Tour De Cumberland, Day 1

We had an action pack first day with E on the island.  And believe it or not, this is the pared down version. 

It started in the bike shed picking out a bike for the day.  This involved a lot of discussion, trying out and adjustments.   But decisions made and off we went. 

We started with the beach and a beautiful sunrise.  This was a short 1/2 mile ride and 600 yard walk.

There are 17 miles of undeveloped beach to explore. 

The beach is wide and flat and all the natural dunes are intact.  We walked for a couple of miles

 then headed back to the Inn for breakfast. 

Our arrangement since we weren't guests at the Inn but family of an employee, meant that we couldn't go in but E would go to the staff kitchen, make her selections for us and bring it back out.  Breakfast and lunch were enjoyed on the grounds and dinner was served back in her room.  Anyway, this first morning while we were waiting on E, J and I enjoyed a self guided tour of the Inn's garden. 

There was still a lot of things growing, but nowhere near enough to supply the Inn. 

No frost on their zinnias yet. 

Lots of eggplant, some tomatoes, greens, orange trees beehives and edible flowers. 

The gift shop it through the doors to the right of the stairs on the ground floor.  This was one area E said we could go.  J didn't want to wear a mask so he forfeited this opportunity.  I didn't go this day but did the next.  Not passing up a chance to see everything. 

Then it was back on the bikes for a 2 mile ride

to Dungeness.  

This was a Carnegie owned house that had been abandoned for 30 years before being burned down by an arsonist in 1959.  It is now preserved by the National Park service as part of the Cumberland Island National Seashore.  

From there we headed to the boardwalk overlooking the marsh.  E says this is where she takes her morning nature tours.

We saw some birds in the distance but mostly enjoyed the scenery. 

From the boardwalk, we continued on with a walk through the dunes. 

I did catch a couple of birds here, an Osprey

and some little brown thing that held still long enough for me to get focused in on. 

Then onto the next tour...

fossil hunting.  We did find a handful of decent shark teeth in a short time. 

E was very disappoint though when 4 very large white honking birds flew over and no one had a camera handy.  By the time I got to where I had set mine down, they were gone.   We think they were swans, maybe Trumpeter Swans which would have been a rare sighting in Georgia.  But in E's world, no picture no bird on the list. 

Then one more time past Dungeness.  This time we were graced with the presence of a wild stallion poised in just the right spot.  There are over 150 wild horses on the Island. 

We peddled back 2 miles to the Inn for a late lunch.  This is where E stayed while we were visiting.  She had a friend that house sits here while the owner is in Martha's Vineyard.  E thought it would be odd for her, as a guest of the house sitter to have guests, 

so we stayed in E's 2nd story barn loft apartment.  When E told the Inn owner where we were staying she asked, "are your parents the camping type."  I would say that doesn't say much for housing they provide the staff. 

Anyway, we enjoyed our picnic lunch overlooking the sound behind the Inn. 

Then it was back to the beach to end the afternoon.  Have I mentioned how great the weather was?

We did some more walking and birding, 

then put our chairs back 

and turned in for the night in our room above the bike shed.  Looks like someone striped the gears on their bike.  Fortunately, ours held up fine and we weren't even sore from all that pedaling.  We enjoyed fish and chicken tacos for supper.  Not quite as good as the chicken cashew the night before in my opinion, but E said it was a premium dinner for the staff.