Last Stop: Savannah, GA (10/13-10/19/2023)

We made it to our last stop without incident.  The night before we left Wilmington was interesting though.  We had gone to bed around 10pm as we had planned for an early departure.  Our neighbors had picked that evening to party hard with raging country tunes and apparently multiple tequila shots.  Quiet hours in a campground are respected by most.  In all of our travels over the last 3 years, this had not happened another time. 

We gave it until 11:15pm and then I called the after hours management number.  Ring, no answer!  They partied on.  We were not too keen on a confrontation with two drunk dudes at night so we called the police non-emergency number.  It was that bad!  I eventually left a voicemail message on another property management number and someone texted back to confirm the offending campsite.  About 30 minutes later the music was turned off and they must have gone inside to sleep it off.  Not sure who made it happen but we were looking at a 5 1/2 driving day on a short nights sleep.  Just gotta roll with it. 

Fuelin' up!

We arrived at Skidaway Island State Park campground.  The drive into the park could have been a shot from Gone with the Wind.  The beautiful moss covered Oaks indicated that we had finally reached the coastal southeast from out start in the coastal northeast back in September. 

We parked Ruth in the larger parking lot and took the Jeep back into the campground for some reconossaince as we had read reviews of narrow, curving roads with low trees in the park.  We agreed on a strategy and Mike expertly backed Ruth in to our spot.  No trees, rooftop air conditioners or paint were harmed.  We got basic set up complete right before it rained.

The next morning the sun had returned. We headed downtown to the Forsyth Park Farmer's market and to reacquaint ourselves with Savannah.  The market was in a beautiful setting so we made a leisurely walk of it and then grabbed some breakfast at a litte cuban bodega off one of the side streets. After spending the afternoon at the campsite we decided to check out the Saturday night scene in Savannah.  It was a lively walk along the riverfront. We saw a freighter docking while we stopped to watch some live music, had a nightcap at B. Mathews Eatery and headed back home. 

There were some reasonably interesting trails within the park.  We took our bikes for a little "off road" ride one day and then hiked another day. Both times we were treated with nice shade and pretty marshland views. 

On our other trips to Savannah, we had never driven out to Tybee Island.  This time, we loaded up our bikes and planned to ride the bike route we had researched there.  On the way we stopped at Fort Pulaski National Monument, a well preserved and significant landmark of Civil War history.  We then continued to a lovely beachside lunch at The Deck Beach Bar and Kitchen.  We got on our bikes and explored the island on well marked secondary roads which took you through neighborhoods and the cute beach front down of Tybee Island.  As it was off-season and a weekday so the traffic was very light and we had the roads to ourselves. 

To cap off our tour of many lighthouses on this trip, we continued our bike ride to the Tybee Island Light Station.  The museum was closed so we just admired from afar.  We also happened upon the large concrete battery remains of Fort Screven. It was an integral part of America's Coastal Defense system and played an important part in the history of our country, including the Spanish American War of 1898, World War I and World War II.

Our last day was spent cleaning, cleaning, cleaning to get Ruth ready for her winter break.  We did take an afternoon break ourselves and had a lovely lunch at The Olde Pink House.  Someone on our travels told us about it and we were not disappointed.  The food and and ambiance was pure southern charm at its best.  We then headed over to Leopolds Ice Cream for dessert.  The Honey Almond and Cream was our very favorite. We headed back on full stomachs to finish our departure checklist and head for home in the morning, another enjoyable, successful journey.

And on my last post I leave you with these words from Anthony Bourdain...

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”