More Fort Pulaski... (GA)

Seemingly resting on the young woman's up-bowed finger is a rather large turtle. The turtle is on a platform created by an 1862 cannon shot.

Hard to see are at least three unexploded projectiles, still lodged in the wall. One is the dark circle center-right near the top.

Although this fort was considered invincible at the time of construction, the old-fashioned aspects are interesting--a medieval moat, and medieval looking drawbridge. The fort's 7 1/2 foot thick brick walls were built to withstand heavy iron balls, not the rifled projectiles that eventually took it down. When Pulaski fell, the world was shocked; similar fortresses everywhere were suddenly obsolete.

We do Fort Pulaski… (GA)

This morning Marcia and I went to Fort Pulaski, on an island near the mouth of the Savannah River.

Fort Pulaski was one of many eastern seaboard forts built early in the 18^th century as protection from European nations. It was considered invincible, with 7 ½ foot thick walls and cannon that could be easily sighted toward most any target, but it was not well garrisoned. The fort was easily seized by Georgia’s militia in January 1861, two weeks before the state seceded from the Union.

Union troops returned in April 1862 with superior numbers and weaponry. The supposedly invincible fort fell in 30 hours, one wall so collapsed the Union was able to fire projectiles nearly into the powder magazine.

How? For the first time in a large battle anywhere, rifled canons were used. Instead of the commonly used iron ball and smooth-bore cannons, the Union used bullet-shaped projectiles containing gunpowder and a detonator. The projectiles and the cannon barrels were rifled so projectiles would spin, greatly increasing distance and accuracy.

One has to feel a little bit sorry for the fort commander, only 25 years old.

The fort was partially rebuilt after the war then abandoned when batteries were established on nearby Tybee Island. The battered corner has been repaired but other parts less severely damaged remain basically as at the close of battle in 1862; you can even see unexploded cannon shot imbedded in the wall.

Fort Pulaski is definitely worth a visit and a guided tour.

After Pulaski we did some errands and drove into Savannah’s River Street area for a late (3 PM!) lunch/dinner at The Cotton Exchange. It was just OK.

Diesel purchased: $3.32/gal, a new Murray Family record.

More on SCAD... (GA)

This is one of the Savannah College of Art and Design dormitories. Like almost all their buildings, it is a reuse of something already existing. This was a Motel-6.

Lunch with Paula Deen & Sons... (GA)

Lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady & Sons.

No, she was not there.

No, her sons were not there.

But a cousin was signing books in the neighboring Paula Deen store.

And the food was great.

... we do Savannah. (GA)

At 9:30 AM we were picked up by a tour trolley and driven to Savannah for a city tour.

Savannah seemed less than expected, not quite the mood of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which perhaps unfairly established expectations. Not helped by 90 minutes bumping up and down on bench seats in a fake trolley. There are at least three trolley tour companies and their vehicles are everywhere.

On the ground, it is a more interesting city. The architecture is varied and well protected by ordinance. The neighborhoods all center on small squares. But there is a mythology about this town, too much emphasis on ghosts haunting old buildings where terrible things happened. There is even a riverfront statue of a girl waving at passing ships, as she promised her sailor boyfriend she would do until he returned; he didn’t, and she waved for 42 years before dying of a broken heart. They claim locally that this is true, and if it is, that is all the more pathetic.

Ah, but the food. We ate at Paula Deen’s restaurant, The Lady & Sons. She is on the Food Channel. The menu items looked good but fearing I might get something I didn’t like, I went for the $13 buffet. Marcia also chose the buffet; she had ordered off the menu last time, on the Ladies Tour.

The cheese biscuits were great, the fried chicken very good (as it is nearly everywhere), the mashed potatoes excellent, the lima beans and black-eyed peas were very good, as was the mac-n-cheese. Marcia reports the collard greens were the best she has had, but still unpleasantly bitter.

This was again a fairly typical low-country, or perhaps more broadly, southern food offering.

This could have been a tourist trap but we were seated at the promised time, politely served, and never rushed.

Before lunch we spent time prowling around galleries of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Established in 1978, SCAD already has buildings all over Savannah and in other cities as well. After lunch we toured the Jepson Center for the Arts.

Beaufort to Tybee Island and Savannah… (SC GA)

Beautiful, spotless day as we left Tuc De Wood Campground for Savannah, a short distance away.

Savannah from this direction is entered across a bridge very similar to the one in Charleston. This dramatic entry builds expectations and it was a letdown to be deposited in an area of crumbling buildings. We followed a sign to the visitor center, parked with difficulty, and walked inside only to find it was a trolley tour promoter.

Since we couldn’t enter our camp until 3 PM, Marcia and I reluctantly parked our rig on a side street and walked a couple blocks to what the map indicated was the true visitor center, and a railway museum. The railway museum is housed in the crumbling buildings we had seen, the old rail yard. An interesting self-guided tour ($4.75 each) but not a lot to see. Some equipment, a beautiful brick chimney with privies built in to the base, and a turntable. The true visitor center was in the old passenger terminal.

Having killed enough time we followed the directions in our drivers manual to the River’s End Campground & RV Park on Tybee Island, about 12 miles the other side of Savannah. This is a really old campground with streets built seemingly for 1940s-style trailers and it was very tough for all of us to get parked. Once parked, our hookups were on the wrong side, so the dump hose (and everything else) had to be strung under the trailer to the other side.

Unrelated to the campground problem, Judy’s refrigerator door fell off en route, spilling the entire contents about her trailer. She thinks she forgot to pin the door closed.

Dinner tonight was in the campground, prepared by our fellow caravaners. One of the best: chips and homemade salsa, BBQ chicken, corn and bean salad, saffron rice, and really good freshly baked bisquits.

Tuc De Wood resident reptile… (SC)

There is a nature trail about 100 yards from our Tuc De Wood campsite, where we found this 7-footer.

We think there is a fence around the pond, but hard to tell with all the growth.