Above: A stroll through Colonial Park Cemetery Below: Savannah Cotton Exchange building	Above: A beautifully restored Savannah home Below: A square filled with graceful Live Oaks.

When we exited Interstate 95 to travel the ten or so miles to Skidaway Island State Park, we came face to face with reality: miles and miles of urban/suburban commercial landscape – chain restaurants, gas stations, strip malls, upscale shopping, thrift shopping, medical centers, auto repair, pawn shops, home improvement centers.  Most of the route to the state park campground was stop-and-go traffic, with cars turning in and out parking lots, darting around Scoopy, running red lights – typical urban behavior. 

Picture the Savannah that everyone WANTS to see as the compact center of a bull’s eye target.  Picture Skidaway state park on the farthest outer ring of the bull’s eye.  Everything in between looks just like the urban/suburban fringe of any medium or large sized city in the U.S. – and why I didn’t expect that, I will never know.    Romantic fool!

Check-in at Skidaway Island State Park is efficient: pay your fees, then drive into the campground and pick out any unoccupied site.  The ranger described the sites as “all pull-throughs”.

Say what?  Once we had navigated the narrow, twisting roads, we ended up backing in to our site, to avoid scraping our (closed) awning off on a tree.  Finally settled into our huge, level site, we took a long, lovely hike to counteract the psychic stress of the hectic traffic.

Back home, I flipped open the computer to research our next day: lunch and touring.  Though many friends and blog readers had recommended things to do in Savannah (in particular, take a trolley tour), we had very few suggestions for “must-eat” dining venues, even from confirmed foodies.

For us, one of the highlights of travel is the exploration of local food specialties.  Although I imagined that Savannah would have some special dish or cuisine that was particularly Savannah, it isn’t the case.  Savannah is all about southern cooking, the down home classics, served cafeteria style, buffet style, or home style.

Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room was recommended by a few folks, but I’m not a fan of standing in a long line to eat (waits of up to 2 hours reported), so hoped to turn up something different.  Paula Deen’s restaurant is a Mecca for her Food Network fans, but neither Odel nor I watch her, and have heard the place described as “good, but overpriced”.  Thanks to a tip from our reader Pamela, we Googled the “Masada Cafe” at the United House of Prayer for All People – and that was all we needed.   Our “Savannah Tour” agenda set, we fell into bed. 

Saturday’s breakfast was… NOTHING!  Our plan for the day began with an early lunch, as soon as the Masada Cafe opened, and we wanted to save room.  At 10:15 we took off, aiming for a point west of Historic Savannah, described as “off the beaten tourist track”.  Oh, so true.  When we arrived at our destination, a few minutes after 11 am, Odel stepped out of the car, looked at me, and said aloud, “What have you gotten me into this time”?

Odel has his doubts.	Warming up to the experience with a rib

Stepping into the church annex, home to the cafeteria-style cafe, my first impression was: CLEAN.  Unlike many of the “local favorites” we try, this was no dive.  Small, spring-time centerpieces graced the tables, there was no smoky residue to be seen, and the cafeteria line was spotless.  Iretha Durham, the wife of the pastor (35 years) of The United House of Prayer for All People, greeted us from behind the counter, apologizing that they were a little late in opening.

That gave us plenty of time to point, question and sample (NO waiting).  The offerings were pure southern, with one difference: in deference to the desire/need for healthier food choices, the kitchen seasons their “sides” without pork, using smoked turkey instead.  Lunch was “meat and three” – Yankees, that means a meat selection plus three sides.  I can’t even recall all the meat offerings, but I do recall our choices. 

For me: Oxtails and gravy, plus Savannah red rice (cooked with tomato juice instead of water), cabbage, and macaroni and cheese.  Odel: Fried chicken, Savannah red rice, string beans, and dressing with gravy.  Because the fried chicken wasn’t quite ready, he got a rib to chew on while he waited (refer to the smiling photo above).  Sweet tea to drink, of course.

Oxtails and the array of our sides.	Southern fried chicken, straight from the fryer

The highest praise given to southern food is “just like my momma used to make”.   My own momma is California born, like me, so I didn’t grow up on oxtails – but even I can tell this is fine, fine home-style southern cooking.  Odel pronounced the fried chicken as the best he’s ever had (I hope his momma doesn’t read this). 

When Odel visits Memphis, his home town, he always gets a special layer cake, made for him by Odel’s sister’s ex-sister-in-law, Miss Melissa.  I mean, ALWAYS!  When Odel attended a funeral during one visit, Miss Melissa snagged him before the funeral started, took him to her car, opened the trunk, and gave him his four-layer chocolate cake (and I don’t mean a piece, I mean the whole cake)!   Well, stacked at the end of the counter were slices of cake, packaged to go.  Good thing, because I don’t think many folks have the stamina for dessert following that meal – but we took a piece to go. 

Then we were back in the Jeep and off to the historic center.  We took your advice, readers -purchased our tickets, and happily settled in for a 90 minute narrated tour of the highlights of Savannah history.  The temperature was still 10 degrees below the forecast (just 55 cold degrees); we were full, warm and contented listening to our guide as he navigated the narrow, crowded lanes.  Of course, the Mercer-Williams house was on our tour.

The biggest surprises to me: Savannah was founded in 1733.  History here isn’t just the Civil War, but the Revolutionary War (and before).   I didn’t realize that Savannah is a busy port city, but we saw several freighters head up river as we walked around the city after our tour ended (and our tour guide told us that cruise ships will soon be coming to Savannah).  And, I didn’t realize that South Carolina is right across the river!

Another big surprise: the historic district, including the riverfront, is very small, very walkable.  Try as we might, we couldn’t walk off that lunch!

First, thanks to the many, many of you who responded with great advice to our request for the “must-see, must-do, must-not-miss” attractions and restaurants between here and Memphis.  We got so many comments, and long emails with links, suggestions and details.  What a big help!

We sat down yesterday morning and worked our way through them all, making lists and adding push-pins to our Streets and Trips map.  Campgrounds in the area we will be traveling don’t seem to be full in April – yay, no reservations required.  We ended up with a general idea of where we want to be – and when – all subject to change, of course. 

By 11:30, we were hungry and tired of being indoors with our computers, getting a little cranky.  Another reader comment (thanks, Art in the Sun) had our mouths watering: the GA Pig, a BBQ restaurant just off the interstate, about 30 miles from here.  Now, you know we’ll drive a long way for an interesting dining experience (and we’ve been told we “have to” try Georgia BBQ), but this had an added attraction: it is right on the way to Jekyll Island, on the Atlantic coast, home to a state park with campground.  It took us all of two seconds to make up our minds.

GA Pig BBQ was a fun stop, a little old cabin set in a grove of tall pines (I never knew the southeast had so many pine forests!).  The interstate exit had a cluster of truck stops with the usual fast food chains – Georgia Pig obviously was the oldest business and odd man out.  They did a steady business, though. 

The smell of smoky meat had our mouths watering before we got through the front door, and the interior was pure BBQ joint: picnic tables and benches, rolls of paper towels as napkins on the tables, a counter backed by the big, black maw of the smoke pit.  Laminated menus next to the register, where you place your order, with today’s special on a handwritten sign… in fact, handwritten signs everywhere! 

Odel ordered the Rib Dinner – pork ribs with two sides – and I got the lunch special, a chopped pork sandwich with two sides.  The ribs were a disappointment – too much gristle and not very tender.  The pork sandwich?  A total TEN!  The pork couldn’t have been better, so tender and smoky.  If you go, get the chopped pork.

Pork ribs, two sides, and a pickle (Odel’s)	Pork sandwich, two sides, and a pickle (Laurie’s)

Jekyll Island was another ten miles down the road.  The “historic area” of so-called summer cottages, flanked by three 18-hole golf courses,  was amazing – huge “cottages” built in the mid-late 1800’s by the very wealthy (Goodyear among them).  We drove slowly past, eyes wide… thinking maybe we should dump all the plans we just made and come back to Jekyll Island for a few weeks when we leave Charleston!

We headed to the north end of the island to tour the campground, and all thoughts of staying there vanished.  We looked at the campground, looked at each other, and said, in unison: ghetto! 

The campground gets great reviews on rvparkreviews.com, but it definitely is NOT our style – closely packed sites, narrow roads… SO crowded.  It was difficult to tell where one site ended and another began, with rigs shoehorned in every which way.

Unlike most state parks, there doesn’t appear to be a limit on how long you can stay – it was obvious that many of the campers were snowbirds.  It would be wonderful to have easy access to all the island has to offer – long beaches, great bike trails, good walking – but the campground during “high season” was a real disappointment to us.

As soon as we were able to work our way through the maze to the exit, we were off to the beach, on the Atlantic side.  I believe this is the first time I have ever seen the Atlantic ocean from the eastern US – probably from anywhere.  I took the top photo to memorialize the moment. 

It is so different to be traveling once again in areas that are completely new to both of us.  There is so much we want to do, and so much we have to leave on the “some other visit” list.  In a few hours, we will be heading off to visit Savannah, GA (5 day stay), then to Charleston, SC, two cities dense with “don’t miss” locations.  We ALWAYS need maps, and the GPS gets a daily workout.  Quite a change from our travels of recent years!

Before we left Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, we took another walk along the bank of the Suwannee River.  As we walked, I remarked to Odel that the water was so dark, it looked like motor oil.  Later in the evening, I was looking back in our blog to see where we were around this time in prior years.  Well… last year at this time we were in Pismo Beach, eating “Motor Oil” ice cream, a locally made chocolate ice cream with Kahlua and fudge ribbons!  Gosh, I’d like some of that right now.

We had a short, easy, drive from the Florida to St. Marys, Georgia, just across the border – only 110 miles.  After we settled in, we drove the few miles to “historic St. Marys”, a small area of lovely ante-bellum homes and a pretty dock and harbor.  Much of the historic area is given over to the National Park Service, as St. Marys is the jumping off point for trips to Cumberland Island National Seashore.  At least half of the rest of the small town appears to be For Sale – homes and commercial buildings.  Looks like the economic turn-down might have hit this area particularly hard.

As seems to always be the case these days, there is way more to do around here than the time we have to do it!  Cumberland Island National Seashore is reputed to be a special place, but higher on my priority list is the Okefenokee Swamp (actually called Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, but to people my age who read Pogo in the comics, it will always be the swamp).  Today, away we went to the Okefenokee!

Graceful old home in St. Mary’s, GA	Orange Hall, built 1860-ish

What an interesting day!  We are on the east side of the swamp (25 miles away), which is the dry, “prairie” side.  Here there is not nearly as much water; it’s more of a peat bog that absorbs water until it is saturated, then water pools and ponds.  We are here in a rather wet time, I guess, as one of the trails was closed due to high water – and there was plenty of water for us to see as we hiked the trails and walked the boardwalk.

For me, the highlight was a visit to the Chesser Homestead, the only “swamper” homestead left in the Okefenokee (click here for an interesting narrative memoir).  The homestead housed a family of 9, and the original house and outbuildings were open to our wandering.  See the floor boards in the photo below?  We could look right down between them to the ground below. 

Above: Roadside Alligator (he’s alive)!	Above: “Swamper’s” Homestead
Below: the swamp!	Below: Swamper’s Kitchen

The outbuildings and workstations needed to maintain the homestead surrounded the house:  a fenced vegetable garden, a mill for sugar cane (to make cane syrup), a hog pen, a corn crib, a well (though the house had a pump on the porch for bath and wash water), a whetstone… it was fascinating!  I think I could have stood the work – it is the dirt I couldn’t handle.  I’d work the garden, feed the hogs, chop the wood, stoke the stove… but only if I knew I could have a long, hot, soapy shower and clean clothes at the end of the day!  Yep, spoiled, spoiled, spoiled (as I am reminded each time we boondock in the desert).

It was a fun day – oh, I forgot to mention seeing real, live alligators – and I’m glad we visited.  Now it’s time to get some dinner going… later!

Sing it now:  “Way down upon the Suwannee River, far, far away…” Yes, that is where we ended our day on Monday, at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park (click here to read our review and view more photos).  Though Stephen Foster never set foot in Florida and never saw the Suwannee River, he made it famous throughout the country, and the State of Florida appreciated it.  “Old Folks At Home” is Florida’s State Song, and this park is Florida’s memorial to its author.

Spring is about to pop here.  The earliest azaleas are in bloom, along with a couple of small dogwoods.  And I LOVE the Spanish moss spilling off the trees.

This beautiful park has something for everyone: hiking, biking, canoeing on the river, a Stephen Foster Museum, a carillon tower that chimes on the hour and plays Foster songs for 15 minutes four times a day.   For us, the draw (besides being on our route to Savannah) was the extensive network of trails.

As soon as we arrived and set up, we took off walking, past the museum and carillon tower, through the gift shop, and on to the banks of the river.  The park brochure describes the Suwannee as a “typical blackwater stream”, and black it is, stained by tannins from the cypress trees growing in the river.  “Stream” threw me – to a westerner, it’s a nice-sized river.

The dark, fast waters of the Suwannee River	Tannins stain the water the color of dark tea.

Too bad we don’t have more time to spend here but, after another hike this morning, we are moving on to Georgia for a three day stay in St. Mary (just across the Florida border).  Further exploration of Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park and its adjacent historic town will be another entry on the “next time” list!  Georgia, here we come.

Our next reservation, after we leave Charleston on April 4th, is in Memphis, arriving May 2nd.  We have almost a month in between, to travel in areas we are know nothing about.  We would like to see Asheville, NC, and I want to go to the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama (don’t ask me why… I was captivated by the idea from the first time I heard of it, years ago).  I want to visit Oxford, MS – mostly because I’ve heard it is beautiful, but also for the history.

The route shown on this map – a fairly direct line between the locations I mentioned – is just under 900 miles, about 6 days of driving for us (we average 100-200 miles with each move), so we have plenty of time to deviate.  We know that many of you readers have travelled these states – what advice do you have for us?

We don’t have much interest in big cities.  We like college towns.  In parks, we like space, so often look for state or county parks, or Corps of Engineers – but will pay the price to stay in “special” commercial parks (the waterfront site here at Ho Hum comes to mind) from time to time.  Restaurants?  We like to try regional specialties and to patronize locally-owned spots.  Quality is more important than quantity, and more important than ambiance.  We walk or hike every day, so look for historic or scenic spots that let us stretch out our legs for at least a couple of miles.

We’ve gotten great tips from readers, but usually AFTER we’ve left an area!  This time, I decided to see what we could learn BEFORE we make our plans.  Your suggestions for campgrounds, restaurants, dishes to try, places to hike, sights to see… we welcome them!  What is too good to miss??

Yesterday’s fabulous view shot was taken from site 38 at Ho Hum RV Park (click here to read our review and see more photos), a few miles east of the small town of Carrabelle, Florida.  We owe our thanks for that view to an anonymous reader who left a comment suggesting we stop here while traveling the Florida panhandle.  We checked the map and our schedule, and Carrabelle turned out to be just what we were looking for – a taste of Florida’s “Forgotten Coast”.

When we decided to travel east this year, neither Odel nor I had a great interest in exploring Florida’s peninsula, but we did want to see the famous white sugar sand beaches of the panhandle.  Time constraints (we will be near DC at the end of May, with a trip to Memphis between now and then) meant we had to decide whether to spend time exploring Florida or exploring Savannah and Charleston – no contest for us.

Consequently, we planned to see what we could in the panhandle as we headed east.  Checking the map, it looked like a trip to Carrabelle from Panama City Beach would fit perfectly in our plans.  When Odel called Ho Hum to make a reservation, he asked the owner if there was much to do around there.  She responded “It’s not called Ho Hum for nothing!”  That sounded perfect to us, as we needed some down time to catch up on a few neglected chores: Odel wanted to wax Scoopy, and I needed to work on our taxes for 2009.

Though I was sad to say goodbye to JoAnn and Doug in Panama City Beach, I was happy to see the city itself recede in the rearview mirror.  It took awhile to leave the traffic behind, but once past Tyndall Air Force Base everything changed.  Mexico Beach, Port St. Joe, Apalachicola, Eastport, Carrabelle… all small towns strung along Hwy 98 on the Forgotten Coast. I-10, well north, is a much more direct route across the panhandle – traveling along the coast is for those of us who have time, a love of nature, and a limited interest in man-made attractions. 

Along the Forgotten Coast	Lots of water, big sky, little traffic.

Our mail (with the all important tax documents) awaited us at Ho Hum, handed over as we checked in.  We unhooked the Jeep, pulled front-first into our waterfront site, and sat in awe for a minute, before beginning our familiar setup procedures.  Wow!

We arrived on Thursday, and had two days of mostly sunny, cool weather.  We both got to work on our projects on Friday, saving Saturday (forecast: 70 degrees and sunny) for a trip to St. George Island State Park, on a barrier island just off the coast.  Odel fired up the grill early Saturday morning to grill chicken thighs to take for a picnic, and we were on our way around 11 am (with the chicken, coleslaw, and corn relish).  We had a free state park pass – an internet reward for completing a short survey about our experience on a prior visit to a Florida state park.  All set!

Yes, the day was perfect – in every way.  When we presented the free pass to the ranger in the kiosk, he rewarded us with a big, excited grin, saying “this is the first one of these we’ve gotten”.  We found a parking spot near a shelter with picnic tables, next to the beach, and set out on a long beach walk.  Warm!  Sunny!  Uncrowded!  Perfection!

The natural trail at St. George Island State Park	Miles and miles of white sand.

We spent several hours in the park, then stopped at a little trailer in the small resort town of St. George Island to purchase a couple pounds of fresh grouper.  Dinner: grilled grouper and Thai Rice Salad, a new favorite of Odel’s.

We awoke during the night to rain, and now our view couldn’t be more different.  The little palm tree is whipping in the wind, and white-capped swells are rushing towards the shore, the water a leaden gray, matching the clouds.  The sea gulls and pelicans have taken shelter, and there are no dolphins to be seen.  Quite exciting.

We’re leaving Ho Hum tomorrow, heading to a state park east of Tallahassee for one more night in Florida, then on to South Carolina – another new state for us!  We’re getting that map filled in, and having a great time doing it…

Now, that’s what I talkin’ about!  We found our little slice of paradise in Florida.  The temperature is forecast to be around 72 today, with rain arriving tomorrow, so we’re off to a nearby island state park to enjoy the day.  It’ll on be on the blog tomorrow. 

As we had heard before visiting the Florida panhandle, the white “sugar sand” beaches are gorgeous.  Even though the weather was cold and windblown while we were there, the white sand and variegated blue water made a beautiful combination.  When you could see it.

Along the beaches of Panama City Beach, except in those spots protected by the state parks (and perhaps a city or country park that we missed), the entire beachfront is lined with buildings.  I took this photo standing on a pier in the state park – the buildings begin at the edge of the park.

Some of the buildings are just two stories, most are higher, and many are giant, towering condominium complexes with their attendant multi-story parking garages.  What isn’t given over to homes and resorts is crammed with the services necessary for the visitors who flock here: restaurants, bars, nightclubs, water parks, t-shirt shops.  And, because we visited during Spring Break, cars, cars, cars and more cars.  The traffic was insane.

With guidance from JoAnn and Doug, we were able to find and enjoy those places where the coastline was in its more natural state, and we spent several hours walking along the beautiful beach during our time in the area.  We also – as always – spent several hours enjoying our food in the company of our friends.  Can you believe I don’t have any food photos for you?  True!  It was so nice to visit with JoAnn and Doug that I decided to leave the camera in my bag and simply be there, having a meal, visiting.  Relaxing.

But I will mention a new-to-me dish: Fried pickles!  We had some during our first dinner out in PCB (Panama City Beach) – sliced dill pickles, battered and fried.  Darn good. 

The next day, we did something very unusual for us – went to a buffet!  It is a favorite of Doug and JoAnn’s, and we can see why – the food was delicious, all southern specialties (another new-to-me food that I really liked was Speckled Butter Beans).  Fried pickles could be ordered on the side (extra charge), and I ordered them.  Even better than our first sampling: these had a thinner, crispier coating, with more spice.  A good batter and a crispy dill pickle – a great combination!

After three nights at pleasant Pineglen RV Park (this photo – click HERE to read our review and see more photos), yesterday was our travel day.  Rolling out of PCB, I commented to Odel that I wasn’t too impressed with Florida so far (after our massive traffic jam experience and the highly developed clutter of PCB).  That all changed as we continued east… but that is for the next blog!

The LavNav… I couldn’t help but ask “What is that thing on your toilet lid?”  Each toilet had a palm-sized white “bump” near the top of the raised lid.  Disinfectant?  Mosquito control?  Music player?  No, a nightlight – a totally cool nightlight!  I just HAD to have one, and we received ours in our mail packet at Summerdale.

LavNav Promo Shot	Green Light in our rig	Red light in our rig

What’s so cool about the LavNav?  Click here to read a more professional review, but here is our experience:

To keep our bedroom dark at night, we don’t use a night light in the bathroom, and the little “toilet room” is often pitch black.  Odel is very conscientious about the seat position, but every so often the seat is “up” when I, in the dark, sit down.  What an uncomfortable and unwelcome surprise!

The LavNav solved both problems.  In the motionless dark, the light, mounted (using a self-stick pad) near the top of the toilet lid, is off.  When the door is opened, the motion detector turns on the light, a nice dim glow.  Green?  The seat is down.  Safe to sit.  As you can see in the photo, the entire toilet seat is bathed in light.  Red?  The seat is up.  Don’t sit!  Instead of bathing the seat toilet in red light, the light is directed down – a “target”, so to speak. 

I LOVE it!  We paid around $22 for our, I think, but I see that it is available through amazon.com for $19.95.  Too cool!

SETTLED IN AT PINEGLEN RV PARK IN PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA

Add another state to the map!  Around 5 pm, after our long day in the I-10 traffic jam yesterday, we settled into a nicely wooded site (tall pines) in the same park with Doug and JoAnn.  We’re going to be busy, busy, busy over the next few days, visiting, eating, sightseeing.  Last night, we had our first taste of Fried Pickles, surprisingly good!  Today we’re off to see the white “sugar sand” beaches, dodge the vacationing college students, and visit a southern food buffet to fulfill Odel’s desire for fried chicken.  Later, friends.

Knowing that yesterday was our last in Summerdale, Alabama, we fit in one more dinner at the Tin Top Restaurant to taste three of the “100 Things to Eat” before we left Alabama: fried green tomatoes, cheese grits, and Royal Red shrimp.  We exercised more restraint than usual, sharing an appetizer of Royal Red shrimp, then splitting an entree of crab cakes with fried green tomatoes and cheese grits.  Another outstanding Alabama meal!

Up early this morning, we walked loops in the park for our daily exercise, recorded our electric meter reading, paid up in the office, and took off for Panama City Beach, 170 miles east.  We’re meeting JoAnn and Doug there, and planned our route to minimize traffic congestion – instead of traveling the scenic route, Hwy 98, along the coast, we opted for I-10 most of the way east, with a jog down south to bring us back to the coast route near our RV park.

As always, we stopped at the state Welcome Center when we crossed the Florida state line.  We chatted with a host, received a map and the usual plastic bag of travel information and advertisements.  No mention of any unusual traffic shenanigans up ahead on I-10.  We ate lunch, hit the road and sped eastward.

About twenty miles on down the road, a moveable advisory sign said “I-10 East Closed Ahead”.  As we zipped past it at 60 mph, I repeated the message to Odel and said “What do you think that means?”

Now, I KNOW what the words said, and I know the meaning of those words – but could such an innocuous sign really mean “All interstate highway traffic is about to come to a screeching halt and you won’t have a clue what is going on?” and “Boy, are you going to wish someone had warned you about this!”

Yep, that is what it meant.  We spent at least an hour traveling 5 miles from the back of the massive traffic jam to the exit where all traffic detoured off the interstate, NORTH (no southbound road at this exit) to Hwy 90, a nice two-lane road that hits all the little local towns, with their signals and cross traffic.  The first thing many cars did at the first service station was pull off the road to the pumps – and probably the restrooms! 

We sailed on down to the next town, where we spent another half an hour crawling through “downtown” with all the cars, RV’s and semis that normally would have been zooming along the interstate.  As I write, we are about 1/4 mile from I-10, moving an average speed of less than a walk.  So near… and so far!  We left the interstate at exit 45; we’re entering at exit 56.  Hmmmmm… about two hours to make 11 miles. 

You never know what you’ll get on a travel day!