Uneventful

Day 47, May 18, 2011, Uneventful

87.3 miles, averaging 13.4 mph

Route from Melbourne Beach to Fort Wilderness Campground, Lake Buena Vista, FL

Best Moment – Finally finding Fort Wilderness Campground wasn’t easy, so when I finally arrived at the gates to the stockade, things were good.  Disney pays incredible attention to the tiny details.  The appearance an entrance to an actual stockade of the 1800’s really sets the mood for the campground.  This detail goes to things like the flower gardens, the naming of the camp trails (things like Waggin Tails Dog Park, Crockett’s Tavern, and Pioneer Hall), and even the costuming of the cast members. (They are really ugly in the wilderness.)

Worst Moment – Just outside of Kissimmee, the front tire picked up a piece of wire and went flat.  That of course is part of bicycling.  What made this flat, such a bad moment was that several hundred yards and across the divided highway, there was a terrible argument taking place between a man and a woman.  I debated calling 911 to prevent domestic violence.  It takes about 15 minutes to change a tire and though I don’t know when the spat began, it finally was over when one of the two got in a car and sped off just as I was putting the tire back on the bike.

The scenery wasn’t overly impressive today.  After I left Melbourne beach, I headed mostly west to the Magic Kingdom.  Most of the route was on divided, not interstate, highway with a nice shoulder and was basically flat through semi-swampy area of the state.   Of course once I got to Kissimmee, there was a lot of urban traffic to deal with, no bike lane and a very old, bumpy sidewalk.  (I found that in Florida, bicyclists are expected to use the sidewalk as a bike lane in most places.)

I had an interesting “moment” when I stopped at a Dairy Queen.  The clerk asked how far I was riding and was really interested in my ride.  It really made me feel good that someone took an interest in what I was doing.  In some places that happens and in others it doesn’t.  It makes a difference and is so easy for the “service provider” to show that interest.

Disney World is huge.  I must have ridden at least 15 miles all within the park’s boundaries.  Of course, not knowing exactly where I should be going didn’t help.  I did get to see the receiving docks, central casting, and much of the back stage before I finally saw a sign directing me to Fort Wilderness.  Then getting here took a while. There are at least 28 camping loops with 20 sites on each loop. 

The campground is interesting.  There are recycling stations conveniently placed throughout each loop.  All manner of campers, tents and motorhomes are here.  There are some very high class ones and those that are much more modest.  A couple of the campers are real Disney aficionados.  One has the flag of Mickey Mouse flying as though it were the US flag (lit all night).  Another has a street lamp about 6 foot tall with the entire mouse head and ears being the lit globe.