Jun 29, 2019 – Where Ken Burns Left Off

Two weeks into our travels and the tow mileage barely broke 500. That’s how we roll, slow and easy while making a call from the road to find out if we can check in early at the next campground. But, the high volume traffic indicative of the east coast more than makes up for the low mileage. We ended our 107-mile day in Savannah relieved to have missed several I-95 accidents that showed up on our Google maps.

Red Gate Campground and RV Resort would be our home for the next 7 nights. Although the RV was parked in a large field with several other rigs and had not one inch of shade, we enjoyed it and the manager was quite helpful. The best part of Red Gate was the horses. And goats. It was idyllic and I made it a habit to get up early each morning to catch sunrise over the horse fields, say good morning to the goats and walk to Patty’s Shack where at least 3 roosters lived with a few peacocks and fowls and many chickens. It was just so dang fun to hear the roosters crow in the morning while I drank my coffee.

And it was maddenly hot. The southeast states (basically everywhere we had been for the past 2 weeks and planned to be for the next 2 weeks) were experiencing an extraordinary heat wave. This was particularly acute during the two days we visited historic Savannah. On the first day, we took the trolley tour (which picks up at the campground) and rode through the entire district at least twice during that long, hot day. No matter where you look in Savannah, it’s beautiful. The architecture and the squares make that city stand out from all the rest. Savannah is rich with history, culture and architecture all rolled into one colorful city.

Thanks to the 90+ temperatures, the highlight of our trolley tour was a pit stop to the historical Leopold’s Ice Cream shop founded in 1919. We arrived 15 minutes before opening and stood in a growing line of sweaty individuals eagerly waiting for the doors to open. At 11 am, we were in and greeted by several scoopers behind a busy ice cream counter and within a few minutes, we were enjoying Savannah’s cold deliciousness. We also found refuge in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist where my only non-iphone photographs of Savannah were taken.

I have to say, our impression of the oldest city in Georgia was clouded by the relentless heat and humidity. Good for us, there were so many other surrounding places to explore. For example, we visited the Wormsloe plantation and after seeing so many breathtaking photographs of the famous Wormsloe Drive, I was both delighted and disappointed that my only photograph of the tree-crowned road was through the front window of our big diesel truck while we drove down the road to the visitor center. Wormsloe is also a Tabby ruin and the story of its owner, Noble Jones is a fascinating one.

Did I mention yet that it was horribly hot? In addition to melting our way through Savannah for a couple days, we visited many other nearby places, Tybee Island (quaint, artsy and extremely crowded), Fort Pulaski (highly recommended), Hilton Head (don’t bother) and Savannah Wildlife Refuge (great place, visit in the fall and winter). I recommend visiting and/or camping Skidaway Island State Park. We had been there before to camp, so we didn’t go in this time, but it is a very popular location for RV camping.

We reserved the fourth of July to do something we really wanted to do and that was to  paddle our kayak on Ebenezer Creek. So much of the history in this area centers around the Civil War. Our Civil War history lessons began back at St Mary’s in Georgia, but as we continued traveling north, we opened the story of America’s ugly war like an overstuffed suitcase. Prior to this trip, the extent of my Civil War knowledge could be written on one page with large letters and I have Ken Burns to thank for what little I remembered about it. I certainly didn’t come away from high school or college with any real Civil War knowledge. As our history lessons unfolded, the long-lasting impact of that war became clearer to me. We heard so many war stories but perhaps the one that stood out the most was the betrayal at Ebenezer Creek.

It was common for black refugees to join Union troops because the soldiers would give the refugees food and safety in exchange for their labor. However, many other refugees came along by the hundreds, including women, children and older men. This had unfortunate consequences for Jefferson Davis’s troops who were attempting to “march to the sea” into Savannah. As refugees continued to increase in number, the troops were slowing down and there was a food-shortage. On December 3, 1864, Davis’s troops reached the icy and deep Ebenezer Creek. Davis ordered his army to build a pontoon bridge to cross the creek, and he told the refugees that they would be held back for their own safety because the confederates would be waiting for the Union soldiers on the other side. Once all the soldiers had crossed the creek, Davis ordered his men to dismantle the bridge, leaving the refugees stranded. It was estimated there were at least 5000 men, women and children left behind. Meanwhile, the confederate cavalry that had been stalking Davis’s army pressed the refugees from behind, and those that did not die attempting to cross the icy waters, were either slaughtered or captured.

The story of the betrayal at Ebenezer Creek was on our minds as Vivian and I paddled through the majestic tupelo and cypress cathedral swamp. I thought I heard voices. The story speaks to us as a reminder that the beauty of the south comes with ugly scars and scab-ripped wounds. I must admit, our motives for RV travels are mainly shallow (e.g., fishing, photography), but we are also eager to examine our country’s history and gain a deeper perspective. As being one of the most significant events in American history, the Civil War is a significant part of our 2019 travels. And the direct connections that the war and its origins have on current events has become clearer to us with each mile traveled.

Our immersion into Civil War history had just begun, there was plenty more ahead of us. As we prepare to continue north, we dream of cooler temperatures. We’ll reach cool air eventually, but we had to put some miles on before we get a break from the heat any time soon.

RV and travel issues and concerns

Issue 1: Having our RV parked on remote Chokoloskee Island has taught us that some things are totally out of our control with occasional power outages and subsequent boil water notices. Consequently, we rarely bat an eye at such minor inconveniences now and we come prepared. When camping in northern Michigan last year, we lost power twice. We expect that losing power will happen during our trip, but we honestly did not expect to lose water, which we did one early morning at Red Gate. Fortunately, we had some water in the fresh tank that we always keep on hand when traveling from full hook up to full hook up. After a few hours, the campground maintenance folks had it back on, but the moral of the story is, be prepared. If even you go full hook up all the time, you’re going to experience a lapse somewhere down the road.

Issue 2: Not an issue for us, but it may be an issue for you. We haven’t had our TV connected to cable since leaving Chokoloskee. We rarely watched it anyway and instead, use the Firestick to catch up on YouTube video subscriptions or Amazon Prime series. But while traveling we don’t always have adequate Wifi to do that. So, during our travels we have become experts at finding air antenna channels. Using the app “Antenna Point”, we can locate the direction to the closest towers and if we are lucky, capture a dozen or more channels. I think it was through Georgia and South Carolina where we were so delighted to watch original Star Trek episodes while eating dinner. And don’t get me started on my excitement when I found a Mary Tyler Moore marathon somewhere in Pennsylvania! Yes, our boring baby boomer selves often end our evenings watching MeTV, GetTV, Decades and well, you get the picture.