Jekyll Island

Dennis & Myrna had made an appointment to get their motor-home in for some warranty work on the TV hookup and as it was going to be about 3-4 hours Irene & I decided to unload the trike and head south for the day.

We went down to Brunswick a coastal town and then over to Jekyll Island, it is off the coast of southeast Georgia. This golden isle, one of a string of islands that stretch from the Florida border up the coast of Georgia and into South Carolina, is a fascinating port of call for small ship cruise lines cruising the Intercostals Waterway or for vacationers traveling by car. The island is covered with live oaks, Spanish moss, and palmetto. Criss-crossing the island is over 20 miles of bicycling and walking paths. You can always find a peaceful spot on the beach. Few locals come over to Jekyll from nearby Brunswick because of the $3 "parking" fee charged to all cars entering the island. There are some year-round residents, and a handful of hotels along the beach. Jekyll has a fascinating history dating back to the end of the nineteenth century. The island was purchased from John Eugene du Bignon in 1886 for $125,000 by some of the wealthiest men in America as a hunting resort. His family had owned the island since 1800.

The names of the owners are recognizable to most history buffs, and include J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field, John J. Hill, Henry Hyde, Everett Macy, William Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Richard Teller Crane.

The island was prized for its "splendid isolation." It was well worth the trip over as we got to see a lot of the old mansions. Before we left the Island and started our trek back to the campground I had to leave my mark in the sand of the Atlantic Ocean once again, we had left at about 10 a.m. and arrived back at 5 p.m. Dennis & Myrna arrived back at about 5:15 p.m. good timing eh! As it took longer than expected to work on the motorhome, they never got to venture too far away. Heading for Florida in the morning.