Georgia.....Sweet Georgia

Our first stop in Georgia was Savannah. I didn't know Savannah was sooooo square. Square after square after square, each named after a person or event. I enjoyed the harbor best, cobeled stone street and all. I still like Charleston better.

Next was the Okefenokee swamp. What an amasing place. I was concerned about the bugs and small prior to arriving but I was thrilled to find out that there are NO BUGS in October / November in the swamp and that because the water is so acidic there is no foul odor. Just the oposite, we smelled flowers in bloom. Here are just a few of the allegators we encountered. Our guide was a Native American who gave us the history and topography of the area. He also cautioned us not to try and pet the wildlife.

Next we visited an old rice plantation. The main house was very simple and well preserved. The trees on the plantation have been dated at 800 years of age. 

Finally, we went to Cumberland Island. This is a part of our national seashore. The only access is by Ferry. The Carneige's built summer retreats here before donating the island to the government. The ruins of the estate are impressive, I could only imagine what the place looked like in it's hayday. Our guide, Renee Noe, really made history come alive.

We had asked another couple from the campground to join us on our island adventure. Gary and Rhonda Hogan (no, no relation to the wrestler) are from British Columbia, Canada. The 4 of us had a picnic lunch in the gardens, with wild horses grazing 20 feet from us and a flock of wild turkeys nearby. I also saw an armadillo.
After speaking to many fellow travelers we changed our plans and have decided to bypass the mid to southern part of Florida. We are going to travel West through the panhandle and visit the rest of Florida on another trip. Because Tropical Storm Ida was palying around in the area we were headed we extended our stay in Georgia.