Wandering the World with Wally

#2: Wally wanders Wilderness Lodge

- by Walter Octavius March, December 13, 2010

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Did I ever tell you how I put out a forest fire with only a shovel? No? Well...

It was a dry summer in Wyoming. The fire started after a lightning strike. Luckily, I was wandering about Yellowstone National Park at the time. The Forest caught fire quickly and the flames spread even faster. As others were running from the park, I knew I had to do something, so grabbing my pack I headed into the flames.

As flames surrounded me, I looked into my bag wondering if this could be my ultimate demise. All I had in the bag was a bed roll and a shovel. Thinking quickly, I deduced that if I could dig a hole and put myself in it and then cover it with my bedroll I might be able to survive. I started digging at a furious pace, when all of a sudden I hit water, but not just water, an underground stream. Taking advantage of this new exit, the water shot straight into the air and over the flames, putting them out.

Not wanting the stream to run dry, I moved further upstream, dug another hole, and built a dam. This way only so much water could be released at a time. It worked fine, but to this day the old stream faithfully spurts water into the air to release some of the overflow.

I'm sorry, I did not introduce myself: I am Walter Octavius March, Commander Walter Octavius March. I am an explorer, back from the wilds of Bora Bora. I came looking for old friends at the Adventurers Club on Merriweather Pleasure's Island only to find it abandoned. So, I have found myself wandering about this adventurous Walt Disney World Resort.

That old story about the forest fire came to mind because during my wanderings around the World today I find myself headed to Disney's Wilderness Lodge.

The Wilderness Lodge is based upon the Old Faithful Inn, a lodge in Yellowstone National Park built at the turn of the 20th century - a great place (and a great time) for adventure. Wide open spaces and wild animals. The Wilderness Lodge captures this feeling of wanderlust and harnesses its energy.

As we enter the lobby, you realize you have left the 21st century and traveled back to a more rustic time. The rough-hewn wood and vastness of the room transports you back to days when pioneers went west and lived off the land. The ceiling is seven stories high, and in the back corner there is an eighty-two foot high fireplace to warm you on those cool Florida evenings. In recognition of our Native American friends, the light fixtures look like teepees.

The back wall of the lobby is made of glass and overlooks the waterfall that fills the pool below. There is a bridge in the lobby that passes over the water which originates in an underground creek and flows out to the waterfall. Make sure as we walk through that you look at the amazing craftsmanship of the Totem Poles.

The Lobby also houses the two of my favorite places: the Wilderness Lodge Mercantile, a general store, and the Whispering Canyon Cafe. I like the Mercantile its exterior sports a small totem pole near the door with likenesses of Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and my favorite, Humphrey the Bear, carved into it.

Many people don't know Humphrey. Even though he co-starred in some Donald shorts and was given his own Disney theatrical shorts (that were just hilarious), the Disney shorts division was shut down after only two of the Humphrey cartoons were made. But Humphrey is featured in a few places around the Wilderness Resort.

My other favorite place, the Whispering Canyon Cafe, is a sit-down, family-style restaurant just off the lobby. The food is good and more than plentiful. The views inside of the lobby are very scenic. You'd think the Cafe would be a peaceful place for a meal. But that's not the case.

This restaurant is a loud, boisterous, and a rootin' tootin' great time. It is a fun family place to eat. The servers make sure you have a smile on your face and make sure you are well fed, too. A word of warning though: if you're not into fun and games and singing and shouting while you eat, you may want to find your meal elsewhere.

And whatever you do, DON'T take ketchup from another table. If you do, frontier justice is swift and not pretty. If you need ketchup, just ask - you'll be given as much as you need.

As we wander away from the back of the Resort, past the pool filled from underground streams (and surprisingly warm), we find wooded paths and a very special attraction, Fire Rock Geyser, which erupts on schedule every hour - and the reason why I think of my fire-fighting adventure in Wyoming every time I visit the Wilderness Lodge.

Farther down on the beach, you can catch the Electrical Water Pageant which arrives at the Lodge most nights about 9:30 - 9:35 P.M. The Pageant has been running in Bay Lake since 1971 and it's one adventure everyone should see.

At the end of one of the wooded paths is a boat dock where you can catch a launch to the Magic Kingdom, Wilderness Campground, or the Contemporary Resort. On the way you will pass what used to be called Discovery Island, where I had to wrestle an alligator one afternoon to get my lunch back from the filthy beast.

It all started when...

Oh, so sorry, I do miss the Adventurers Club, but I don't have to go far to feel the great outdoors and neither do you: visit the Wilderness Lodge, and enjoy the adventure!

KUNGALOOSH!

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