Jun 21, 2019 – Friendly Chickens & Zombies in Georgia

Our languid travels got us barely over the Florida-Georgia border to our next campground where the RV would be well shaded under the oak trees draped thick with Spanish moss that would serve as our home for a week. Surrounded by salt marshes that extend gently toward the ocean, we have a long way to go before we escape the heat and humidity. But that’s OK, there is much to explore in these parts and we are in our element.

Our campground park was small, charmingly old and well shaded. The bonus was the friendly kitty that came to visit us during happy hour in our front yard. The kitty, Boots, belonged to the owner. Boots was not the owner’s only pet; there was a chicken (the name escapes me) who also came calling at happy hour. Apparently, Boots and the chicken were kind of lonely. During the winter months, many seasonal visitors become long term friends with the two. For that reason, we hesitated to hand out treats to Boots and the chicken given we were short term residents. Apparently, Boots spends a fair amount of time sitting on an empty lot mourning the loss of her friends when they pull out and we did not want to contribute to her depressed state of mind.

We could have hung out with Boots and the chicken all day, but we had places to visit, the first being the quaint seaside town Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. It is the northernmost Florida city on the Atlantic side. I discovered it from one of those “Top 10” lists, something to do with charming U.S. seaside towns. We really enjoyed walking around the old neighborhoods.

A bit worn down from our walking tour in the relentless heat and humidity, we were happy to find an air-conditioned Cuban Café not far from main street USA. After getting our “Miami 3:05 PM” fix, we sought out more AC at the Island Art Association Gallery. I always love to see local artists’ work especially when it is inspired by the natural world. This art gallery was the highlight of Fernandina Beach.

I dreamed of photographing the driftwood beach of Jekyll Island, so the next morning I got Vivian up and out the door by 5 am to make the hour-long drive to the beach so I could capture sunrise.

The sunrise was lackluster and the tide was low, so my vision was not met. But the eerie driftwood trees stood out as they always do and I couldn’t help but think of how they might look in the dark surrounded by zombies. Come to find out, zombies have been here before (apparently season 7 of the Walking Dead) and they were back for the upcoming season 10, just hours before we arrived on the scene. I didn’t know this when we first got there and stumbled onto a large shipwreck half buried in the sand. Turns out it was a Walking Dead movie set and dismantling had commenced later that morning. Thankfully, we just missed the zombies.

One of the highlights of our visit was the Okefenokee swamp, Georgia’s largest wilderness and the headwaters for the St Mary’s and Suwannee Rivers. We felt at home there, a familiar place where alligators and snakes thrive, and it was so dang hot. Native Americans referred to it as the land of trembling earth where unstable peat deposits tremble when stepped on.

We took a boat tour, led by an honest-to-God peat lovin’ swamper who proudly announced he was 6^th generation Okefenokian. He then asked where we were from. Vivian said “Chokoloskee Island”. Oddly, the Okefenokee native made a joke about the name Chokoloskee and mumbled something about it being a mouthful. That’s how I expect most people to respond, but not a 6^th generation Okefenokian (that’s pronounced O-key-fe-no-key-in), especially given Chokoloskee is short a syllable. Funny sounding names aside, our guide explained to us that the swamp was built upon peat, not mud as he reached down to grab a handful of it. He further explained that if you got out of the boat, you jump up and down on a patch of land and the movement would be felt by someone standing on another patch of land 50 feet away. Land of the trembling earth.

Our travels are steeped in history lessons and learning new words and phrases. I had never heard of Tabby Ruins until this trip. I learned about Tabby ruins while driving to and from our campground many times and passing a small, unpretentious sign that read “The Tabby Ruins”. Finally, curiosity got the better of us and we investigated the ruins on our last evening. Tabby is a term used to describe a concrete made from crushed oysters, lime, sand and water. The ruins that are the remains of forts, plantation homes and commercial buildings can be viewed along the coastline from north Florida to South Carolina. They are so popular that there is a travel guide. https://www.tabbyruins.com/

Here’s another interesting tidbit – within the Kings Bay naval base on the nearby St Marys River, dolphins are trained to guard it. We learned about the dolphins from the docent at the St Marys Submarine museum whose husband was a navy sailor – except he got horribly seasick and consequently, the navy decided he would serve them better in a submarine. We spent an hour at the museum which included a wonderful video showing life on a submarine (we later learned that the video left out the most interesting parts) and many artifacts and documents from WWII submarines. However, the highlight was the unplanned “15-min before closing” discussion we had with the docent that turned out to be the most fascinating of the tour. Besides the dolphin story, she enthusiastically shared many tidbits of intriguing information about submarine life or “silent service” that are way too many for this blog, but here are three; oxygen gets made, the most important piece of equipment is an ice cream machine and toilets explode.

Our week among the salt marshes and driftwood beaches ended too quickly as we began to prepare once again to hit the road. If it were not for the oppressive heat, we would have explored more, particularly Cumberland Island. But that’s OK, the best part of having home on wheels is we can come back.

RV and travel issues and concerns

Issue 1: We noticed some bubbling of the decals on the fifth Wheel (2018 Grand Design, Reflection 303rls). You may think this is benign but what can happen is water build-up inside those bubbles. After speaking to Grand Design, we learned the bubbles could be addressed by popping them to release any water. Done, problem avoided. Later in the trip, we stopped at Grand Design headquarters that was on our route picked up a replacement decal. Connie and Vivian 2, RV imps 0.

Issue 2: We are on the move frequently on this trip. That does not leave much time to clean our home on wheels. But it must be done! Regardless of your view (Atlantic Ocean, Grand Tetons, Lake Powell, or whatever majestic scene you are enjoying), you must clean your house. Exhausted from constant heat while exploring the sites, menial indoor housework was a welcomed reprieve.