Georgia – Page 14 – Wandering Dawgs

Best Campgrounds of the year – 2016

December 19, 2016June 25, 2017Posted in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Parks, RVing, State ParksTagged Favorite Campgrounds, Fifth Wheel, Fort Pickens Campground, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Oak Mountain State Park, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Stephen C. Foster State Park11 Comments

Welcome to our third annual “Wandering Dawgs best campgrounds of the year” list.

Our 2016 wandering took us on a short trips to Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi.

We prefer staying in state and federal parks and this year our top three all fall into one of those categories.

Number 3: Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham, Alabama

Early Morning at Tranquility Lake — Tranquility Lake was just a short walk from our campsite

We stopped at Oak Mountain on our way to Mississippi and enjoyed it so much we returned to the same site (A28) on our way back home to Georgia.

Our site was spacious with full hook ups and nothing but woods behind us. This large state park has a golf course, archery range, equestrian camping and horse stables, nature and hiking trails, lake front beach, mountain bike trails, and scenic drives. The road through the park is a popular place for bicyclists. Nearby Pelham and Birmingham have restaurants and shopping.

Read more about our stay at First Stop on our Fall Football Road Trip .

Number 2: Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Fargo, Georgia

Do you see the alligator behind the Cypress tree?

We love this place so much we have camped here numerous times in past 10 years. Our most recent trip was in March, 2016.

Just getting to the campground is an adventure. After turning off the highway, seventeen miles of driving through pine forests and palmettos takes you into the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It is remote, quiet, and wild.

We camp in one of the large premium pull through sites. It is a short walk or bike ride from the campground to the marina where you can go on a guided tour of the Okefenokee Swamp, rent a boat or canoe, launch your own boat, or take a walk on the nature trail through the swamp. Alligators are often seen around the marina but we’ve never seen one in the campground.

You can read more about our stay at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Number 1: Fort Pickens Campground, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

Ready for Beach Chair Sitting on the Gulf of Mexico

Miles of white sugar sand beach in Gulf Islands National Seashore within walking distance from our campsite, an historic fort to explore, a nice campsite, nature trails, beautiful sunsets, fresh seafood, fishing pier, museums and a lighthouse nearby – what’s not to love?

Read more about our stay at Gulf Islands National Seashore .

Honorable Mention:

We returned to Mississippi River State Park in Marianna, Arkansas, our “Best Campground of the Year – 2014“. I left it out of the top three to make room for three new campgrounds
Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center, White Springs, Florida
Eastbank Corps of Engineers Campground, Bainbridge, Georgia

Where do you think we will wander next year? Stay tuned…

December Caterpillars in Coastal Georgia

December 15, 2016Posted in Butterflies, Georgia, NatureTagged Butterfly Garden, milkweed, monarch caterpillar13 Comments

I’ve been so busy lately with Thanksgiving, cleaning up after Hurricane Matthew, and getting ready for Christmas I haven’t had much time to look at my butterfly garden.

With all our Christmas packages and cards in the mail, I could finally catch my breath this morning so I went out to our porch to enjoy my second cup of tea. As soon as I sat down I saw a Monarch butterfly flitting around our milkweed. I abandoned my tea, grabbed my camera and rushed downstairs to get a picture. The butterfly took off but when I began to examine the milkweed I was excited to find several caterpillars munching away on the leaves.

Monarch Caterpillar on Milkweed - December 15, 2016 — Monarch Caterpillar on Milkweed – December 15, 2016

Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew

October 22, 2016October 23, 2016Posted in GeorgiaTagged Alabama Power, downed trees, Evacuation, Georgia Power, good neighbors, Huricane Matthew, hurricane cleanup, Hurricane damage, photo essay, volunteer24 Comments

Category 2 Hurricane Matthew passed offshore close to our coastal Georgia home in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 8, 2016. We were safely evacuated in middle Georgia and we returned home to find our house in good shape with no damage. We were among the lucky ones. Many houses had some damage, mostly roof damage and flooding. Some residents had to move out of their homes so repairs can be made. Many other homes, like ours, were spared. Everyone we know was safe.

Many thanks go out to the volunteers who gave their time and/or money to help out those who needed it the most after the storm. There are many volunteer stories throughout the areas affected by Hurricane Matthew but these are a few that I personally know about in our area.

A huge thank to our neighbors who rode out the storm and immediately started clearing the roads as soon as the storm had passed.
Friends who evacuated to a motel in a small Georgia town and waited out the storm by volunteering in one of the shelters housing fellow evacuees.
The owner of a moving company in Atlanta who brought some of his moving trucks and crews to help people move out when they were unable to remain in their home while repairs are being made.
A couple who drove down from Indiana to help people move out while repairs are made to their home.
Volunteers from churches and organizations such as the YMCA who helped clean up yard debris for those who were unable to do it themselves.

Roof from a neighbor's deck landed across the street from our house — Roof from a neighbor’s deck landed across the street from our house

Big trees were blocking roads in our neighborhood

Neighbors walkway to dock landed in the marsh

A familiar site in the neighborhood — A familiar sight in the neighborhood

Downed power line in a neighbor's yard — Downed power line in a neighbor’s yard

Cranes were brought in to lift the giant trees

What's left of one of the giant trees — What’s left of one of the giant trees

Its been more than two weeks since the storm and there is still a lot of work to be done. The sound of chainsaws and nail guns will be around for a while and it may be weeks before the debris can be cleared from the sides of the roads. Blue tarps on roofs is a common sight while the homeowners wait their turn for their new roof.

Backyard Wildlife

August 26, 2016Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Georgia, Nature, WildlifeTagged Black Swallowtail, Diamonndback Terrapin, Gulf Fritillary, Horned Owl, Monarch, monarch caterpillar36 Comments

I never know what I might see when I walk out my back door.

One day a juvenile horned owl stopped to search for a tasty morsel in the marsh.

Another day this diamond back terrapin took a wrong turn into our back yard.

The ruby throated hummingbirds come by for a drink every day.

It’s been a constant battle keeping the aphids off my milkweed but I have had an occasional Monarch stop by.

I spotted my first caterpillar of the summer on August 24!

All the butterflies love the Mexican Sunflowers I planted this year.

And the bees love it, too.

Flashback to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games

August 9, 2016March 10, 2018Posted in Georgia, Sporting EventsTagged 1996 Olympics, Atlanta Olympics, Centennial Olympic Games, Games of the XXVI Olympiad, Savannah Olympic Yachting Events, U. S. Sailing, Wassaw Sound16 Comments

I am having a great time sitting in my living room cheering for Team U.S.A. at the Rio Olympics. Twenty years ago I didn’t get to see much of the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta from my living room. Instead, I was volunteering with the Yachting events (now called Sailing events) near Savannah, Georgia.

Before the games began, we saw the Olympic Flame arrive in Savannah on the Schooner America. After torch bearers ran through Savannah they wound their way around Georgia to the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta. The world then watched as the final torch bearer Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic Cauldron.

1996 Olympic Flame arrives in Savannah aboard Schooner America

Two of our friends participated in the relay through Savannah. It was such a thrill to see the Olympic Torch relay in person.

For the Olympic Yachting events, a Day Marina was constructed in the waters of Wassaw Sound near Savannah. To get there, we had to drive a few miles, ride on a bus, and ride a shuttle boat to the Day Marina along with other volunteers and athletes. For two weeks, Henry, our daughter, and I got up at the crack of dawn and put on our volunteer uniforms to help with the launch and recovery team of volunteers on the Day Marina.

Volunteers arriving by shuttle at the day marina

Tents were set up on the Day Marina to provide a home for the athletes during the long days on the water. The larger countries had their own tent and ramp to launch their boats while smaller countries shared a tent. I was assigned to work with Fiji, Guam, Jamaica, and Thailand who were sharing a tent between Team USA and Team New Zealand.

1996 Olympics Yachting Day Marina in Wassaw Sound near Savannah, Georgia

Our days were long and hot but it was worth it to be able to meet athletes and trainers from all over the world. I was even able to do a little pin trading and get a few autographs.

There was a flurry of activity as each team prepared to launch their boats to go out to the race course. Things got busy again when the sailors returned after their event.

USA Atlanta Olympics Bronze Medal Soling

USA Olympic Bronze Medalist Courtney Becker Day returns to the Day Marina

1996 Olympics Mistral Gold Medal winner from Greece

The races were too far away to watch from the Day Marina. One day we got to ride a boat out to the race course to see one of the events.

Being an Olympic volunteer was a once in a lifetime experience. Meeting these amazing Olympians and watching them prepare for their events was something I will never forget. I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to do it.