East Coast Trip Part 2

March 16-19
An enjoyable afternoon was spent floating on the Ichetucknee River with Laura and the kids, Rick and TJ. It was a peaceful float on kayaks and paddleboards, passing by turtles, a mama manatee and her baby and numerous birds. Fish were jumping and the birds were singing. Ahhhh…

That evening we enjoyed an excellent dinner at Satchels Pizza in Gainesville. The owner (and a couple others) are very artistic. The buildings are covered, or in the process of being covered, with mosaic tile work. Its really stunning. The owner, Satch, is truly both a pizza, tile, glass and creative artist!

We had a bit of a break as Rick wasn’t feeling well, but finally Sunday we were able to drive north 2 hours and took the ferry from St. Mary’s Georgia to Cumberland Island. What a treat that was! Salt marshes, wild horses, turtles and large old oak trees. We watched a pelican land on a deck, waddle to the edge and finally fly into the marshy area.

The Island was first inhabited 4,000 years ago by native peoples, then during the 16th and 17th centuries by missionaries, and in a more modern/socialite era by Nathaneal Greene, a Revolutionary War hero, and his wife Catherine Littlefield Greene. Nathaneal died before their home was built, and later, Catherine married Phineas Miller. Together they helped Eli Whitney develop the cotton gin. Eventually by the late-1800’s the Carnegie family purchased land, and a 59-room castle was built along with golf course, pools, and housing. After the Crash and Great Depression, they left the island, leaving behind all their property and their horses. Today those horses run wild, which is pretty cool.

JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette were married in the First African Baptist Church on the north end of the island in 1996. A very small family and close friends affair, with no press. That would have been something to see…

The children of the Carnegie family were responsible for donating their island property to the government for a national seashore in the 1950’s, but still maintain some property on the island. It really is beautiful and would be a fun spot to camp – except you have to carry out everything you bring in, and there are no supplies to be purchased once on the island. That will be for another day!