So, this is it...

Well, I've had my taste of how the other half lives and maybe, just maybe I am satisfied with what I have. It's been fun staying in the old resort hotel, eating in the fancy dining room... but when push comes to shove, my little hovel is pretty comfortable.

We took a tram tour of the exquisite old homes on the island this morning. Beautiful, stately, and strangely, all built without a kitchen or dining room. They all dressed to the "nines" and ate the resort, not at home. We toured the Rockefeller's home; there was a full bath for every bedroom in a time when most of us still had a washtub and outhouse. Red velvet carpeting, beautiful wood floors, tall paned glass windows. But tiny little beds that looked like a backache waiting to happen.

Then we went to St. Simeon Island for lunch and a little shopping. Had to cross two super high bridges (spooky) to get there. They have to be skyscraper height to let the ships pass under. But as far as getting the feel of being on an island, I didn't get it. It is all a lowland estuary. The tide goes out leaves a mud flat and smooth cord grass. Jekyll Island is basically surrounded by a river. No, it's more like a swamp. The east coast is so very different from the west. No sandy beaches to speak of.

We went to the turtle sanctuary and saw how they help to save turtles caught in nets or tangled in fishing gear, as well as some who are sick. I wish we could have been here to wqtch the babies hatch. The sea turtles aren't considered mature until they are about 35 years old. Then they come back to lay their eggs in the place they were hatched. They lay hundreds of eggs, but sadly, only a handful make it to maturity.

In the afternoon we took a dolphin tour out into the bay. There were lots of them jumping right next to the boat. I took lots of pictures of water...they don't seem to want to pose for photographs. And there was lots of hanky-panky going on under the surface. But it was amazing! Such graceful creatures.

Then took the shuttle to the sister resort for dinner. Had "wild caught Georgia shrimp", best I have ever eaten! They are sweet because they eat on the cord grass which is a relative of sugar cane. Who knew? We walked down to the ocean to a small sandy beach (and no, I didn't get wet but our partner did) and then waited for nearly an hour and a half for the shuttle to come back. On a good day we might have walked, as the island is only a mile wide and seven miles long. But not today! Me dogs are barking big time.

It was a full day, crammed with so much information, making new friends. We picked up extra travelers from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois. All fun delightful people.

Onward and upward. One last breakfast in the elegant dining room and then we are off to Savannah. What amazes me is how close together things are. A couple of hours on the bus and we are at the next destination. Guess I'm used to Idaho where it takes a really long day to get from top to bottom.