Spring 2023: Jekyll Island

 Tuesday, 5/2:  299 miles and camped at Jekyll Island Campground, Georgia

US 98 to 319 to I-10 to I-295 to I-95 to US 17

It appears that the T section that we are in is a newer loop.
The sites here are a bit larger than the interior loops.

Site T-6

Parker said goodbye to his new friend, River, and we were on our way by 9:15.  The drive was long today, but traffic was smooth and we actually arrived sooner than I expected.  By 3:30 we were all set and having our celebratory beer.  It was another beautiful sunny and 75 afternoon.  But by 5:00, the mosquitoes and no see ums were out in force.  UGH!! 

Parker continues to grow like a weed.  He and Zoey are day by day gradually accepting each other.  Parker is becoming wiser, and Zoey more forgiving.  Parker still is a kid at heart and still needs lots of play time.

Wednesday, we just relaxed and enjoyed quiet time.  Being the first of the month, we both did some online banking, catching up on reading and finished editing the Carrabelle Beach travel blog entry.  It was warm and pleasant, but the dog walks were generally short because of the bugs.  They seem to like Judy more than me, probably because she is so much sweeter.  😘

On Thursday Parker had a morning vet appointment for vaccine booster shots in Brunswick.  He got weighed and he is a whopping 41 pounds.  A month ago in Houston at the vet he weighed 27 pounds.  We made a quick stop at Tractor Supply to pick up another bag of food for him.  He is now eating twice as much food per day as Zoey the Malamute.  He slept most of the rest of the day, probably because he was sore from the shots.

We tried to take some long walks, but the bugs always got to us.  One of our neighbors, a Georgian, says the best time to come here is January.  No bugs then.  Insects and Mother Nature go hand in hand.  I realize they are needed.  And back home in Northern NY, it's black fly season, soon to be followed by mosquitoes.  At Carrabelle, the campground was right on the ocean, and the breeze keep many of them away.  Oh well, I guess that when you travel and want to enjoy the outdoors, you will always be prepared to deal with Mother Nature, be it insects, or weather.

We grilled some fresh salmon on the griddle for dinner tonight.  

There is much to see and do on the island.  We used this handy guide as our main reference. 

We visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  Here injured or unhealthy sea turtles are nursed and rehabbed.  The center had interesting and very informative interpretive displays, with a window view into the hospital room.  In addition, you can view the aquatic tanks where the turtles are fed and live while recovering.  On a side note, the building for the Turtle Center is the old restored original power plant for the island from the early 1900's.

Driftwood Beach is another must see.  Created by hundreds of years of shore erosion, the remains of oak and pine trees litter the beach.  The tide is not strong enough to drag the remains out to sea, so they remain as beautiful reminders of Mother Nature at work.

Sea shells decorating a "Christmas Tree" on Driftwood Beach.

We added ours!!

We had a wonderful seafood lunch at Zachry's Riverhouse.  There is a marina here also, located on the Intercoastal Waterway.  Judy had a mahi sandwich and I tried grilled sheepshead, a new fish for me.  Both our meals were excellent.  Zachry's had been suggested by NY friends of ours, Mark and Jeanne, who have been here before with their boat.  On top of that, a clerk at the Turtle Rescue Center said Zachry's was the best place on the island for seafood.  

On a bike ride, we stopped to learn about the Horton House ruins.  The house was built in 1743 by William Horton.  It is one of the oldest tabby style houses in the state of Georgia and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. After Horton, the DuBignon Family owned the island from 1790 to 1886.  Other than the house, very little remains of the extensive plantation that once dominated Jekyll Island.

Horton House built in 1743

Other nondescript tabby style ruins.

Jekyll Island Campground is planning a major expansion.  Construction has started for a new office, yurts, a dog park and 57 new campsites.  I can see why.  The current office is small and outdated.  The main entrance to the campground is crowded, and the "No Vacancy" sign was posted almost every night we were here.    It would be interesting to come back in a couple years and see the expansion results.

We have seen the term "Golden Isles" often.  It refers to the eastern shore of Georgia between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida.  Four popular islands make up the Golden Isles.  They are St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Sea Island, and Jekyll Island.  It appears that Jekyll is the only one with a campground.

Our streak of good weather ended with a rainy day on Saturday.  There is much we didn't see here, including the Historic District and a choice of boat tours.  And, we ran out of time and didn't get to bike as many of the 20 miles of paved bike paths as we would have liked.  Maybe another visit?

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On to Savannah next.