Day 173 - Spanish Moss, Darien, GA and the A1A, FL

Lee's obsession with Spanish Moss only intensified as we left Savannah and found that there was even more in the suburbs compared to the city! It is now the end of October and with all the Halloween decorations, it felt very spooky even at though it was just after breakfast!

We hit the interstate and headed south until we reached the small fishing town of Darien. I had read about this town before the trip and was expecting to find a quaint little fishing town that we could walk around over lunch. We drove around for a while trying to find some quaintness to get excited about before deciding that hunger was making us (well mainly me) a little grumpy.

Google found us a restaurant with a good rating called Skippers' Fish Camp. The restaurant wasn't along the main high street but tucked away next to what looked like timeshare apartments.

We sat outside overlooking Pompeii's Head until it started to rain, then we retreated inside to the bar where we had fresh fish and a beer or two (for Lee, I was driving!).

Outside the restaurant there were the remains of an old wall. This is what was left of the cotton exchange warehouses and naval stores built between 1815 and 1830 and it looked like it was built of oyster shells!

Refreshed after lunch, we hit the road again with me at the wheel! Lee was entertained (or distracted from my driving!) by the constant storm clouds, the roadside turkeys, the first roundabouts we'd seen for months (they do seem to be becoming more and more popular in the States) and finally, the Florida State Line!

Lee had a great plan to avoid the traffic around Jacksonville and stay off the interstates, we were going to take the A1A from Yulee all the way down to St Augustine. 

The A1A is a Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway that runs all the way down the Atlantic Coast in Florida to the Keys. Interestingly, it is also the main road that runs through Miami Beach!

The journey was filled with lots more Spanish Moss (to Lee's delight), pretty coastal towns, bridges, small beach towns, wetlands, nature preserves and past some very impressive houses, including a castle!

Now, there is a slight 'challenge' with this road. At Ft. George Island, the road stops, there is no bridge to cross the 0.9 miles over the Saint Johns River. But we are planning pros by now and had already looking into this. There is a car ferry, called The Mayport Ferry, which for $6 takes you across the river so you can join the A1A on the other side in the town of Mayport.

The trip was going really well until we reached the ferry port and read the sign to say it was closed due to renovations, there would be no ferry today! Our only option was an hour's detour, we went inland until we reached the interstate, went down the interstate a few stops and then headed back towards the coast until we reached the A1A again.

Sadly there are no photos of this experience, I was driving and Lee had his nose in the map trying to work out what to do.

Once back on the A1A, we decided we needed to stop and get some sand between our toes. We found a carpark at Vilano Beach, the whole area felt like a cheesy 80's holiday destination with the art deco buildings and tourist shops but as it was off season, everything was closed... apart from the beach which we only had to share with the seagulls.

The houses backing onto the beach looked stunning, what a location to live in although it did look like some of the houses were getting a little close to the edge of the sand dunes and needed to be pushed back!

We left the beach and were just 10 minutes away from St Augustine. If you are staying in St Augustine, this is definitely a day trip you need to make, more so in the off season when the holiday makers have gone home and you can just enjoy walking along the beach with no one around.

Day 172 - Savannah, GA

By the time we got to Savannah, GA, it was dark. It took us a couple of circuits of the small, steep cobbled streets down by the waterfront - guided by the hotel over the phone - to find our accommodation for the next couple of nights, The Olde Harbour Inn (note the correct spelling of Harbour!)

The hotel was a real gem! It had a lot of charm and, as you will see from the video, the room was huge and well-appointed. A complimentary bottle of bubbles was waiting on ice in our room, but we were just in time for the free wine and cheese evening in the reception, so after dumping our bags we headed there to have a chat with the staff and other guests.

Refuelled, we headed down the steps and found ourselves right on River Street, lined with bars and restaurants and bustling with people. We couldn't have chosen a better place to stay. We found a bar for some food and a nightcap before turning in for the night.

The next day, we did the standard tourist thing and got a ticket for the all-day hop-on-hop-off Trolley Tour. In all honesty this is a great way to get your bearings and cover a lot of ground in a short space of time - either jumping off or making a note of things you wanted to explore more of later.

As ever, the driver was both fun and informative. She had an awesome Southern accent which was great to listen to, even if we couldn't make out 100% of what she was telling us! We learnt a lot of local history and anecdotes, but it was soon time to jump off and start exploring on foot.

Savannah is famous for its parks - and the mansions that surround them - and the largest and most popular was our first stop. Forsyth Park's centrepiece is an impressive fountain and it was very peaceful wandering around this 10-acre park.

Savannah is also known for its Spanish Moss. This is a plant that grows on large trees such as the Southern Live Oak and is immediately recognisable by the way it drapes down from its host tree. I remember seeing this when we were in Florida all the way back in June, but it seemed to be everywhere here in Georgia. I'm not sure why, but I became kind of obsessed with Spanish Moss, to the point at which I was saying to Sam, "Ooh, look at the Spanish Moss on that tree!" every few minutes. I soon realised I was trying her patience, so scaled my obsession back to only a few observations every half hour.

We did some daytime exploring of River Street's cobblestone streets and overhead walkways as we weaved through historic buildings, housing, shops and restaurants. We also took a look at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, taking the title of the most impressive building in all of Savannah.

In search for non-alcoholic refreshment, we headed for Leopold’s. This ice cream shop has stayed the same since 1919, when it was opened by Hollywood producer Stratton Leopold. Ice cream is made on site with awesome ingredients and using old recipes that have been handed down through the generations.

Savannah felt really safe to walk around. To be fair, there were lots of tourists around by both day and night, and we didn't venture that far from the area around the hotel. Having said that, it still felt one of the safer places we've had the pleasure to visit on our Road Trip.

That evening we headed for a quick drink at The Rail Pub. After playing a few tunes on the jukebox, we noticed another couple playing some very similar kind of music - mostly early electronic and Indie British bands like Depeche Mode and The Smiths. It wasn't long before we struck up a conversation with Bethany and Blake, and our quick drink soon turned into quite a few more!

Lee Special - Tour of the Car

Not surprisingly for a road trip, our rental car - Fin - was at the centre of most of what we did. Not only was he transport, he was also a massive suitcase on wheels, a familiar sight in unfamiliar surroundings, and at times a safe haven from insects, wildlife and extreme weather.

You may have noticed how full we had crammed Fin in the background of some of our videos, but to give you the full picture, here is Sam giving you the complete tour...

Our (ok, my) emotional attachment to this car was very, very real and when it was time to hand back the keys, I was genuinely upset and shed a tear or two. Silly, maybe, but after you've relied on a car to take you 26,000 miles across 48 states without letting you down once, it becomes part of the team. This road trip was definitely a team effort of three: Sam, Lee and Fin.

Footnote:
On our return to the UK, it was time for Sam to choose a new lease car for work. Once we realised that the Ford Edge was starting to become available back over here, it was a no-brainer. So now, Fin's UK cousin - Guy - can be seen on the roads of Hampshire and Wiltshire as a little homage to our great American adventure and in particular, our trusty rental car.