Day 17

Started the day at the M Cafe in Savannah that is located in this row of buildings known as "factors" which were the offices and warehouses of the middlemen in the cotton business.  They purchased the cotton from the plantations, and then held onto it until the price was right.  Breakfast was simple, just coffee, a croissant, and a tartan (small baguette).

For the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon we walked among the residential homes in downtown Savanah.  All the streets are laid out in a grid, originally around just 4 squares, but now approximately 20.  Every street is tree lined with gorgeous flowering shrubs and grasses.

This cemetery is mostly unoccupied. During the Civil War the soldiers removed all the bodies from the graves and tombs so that they could find a warmer place to sleep.  Talk about creepy!

This is the Mercer Williams house which was where the murder too place that was made famous in "The Garden of Good and Evil"

"...wider than a mile"

Day 15 and 16

On Sunday morning we started the day slowly, enjoying a leisurely breakfast of eggs, bacon, and coffee at the campground.  Leaving the campground at 11:30 AM, we drove into Savannah, which is only about 20 miles north of here, where we took a two hour trolley tour of the city, thoroughly enjoying all the history and anecdotes form the driver/guide, and being incredibly impressed with the all the beautiful streets and homes.  I can’t think of a more beautiful city!

One of the tidbits we heard from our tour guide:  When Georgia became a colony the governor established four simple rules:  no drinking, no practicing Catholicism (aimed at prevent Spaniards from settling there), no slavery, and no lawyers.  

It seems all the guides emphasize how important cotton was to the Southern economy, and Savannah was the biggest cotton port in the country, but they rarely mention that it was only profitable because they had free labor.

 

Savannah's Main Slave Market

After the tour we had a late lunch, French toast stuffed with peaches, and eggs benedict with fried green tomatoes.  Both were wonderful.  

We returned to the campground for a quiet night.  Hot dogs and potato chips were on the menu.  Sorry, I forgot to take any pix of dinner; but I’m sure you can use your imagination.

On Monday, we again had a leisurely start to the day; but a simpler breakfast, so we were on the road by 10:30 AM. Our first stop was for  a second cup of coffee at a really funky place on Tybee Island, which is the next island just north of Skidaway where our campground is located.  Surrounding the coffee shop were multiple small shops filled with distictive locally made art work and crafts.  Very tempting.

 

We left Tybee Island and drove just a short distance to Cockspur Island where Fort Pulaski is located.  The fort was named for a Polish soldier, Casmir Pulaski, who aided the colonies in their revolution against the British. Pulaski is considered the founder of the US cavalry, for it was he who introduced the horse to the American military. 

Overlooking the Savannah River

The fort was built to protect the entrance to the Savannah River during James Madison’s presidency.  Like Fort Sumter, it was a strategic location, since Savannah was such an important commercial center for the South.  Construction on the fort started in 1829 and ended in 1847. Robert E. Lee’s first assignment after his graduation from West Point was part of the Army’s Corps of Engineers that started the construction.  Twenty-five million bricks were used and it was believed to be an indestructible fortress. 

The fort, like Fort Sumter, was captured by the Confederacy in 1861, but it was retaken by the Union during a 30 hour siege in 1862.  As well designed as the fort was, it was no match for the new rifle bore cannons that did not exist when the fort was designed.  These new cannons, quickly destroyed the walls of the fort, and Confederate General Olmstead surrendered the fort rather than have every one of his men killed by the cannon fire that threatened to destroy the entire fort and all soldiers had the powder magazine been hit.  

The fort has been beautifully restored to its 1862 status by the National Park Service, and the inside grounds of the fort reminded me of Wrigley Field in Chicago.  The Union troops that manned the fort which it was recaptured from the Confederates actually played baseball there to amuse themselves.

Leaving Fort Pulaski, we returned to Tybee Island where we lunched at the Crab Shack.  I have to laugh, my crab plate was fabulous, but the crabs were Alaskan King crabs, not local crabs.  

Leaving the Crab Shack we took a brief driving tour of Tybee Island, a beach resort that hasn’t lost any of it’s original charm,  plenty of reasonably sized homes, not just beach front mansions.  It reminded me of Long Beach Island in New Jersey as it looked in the 50’s and 60’s.

Day 14

After six beautiful days at Indian Pass, we said goodbye to Wendy and Carl and hit the road by 8:30. Trying to avoid the interstates as much as possible we drove across southeastern Georgia, through some classic Southern towns lined with live oak trees covered in Spanish moss.   Passed lots of roadside stands selling Tupelo honey, peanuts, pecans, & shrimp.

Courthouse in Quitman, Georgia

Stopped in Valdosta for a delicious fried chicken lunch.  We arrived at Skidaway Island State Park, which is just south of Savannah around 5:30 PM.  Our mileage for today was 370.  The high temp was 82, and the sky was blue all day long.  The campground was beautiful, and immaculate, clearly reinforcing our feeling that Georgia has the best state campgrounds. 

Dinner was at the campsite, nothing fancy, just peanut butter, saltines, and a glass of milk for me.  Joni opted for a more traditional PB&J sandwich.  Having suffered from the Southern version of Montezuma's Revenge for the past two days, the bland menu was welcome.

Days 11-13

On Wednesday we hung out at our rental, enjoyed the sun and the beach, taking lots of walks on the pristine sands of Indian Pass. For dinner we returned to Up the Creek Raw Bar for more oysters and grilled shrimp.

On Thursday we took a pontoon boat tour of the Dead Lakeslocated in Wewahitchka, Florida, 40 miles to the north. Once a hardwood forest the area transformed into a 6,700 acre maze-like swamp teeming with life amidst the skeletal remnants of the old forest which has given way to Cypress and Tupelo trees over time. Our guide, who grew up on this lake, entertained us for over two hours with fascinating information about the swamp, its wildlife, vegetation and the damage to the whole area that was caused by Hurricane Michael.

Female Osprey delivering a fish t her baby while the father sits on the nest.

On Friday, we spent our last full day in the panhandle just enjoying our beach front location.  It was extremely windy, so the surf was up, and the sand was blowing fiercely.  

We had a great dinner in Apalachicola where a street party was joyously celebrating the start of the weekend.  Tomorrow we’re heading to Skidaway Island State Park, where we will spend four nights as we explore Savannah.

Day 9 & 10

Monday

Toured Hurricane Michael storm damage in Mexico Beach.  

Lunch at the Sand Dollar Cafe in Port St. Joe.

Dinner at Up the Creek in Apalachicola.

Up the Creek Raw Bar...where the shrimp can't be any fresher.

Shrimp & Grits

Tuesday
Washed the bugs off the van in the morning
Spent the afternoon at the beach on the St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.  Some of the beach scenes for Jaws were filmed here since Martha's Vineyard  was not sunny enough.

The campground where we stayed is now an island due to Hurricane Michael.  Learned from a FEMA worker that 49 bodies were discovered when the canal was dredged in Mexico Beach.  He stated that both the damage and death tolls originally reported were greatly underestimated.

Observed storm damage to homes, many of the homes on stilts looked like they were ready to topple over.

Day 8

 Travel day!  We covered 440 miles today, driving from Fort Mountain State Park campground in Georgia to Indian Pass, Florida.   After waking up early to chilly 39° temperatures, we were on the road by 7:05 AM. Our early departure gained us a foggy morning and very slow driving, but it also treated us to a spectacular Easter morning sunrise.   

The rest of our drive was uneventful; minimal traffic, especially through Atlanta.   As we approached the Florida border, the devastation from Hurricane Michael became more and more apparent.  Thousands and thousands of downed trees, and small town after small town with homes still covered in blue tarps.  As we approached the coast, the devastation became greater and greater; it looks like a war zone.  We arrived at my sister and her husband’s rental in Indian Pass around 4:30 PM.  It was sunny and a warm 73°; great to be here and reconnect with Wendy and Carl who we had not seen since October.

Hurricane Michael Damage

Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle on October 10, 2018.  These pictures were all taken today in the town of Mexico Beach.

Tree Damage like this was visible all the way into Alabama