Georgia on my…Magnus? Day 10

Friday, February 20

On our morning walk, Molly paid for her upkeep. She saw two raccoons by the boat ramp, way up in a tree where I never would have noticed them. I suspect she heard them, somehow, because she’s not in the habit of looking up over her head.

There were three Pelicans (Brown) in the bay.  Swallows were back in abundance, staying very high so I couldn’t tell what kind they were. Swallows are difficult for me.

It was breezy and very warm, almost short-sleeve weather. And the agenda for the day was to go walk through Bonadventure Cemetery and then climb up Tybee Lighthouse. Getting there took a lot longer than I’d hoped for, mostly because of traffic and the route required to get there. Google took us around the city to the southeast to get to the cemetery, and I liked that. But on the way back we seemed to barrel right through residential neighborhoods, pretty old ones, too. I didn’t like that.

The cemetery was huge beyond huge. We didn’t walk more than a fraction of it. I was surprised to find that they were still burying people there, or at least those who purchased grave sites and only just died in the last ten years or so. I didn’t ask if they were still selling sites.

The gentleman who met us at the Historical Society Building and gave us a map (for a donation, amount of my choosing; I did $20 and he seemed to think that was generous), indicated that in the visitor’s parking lot there were big bathrooms. So we drove all the way across the cemetery to the very back edge where the parking lot was…only to find that, no, there weren’t any bathrooms there. Not even a port-a-potty. So we had to drive back to the entrance to pee, then return to park. No big deal but annoying as heck.

It’s hard to describe what it’s like to meander through a place so old, so huge, and so full of dead people. I’m told it’s not the oldest cemetery in Savannah, but it’s still old enough for me. I’ll consult the guidebook later and get some interesting facts to fill my brain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a short-ish meander, we got back in the Jeep and navigated to Tybee Island Lighthouse, Georgia’s oldest and tallest. Of course it was burned down and rebuilt several times in its history. The oldest tower was build in 1736 but it must have been farther out to sea, because its replacement (built four years later) washed away from shoreline erosion. The one we climbed was built sometimes in the late 1800s.  We were privileged to climb 178 steps until we were about 140 feet up, and there we could look down on the Atlantic Ocean. Again.

News flash: it’s still there.

 

REVIEW: Fort McAllister State Park

Oldie but goodie, very much so

Nestled in a woods of pine, hickory, oak and magnolia, and surrounded more or less by a lovely salt flat, this is a truly perfect campground for people like me. Outdoors and lots of it, hookups for the RV, and a plethora of little trails to get lost on.

We had a pull-thru W/E site. There are about 18 or more full hookup sites, but I suspect they were all booked for my date range (Wed-Fri). We were there in mid-February and the weather was pretty darn perfect. Nights in the fifties, days in the seventies; scattered clouds and an occasional smattering of sunshine. The RV campground wasn’t full—about 75%-- and the tent campgrounds were pretty much empty.

I’m not sure it would be a great place for a really big rig or a huge fifth wheel. Our 35’ Class A and toad fit neatly into our site, but some of the twists and turns of the road through the campground were tight. All very manageable—we didn’t have to unhook—but you had to be pretty careful about winding through trees on both sides. The limbs were kept well trimmed back but we still scraped a few tiny branches on the sides.

Our water and electric worked fine. The picnic table was aged but usable. Site surface was grass and dirt. There were a few graveled sites but most of the ones I saw were grass.

Beautifully quiet this time of year! Although I have to admit that the other campers were mostly older people; I didn’t see any kids or any big parties of young adults. Maybe in the summer it would be more busy since it’s within 40 minutes of Savannah.

There’s a boat ramp and an ancient fishing pier, but at  low tide the  water was mostly shallow mud.

The fort’s museum and reconstructed embankments were very interesting—well worth the price of admission. If you’re a civil war history buff you could spend hours there. We enjoyed about an hour walking around and through the exhibits and the grounds. Cool!