Jekyll

We left home on December 28 and had an enjoyable visit with family in Fayetteville, GA. We spent the night at their curb and headed for Brunswick, GA, the next day. George loves jumping off I-16 below Macon and taking the Golden Isles Parkway (US 341). It is a good four lane highway and is more direct than going through Savannah on the interstate. We love passing through the sleepy south Georgia towns of Hazlehurst, Lumber City, Baxley and Jessup. The road is flat and lined with tall south Georgia pine trees.
We stayed initially at Coastal Georgia RV Resort in Brunswick while awaiting the time when we could park at the convention center at Jekyll. We took in a movie (Wild) the next day and enjoyed some great Atlantic fried seafood at Shuck’s Seafood Market. It is take out only, so we ate in the truck, but it was some of the best fried seafood we have ever had.
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We were able to park nose first at Jekyll with a view of the Atlantic out our windshield. We dry camped there for five nights.
         
During our spare time between bluegrass shows, we biked Jekyll’s trails. We were pleased to find that the trail on the inland side of the island has been repaired and new bridges added. That side of the island had just about become impassable due to root heaves.
Here are a couple of shots from the repaired trail:
         
         
Jekyll is really special with its salt marshes, wind-shaped oaks, and marine forests.
                         
          
The bluegrass festival was good this year.  Thursday, typically a “slow day,” featured Rhonda Vincent and the Raves, pictured below.  The tall young man playing the dobro is her son-in-law, as is Hunter, the fiddler, in the next photo.
         
         
We saw the new hotel under construction that is located next door to the convention center. It will be open this spring. While biking on Jekyll we got this view of the Sidney Lanier cable stayed bridge in Brunswick.
         
And this view of the bridge while driving over it to Brunswick.
         
Irene always enjoys the clever Christmas decorations on Jekyll each year:
         
In the last few years after we have made a stop in the Jacksonville area, but cold weather there has made us head directly to Port St. Lucie which is far enough south to be safe on the weather.