Georgia: Jekyll Island

Day 308
No Boat Travel

We picked up our rental car today that we will be using for the next week. It took two hours to get the car. Part of that time related to the time taken for Enterprise to come "Pick us up" and the other due to the fact we had to wait while they cleaned the car for us to use. I found that tedious but they were extremely busy so somewhat understandable. Even though we tried to start early, the car pickup ate up a large chunk of the morning.

Before going to Jekyll Island for a look around, we returned to the boat to pack a picnic lunch. I suggested we bring the bikes with us to Jekyll Island as I thought they might prove useful. I was correct! Jeckyll Island is covered with paved bike trails -- just perfect for exploring at our own pace.

At Entrance to Jekyll Island - Georgia State Park

In 1888 a number of very rich families got together as partners in a plan to invest in and jointly use a club house on Jekyll Island. Use of the club house continued until 1942. Families who participated in the club house investment included JP Morgan, Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, Crane, and Rockefeller. 

Jekyll Island Club House

Crane, like some others, decided to build his own "cottage" near the club house. Since he was a plumbing fixture magnate, he filled his house with numerous bathrooms using Crane fixtures. The "cottages" these wealthy folks built on Jekyll Island became their winter homes similar to the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island that they used as their summer homes.

Sample "Cottage" on Jekyll Island

 We stopped by the visitor center before touring the island. The woman there told us to be sure to visit the largest and oldest oak tree on the island.

Largest and Oldest Oak Tree on Jekyll Island, GA

She told us that the island is 1.5 miles wide and 7 miles long. We biked miles of trails all over the island. Thankfully most of them were paved.

(that's me) Biking the Trails on Jekyll Island

 After exploring the historic Club House area of Jekyll Island, we moved on to see some other sections of the island. Some of the trails took us past miles of marsh lands.

Wooden Bridge through Marsh Lands at Jekyll Island

 Another point of interest on the island is the Horton House ruins. Horton built his house out of native "tabby" in 1792 after the Spanish burned his previous, wooden, house to the ground. At that time he set up a thriving plantation where he grew some experimental crops including barley.

Remains of Horton House built 1792

"Tabby" consists of equal parts sand, lime, oyster shells, and water - all substances readily available on Jekyll Island.

Close-up of "Tabby" Wall
(note the oyster shells)

 Continuing towards the end of the island we came upon Driftwood Beach. Unfortunately when we left Horton House and headed towards the beach, we left behind the shaded bike trail and entered full sun. This portion of the bike ride became very hot in sections where the breeze from the water was blocked.

Driftwood Beach

Driftwood Beach

Driftwood Beach

Bike Trail - no Shade in Sight

 After miles of biking in the hot sun Clark suggested that we stop at a Frozen Yogurt shop for a cooling treat -- not quite as good as ice cream but still refreshing. Most of all, I was happy to get a rest from the bike and specifically the bike seat!

Our next stop, with only twenty minutes to spare before closing time, was the Jekyll Island museum. We saw a few historical artifacts and watched a ten-minute video describing the history of the island.

As an AT&T retiree, I found the telephone exhibit particularly interesting. Jekyll Island is the home of the first transcontinental phone call.

On January 25, 1915 Theodore N. Vail, the first president of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T), participated from Jekyll Island in the opening of the first telephone line across the United States.

Part of a Collection of Early Telephones on display at
Jekyll Island Museum

 When we left the museum to head back to the car, we came out to find this magical white horse and carriage just begging for a princess to come for a ride around the historic grounds of Jekyll Island. Riding away on my fold-able bike paled in comparison!

"Cinderella" Coach and White Horse

After a bit of searching we found our rental car right where we left it, stashed our bikes in the trunk, and headed back to the marina. As we passed over the bridge leaving Jekyll Island, Clark handed me the camera and told me to take pictures out the window of the moving car. Yikes!

Picture from Bridge showimg Jekyll Island
Amusement Park in background

Marshes around Jekyll Island, Georgia

 I do not normally travel roads with turtle crossing warning signs. The sign below says that May to July are prime months to find turtles crossing the road entering Jekyll Island state park. We did not see any which I guess is a good thing because one of them crossing the road could cause quite a traffic slowdown.

Sign Says ... "Terrapin Crossing"
Caution: May to July

The picture below shows miles of marshland with a small marina plunked down in there somewhere. I noticed that along with the marshes came a lot of flies that liked to nip on anyone who stood still long enough for them to get a bite in. Unfortunately that person was me on more than one occasion.

Small Marina in the Marshes

We got back to the boat at dinner time. I set up my electric grill out in the cockpit, so I could keep the cooking heat outdoors. I kept it simple with hot dogs and burgers.

As I sat down later to work on the blog, I looked up and saw the sun setting behind the sailboats in the marina. Clark was nowhere to be seen, so I grabbed the camera and snapped a shot for tonight's blog posting.

Sunset at St. Simons Marina

I later learned that Clark was out using his phone to capture sunset pictures of his own.