Wow, what a great day we had yesterday. Since the National Parks were free to the public this weekend, we decided to look at what we could see near our temporary home in Warner Robins, Georgia. There were a couple of National Monuments and Museums in Middle Georgia, but when we looked at the map and saw that we could get to the Atlantic coast within 3 hours, we knew where we had to go.

We left the house at about 7:30am and the fog was very think. At first, I thought the moon was trying to poke through and then realized it was actually the sun.

The trip down to the coast was very nice as State Road 96 was lined with trees. In some spots, it reminded me of River Heights in Winnipeg, where the trees from either side reach across and touch over the center of the road. By the time we reach Savannah, my view of forests took a totally different view. The moss just hangs off the branches as you can see from the first photo. It is the coolest thing. Savannah is a beautiful little town and we plan to go back again soon to spend some quality time there.

The main purpose of our trip was to get to Fort Pulaski National Monument. This was a Union fort built as protection from the British after the the War of 1812. However, was never really used for this purpose of course so it was home to 2 people, a commander and a maintenance person. However, at the time of the Civil War, the Confederates knew about the “large” number of forces at the based and walked in and took over. A little over a year later, knowing the construction of the fort, the Union forces used a new type of cannon to take back control of the park.

The fort is surrounded by a moat which is a playground for a few alligators (Amelia saw one). The mounds that you can see at the front of the fort in the picture are actually underground rooms. I was amazed that in the heat of Georgia, the inside of the fort and especially the underground, stayed nice and cool. Of course, out in the open the sun was pretty scorching.

After leaving Fort Pulaski we head to Tybee Island. We had no idea what to expect, thinking it was going to be a little beach and some place for us to get lunch. When we got there, we quickly realized it was so much more. Tybee Island is a little beach/surfer town that comes with the style of many towns like it. Brightly colored, very busy and many young people walking around in bathing suits.

Every where there was a spot to park, there was a meter or parking station for you to put money in. Every where! We lucked out and got parking right at the beach and then went for a walk to visit the shops and get some lunch.

We got to the beach and ran right into the water. I expected that the water would be cold or at least cool. To my surprise the water was really warm. I guess I have to stop using my trip to the Bay of Fundy in April as my basis for measurement and expectation.

However, looking out over the water you could see two storms coming in with lightening and everything. We weren’t in the water for 5 minutes when the life guards called everyone off the beach and 10 minutes later the water was coming down in sheets. By the time we were changed and driving away again, the street were flooded with water. So we had a short visit, but Amelia is already figuring out when we can go back to visit again.

Leaving Tybee Island we headed for Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. The coast is dotted with tons of fair sized islands, but only a few are accessible. Basically, between Tybee Island and Hilton Head Island there isn’t much to visit.

I used to work with someone who visited Hilton Head a lot and when I saw how close it was to where we were going to be in Savannah, I decided we simply had to go. I am very glad we did, for two reasons. First, Hilton Head Island is designed with a purpose in mind. All of the commercial centers along the main roads are build behind a layer of trees. All you see are the signs and entrances. It feels like you are driving through the bush to get to the store.

The other reason is that they had a public beach, which meant we got another chance to play at the beach. The clouds were still there, but they weren’t threatening. The waves were just big enough for the kids to play in. It was great to watch them jumping and body surfing in the waves, being so confident in the water. Amelia’s swimming lessons are quickly paying off.

After getting our fill at the beach, it was time for lunch. We ate at the Smokehouse Restaurant. The food wasn’t the greatest, but Katie was an excellent server.

Back in the car and headed for home. We got home around midnight, fully satisfied with an excellent day.