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.

Avery Island, Tabasco and Gulf State Park

While in Abbeville, LA we had the opportunity to visit Avery Island and the Tabasco Factory. Our friends and traveling companions, Faye and Dave from The Wandering Camels suggested the trip and tour. We were not disappointed. Our visit started at the Tabasco Museum. Here we learned about the McIlhenny family and the early production of Tabasco Pepper Sauce.

After a through education there we started our tour of the factory. This is a self guided tour.

The greenhouse

The girls feeling saucy(sassy)

Pepper plant

In the greenhouse you could see the peppers in different stages of growth. The greenhouse has a slightly pungent smell too.

Next we looked in the barrel warehouse where the peppers are aged before being used in the sauce.

Video explaining the barrel aging

Display of barrels

We then moved on the actual factory where the blending and bottling takes place. Again there was a very pungent smell in the air.

Blending tubs

Bottling of different flavors of pepper sauce

There was also a display of the underground salt mines on Avery Island

After the tour we ended in an area where they had large replicas of the different Tabasco sauces.

After the tour we went into the Tabasco General Store for some souvenirs. I got a cap and we also tasted some ice cream with Tabasco sauces added for extra flavor. We even got some different samples of pepper sauces for the kids. A little something to spice up their lives. HaHa.

Before we headed to the Jungle Garden, Faye, Glenda and I found an Earth Geocache.

Earth Caches are caches in an area where you learn some information about the area and then email answers to questions by the cache owner.

It was a sculpture like this one but NOT this one.

You'll have to find it yourself

Now it was time to tour the Jungle Garden on Avery Island. The Avery Island tour is by vehicle with stops along the way to explore. We saw several birds, alligator and other wildlife.

I don't remember the story behind this shrine

People place coins on these elephant statues for good luck

Egrets everywhere

E. A. McIlhenny, founded a bird colony in the 1890s — later called Bird City — after plume hunters slaughtered egrets by the thousands for feathers to make fashionable ladies’ hats.

It was quite a sight to see so many egrets nesting with their young. Quite noisy too. A very enjoyable experience knowing these birds are protected. We had a wonderful experience on Avery Island and so happy Faye and Dave suggested we go there.

After Louisiana we moved on to Mississippi as I already posted and then on to Gulf Shores, AL. We had reservations at Gulf State Park. It turned out that Faye and Dave had friends from their Alaska trip last summer and the word got out to them. The next thing we know there are several couples coming to the park while we were there. They're a great group of folks and we had a lot of in with a couple of happy hour dinners of shrimp, hotdogs that friends Mike and Liz made and shared. Then the next night Faye and Dave put on a happy hour of BBQ ribs, pulled pork and Dave's delicious Mac and Cheese. Everyone brought something to share each night and we certainly did not go hungry. If you did, it was your fault. :-) 

One afternoon we all went to Lambert's Café for Throw'd Rolls and lots of wonder, delicious food.

Everyone went home with leftovers. Cool atmosphere and they are very efficient in getting so many people fed. We had a wonderful time getting to know everyone better.

Faye started a hike, walk, run challenge for 2017 that we've been participating in this year. So everyday we got together and got our steps in at the park. There are numerous trails and walkways throughout the park. We were at Gulf SP two years ago and it's incredible to see how much they've improved the park and it's trails.

 We had the opportunity one morning on our walk to see a mother alligator and her babies along the trail. The area was guarded by a nice railing to protect her and us. Enlarge the photo to see the baby gators best.

We had a rain day during our stay and everyone went to a place in Orange Beach called Flora-Bama Lounge. They have free bingo there. It's a tent covered area behind the store and several tables set up for bingo and other activities.

The bingo caller had quite a southern accent so it was difficult to understand the numbers he called out. We played several games and I was fortunate to win one of them. There were two of us that won that game so we each got to pick a prize. I took a 6 pack of Fat Tire beer. Happy, Happy.

Why is she doing the Junior Birdman?

Well they have a drink there called a Bushwhacker.

Very tasty, sweet but very strong

It looks like a milk shake so it's easy to get giddy.

Glenda and I got in as much beach time as we could too. They have a beach across the road from the park and we got free parking access while staying at the campground. A nice little perk.

Overall we had fun time and met new friends. Most of the group left the day before we did so we got to say our "See you later's" with Faye and Dave without the crowd. Such a bittersweet farewell.

We had a fantastic 3 week travel with them and can't begin to say how much we enjoyed our time together. Looking forward to more adventures with them down the road. We might even be seeing them at Cave Creek Campground next winter if we get the workamping job there.

We get to see them again in IL at Bo Wood COE as we make our way back to B/N in May. They have a workamping job at a COE near by.

Glenda and I are now in Santa Rosa Beach, FL at Grayton Beach SP.  Getting in the last of our beach time before moving more inland to Georgia. Next post....Our time at Grayton Beach SP

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