Pt. 2-Amelia River Cruise to Cumberland Island

Time to board the Ryan K for our Amelia Island River Cruise to Cumberland Island.

Some of the shrimp boats docked on the island...

Fernandina Beach is Amelia Island's historic downtown area. It is also the location of this operating paper mill.

This house is situated in Amelia Island's Old Town Historic District which dates back to the early 19th century.

Fort Clinch is now protected as a Georgia State Park.

As we approached Cumberland Island, we spotted some of the wild horses the National Seashore is famous for. Here a mother and two male horses stand guard until a newborn learns to stand and walk.

We have come quite a distance.

Views of Cumberland Island National Seashore...

The National Seashore is accessible by ferry or private boat. The island also features The Greystone Inn, a bed and breakfast run by descendants of the Carnegie family who owned the island from about 1880-1970.

They call him Flipper...Flipper...

One of many snowbirds who come to this area of the country in their boats for the winter, much like rvers.

A boathouse on Cumberland Island...

Look what we found...

He saw us and took a dive.

One of the vacation homes of the rich and famous...

Heading back to Amelia Island for the Shrimp Festival...

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/amelia-island/ pictures 18-134.

To be continued...

Amelia Island, Florida Pt. 1

Today we journeyed back to Florida-just barely-to visit Amelia Island and its historic Fernandina Beach area.

On our way, we found gas for $1.22 a gallon...or so it seemed. Apparently this gas station has been closed awhile. This station is just one of what we would guess have been hundreds of abandoned gas stations we have seen thus far while traveling.

Welcome to the final day of The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival. Pirates welcome one and all.

There's that friendly gecko from Geico.

Even at 10 am the streets are jumping with shrimp lovers everywhere.

The Palace Saloon opened in 1903, but was severely damaged by fire in 1999. Billed as the oldest continually-operated saloon in Florida up to then, The Palace is now back in business serving up its famous "Pirate's Punch".

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival features over 250 exhibits of fine arts and crafts.

Among them is Austrian-born, Miami Beach artist Herbert Hofer. Simply put, his paintings are fun. His art deco style often includes cats in exotic locations. Check out his work at http://www.herberthofer.com/ .

His wife, Randie, visited with us briefly before our river cruise. She was really interesting and had a wealth of knowledge about international politics.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/amelia-island/ pictures 1-17.

To be continued...

Jekyll Island, Georgia Finale

On our final drive around Jekyll Island, we found a couple items that might be fun to rent while visiting.

First-for those wanting exercise, these rental bicycles-surreys-are becoming more and more common. At $16.50 per hour, it would be a reasonably priced activity.

On the other hand, the RedBug-which is actually a GEM Car-can be rented for $50 for 2 hours with a maximum 25 miles driven. This price is not too much more than the surrey above and is great for those unable or unwilling to provide their own power.

In 1888, Jekyll Island became the home of a segregated private club for the very rich when The Jekyll Island Club officially opened its doors.

The exclusive membership limited to 100, included Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts, among others. Many of the "vacation homes" of the members are beautifully restored in the Historic District.

The Club is credited by many as being the location of the origin of The Federal Reserve System. Filmmaker G. Edward Griffin documents this historic event in his 1993 movie and 1994 book "The Creature from Jekyll Island".

The Moss Cottage, named for the Spanish Moss trees surrounding the property, was built in 1896 and originally owned by Philadelphia businessman William Strothers.

The Jekyll Island Club thrived until The Great Depression, but continued to survive until 1942 when World War II caused The Club to close its doors. In 1947, the State of Georgia condemned the island and purchased it for $675,000 with plans to make the island a state park.

This is the Indian Mound Cottage. Formerly owned by Standard Oil executive William Rockefeller, this would become the site of the island's first museum.

Oh, to be able to own such a "cottage"...

Leaving Jekyll Island, we found a sign not seen too often. Beware of Terrapin Turtles crossing this road from May to July.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/jekyll-island/ pictures 167-180.

To be continued...