“Even
if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Will Rogers
Carol
writes: As
we were slowly working our way south, we were happy to know that we were missing
the worst of winter’s storms. We had
heard very glowing reports about the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay campground near
St. Marys, Georgia,
so that is where we decided to bring in a quiet
Christmas and New Year. At the entrance
gate we were greeted with the sail of an actual submarine submerged in a grassy
knoll..
With plenty of sun and space all around for great
satellite reception, we were delighted with our pull-through spot smack in the
middle of the campground. It was the
perfect spot for peaceful walks and holiday down time.
Our campground was just beyond a barbed wire fence
that marked the high-security area where all the submarine activity was located. Almost everything on base had closed or had
limited hours for the holidays, so we found our holiday home to be a very tranquil
setting…except for the discordant note of nearly hourly loudspeaker announcements
declaring in the distance, “This is a
restricted area. Use of deadly force is
authorized.”
Fortunately, in short time, we were able to tune this out…
We rarely pass up the chance to visit a
fort. For us, one more fort is never one
too many! Fort Clinch,
at the tip of Amelia Island,
has a diverse history
with service in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and final service in
the Second World War.
Even the approach to its thick brick walls was
impressive!
Powerful cannons sat poised with their aim out
into the waters off the shore of this northernmost barrier island.
In the interior central grounds, there were several
well-preserved buildings that gave a good representation of what Civil War-era life
was like on a typical day in 1864.
Before leaving Amelia Island for the day, we took
a short walk on nearby Fernandina Beach,
followed by lunch at the Salty Pelican,
where the open-air second floor bar served up great seafood and a mean summery drink
called… what else… the “salty pelican.”
By now we had a pretty good understanding why so
many U.S. northerners (and Canadians) come south for the winter. I guess you could say we have proudly joined
the ranks of the so-called “snowbirds.”
On New Year’s Day we celebrated the
start of 2017 with a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp. The
history of human habitation at Okefenokee was best appreciated at the historic Chesser
family home and outbuildings that dated back to the late 1920s. The explanation for the neatly kept sandy landscape was that the sand made it easier to spot snakes...or their slithery tracks. Farm life for the Chesser family in the
Okefenokee certainly demonstrated a genuine pioneer spirit.
However, at Okefenokee, it was the swamp itself
that was the star attraction. We hoped
that a guided tour into the waters of this incredibly significant wildlife
refuge would provide us a good opportunity to see some alligators in their
natural habitat. No disappointments
there! On this swamp boat we saw
alligators at every turn!
We got amazingly close to this big boy, but he
seemed totally unfazed! As for me—not so comfortable.
The gators along this canal seemed to be saying, “In
our playground, it’s a gator’s life.” We
were fortunate it was a sunny day because there were numerous gators lounging in
the grass along the muddy banks,
and on top of grassy knolls.
Likewise, the birds at Chesser Prairie were in
their element.
Even the humans were relaxed…
The Spanish moss draped in the trees along the
canal was exceptional.
We were so glad we jumped at the chance for a
swamp boat tour. Unless you can find
some way to get out into the waters of this unique wildlife refuge, you have
missed the best part of the solitude, beauty and complexity of the Okefenokee.
“The
trouble with doing nothing is it’s too hard to tell when you’re finished.” Suzanne Woods Fisher
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