Grayton Beach SP our last beach time, travel through GA to Savannah

After our stay at Gulf SP with our friends Faye and Dave and all the excitement of new friends made, we moved further east to the panhandle of FL and Grayton Beach SP where we could slow down. We love the desert but also enjoy our beach time too. We got some of that in Waveland, MS and Gulf Shores, AL but this would be our last opportunity as we continue our travels east and inland. We had a great back in site with FHU's. The site had nice foliage for privacy and the sites and angled so you don't feel like you or your neighbors are looking in.

We enjoyed walking and driving to the beach access just down the road from our site. They have parking and a nice walkway over the dunes to the beach. Most of the condos and beach homes are further up or down the beach so it wasn't very crowded.

We would take our beach chairs and an umbrella and some snacks and watch the waves and people.

There was a bike/walking path outside the park so we took some walks there too. There were shops and restaurants near by that we checked out too.

Who needs Starbucks?

We even found a nice nature trail and there just happened to be a geocache at the entrance so I had to check it out. I found the cache and a surprise inhabitant there too. He was making his way through the trees near the cache.

Enlarge to get a better view

We did come back the next day and took a nice hike on the trail for about 2-3 miles.

Our main objective while at Grayton Beach was to spend time on the beach however we did make sure to take in a couple of sunsets on the beach too. Our first attempt had a little too much cloudy cover at the horizon but our second attempt was very, very rewarding.

Two photos of our first sunset on the beach

Second sunset we enjoyed

We had a great time here in the panhandle and would definitely like to return in the future. We love both the desert and beach which is why we plan to travel for some time....because we can't make up our minds. Which is a good thing too.

Glenda's last look at the beach

She said...we will return

I could have posted more photos but I think these represent what we enjoyed the most about our stay here. A lot of times I forget to take photos because I'm just enjoying our surrounds. I guess that's just living.

We left the panhandle and made our way to Eastbank COE near Bainbridge, GA. It was a nice park with some waterfront sites. We didn't get one though. We were only there a couple of nights before moving on through GA so if we come that way again we would try for one however I don't think we would return unless we could get a waterfront site. We heard they had sugar ant problems so we took some Comet alkaline cleaner which is supposed to ward off the ants. We put a ring around anything touching the ground and tried to keep some things off the ground. It worked well. No problem.

While at the park we took walks on the paved roads and one trail. We even found a couple geocaches too.

There were aa few trees with flowers on them so we took a few photos and enjoyed the scenery.

Next we traveled to General Coffee SP near Douglas, GA. The State parks in GA don't have assigned sites when you register so when you get there you drive through the park and pick a site that isn't occupied. We drove through the park and noticed the roads were very narrow and tight with trees next to the road so we had to really watch our rear end as we maneuvered through the campground loops. We found a suitable pull through and got set up.

Of course with our 1000 mile walk/hike/run challenge going on each day we got out and took a walk around the park. They have several trails so we explored a few around our loop. Glenda got dressed to take photos and keep the sun off.

How does this look?

I also went out one afternoon and picked up a few geocaches. I'm working on getting my numbers up.

We walked on a trail to an area called the Heritage Farm. They have several buildings with chickens, ducks, roosters and goats. There was also a corral with a donkey and horse. We walked around a large pond with a sign that said there were alligators in the area but we didn't see any. We did see a couple of turtles on logs and in the water.

We spent 3 nights in the park and had a nice lunch at a local Mexican restaurant in Douglas. Not a lot of other things to explore in the area so 3 nights was plenty. We were ready to move on to Savannah, Ga.

We made our way to Savannah and stayed at the Fort McAllister SP south of the town. Again it is a park where you don't reserve a specific site. We also found that the roads were very narrow and the twists and turns created anxious moments as we drove through to pick our site. We did find a nice pull though with E/W and facing away from the road for privacy.

This was a road not a path

We took our daily walks around the park and I even found several more geocaches. Unfortunately the mosquitos were out in full force so it limited our time outdoors. I had several bites after searching the grounds for geocaches. Can't help that.

We headed to downtown Savannah the next day after we arrived and found a great parking space near the historic part of town. Parking is a premium, of course but very reasonable. We walked up the street to the Hyatt Hotel and found a carriage ride tour of the area. The driver just happened to have an opening for a public tour(that means other people in the carriage) however no other folks came as we waited so she took just the two of us. This was like a private tour but for half the price. Living right.

Our driver Kelly and horse Katie took us all around the historic area with great stories and opportunities for photos.

General Ogelthorpe

This home was the first to have electricity and plumbing

The tallest building in Savannah is this church spire

You can read more about the history of Savannah, Ga HERE. Rich history related to the Civil War and beyond.

We were able to take a walk along the riverfront and a ride on a water taxi just for fun. Very touristy area of course.

These steps are very steep...had to use caution

Steps to the riverfront

Cobblestone on the riverfront

The Georgia Queen

After a nice lunch of seafood at the Savannah Seafood Shack where I sampled some local beer we took a walk around the parks in the downtown and then made our way over to Leopold's Ice Cream. This is homemade ice cream and a famous stopping point for many celebrities too. They invented the flavor Tutti Frutti.  The ice cream is delicious.

On our carriage tour we had driven by Paula Deen's restaurant called The Lady and Sons

It was a fun day and everything worked out so well. Parking, carriage ride, lunch, ice cream and the riverfront.

We 're grateful to our friends for some recommendations while in Savannah.

So many places to go and see just not enough time in one day and we had to move on to Charleston, SC.

That's our next stop on the blog. Making our way up the coast and then inland as we move toward Illinois, family and friends. Even more history in Charleston. Please follow along.

P.S.
You'll notice the map has changed on the blog too. We've added states.