South for Warmer Weather 

After several nights in wintery Virginia and South Carolina we settled for two days at milder Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Congaree National Park

The diversity of old growth bottomland hardwood forest is the result of flooding waters from the Congaree and Wateree Rivers which carry nutrients and sediments throughout the park. A majority of the park lies within the floodplain with little elevation change resulting in frequent flooding and closure of parts of the 2 mile scenic boardwalk.

    
Cypress knees                                                             Saw Palmetto Palm

Jekyll Island

A Haven for People and Birds 

From the 1500s until the 1800s the island settlers built using materials found on the island. Larger building were made of Tabby, a type of concrete made from burned oyster shells, sand and crushed shells mixed with water. The walls of a structure built in 1743 stills stands on the island,

 
Block of Tabby 

$$$$  The Millionaires Discover the Island   $$$$

In 1886 a group of prominent millionaires including the Rockefellers and Goodyears bought the island from French settlers and formed the exclusive Jekyll Island Club for use as a hunting preserve. They also built elaborate “cottages” as family retreats. 

In 1915 the president of AT&T made the first transcontinental telephone from the island to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.  

The entire island, including the cottages, was sold by later generations to the state of Georgia and it is now a state park.

    
Club dining room                                                                Club house

Family cottage

 

A Walk along Driftwood Beach

     
Fun at the beach                                                     Wandering path

At home in the marsh

Ravines Garden State Park 

During the Great Depression the WPA transformed these ancient ravines in central Florida into a rustic tropical garden with trails winding up and down the slopes through 18 types of azaleas. The peak flowering period for the azalea season begins in January when hundreds of azaleas have a “rolling bloom” which continues through March. The spring-fed steam continually erodes the ravines as it flows to the St Johns River.

    
Blooming azaleas
 

Blue Spring State Park

Manatees

Home to wintering manatees, Blue Spring discharges approximately 100 million gallons of 72 degree water a day from the Florida aquifer into the Blue Spring Run and then the St Johns River.

    
Record count for 2022                                                       A few of the 663 manatees

 
Frolicking in the spring

Note that this manatee picture is a video, click it to play

We have no clue to how they can accurately count the manatees.

Now we are relaxing in Florida with Aunt Fran and cousin Jackie as the weather gets really warm.

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