In Jekyll to check on Latitudes and sight-see

With my increased ability to walk around, we decided that it was time to go back to Jekyll Island, GA, and check on Latitudes. We left her there in late February when we came home for my ankle surgery.   It's a long drive, but since we plan to stay almost 2 weeks, we decided to bring Smokey with us.  Not very amused with the car ride, but she seemed glad to be back on the boat.  Being on Latitudes means she has the opportunity to be outside on the decks and watch the world go by.  She remembered the arrangement immediately.  So far she hasn't made any efforts to jump off onto the dock. Strange people on the dock, dogs, etc., encourage her to stay aboard.

It's already "warm" here in southern GA, so we decided to bring a big tarp to put over the cockpit for shade.  We have taken down the dodger and bimini to ensure that they are not torn in high winds (aka tropical storms) this summer.   The tarp has worked perfectly - we get a constant waterway breeze and shade.  Nice combination that makes being outside pleasant.

Our first projects were a couple of repair items, house cleaning for mold that grows in this warm, wet environment, and changing of oil filters, etc.  The repairs went wonderfully well, always a big surprise!  Cleaning is done.  Rain is predicted for the next couple of days so we'll do our inside filters, etc, then.  That meant that we could explore Jekyll!

If you aren't familiar with Jekyll's history, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jekyll_Island
In the late 1800's, the exclusive Jekyll Island Club was here. Private island, private club.  It is said that at that time 1/6 of the world's money was held by the few millionaires who were members of the club.
The land was eventually sold to the state of Georgia, who turned the entire island into a state owned park. A condition of the sale was that 65% of the island remain in a natural state, leaving many wooded areas and marshlands.  The old club was restored to former elegance, the "cottages" open for tours, and the only business is tourism.  Fortunate for us, the entire island is covered with bike trails, mostly shaded.

Some of the bike trails go trough small areas of marsh.

Off across the island we biked.  I am DELIGHTED to find that biking is easier on my ankle than walking.  No stress on the ankle or toes. Latitudes is at the dock on the Inter coastal side of the island.  The other side of the island is the ocean, full of sand dunes, sunbathers, and kids in the water.

When we returned to the marina, we were excited to find a manatee here.  They LOVE fresh water and this one was no different.  Here it is, drinking as much fresh water as it can, into it's big, whiskered mouth.

 

And here I am, happily helping out.

This morning was nice (before the heat of the day) so we again rode bikes into the main part of the island.  We visited the 4-H Nature Center, a little glass blowing/jewelry store (happy face!!!), and the turtle hospital.  The 4-H Center is between the marina and a huge water slide park.  The park was packed.

Turtles are everywhere - this is one of the Georgia barrier islands that attracts the egg laying Loggerhead sea turtles in the spring.  They swim ashore "every night" and lay their eggs.  We walked the sea side beach last night after dark with a full moon, but we didn't see any turtles. About 200 to 400 turtles land on Jekyll every year to lay their eggs, each in two or three sessions.  Apparently it's a real treat to find them. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center actually has a medical staff, operating and treatment facilities and recovery tanks for sick and injured sea turtles ( www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org ). One of it's exhibits had a small sea turtle floating just at the surface of the tank.  It made for an interesting reflection.

Tomorrow promises to be hot and full of thunderstorms/rain showers.  We think we'll go back to the mainland and visit some of the little towns/marinas there that we may use in the future.  It's nice to be back on Latitudes but we are VERY thankful that she has air-conditioning!