Well, after the last post, Anna flew in to spend a little time with me before I headed over to central Asia. So, we chose a destination that was relatively close, had a beach, and was relaxing. Savannah and Tybee Island in Georgia met all three criteria. So, off we went to reacquaint ourselves with each other and enjoy our brief time together.
This is the first B&B we stayed at. Both were very romantic and exactly the sort of place we love to stay at.
We also visited Fort Pulaski between Savannah and Tybee Island. This very well preserved Civil War Era fort was seminal in the advent of modern warfare. It was the first time rifled canons were used and it had devastating effects on the occupying confederate forces. The battle lasted 30 hours and ended when the shells began to land close to the fort’s magazine. Instead of risking complete destruction with a direct hit, the confederate forces surrendered. It’s also interesting to note that the fort was designed by a young Robert E. Lee. He came back to evaluate the fortification right before the battle and determined it was sufficient to withstand attack. Unfortunately, he hadn’t accounted for the long-range, accurate rifled canon fire.
The exterior walls are still pock-marked with the damage from 1862. Portions where the wall was breached entirely was rebuilt, but the rest was left.
The interpretive portion was also fascinating to watch and included a period black-powder weapon firing.
If you have read the book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” you may recall the famous Bonaventure Cemetery. Although I still prefer the immaculate landscaping and elegant symmetry of military cemeteries, this was a close second. It was very picturesque.
Our next activity was a boat ride out around Tybee Island, with the intent of finding bottle-nose dolphins. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any aquatic mammals, there were plenty of other interesting sights. These shrimping boats were taking the day off, probably because the weather was not very cooperative.
Although it appears that Cockspur lighthouse is built in the middle of the ocean, it is merely a 8′ tide that covers the approach. Construction of this beacon began in 1837, remodeled in 1848 by the same architect who built the Mercer House in Savannah, destroyed by a hurricane in 1854, temporarily extinguished during the civil war, survived the fusillade during the siege on Fort Pulaski, damaged twice more by hurricanes in the 19th century and finally extinguished in 1909. Interestingly, it was man, not nature that turned out the light. The channel that this lighthouse marked was too shallow for the new, larger ships. Eventually in 1954, it was transferred to the National Park Service, under who’s care it remains today.
Another view of Cockspur Lighthouse.
This, and the next three images are the much larger and older lighthouse on Tybee Island. It was first built in 1732 and has been rebuilt four times in its history. The current structure was erected in 1916. Anna and I climbed to the top and the view of the island was quite nice.
If you look close, you can still see the lighthouse in Anna’s glasses.
The Spanish moss is very pretty and covers many of the trees in region.
This is Savannah’s city hall. Although you can’t tell in this image, it has a very ornate gilded dome.
Happy Halloween! We also celebrated Anna’s birthday in Savannah. Although it was a couple days before her actual birthday, we decided that being together to celebrate was more important than marking the actual day.
This is another shrimp boat, on our second attempt at dolphin watching.
Success! But, unlike the spinner dolphins we saw in the Pacific, these bottle-nose dolphins didn’t put on quite the same show. I think they were more focused on feeding. We couldn’t blame them, and they were still fun to watch. But, despite taking MANY pictures, none were particularly spectacular.
The pelicans were nearly as interesting to me as the dolphins.
This trail gives a better idea of the flora in the region. We went hiking on trail in Skidaway Island State Park.
This American alligator had some serious camouflage going on.
We also happened about nearly a dozen deer on our hike. These two were kind enough to stop for a moment and pose.
This image of Anna is from our bike trip around Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. We loved biking on the beach, lunch at a harbor, then back through perfectly manicured golf courses and ending the say with a quintessential American experience … shopping at an outlet mall (of course we bought a bunch of stuff!).
Our adventure quota was a little low on this trip. So, we rectified that with a final day kayak trip through the salt flats around Tybee. We also got out on Little Tybee Island here to wander around the driftwood and take refuge from the very strong wind, which we had to eventually face and paddle home.
That sums up our trip together. It was a perfect experience and it was great to re-connect, relax and enjoy each other’s company. So, now, we have our own separate adventures to live for the next few months. Then, we will head off on another adventure together early next year, when I get a short break from my time in central Asia.
So, until the next adventure…
–Jim
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Our Family Story.