Lighthouse Adventure: Georgia

The Demilune protects the rear wall of the fort

Tybee Island Georgia is home to two places that we have wanted to visit.  Wednesday was a beautiful sunny 45 degrees in coastal Georgia so went for a drive through beautiful downtown Savannah and then headed to the beach.
Fort Pulaski was our first stop.  We learned that
Fort Pulaski is named after Polish Revolutionary War hero Count Casmir Pulaski, who lost his life in the 1779 siege of Savannah.
The same Count Pulaski is responsible for the name of Pulaski New York, a town near Lake Ontario where we have camped for many years.

A moat surrounds the fort and Demilune

Fort Pulaski was not yet completed or garrisoned
in 1861 so it had to be conquered by US forces before they could occupy it.
That battle is famous for being one of the first to be won by the use of rifled cannons.  Fort Pulaski had been considered an impenetrable fortress and the strength of its 71/2 foot solid brick walls supported by masonry piers compared to that of the Rocky Mountains.  The siege lasted less than 2 days.


A drawbridge and this door protect to fort

To get into the fort we had to cross a moat over a drawbridge and through heavily armored doors.

Walking out onto the parade ground is rather like walking into a major league baseball stadium...out of the building and onto a green field enclosed by walls.

We learned that soldiers played baseball here and in other forts during the years of the Civil War.

Fred was impressed with the sight of a heavy wooden blindage that was erected against one of the walls in an attempt to provide protection for the Confederate soldiers from heavy cannon fire.


It was in an area that would have served as the outfield during a baseball game so of course her compared it to Fenway's green monster.

From the top of the Bastions we could see Tybee Island and also the nearby Cockspur Island Lighthouse.

Cockspur Island Lighthouse
 

This tower has stood since 1856 despite Hurricane damage and cannon fire. It was extinguished by Confederate forces at the beginning of the Civil War and not relit until wars end.  Cared for by the National Park Service it has been part of Fort Pulaski National Monument since 1958.

Tybee Island has an interesting history.  Seven flags have flown over this tiny barrier island. Spanish, French, Pirate, Confederate, Union States and Georgia. The lighthouse first built in 1773 was burned by the Confederate Army in 1861. It was rebuilt in 1887 after the Civil War. The lower portion of the lighthouse is the original but the top 85 feet had to be reconstructed.
it remains and active aid to navigation.
We enjoyed our visit and climbed the 178 steps to the top the enjoyed a walk on the beach as well as lunch at the nearby North Beach bar and grill.


Tybee Island Lighthouse





RVing Lego-style

We got a wonderful Christmas gift last year. Our Linehan family gave us Legos!
Fred had quite the time putting them together to create a motor coach.


The Lego coach has us traveling in style, drinking coffee from Lego mugs and carting a Lego canoe on top. We even have Lego life vests and paddles.
The little RV travels right along with us and rests on top of the GPS unit that guides us in our travels.


Thanks Becky, Dennis, Freddy, Liam and Rory
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Travel Time

On Thursday morning we got ready to depart Camp Lake Jesper RV Park in Hardeeville, SC. 

Bonnie took the truck and drove to Walmart to get dog & cat food and to do some general shopping. (Yes we have to go shopping too)!!

I took the RV to Camping World to fill-up the propane tank. 

We then hooked the truck to the motorhome and off we go. 

So we had about 165 miles of a drive to get to Jacksonville, FL area. 

We are staying at a navy station campsite call The Pelican Roost Recreational Lodging in Mayport, FL. 

Because of the wind we had to drive a little slower on this trip. But we made it by about 3:30pm. 

RV is all set-up and we are good for the next five days. 

As you can see we have a nice site right on the water. 

And we see very large ship's passing by from inside of the coach. 

We both are enjoying the site. Have met a few nice people. And are enjoying a little warmer weather. 

Next three/four days should have nice weather in the 60's and 70's. 

So we will start to check-out some of the area in and around Jacksonville. 

Take care till next time. 

Catfish Hunter Museum

Part of the fun of living in a Motorhome is finding little gem of places to visit along the way. As we were driving to the airport the other day I saw a sign for baseball player Jim "Catfish" Hunter. The area was Hertford, NC. This was Jim's home town.

As you can see they have a Museum for Catfish. So Bonnie and I stop by to visit the museum. But being a very small town it was not open. 

So we walked back to a small coffee shop. As we ordered coffee I stated to talk with the shop manager. He new Jim Hunter as just a nice person who gave back to his community. Jim help coach baseball within the town and at times helped towns people who had financial problems. He said Jim was just a great guy, not just a great baseball player.

 

Bonnie and I have already made plans to come back to Hertford on our next visit to the Otter Banks and check-out the museum of Jim "Catfish" Hunter. 

posted by Fred

Roanoke Island.

Roanoke Island is a fascinating place.
Fred and I spent an afternoon there recently while on a visit to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
We were familiar with the stories of The Lost Colony and of Virginia Dare since grade school and wanted to spend a little time pondering America's first mystery.
What happened to those 115 men, women and children who were brave enough to explore a new continent?
Why was nothing left of their encampment but a palisade and the words CRO and Croatan carved into neighboring trees?
The many theories include a massive Hurricane, severe drought and assimilation into native American tribes.
Did they move inland to find a more hospitable environment?
Were they attacked by Spanish explorers eager to claim the coast land as their own?
Did they succumb to a contagious disease?

There are many questions and no concrete evidence from which to draw conclusions.

Fred believes the Hurricane hypothesis while I prefer to believe that the settlers were adopted into Native tribes and became the first additions to the melting pot of our United States.

The story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island is retold every Summer in Fort Raleigh. The symphonic drama was written by North Carolina native Paul Green.   Entering its 77th season the production is performed in an outdoor amphitheater, under the stars, against the background of the Albemarle Sound.

What was new to us is the role that Roanoke Island played during the Civil War.
The quiet isolated life of Roanoke Island was changed forever when General Ambrose Burnside approached it with a fleet of 66 shallow draft boats and 20,000 troops in February of 1862.  The 2 day battle resulted in a Union victory, and opened the intercostal waterways to invasion by Northern troops.  The water ways provided a back door route to key southern cities like Plymouth and New Berne North Carolina and Norfolk Virginia.
Once the island became Union territory it's slaves were decreed Contraband of War and freed.  The island became a destination for runaway slaves from inland North Carolina who once they arrived on the island were declared freedmen.  
A Freedmen's Colony was established in 1863 to provide housing, supplies and education by missionary teachers to freed slaves in an attempt to prepare them to be self supporting.  Sadly overcrowded conditions, land poorly suited to agriculture and lack of supplies from the North doomed the social experiment to failure.
The end of the Civil War was also the end of the Freedmen's Colony as all lands confiscated during the battles were returned to their original owners.

Roanoke island is designated as a site of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

We enjoyed our visit to the park.  We spent a beautiful sunny day walking amounts the Spanish moss covered trees and imagining the events of the past.

Before and After

Most of you know that when we left new York we were fighting subzero temperatures that didn't allow us much opportunity to settle into the coach.

Living Room left

Living Room right

Bedroom

shower

I spent one afternoon cleaning cupboards and putting down non slip shelf liner, and had time to put away a couple of boxes of kitchen supplies.

The rest of our downsized belongings were stacked in boxes and bins in every available space including the shower.

By the time we hit North Carolina we had been in our new home for a week and things are starting to look like a house instead of a hodge-podge.

It has now been 3 weeks since we left New York and we are feeling very comfortable.

Living room into kitchen

Bedroom

Kitchen

Dining Room/office

Bear is getting comfortable too.

Things to See Along the Way: Grave Diggers Dungeon

One of the joys of leisurely travel is that we can take the time to stop and visit interesting things that we see along the way.
On a recent drive to the Outer banks we found Monster Trucks.


Poplar Branch North Carolina is home to Grave Digger, the most famous Monster Truck of them all.
There is a Grave Diggers Diner and a gift shop. You can even take a ride in the monster truck.
The Diner and it's outside attractions will open April 1.



- Bonnie, from my iPad

Location: Poplar Branch, North Carolina