Day Two dawned, because sleep is a priority in my birth family, not so early. We breakfasted at the hotel, where I used my very first pancake maker. (You push a button, and a minute later, two pancakes come rolling out the side of the machine. Sometimes, it’s the small things that mesmerize me.)
Then, we took a narrated trolley tour of St. Simons.
The tour was about 90 minutes, including a brief stop at Christ Church Frederica where we toured the grounds and the graveyard.
I found the tour quite interesting, when I wasn’t busy trying to figure out why I couldn’t save any pictures on my camera. (Sometimes, it’s the small things that completely befuddle me.) Fortunately, my mom shared a few of hers with me.
Then, we drove over to Jekyll Island and rented a RedBug, which is basically like an electric golf cart that’s legal on any roads 35 mph and under. As tourists, we felt like it was a fun way to see the island. I can only imagine the consternation the RedBugs must cause for the locals, however, because they top out at 25 mph. I’d imagine there’s nothing quite like trying to dodge the steady stream of RedBugs filled with distracted tourists while on your way to work during the tourist high season. See Tourist Drivers for further reflection on this matter.
We ate lunch out on one of the porches at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, where my mother quickly lost her resolve to abstain from chocolate when her Eve-reminiscent daughter pointed out that the shop sold dark chocolate Haagen Dazs ice cream bars and that she herself would shortly be indulging in one. I won’t say which daughter it was that initiated the apple consumption, but it’s fair to note that it was not the daughter who is a registered dietitian (you know, the one that feeds her toddler avocadoes). This still leaves countless possibilities for those of you who don’t know how many sisters I have.
I have one.
After lunch, we took a drive around the island, stopping to walk a stretch of beach for a while and to recharge the RedBug, and then continued on to Driftwood Beach.
Driftwood Beach is a stretch of beach lined with live oaks. As the beach has eroded over time, live oaks are left with their roots exposed and many are overturned, giving the beach an “other world†feel to it. If you visit Jekyll, do stop here; this was probably my favorite part of the island. We were there late in the afternoon, and there were surprisingly few people actually on the beach. As we left, we saw a wedding party headed in the direction of the beach, no doubt drawn by the striking backdrop of sinuous live oaks strewn across the shoreline.
Around dinnertime, we returned to St. Simons and drove to Redfern Village, an inviting shopping and dining area located mid-island. We dined outside at Bubba Garcia’s Mexican Cantina. Sadly, most of the shops were closed for the evening, which is the only explanation for the lack of retail damage done that night. This is mainly just an informational observation on my part; for those of you with retail inclinations considering a trip to St. Simons, rest assured that there are plenty of daytime opportunities there to satiate.
In summary, I’d love to return to either of these islands again and hopefully will someday, perhaps next time with LCB and the small people. The small people would love exploring Driftwood Beach, and LCB would love the area’s laid-back island feel.
Thanks for the trip, Mom. Feel free to repeat. 🙂