With summer winding down and Trent due to be back at work full time the following week, we decided to have one last hurrah before all the hecticness of life (also known as college football) is back in full swing. We decided to head south to Savannah, Georgia and then on to Jacksonville, Florida for a little R & R on the beach.
I have never been to the Atlantic side of Georgia or Florida and Savannah had always sparked my interest. Without much planning we jumped in the car early Wednesday morning and slowly, but surely made our south towards Savannah. Emerging in southern culture was top priority so by the time we were south of Atlanta we had already stopped for Zaxby’s chicken.
Wednesday night we stayed in Savannah’s historic district. It was late and dark when we arrived, but we still managed a walk along the riverfront.
Thursday morning we began exploring the historic district of Savannah. It stretched from the riverfront to Forsyth Park.
Along the way we visited the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist…The original cathedral was mostly destroyed by a fire in 1898. The cathedral was rebuilt the following year.
Spanish moss for days…
We visited two cemeteries in Savannah. I find cemeteries to be quite interesting. There is so much history. I find myself wondering about the people and what they were like when they were living. I look at the dates. When were they born? How old were they when they died?
We also visited the Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah. The drive was lined with live oaks with Spanish moss hanging from the trees. It was like a scene right out of a movie. Literally. As soon as we pulled up I wondered if part of The Last Song with Miley Cyrus had to be filmed there. And it was. As were about five other popular movies. I couldn’t take enough pictures of the trees with Spanish Moss hanging from them.
Exploring the backside of the Wormsloe Plantation…
In the midst of the live oaks there were plenty of palm trees and more tropical plants…
Seriously…more pictures of trees. As I walked up to take a picture of this red cedar the ground began to move before my eyes. Hundreds of crabs had emerged from the ground and were scattering about near the tree. I was so surprised that it took a minute to even realize that they were crabs.
After we finished exploring Savannah we drove a little ways south to Saint Simons Island, Georgia. There are several islands in this area, nicknamed the Golden Isles. It was a charming little town with beautiful beaches and a quaint little atmosphere.
The original lighthouse on Saint Simons Island was built in 1810. The original lighthouse was destroyed by troops during the Civil War. The current lighthouse a Saint Simons Island was constructed in 1872.
We started by taking a nice long walk along the beach. We saw some people fishing and while we were nearby they caught two stingrays. I was tempted to take a picture because I have never seen a stingray in the wild, but decided that might be a little strange…
Toes in the water, toes in the sand. Not a worry in the world, flip flops in my hand…
Over the course of Thursday and Friday some major steppage took place. According to my FitBit, I had nearly 24,000 steps on Thursday and almost 18,000 on Friday. I think I earned a nice cold glass of sweet tea for all those steps!
Trent’s Uncle Tim passed away several years ago. He loved the outdoors. To remember him, his family created these stones to be left around the world on travels. Saint Simons Island seemed like the perfect place. I didn’t know Tim well, but I do know that he would have loved it there.
My name is Megan and I like long walks on the beach…
Trent enjoyed using Ben’s boogie board to catch the waves. The tide was really high that day and there were some gnarly waves. There were quite a few surfers out hanging ten or maybe just catching some waves. (This is my best attempt at surfer lingo).
Naomi loved strutting around and dancing to the live music. I can’t remember the song now, but the way she was patting Trent on the shoulder and strutting fit perfectly with the music.
Sunsets on the beach…
We got to see the Atlantic from both sides this summer. Once where the sun sets over the Atlantic (Africa) and this time where the sun rises over the Atlantic (except we were on vacation so I didn’t actually see the sunrise).
I’m so thankful for good friends. Coaching opens the door to many new friends. The drawback is when those friends move away. However, the plus side is getting to visit them at their new home in Florida. So happy to see the DiSandros again for a few days!
On our last night I sent this exact picture to my mom and told her that I wasn’t coming back. Seriously tempting…
Our trip was a bit of a whirlwind. In order to make it back in time for work on Monday we spent 15 hours in the car on Sunday. After spending four days in the true south I was all things sweet tea and country music. It only seemed appropriate.
Now, summer is majorly beginning to wind down. Trent is back to work full time (or maybe double time). I really don’t want to know how many miles I’ve put on my car this summer. I do know that since the beginning of July I have put more than 3,500 miles on my car. That is a lot of miles! So thankful for the opportunity to jump in the car and make all the trips we took this summer. I’m also so happy for a summer vacation that didn’t involve camping. I love the outdoors and the mountains, but it was so nice not having to sleep in a tent and use a “vaulted toilet.”
Many, many memories were made this summer and of course it isn’t even August yet. I do have one more little trip up my sleeve.
Until then…
{The Launes}
