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Drifting through Coastal Islands

Posted on March 27, 2024March 28, 2024

Buckle up! Our six weeks of adventure travel have begun! So glad you’re coming along for the ride!

Saying Goodbye to the Africa Inland Mission
Our two SOWER months at the Africa Inland Mission finished on March 21st. Leaving this slice of heaven was bittersweet. While we are excited for our upcoming adventures, we LOVED our time at AIM, especially the fellowship like none other we’ve experienced. Working side by side with fellow kingdom servants for weeks in a row forms deep and abiding bonds. Playing together added to our unity: pickleball most days plus a PB tournament, Western Night skits, line dancing (Skip was awesome!), and occasional evening games. I have to say, seeing a bunch of seniors line dancing was a hoot!

March pickleball tournament
Intense competition!
See Skip in center front in denim shirt. He rocked!
Western night skit by fellow SOWERs/volunteers.

We’ve made new lifelong friends, to be sure. We hope to return next winter to the beautiful lake country of Florida for another season of SOWERing at AIM.

While at AIM, we had the joy of seeing two sandhill crane eggs laid and hatched. These babies are referred to as colts, though fluff balls seemed more apropos. Other nature delights included a white squirrel (not an albino) and a juvenile alligator.  

Baby sandhill cranes hatched at AIM just before we left.

Our First Stop
We hit the road on March 22nd, pointing the rig to Blythe Island State Park in Georgia for our first three nights of camping. Blythe Island is near the more renown St. Simons and Jekyll islands. Rich Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War II history is woven through the towns of these Golden Isles. We visited Fort Frederica, the St. Simons Lighthouse, and the WWII Homefront Museum. Did you know that more lives were lost along the Atlantic Coast in WWII due to the sinking of merchant ships by German U-boats than were lost at Pearl Harbor? In fact, the U-boats were just 13 miles off the coast of these tiny islands, targeting merchant vessels carrying supplies to European allies. Navy airships (blimps) were used for surveillance and to drop bombs on the German submarines.

At the top of the St. Simons island lighthouse
Navy airship in WWII to bomb German U-boats

We attended the tiny, historical Frederica Christ Church on St. Simons Island for Palm Sunday services. Experiencing liturgical worship was familiar for both of us from our earlier lives. Moreover, we appreciated the intimate setting in a chapel-sized sanctuary. The initial structure was built in 1820 but was destroyed by Union troops in the Civil war. This chapel was built in 1885.

Historic Frederica Christ Church on St. Simons Island

Following church, we stepped into Barbara Jean’s on Main Street, a highly recommended diner famous for its crab cakes. I relished a cup of she-crab soup followed by shrimp ‘n grits, something I’d been craving for a few days as I anticipated dining in the South. I believe there’s a bit of a southern belle in me! Skip said his crabcake was delicious too.

Shrimp ‘n grits. YUM!

Our visit to Jekyll Island was brief due to gusty winds. Nonetheless, we drove through the historic district and ventured briefly onto the famed Driftwood beach (photo at top). Beach erosion along the Atlantic coast has certainly left live oak skeletons in its wake.

Our Second Stop
South Carolina beckoned us onward to Edisto Island where we camped at the Edisto Beach State Park. Our three day visit here has been mostly restful… reading, napping, and walking along saltwater marshes. We saw more driftwood dotting the high tide earlier today. The bird life here is amazing. We are serenaded throughout the day by beautiful bird calls.

More driftwood, this time along the South Carolina Coast on Edisto Island.
Skip relishing time for relaxing and reading.
Hiking along salt marshes on Edisto Island.

Onward
Tomorrow we’ll visit a winery Harvest Host for one night, then enjoy a short stay at the Goose Creek State Park on our way to the outer banks of North Carolina. We are so excited about the outer banks. Can’t wait to share that with you in our next post. Hope you’ll come along for the ride!

13 thoughts on “Drifting through Coastal Islands”

  1. Beth Pugh says:
    March 27, 2024 at 8:33 pm

    Can’t wait to travel with you!!

    Reply
    1. anne says:
      March 28, 2024 at 4:45 pm

      You can ride shotgun 🙂

      Reply
  2. Steven Pugh says:
    March 27, 2024 at 8:50 pm

    Subscribe please

    Reply
  3. Eloise-Marie Loeffler says:
    March 27, 2024 at 8:50 pm

    Wow! Thank you! What a great blog. Loved it all. Thank you. Safe and fun travels. Happy Easter!

    Reply
    1. anne says:
      March 28, 2024 at 4:46 pm

      Blessed, happy Easter to you too, my dear friend!

      Reply
  4. Barbara Greenspon says:
    March 27, 2024 at 9:29 pm

    What a lovely trip so far. Enjoy. Once again, your photography is great.

    Reply
    1. anne says:
      March 28, 2024 at 4:46 pm

      I remember your beautiful photography! It’s so fun to share the beauty we experience on our trips.

      Reply
  5. Jeanie Clark says:
    March 28, 2024 at 8:39 am

    So glad you enjoyed Edisto Island. We sure did when we were there last year. Keep sharing your trip.
    Jeanie

    Reply
    1. anne says:
      March 28, 2024 at 4:45 pm

      Thanks, Jeanie. Thanks for checking out our blog!

      Reply
  6. Nan and Chris Morrow says:
    March 29, 2024 at 10:13 am

    I love that you and Skip are having an amazing time exploring Florida and now North Carolina. Thank you for sharing your travels with us. I have never seen a Sandhills Crane so I adored seeing some babies too!
    Nan and Chris

    Reply
  7. Margaret says:
    March 29, 2024 at 10:04 pm

    I liked every bit of it. – baby cranes are darling. Your camper trailer is a gem.
    Tonight (Good Fri.) I went to quiet, somber service at Emmaus Luth. Church in Blmntn, MN — All scripture & some hymns. It was a gift.

    Reply
  8. Phyllis Hanson says:
    March 30, 2024 at 8:16 pm

    Great pictures, Anne and Skip. I’m going to like coming along on your travels.

    Reply
  9. Phyllis Hanson says:
    April 2, 2024 at 2:56 pm

    You are such a good writer. It will be a real joy to “travel” along with you & experience everything from your vantage point. Miss you.

    Reply

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