Georgia and A Little Bit of Florida
Monday, October 29th
Drove straight from Kiawah Island to Savannah, GA that evening. Crossed the Savannah River.
Wednesday, October 31st
Happy Halloween! Actually we didn't even remember it was halloween until we were signing up for a boat tour of the Okefenokee "Blackwater" Swamps. We definitely got some good scares in today. I could write sooo much about what we saw and experienced on the tour. But I will let the photos do the talking here. I do have to mention that our tour guide was a seventh generation swamp dweller. He told us all about the swamp lands ecosystem and organisms. He spoke with a mighty southern accent and humor. We thoroughly enjoyed his narrating. Probably saw at least 20 alligators on the ride. WOW!
Cool reflection in the "blackwater". It actually is very clean water that was thought to have healing powers by native americans. It is black because of a certain plant that steeps in the water and makes it like an acidic tea. The slight acidity gives the water the power to sterilize wounds.
Cool bird.
"He's coming right for us!"
This one was the longest we saw probably. You can see the end of his tail to the left and his head on the right. He was well over 10 ft!
Awwww.
It was other-worldly.
Tour Guide talking about a unique carnivorous plant he pulled from the water. Bladderwort.
Large alligator crossing in front of us.
After the boat ride, we thanked our guide and hit the road to Florida. Drove for several hours until we passed through Jacksonville, FL. Stopped along the beach and got out for a looksee. Continued driving south until we hit St. Augustine. We noticed a lot of people dressed in costumes walking around so we decided to stop and grab a brew before camping out for the night.
Cool architecture all around downtown St. Augustine.
Scary costume!
Cheers!!!!
That is all for this posting folks! Stay tuned for the next blog post to experience the rest of our journey through Florida. We stay with several cousins (Emma's cousins and then mine too!). We see the Keys, and Miami , and even go snorkeling! So tune in next time! Stay tuned to Emma's and Erik's Adventures! That's what it's called...Emma's and Erik's Adventures! Don't miss it! Wubba lubba dub dub! ;)
Drove straight from Kiawah Island to Savannah, GA that evening. Crossed the Savannah River.
You get a pretty good view of the port city from the bridge. Camped outside the city that night. I was able to call my parents and catch them up on how things have been going. I told my mom that she would absolutely love Charleston. It is such an old city with spectacular architecture.
Tuesday, October 30th
Drove back to the downtown area this morning. Some of the first buildings we noticed were part of SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). The SCAD buildings were scattered between very old industrial buildings that served the harbor.
Emma was on the phone with her mom when we rolled into town. After a few blocks of driving east, I turned downhill towards the docks and riverfront. All of the sudden we were in the midst of a huge construction site! Half of the boardwalk area was being renovated with several buildings being totally restored. It was a funny moment having Emma on the phone with Beth while we wiggled the van through very narrow cobblestone streets past cranes and many construction workers. “Are we supposed to be driving through here?” We asked ourselves. All the construction workers just smiled and waved as we drove slowly past them. So I guess the road was still open!
Parked for the day along the riverfront after we were clear of all the construction. We got out and walked along the rivers boardwalk and admired all the old buildings and shops along here. It felt nice to walk since we were sore from biking all over Charleston two days prior.
Walked up some cool old stairs to get up to the actual downtown area. There was a set of these stairs at the end of each block. They were surprisingly steep to climb!
We walked up and down the main streets of Savannah and stopped in some of the unique stores. On one block we passed a film set. Emma claimed she saw Liam Hemsworth walking on the set. I never saw him. I had to drag Emma away from the set after waiting 5 minutes for him to reappear. I looked up this Liam Hemsworth later that day and realized (luckily for me) he is dating Miley Cyrus. Way to go Liam.
Picture of the Savannah Capitol Building from one of the many little block sized parks that scatter the town.
Old-timey river boat at the docks where we parked.
After walking around the harbor and downtown area for a time, we found a Starbucks to camp out in and catch up on our emails and blogging. Ordered some coffee and tea and were busy for at least 3 hours! We looked up a few options for camping that night and settled on a spot right outside the entrance to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. We walked back to the van and said goodbye to Savannah. Emma and I both came to the conclusion that Savannah has a lot going on for itself and everyone there was super friendly!
Drove to Okefenokee Pastimes Campground and arrived before sunset. Checked in at the main building and had a pleasant chat with the woman who owned the grounds. We thought she would be surprised to hear we were all the way from New York (everyone else's reaction down here), but she one-upped us claiming she was from Maine! She must have moved down here a long time ago since she had a thick southern accent. We got settled in and had a good night's rest.
Drove back to the downtown area this morning. Some of the first buildings we noticed were part of SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). The SCAD buildings were scattered between very old industrial buildings that served the harbor.
Emma was on the phone with her mom when we rolled into town. After a few blocks of driving east, I turned downhill towards the docks and riverfront. All of the sudden we were in the midst of a huge construction site! Half of the boardwalk area was being renovated with several buildings being totally restored. It was a funny moment having Emma on the phone with Beth while we wiggled the van through very narrow cobblestone streets past cranes and many construction workers. “Are we supposed to be driving through here?” We asked ourselves. All the construction workers just smiled and waved as we drove slowly past them. So I guess the road was still open!
Parked for the day along the riverfront after we were clear of all the construction. We got out and walked along the rivers boardwalk and admired all the old buildings and shops along here. It felt nice to walk since we were sore from biking all over Charleston two days prior.
We walked up and down the main streets of Savannah and stopped in some of the unique stores. On one block we passed a film set. Emma claimed she saw Liam Hemsworth walking on the set. I never saw him. I had to drag Emma away from the set after waiting 5 minutes for him to reappear. I looked up this Liam Hemsworth later that day and realized (luckily for me) he is dating Miley Cyrus. Way to go Liam.
After walking around the harbor and downtown area for a time, we found a Starbucks to camp out in and catch up on our emails and blogging. Ordered some coffee and tea and were busy for at least 3 hours! We looked up a few options for camping that night and settled on a spot right outside the entrance to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. We walked back to the van and said goodbye to Savannah. Emma and I both came to the conclusion that Savannah has a lot going on for itself and everyone there was super friendly!
Drove to Okefenokee Pastimes Campground and arrived before sunset. Checked in at the main building and had a pleasant chat with the woman who owned the grounds. We thought she would be surprised to hear we were all the way from New York (everyone else's reaction down here), but she one-upped us claiming she was from Maine! She must have moved down here a long time ago since she had a thick southern accent. We got settled in and had a good night's rest.
Wednesday, October 31st
Happy Halloween! Actually we didn't even remember it was halloween until we were signing up for a boat tour of the Okefenokee "Blackwater" Swamps. We definitely got some good scares in today. I could write sooo much about what we saw and experienced on the tour. But I will let the photos do the talking here. I do have to mention that our tour guide was a seventh generation swamp dweller. He told us all about the swamp lands ecosystem and organisms. He spoke with a mighty southern accent and humor. We thoroughly enjoyed his narrating. Probably saw at least 20 alligators on the ride. WOW!
After the boat ride, we thanked our guide and hit the road to Florida. Drove for several hours until we passed through Jacksonville, FL. Stopped along the beach and got out for a looksee. Continued driving south until we hit St. Augustine. We noticed a lot of people dressed in costumes walking around so we decided to stop and grab a brew before camping out for the night.
Cheers!!!!
That is all for this posting folks! Stay tuned for the next blog post to experience the rest of our journey through Florida. We stay with several cousins (Emma's cousins and then mine too!). We see the Keys, and Miami , and even go snorkeling! So tune in next time! Stay tuned to Emma's and Erik's Adventures! That's what it's called...Emma's and Erik's Adventures! Don't miss it! Wubba lubba dub dub! ;)