Tour De Cumberland - Day 2

Our second morning got off to an early start with a kayak trip before breakfast. 

E helped me and J get in our tandem kayak, then got hers out by herself.  What a good tour guide.  

The water on the sound side was very calm, and once again, the bugs weren't too bad. 

We heard more birds than we saw, but this fellow posed nicely for me. 

The current wasn't difficult to paddle against, and we were able to enjoy the sunrise.

Unfortunately, E's kayak had an unexpected leak.  She said she was sitting in 2 inches of water and wanted to get back.  This cut the trip a little shorter than I had hoped but we were still out for about an hour. 

Then it was back to the inn for breakfast on the grounds again.  I never get tired of the Spanish Moss. 

Next up on the bike tour was a 6 mile ride north to Plum Orchard. 

We passed the air field, 

and took a short break on a bridge over a tidal creek.

E was a good sport and let me take another togetherie. 

Plum Orchard is another Carnegie house that has been donated to the National Park Foundation.  Due to the China virus there were no inside tours but we had the outside and the grounds all to ourselves. 

I think we look right at home, 30 rooms, 22,000 square feet.  I think I might need a housekeeper though. 

Here we saw 3 manatees!  This one is taking a breath.

And this one just sat there with its tail visible until it slowly sank out of sight. 

As we were walking around the grounds, E looked down and found a shark tooth.

Then it was a 6 mile peddle back to the inn for lunch.  E was having a job interview in the afternoon and asked if we needed a nap.  I think she was the one wanting the nap, we were fine. 

So J and I headed back to the beach.  I was going to go swimming because the water was pretty warm, but I had forgotten to get a towel from E and I was afraid with it being cloudy that it would be too cold when I got out.  So only in to my waist. 

J headed down the beach but came back saying it was too crowded that way.  I think he saw a couple of people 2 miles away.

So we walked up the beach the other way where there was no one.

I had a couple of good finds, plus a second sand dollar a little later. 

Lots of birds, no people. 

E came out after her interview, (they offered her the job - banding yellow cheeked warblers from February to June in Texas: so our next vacation may have a destination) and we biked to the closest park campground to have a look around.  Somehow I didn't end up with any pictures here but the campsites were private, there was a bathhouse and a nice boardwalk out to the beach, with a shower and foot wash area.  Only problem is you have to bring everything over on the park ferry, if you don't bring it, there is no getting anything on the island.  

It was about dark when we returned.  Time to enjoy dinner of baked chicken, roasted potatoes and vegetable medley in E's room and watch some Netflix before bed. 

Next up, Ferry Ride Home. 
 

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.