Georgia

The Golden Isles

Posted on by Seniye Groff

The Golden Isles of Georgia are comprised of four barrier islands: St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. Since Sea Island is private and Little St. Simons Island can only be reached by boat, I am exploring the remaining two islands.

My day started in Savannah and an easy hour and a half drive south landed me in St. Simons Island. I visited Fort Frederica first. This fort was built in 1736 to protect General Oglethorpe’s Georgia colony from the Spanish in Florida. It sits on the Frederica River and was a perfect stop to stretch our legs.

Fort Frederica

We then headed to Pier Village where my hotel is located but since check-in wasn’t for a few hours, Pete and I walked the pier, the iconic lighthouse and the beach.

With more time to kill, I decided to drive to Jekyll Island. Although not far away in miles, it is not exactly a straight shot so it took about 40 minutes to get there.

I drove to Driftwood Beach first. A short sandy path drops you onto a breathtaking beach that you truly don’t expect. Once a forest, erosion and salt water created this symphony of tree trunks littered on the beach and in the water during high tide.

I then drove a few miles to the Historic District on Pier Road. Originally this area was an exclusive winter retreat for the wealthiest families in America. It’s 240 acres and now contains shops, in addition to a luxurious hotel.

We drove a few more miles to the west end of the island to see St. Andrew’s Beach. It’s supposedly the spot for sunset pictures.

It was truly a perfect day with sunny weather and beautiful sites. The busy season is just starting here and I can easily imagine lazy summer days in this unique area.

Thunderstorms, tornado warnings and Savannah

Posted on by Seniye Groff

I was inconsiderately woken up by a thunderstorm at 4:53 this morning. I have to admit that Georgia has mild, balmy weather which at this time of year is so much better than Portland’s rain but the thunderstorms are vicious (different from the weepy, slow drip of Portland rain).

Once I got out of bed, I checked the weather for my drive to Savannah today and there were tornado warnings south of Atlanta. I know nothing about tornadoes as my world has been about earthquakes. I talked to a neighbor and he did some research and reported back to me that by the time I reached the tornado warning zone it would be over.

Savannah was a five hour drive south and east. I checked into my hotel and immediately headed to the historic district with Pete. Wow, I was blown away with the beauty. I visited Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day about 40 years ago (and if you haven’t been, trust me it’s a big deal)! But we drank and left.

This visit I sauntered through the old, historic streets. Gardens, parks, statues and historical markers are everywhere. And the architecture varied and divine and includes Victorian , Greek revival, gothic and Romanesque. Mansions galore and just beautiful Spanish moss tree-lined streets. Pete and I parked at Forsyth Park and walked to several of the squares including Pulaski, Madison, Lafayette and then down to the river. The gold-domed city hall was impressive and there were tons of restaurants, shops and cafes everywhere.

Forsyth Park

Gee’s Bend

Posted on by Seniye Groff

This morning I left Camden (goodbye!) and headed to Gee’s Bend. Gee’s Bend refers to the area historically known as Gee’s Bend (but currently listed as Boykin, AL on maps). This is an extremely remote area with not even a coffee shop. I did drive by an assembly of double wide trailers with a Hunting Club sign. Private. Keep out. Clearly hunters outweigh coffee drinkers here.

My friend told me about this area a couple of years ago and I was intrigued. The quilters of Gee’s Bend are currently residing in the area or are descendants of folks from that area. The Quilters Collective is located within Boykin. These quilts have received worldwide acclaim.

https://www.geesbend.org/history-of-gees-bend

My plan was to complete the self-guided tour and then meet up with one of the quilters. The signage isn’t great so it took me a bit to find it (and a few phone calls to my friend). Unfortunately, the person I was supposed to meet did not show up so I drove around and read the panels and looked at the beautiful photos of the quilts. I had forgotten that Sundays in the South are extremely quiet. I am sure my quilting meeting would have happened if it were not a Sunday.

My plan was to move on to Selma and I secured a short-term rental for the night. It was about a 45 minute drive and I arrived around noon in Selma. The perimeter of the city was lovely so I was really surprised when I drove down Broad Street. Buildings were empty, boarded up and some were falling down. Glass was everywhere. I couldn’t imagine leaving my rental at night (even during the day was sketchy). I decided to walk Pete over the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge. As I was walking over the bridge I realized I did not feel comfortable enough to stay the night.

My dilemma became what to do next. The three museums I wanted to see in Montgomery are closed Monday and Tuesday, which meant Sunday until Wednesday I would need to figure out how to fill the time. I looked at the map and realized a drive to Atlanta would only be about 3.5 hours. And so that is what I did.

With travel, flexibility is key and with a car I can pivot easily. Pete is thrilled to be out of the car and running around in a large backyard. I look forward to creating a routine and digging deeper into Atlanta. I can visit Montgomery during a day trip or a quick overnighter while I am here.