I’ve had many people ask about my favorite place and the answer is always the same.
There is no place else on earth I love more than my little peace of paradise here in coastal Georgia. This is where our children grew up and where Henry and I are growing old together. I have the best friends and neighbors anyone could ask for and there is beauty every where I look.
Sunrise over the Atlantic OceanFull moon rising over the Atlantic OceanSunset over the Salt MarshSalt Marsh of Coastal Georgia
Want to go to an uninhabited barrier island? A boat or kayak will get you there.
Boat ride on one of the many creeksUninhabited Georgia Barrier IslandWe often are the only people on one of the uninhabited barrier islands
Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins are a common sight in the waters.
Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin near Tybee Island, Georgia
Let’s not forget the birds.
Roseate Spoonbill fishing in Georgia tidal creekOspreyGreat EgretJuvenile IbisWood Stork and EgretMale Painted Bunting
Whether you cook it at home or eat out at one of the many great restaurants nearby, there’s nothing better than eating fresh caught seafood.
Fresh Georgia Blue Crabs straight from the creek to the pot.
I love to travel and always enjoy our wanderings. Every trip ends the same way. I know I am almost home when I start smelling the salt marsh and seeing the creeks and marsh as we drive the last few miles.
No matter where you may roam, the best part is coming home – anonymous
What better way to begin our winter southern adventure than a stop in one of our favorite state parks, Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
Much of the swamp is covered with thick peat deposits. The early Native Americans named the area Okefenokee which means “land of trembling earth” because they felt the movement of the peat beneath their feet as they walked.
There were deer in the campground every day. One day we took a walk on the boardwalk nature trail near the marina and watched an egret searching for food.
White Tailed Deer n the Okefenokee
Egret in the Okefenokee
The Okefenokee Swamp is one of North America’s most unspoiled natural wilderness areas. According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge web page, “the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has 353,981 acres of National Wilderness Area within the refuge boundaries.
We always enjoy going out in a boat to explore the swamp. On our last visit we enjoyed our ranger guided boat tour so much we decided to go on another tour. While waiting for the tour to begin we wandered around the boat ramp and discovered Mama gator Sophie lounging by the ramp with some of her babies hanging out nearby.
Mama Sophie by the boat ramp with her babies nearby
Young alligators
Young alligators
Young alligator
As we rode through the man made canal into the swamp we spied more young gators on the bank enjoying the warm day.
Young alligators on the bank
A large gator checked us out as we exited the canal into the swamp.
Alligator in the Okefenokee
After a few days of cloudy skies and chilly days the sun was starting to warm things up. The warmer weather brought out plenty of wildlife.
Okefenokee Swamp
Cormorant in the Okefenokee
Alligator in the Okefenokee
Alligators enjoying some warm weather
Turtle in the swamp
Hanging out in the Okefenokee
The water winds through ancient cypress trees and water lilies.
Beautiful day in the OkefenokeeCypress Trees in the Okefenokee
Snow and ice storms are rare in coastal Georgia. The last time we had snow that stuck was a few days before Christmas in 1989.
The freezing rain and snow that came through on January 3, 2018 caused road and bridge closures. Schools were out and government offices were closed. Coastal Georgia was transformed into a winter wonderland.
This year was a little different for the Wandering Dawgs. Instead of traveling to far away places, we had many memorable adventures by staying close to home in 2017.
The teams take the field for pregame practice before a night game in Sanford Stadium
And when we were home we when for boat rides and walked on the beach whenever we could.
Small island in the Georgia salt marshEarly morning at the beach
My Wandering Around America One State at a Time blog project was really fun to do. As I worked on the post for each state I loved going through old photographs and reading my hand written trip journals. With each state I was flooded with many fond memories of places we had been and the wonderful people we met.
Where do you think we will wander next year? Stay tuned…
But only as far as the suspension bridge 80 feet above Hurricane Falls.
Suspension Bridge over Tallulah Gorge Hurricane FallsHenry crossed to the other side of the gorge
With my fear of heights I could only go a few feet on the bridge. I did manage to see the top of Hurricane Falls.
View of Tallulah Gorge from the suspension bridgeLooking down on Hurricane Falls from the suspension bridge
I handed Henry the camera for some better pictures.
Looking down on Hurricane Falls from the suspension bridgeLooking down on Hurricane Falls from the suspension bridge
I took a picture of the falls from the stairs.
A view of the top of Hurricane Falls from the stairs
And one of Henry looking down from the bridge.
Henry on the suspension bridge above Hurricane Falls
We posed for a selfie before starting back up to the top.
We were smiling before we started back up the stairs to the topIt’s time to go back up the 310 stairs
We made it back to the top after stopping at a few landings and resting on every bench.
I was finally able to capture some fall colors on top of the trail
Younger, braver, and more fit people can cross the bridge to the other side and go down 221 more stairs for a view of Hurricane Falls from the bottom. There is also access to the south rim trail on the other side of the bridge. For us, we are glad we made down and back all in one piece!
