Jekyll Island, Georgia

March 7-9, 2014

Jekyll Island is pretty creepy, with all the trees with the moss hanging down, raccoons, and deep forests.  We decided to bike to the beach so my Mom could get some shots.  There were dead trees everywhere!  My Dad, Tyler and I biked around the beach, sliding 180s.  My Mom wanted to come back early for the sunset.  I was definitely going to go.  We headed back, and saw a raccoon.  I didn’t have my glasses so I couldn’t get a good look at him.  We peddled on, and found another raccoon!  This one was close so I could see it.  The striped tail, black around his eyes, he was actually kind of cute!  He stood up on his hind legs, and when he put them down, it was enough to drive me away.  A while after we got back, just when I thought I’d slip into sleep, my Mom came to my bed.  It didn’t seem like morning at all, but I didn’t want her to leave without me.  I pulled on my clothes, put on my sweatshirt, and we headed out.  We biked even further this time and there were so much dead trees!  It was like an obstacle course on my bike. It was even hard staying out of the other photographers’ way.  We decided to head back along the beach.  After all, if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have found this shell.  It was a big one, old, and intact!  It had those pegs going around the upper part and the shell looked like it was rolled up.  As we biked along, we saw a bunch of jellyfish.  Not in the water, but just washed up on the beach.  My Mom spotted a crab.  It was all curled up, but when she poked it, it moved for her.  Of course she took a couple of shots, but when it stopped, it wouldn’t move again.  The bike ride was getting tiring, and we should’ve been back by now.  Then, I saw a rock, but it wasn’t a rock, it was a horseshoe crab shell.  I’ve never found one myself before.  I only see them in nature centers.  I had to show Tyler and Dad, just another thing to carry.  We actually reached the pavement! This is my favorite place, biking through the trees, branches hanging down, and moss.  This is where we saw the raccoons.  We didn’t get to see any though.  It was just all the birds.  I did see a cardinal though. They made nice sound as we peddled along.  We finally got back. I was surprised when Dad and Tyler were still in bed.

~Jack

In 1886, Jekyll Island was purchased to become an exclusive winter retreat for America’s most elite families, known as the Jekyll Island Club. For more than half a century, the nation’s leading families, including the legendary Rockefellers, Morgans, and Pulitzers, came to Jekyll Island “to secure an escape.”  It soon became recognized as “the richest, most inaccessible club in the world.”

I have to laugh because those guys would be rolling in their graves to know there is a campground here...with people in RV's...enjoying their exclusive island rather inexpensively!

Don't be fooled by the bare feet! It is chilly at 50 degrees!  Probably sounds like a heatwave to everyone back home! I tried to make some chili for dinner but was lacking a few ingredients and it turned into a nice bolognese sauce instead.

Since dinner was all set, and the sun was coming out, I rallied the troops for a bike ride on the beach.

We even spotted a few raccoons on the way home...he was not shy either!

Saturday, March 8

Jack and I were up and out before the crack of dawn! We had a short bike ride to Driftwood Beach to see the sunrise.  I was pleasantly surprised to actually see several people out with their cameras this morning.  Mornings like this, in a new place, make me want to stay on the road indefinitely!

We saw lots of beached jellyfish, a live crab and Jack found a nice big shell, fully intact.

The live oaks are draped in Spanish Moss giving a creepy feeling to this Island.  We spent the afternoon biking around the entire island, about 10 miles.  There are miles of biking trails, all paved and flat, the way I prefer it! We biked down to the Jekyll Club Hotel for a lunch al fresco...

Then we went into the the Georgia Sea Turtle Center which is a hospital for ill and injured sea turtles.   They have an interactive exhibit gallery and rehabilitation pavilion with a number of viewable sea turtle patients.  Many of the turtles are from the New England Aquarium.  They get flown down here on private planes!

We all loved the island, especially all the biking trails.  Another great stop on our trip!

~Linda