and David and we also found John and Marta. 

Things got a bit fuzzy here, but we had a blast!!! We laughed, we danced and we drank!

We started out up on the balcony

Until Karissa and I bolted downstairs and made our way through the crowd. I had to get closer to Charlie Starr, who is growing a full beard now....HOT!

What I didn't remember was Karissa taking selfies while in the pit, until Trevor reminded me the next day.

Silly fools.

Donnie squeezed the stuffing out of me

While Karissa held his beer at one point.

We had the most fun that I've had in a long time!! We were soaking wet and drunk but surrounded by some of the best friends you could ask for.

Around 12:30 we staggered to the bus stop. Nate was only standing due to this pole.

And then I gave him a place to lean.

Right before the bus showed up, Nate was going downhill fast!! I do remember telling him

"Suck it up buttercup!" 

but he wasn't looking well by the time we boarded the bus.

I do believe he visited the porcelain throne when we got back to camp. 

I was out before my head hit the pillow...

at 6:00 am I awoke to the sounds of drums. In my head!! I went outside, started coffee, let Mason out to pee and took two aspirin. All I kept thinking was:

The next time we do this, I'm booking an extra day! The last thing I wanted to do was pack up camp. I took 2 sips of coffee and crawled back into bed. Trevor asked me how I felt and all I could whisper was "SHHHH, dying"

Lo and behold after lying in bed for another hour, I got up and felt a bit better, albeit woozy.

We started the clean up process, though a little slower than normal.

We loaded up the animals and the cart

And we were off! 

Needless to say I didn't get a lot done after we got home. I unpacked what had to be, showered and climbed into bed. We had an amazing night but I'm no spring chicken and tying a good one on takes longer to recuperate.

The concert was the highlight and purpose of this trip and was well worth the cost, the rain and the hangover.

Our next visit to the Fort will most likely be in May, and I think 2015 will be Fort only visits with no parks included.

I'm sick of the crowds and I hate the Magic Band system!!

Until then, we have many more adventures planned, with a super big one in March! 

You never know what you'll find in this blog, but at the very least, I hope you enjoy reading about our escapades.