Day 10 - Waycross to the Okefenokee Swamps to Steinhatchee Florida

Crisp, cool air greeted us this morning as the rains and storms of last night cooled our temperatures from a high of 85 to 60 degrees.(brrrrr)  Fortunately, we escaped any tornadoes. Our first stop was at Laura Walker State Park at the edge of the swamps.  We were impressed by its small but beautiful campground which would be a great place to stay in the future.

With all of our travels this next picture seems to epitomize both our coming and going.

Ron's fascination with the swamps, which goes back to his "Pogo"days("we have met the enemy and it is us!") was not sated yet though.  So on we went to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. 

The animated "ranger" at the visitors center gave us the background and history of the swamp and from there we went exploring ourselves.

Along the way we saw "Al" and "Tommy" in their natural habitat - on the side of the road within the refuge.

While the swamps seem like a desolate place to live we visited the Chesser Island Homestead which was 90% self-sufficient and survived the depression, hardly noticing it themselves except for the fact that they helped others in distress.  And speaking of desolate the rest of the trip to the Florida coast - destination Steinhatchee - was mile after mile of pine tree plantations.  My next trip to Lowes I will appreciate a 2" by 4".

From there we went to Hagen's Cove and Keaton Beach, two picturesque spots along Florida's west coast.  No sand beaches yet, but none the less very interesting coast line and a fisherman's haven.

Another awesome day was concluded with a scrumptious seafood dinner with hush puppies at Roy's in Steinhatchee and a glorious sunset shared with gliding pelicans.

Tomorrow, after 1500 miles of heading due south we turn right and head west as we strike out for Panama City Beach and all points west.  I think we are going to be beach bums for the day.  May not post tomorrow so don't worry. 

Day 9 - Savannah to Jekyll Island to St. Mary's to Waycross, Ga.

Today's drive reminded us of our days in Eastern Carolina as the topography, vegetation, homes and sleepy towns in coastal Georgia are reminiscent of those near Greenville. It helped that we left the Interstate road system and took the back roads.  However, as we went over the bridge and arrived on Jekyll Island it was evident that we were no longer in  the rural good ol' boy south. 

We began our tour by driving around the island and stopping at the historical sites like the ruins of the Horton, the first owner of the island and the cemetery of the DuBignons, the next owner.

Along with the historical, Jekyll Island also holds beautiful natural treasures.  The views from the pier and the beaches were lovely.  We enhanced our vocabulary learning new terms like runnels, tabby and middens.  We'll let our readers google their meaning.

To try to see how the other half lives we decided to take advantage of a lunch special and dined at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel in the Grand Dining room. Besides enjoying the ambiance we were treated to a very tasty lunch.

  We decided we need to find another label for our humble cottage at the Lake given the "cottages" that we viewed here.  

Reluctantly we left Jekyll Island and drove an hour to Crooked River State Park in St. Mary's just before the Florida border.  We were hoping to find a beach to relax but only found the typical feature found in most of coastal Georgia - Marsh Lands.  There we walked the Sempervirens trail and learned all about the vegetation and animal life there.  We even spotted the burrow with the rare Gopher Tortoise inside.  The only tortoise found east of the Mississippi.

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We settled in for the night at Waycross Georgia hopefully avoiding the tornadoes.  We've had snow, sleet, ice so I guess tornadoes are next.  The weather promises to clear so tomorrow we explore the famed Okefenokee Swamps as we head towards the gulf coast of Florida.

Day 8 - Savannah

2.2 square miles of historic sensory overload!  We have sore necks pivoting them so much to catch the next amazing sight in this gem of historic preservation of colonial America.  Wisely, we chose a 90 minute trolley tour of Savannah to gain our bearings and learn an insiders perspective from our amazing guide.

We then walked the entire distance from Forsyth Park at one end down to the River Walk with many pictures and stops along the way.  

Highlights are too numerous to mention in their entirety but some that come to mind include:  A visit to St. John the Baptist Cathedral which enlightened us, particularly since the 4 tenets of James Ogelthrope's founding of Georgia were - no lawyers, no slavery, no whiskey and no Catholics.  

Needless to say a lot of things have changed since its founding in 1733.  Also absolutely amazing was the preservation of Ogelthorpe's 22 of the original 24 "squares" that define colonial city of Savannah.  It would take hours to explore each one as they were adorned with statuary, plaques, intoxicating flora not to mention one exquisite historic colonial house after the next. 

One square that might be relevant to our friends in Northern NY was that dedicated to Casmir Pulaski a colleague of George Washington and revolutionary War hero.  
  

After our exhaustive walk we lunched at Vic's - part of the old cotton warehouse district.

After lunch we walked along the River drinking in more of the city.  Beyond the historical aspects we were amazed to learn that the port of Savannah is 3rd busiest in the US, despite a population of 130,000.  Also SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) has grown into a renown University having a tremendous influence on the design of the renovation of the city.  

Tomorrow we continue down the coast of Georgia with stops at Jekyll Island and St. Mary's before we turn right and head west!