We made it to Savannah! And it has been worthwhile. We found that we liked this city more than New Orleans. It is cleaner, quieter and its historical areas were in better shape. This is partially because Savannah has not been as hard hit by weather events. It also wasn’t burnt during the War of Independence or during the Civil War.
Once again, we had an excellent tour guide. Its one thing to read about the history of a city but I loved seeing the grid of squares / parks in the old city. The rational for series of squares is that they were used to grow food and house animals destined for the tables of the inhabitants. The monuments and statuary in the parks, along with the explanations for the honorees told an interesting story.
The guide pointed out the stretch of sidewalk where Forest Gump sat and nibbled away at his box of chocolates. Apparently, it is the most photographed spot in the city even though the bench is gone. We do not have such a picture.
The river boat tour in the afternoon was less remarkable. It was crowded and noisier. There are interesting things to see but they did not have the same impact as the morning’s offerings. The commercial ships, tugboats and dock facilities and businesses did catch my eye.
There’s a whole lotta swamp around here. We’ve spent a significant amount of time on bridges and causeways as we head out to various sites. We managed to take a walk on the beaches on Hilton Head and Tybee Islands.
Fort Pulaski taught me more about physical conditions and the development of rifled ammunition during the Civil War than I have ever heard before. When we chatted with our son Michael, we found that he knew a fair bit about the fort, though.
I haven’t seen any Scallops on menus – perhaps its not the right season. We have had shrimp baskets, a fried oyster lunch and a Smore Social in the RV park.
And talk about RV Parks! This is the poshest park we are ever likely to visit. We have been in some very nice ones, but not quite like this. It is brand new, that helps. It used to be the extra nine holes at the Hilton Head National Golf Course. The road in the area was redeveloped, some holes were affected, so the golf course owners decided to accommodate the RV crowd.
So: locked gates, large paved sites with mini lighthouse style power and water hook ups, private fire pit, patio restaurant style tables at every site, fancy club houses, restaurant, walking trails, multiple pools, pool side cabanas, gym, children’s park, basketball court, pickleball court, multiple enclosed dog parks, community fire pit, restaurant, two club houses and an attached golf course.
Ken golfed at the Old South golf Course where there are alligators on the property and at Hilton Head National course. Part of the service at the National is that they send a driver over with a golf cart to pick you up and bring you back at the end of the game. I did have to tease him a bit about that feature.
The bath house facilities are better than many hotels, the laundry room was huge and gleaming, and there was a large, three station dog washing facility. There are a lot of dogs stashed away in some of these RVs.
Turtle conservation is a prominent activity on the islands. Again, its not the right season, but I hear that a lot of people come to observe, assist and protect during the summer months. At one of the beaches along the Emerald Coast, we came across a turtle that had obviously been hit by propellers causing injuries to its head and its 8 inch carapace. So sad!
Our kids were quite enthralled with the large turtles on the beach at our condo on Maui in November. I’m sure they’d love to see them hatching and making their way into the water.
We did not see any at this stop.
We’ve experiences some epic rainfalls here interspersed with gorgeous sunshine. There was a tornado warning in effect while we toured Fort Pulaski. The park ranger explained that we would be escorted into the subterranean arsenals if the danger became imminent. The wind came up, we were in the car before the rain hit, and nothing happened. People don’t take the warnings very seriously.
If you Google “Double Decker Family” to see what some people will create for their travel needs. That family of eight was down the road from us.
Our next stop will be at a national park at Myrtle Beach. It is the only national park on ocean front property. I expect that there will be more golfing, room to ride our bikes, and a few beach walks to take.
We will be taking our first break to fly home in 11 days – time is passing by too quickly!