South Georgia
March - April 2021
March 13-14 2010
River Ranch Property Owners, FL
Fun weekend with Jennie and John. Mudding!!!! What a great experience. One day it was just the four of us and the next day we were joined by 10 other ATV’s. Really nice people, lots of alcohol, great company and MUD! Great way to kick off our full timing adventure.
March 14-29 2021
Stephen C. Foster State Park
Fargo, GA
For our first two weeks on the road, I can say that we had a really good experience overall. The park is beautiful, we had no major mishaps, and were able to kayak on the Suwanee River. Our site 43 was shaded and offered privacy, the people that worked in the park were really helpful and friendly. We did a couple hour boat tour with one of the park rangers in the Okefenokee swamp, which is so much more beautiful than I imagined. So serene and wild. We also kayaked for a couple of hours one evening in the swamp. Another day we biked til the Suwanee Sill, one night took a long walk and another night a ride on Suzi. The highlight was a 7 hour paddle on the Suwanee from the Sill to Fargo. Got to cross that one off my bucket list. The river was high and current strong, so the paddle was not too strenuous. Amazing experience. On the Suwanee, in the park and in the Swamp one thing that amazed us was we did not see too much wildlife apart from tons of alligators, deer and birds. The weather was not too bad, some nights cold and some days hot and one weekend very rainy. The major drawbacks were poor internet due to remote location, one hour and fifteen minutes to nearest supermarket and lots of mosquitos that almost make you not want to hang out outside. We are thrilled with EPIC and have gotten along really well for our first two weeks living together. We make a great team and I feel so fortunate to have Renato as my partner. It’s not a park I would have sought out, but I am glad we had this experience. After two weeks, we are excited for our next adventure.
March 29-April 10
General Coffee State Park
Douglas, GA
Folks call this park Georgia’s best kept secret. I so agree. What a charming place to spend two weeks. The sites are large and private, the hiking trails stunning, and oh so peaceful. A 1900’s farm was recreated with the buildings, animals and machinery. There are goats, sheep, pigs, a horse and mule and lots of chickens, ducks and turkeys. We brought apples and carrots to feed the animals and were blessed to see a newborn sheep. Since it is spring, a lot of flowers are in bloom and the forest is alive with birds. We explored on the motorcycle nearby towns including Douglas and also found a gorgeous hiking trail called Broxton Rocks. It was nice to have a town nearby and a really cute one at that. The internet situation was better until we reached our max and then throttled for the next week. UGH. Still a part of this lifestyle we need to figure out. The biggest bonus was a weekend visit from my daughter and her friend. They enjoyed a really relaxing weekend with us and were happy to disconnect. On to coastal South Carolina for a month.
Coastal South Carolina
April - May 2021
April 10-April 24
Camp Lake Jasper
Hardeeville, SC
Coastal South Carolina is gorgeous!!! I love the serene nature, love the beach, and love the friendly people. There is so much to see and do and the weather has been amazing. We had a lovely time walking and biking around the charming city of Savannah, eating delicious seafood in Hilton Head Island and exploring the towns and places that have enchanted me in Pat Conroy’s novels like Beauford and Blufton. Hands down, the best day so far was spent exploring Hunting Island State Park by bicycle. The trails were lots of fun and the beach was gorgeous. I didn’t realize how much I had been missing the ocean.
April 24-May 10
Edisto Island State Park
Edisto Island, SC
Staying in Edisto has taken my love affair with coastal South Carolina to a new level. Love the BEACH LIFE and South Carolina does it right. This sleepy island is a nature lover’s paradise. We saw hundreds of colorful birds (a lot of which were totally new to us), dozens of dolphins, alligators, a shark, stingray, turtles, racoons, fish, otter, and my favorite – at night we were surrounded by fireflies. The crabcakes here were to die for and the shrimp freshly caught. We spent time exploring the island by bike, by kayak, on foot and on the motorcycle. We visited a 400-year-old oak tree. I saw a historic plantation surrounded by magnificent gardens, spent the day in Charleston, and spent time relaxing on the beach. We biked to Shell Island (yes you guessed it there are millions of shells) and explored dolphin watch (yep lots of dolphin). Sadly, after a month on the coast we are heading north and inland. Next stop the mountains.
The Mountains of Georgia and South Carolina
May 2021
May 10-17
Devil’s Fork State Park
Salem, SC
What a dramatic change of scenery just a couple of hours away from the coast into the mountains. South Carolina does not disappoint with its beautiful mountain landscapes – forests, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and gorgeous vistas. Our shortest stay yet and it was quite a blur given a broken arm on the first day. The park’s main attraction is Lake Jocassee and since kayaking was off the table, we decided to take a boat tour. The absolute highlight of the week! Our guide Sheryl is native to the area and shared her amazing wealth of knowledge. Three rivers flow into the lake, where they continue to flow under water. The lake was once a valley and divers are able to see forests and ridges that still exist under the water. Since the lake is only accessible by boat from the park, the surrounding forests are wholly untouched and wild. We saw a number of waterfalls and had a wonderful time.
There was a female Cardinal that spent the entire week attacking our windows. She probably saw her reflection and thought another bird was impeding on her territory. We named her Crazy Red.
May 17-28
Tallulah Gorge State Park
Tallulah Gorge is a magnificent manifestation of God’s grace. When you are standing on the edge of the gorge looking down at the remarkable display - the sheer drop, the waterfalls and surging river, you can’t help but be in awe of the Grand Architect. Furthermore, our visit coincided with springtime and wildflowers of every color were in bloom literally, everywhere. We hiked the rim a few times during our stay and every time it took our breath away. The area offered a plethora of short hikes to admire waterfalls, rivers, lakes and beautiful mountain vistas. Minnehaha Falls was our favorite.
We had a couple of good meals in Clayton GA, and I was happy to finally see a small town thriving after exploring so many that took direct hits from the current economic climate. Helen GA was another thriving town we explored. Formerly a logging town, during the late 1960’s when faced with a declining economy, someone had the brilliant idea to mandate every building be constructed with Bavarian architecture. Viola 50 years later, and Helen, situated in the mountains of Georgia entirely looks like a city in Germany and is doing remarkably well.
