Untrouble at Jekyll… (GA)

Fortunately, Cathy was diagnosed with an attack of vertigo, something she has had before but not in many years, and not a stroke. On the downside, the vertigo caused her to fall, and she dislocated a shoulder. She is back in the campground, feisty as ever, and confident she can still deal cards.

Trouble at Jekyll… (GA

Sadly, we couldn’t make it to the end without trouble. Cathy (our bridge instructor, song leader, and all round happy person) appears to have suffered a stroke and was taken to the hospital this evening.

We become deparkers and drive to Jekyll Island… (GA)

Marcia, Judy and I were deparkers this morning, meaning we checked each departing Airstream to make sure signal lights were working and everything looked safe for travel. Unfortunately Judy found one of her own tires soft, so we inflated it with my compressor only to find her tire still not holding air (bad valve stem). Judy has had bad luck this trip – a fresh-water leak, a refrigerator door falling off en route, and now a flat tire.

We left with Phil helping Judy, and enjoyed a pleasant 110 mile drive to Jekyll Island GA, out last campground of the caravan. We were standing in a group commenting on how sorry we were it is nearly over, but Susan’s reaction was one of joy; you see, she is one of the leaders, and her responsibility ends Sunday.

Marcia admires aluminum... (GA)

In camp at Tybee Island.

You can tell the weather has turned much cooler.

Marcia is happy as a clam… (GA)

The beach in front of the Tybee batteries was Marcia’s best yet for shell finding.  She has released these shells for public viewing, retaining about an equal number for possible release later, depending on the market.

Tybee Lighthouse … (GA)

Marcia has about had her fill of light houses and I’m not very excited about seashells. We resolved this by parking at a central spot and I climbed the Tybee lighthouse and Marcia combed the beach.

Since it is my pen I shall describe what I found first, and in more detail.

In 1862 the Union set out to blockade all southern ports. It occupied Hilton Head SC which is visible from Tybee Island GA. The Confederacy under Lee watched the Union from the Tybee Island lighthouse. Then Lee, buying in to the idea that Ft Pulaski was invulnerable (he, incidentally, had a role in its design and construction as a 2^nd lieutenant fresh out of West Point), ordered Tybee abandoned and its troops moved to Ft Pulaski where they could shoot without getting shot. For good measure, he ordered the destruction of the Tybee lighthouse.

The Union soon occupied Tybee, surprised to find no resistance. The lighthouse, constructed of brick, suffered minimal damage and became a Union vantage point for observing Confederate activities in Ft Pulaski.

Under the cover of darkness the Union moved cannon and troops to where Tybee Island is closest to Cockspur Island, the site of Pulaski. Included were new weapons, featuring rifled cannon. The Union attacked with overwhelmingly superiority and the fort surrendered after 30 hours, with the results described in the posts about Ft Pulaski.

Today the lighthouse and keeper facilities are open to the public ($5/senior, including nearby batteries). This is one of the less visited lighthouses and touring is pleasantly self-guided and thorough. The 178-step climb to the top is alarmingly challenging. I ran into fellow caravaner Joe there; he told me he used to lead tours up a Washington lighthouse several times a day. He lost 15 pounds the first month.

One view from the lighthouse shows batteries Brumby and Garland – there are several others. These were started late in the 19^th century and grew from the failings of Ft Pulaski. They are low, made of reinforced concrete, and the seaward side was covered with sand and vegetation to pass as dunes.

Today History is strange, at times. The battery on the left now houses the local Shriners’ Club. The next one houses a bar and grill. The right one has an interesting museum, included in the admission price of the lighthouse. The batteries extend a couple floors below ground, for safe storage of explosives.

In WWI some cannon were sent to France. In WWII the remaining cannon were melted for scrap, and the military departed in 1947. In the 1950s the sand was removed to make room for a parking lot, and to provide building material for Hwy 80. Many batteries are simply abandoned, used for storage, or ineffectually barricaded with chain link fencing.

Tybee Island cop takes our mug shots… (GA)

Cold and windy on arising, turning into a beautiful November day.

In the 1930s and 40s Tybee Island had many large resort hotels and a pavilion. It was a regular stop of the big bands, but that is now all gone. Today it is mostly a community of quiet residences and vacation homes for people wishing to escape the summer heat.

Our campground is just off US Hwy 80. We drove about five miles to its end and found this sign, saying the other end is San Diego. The map indeed shows intermittent stretches of Hwy 80 stretching west, but I’m not sure you can find it today in San Diego; you will find I-8. I-80, to confuse things, passes by Roseville with a terminus in San Francisco and an eastern terminus in, I believe, New Jersey.

A Tybee officer came by as I stood in the middle of the lightly traveled (in November, anyway) main street. I clicked and waited, and he hollered asking if we’d like a photo of the two of us. We said sure, so he parked his patrol car in the middle of the street and took the second picture. Nice guy.

Beyond this sign we found am amazing tidal beach, bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and on the other angle by the Tybee Creek, looking like a lot more than a creek. Nobody was out and we enjoyed walking around. Signs warn of strong currents, don’t swim.