Georgia ~ More Southern Charm & New Friends

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

     Marcel Proust, Rememberance of Things Past

Our travel plans were made keeping in mind that we wanted to be in a campground where we could drive places with somewhat minimal miles required.  So, keeping with the plan, our first stop was in Hinesville, Georgia where we booked a week at Happy Acres RV Campground.  It wasn't quite what we had expected - especially trying to get onto the street that took us to the entrance - but we worked through the challenges/frustrations.

We must share with you our first experience with Southern BBQ while we were in Hinesville.  This happened for us at BBQ Heaven.   We were able to meet the owner, William, who prepared all of the food, and even gave us a carry out of more food to take home and enjoy.  It was definitely our first experience with collard greens and steamed cabbage as the sides, along with corn bread.  He was even kind enough to let us take his photo outside of his restaurant.

Next stop about 7 miles from the Florida border (but still in Georgia) to the town of Folkston and the opportunity to travel further to the Gulf for more adventures.

The Folkston Funnel  ~

One attraction that they boast is the place where train watchers can watch nearly 70 trains a day; six Amtrak trains and the Tropicana Juice train which moves from Bradenton, Florida to Kearney, New Jersey five nights a week.  It was a little on the quiet side when we visited, but still some nostalgia lingers.  We're sure that some of the locals hang out on the platform and just watch the trains coming and going all day.

Savannah ~

The 45-mile drive to experience this historic city definitely left us with some quite remarkable, beautiful and unforgettable memories.  We immediately fell in love with this city.  I do believe that we walked close to 5 miles trying to touch on all of Savannah’s Historic Squares - 21 in total.  We could have been there for more than the one day that we spent checking out some of the grand architecture and stately live oaks draped with Spanish moss.

A must-see list for new eyes is the Historic District which consists of River Street (shops & food, etc.); Bull Street (Savannah’s 19^th century architecture showcase) and the majestic Forsythe Park (complete with fountain).

Here to there are free Shuttle services called the Purple Dot that run every 10 minutes.  Of course, we can’t forget the many churches and the best part was Jones Street which is said to be the prettiest street, dripping with the charm of the moss suspended from a canopy of majestic oak trees.  This place will definitely hold a special place in our hearts.  So many pictures it was hard which ones to include.

It was time to travel a few miles to Folkston, Georgia where we  stayed at the Okefenokee Pastimes RV Campground.

This was just the perfect spot for us to check out a few very memorable places - Jekyll Island along Georgia’s coastal and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Jekyll Island ~

The length of the Island is about 5500 acres with at least 10 miles of shoreline, and is home to seven beaches that are all unique in their own way.  We elected to visit Driftwood Beach and the Great Dunes Beach Park.   Ancient driftwood monuments line the waterfront creating a tree graveyard of bleached oak trees.  Some of the trees are fully exposed and some appear to emerge from the depths of the sand. As we made our way around the driftwood trees, catching glimpses of sea shells dotting the beach brought back memories of our time at South Padre.  

At the Great Dunes Beach Park, Jeff noticed a couple shore fishing down by the water, so off we went in search of some conversation.  The couple come down to Georgia from Connecticut just to experience the fishing and to make sure that they eat as much of the local shrimp as they can.  They think it’s the best!  We’ll just have to try some.

A friend recommended a  Bird Sanctuary on the island, so we had to check it out.  It was a cooler day so not too many birds, but we so love and miss our birds.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge ~

Our campground was about 7 miles southwest of the main town, but what we especially liked was that it was across the street from the main entrance to the Refuge, which is run by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 

Being from the Midwest, visiting the Refuge or as they refer to it as the Okie, really opened our eyes and knowledge of an area that we knew nothing about.  The Refuge covers 630 square miles in southeast Georgia for what is known as the Okefenokee Swamp.   I love reading the brochure which says ~

Alligators bask in the sun while flocks of white ibis, wood storks and sandhill cranes forage in the shallow tea-colored water.  The “Land of the Trembling Earth,” as the Native Americans called it, is an ever-changing landscape.  From the open, wet prairies of the east side to the forested cypress swamps on the west, Okefenokee is a mosaic of habitats plans and wildlife.

We're told that this was a real alligator - size and all!

Chesser Island Homestead ~

Within the Refuge, this homestead is named for the family who first settled it.  Chesser Island is 592-acre island in the swamp.  It shows how the early settlers lived back in the mid-1800's, played hard and worked even harder.  To celebrate this heritage the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge observes "Pioneer Days" ever year and we were fortunate to stay and see what it was all about.  With all day demonstrations of broom & soap making, quilting, butter churning, blacksmith and some live music.  What a hoot we had watching them grind down the sugarcane into syrup (which tastes like heavy molasses) and juice samples.  Food from the 1800 was also shared and we had a really good time.  They also had boiled peanuts which is really a big favorite in Georgia, do we had to try them.  Only one comment from us is that they can keep them!  Wow, sodium content is off the charts!

  
A Honey of an Experience ~

We have always thought of the nectar of bees as just plain ole "honey".  Well, this this part of the world honey took on a new meaning.  For instance, coming from the Midwest, Clover honey has pretty much been a standard.  Here in the state of Georgia, our eyes were opened up to a whole gamut of delicious, and different, tastes of honey.  Here are some of the really awesome honey's we've had the experience in coming to know.

  -  Saw Palmetto - made from the white flower/brown berries that grow on this shrub which are sweet, with a fruity caramel taste.

  -  Gallberry - is sourced from a small evergreen holly bush (also known as inkberry) that grow along the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast of Northern Florida where you'll find the piney woods and swamp areas.  A very rich and elegant taste!

  -  Tupelo - known as the Queen of the Honey world for its soft, buttery sweetness.  This is truly our favorite and in Savannah, it's all thumbs up on this one for sure.

This is William that we purchased his Tupelo and Gallberry
homemade honey.  Jeff baked him a banana bread too!

William also gave us a big bag of lemons and here
in this picture is his grove of persimmon trees
which he gave us to try.  Very different fruit!

New Friends Along the Way ~

We moved to another campground closer to the town of Folkston right before Thanksgiving, called the Okefenokee RV Park.  And, it turned out in our favor as we were able to spend this season of gratitude with the campground community, as well as meet new campers that we now call “friends”.

Gary, a very special friend from North Dakota

Nicole & Carmine, new friends from the Catskills of New York

That pretty much showcases some of the unique places we visited in Georgia as it now becomes time for our Florida experience!  We hope that everyone had a wonderful season to reflect on how fortunate we are to be able to travel and live our best life on the road.  
 

Travel Blessing to all!