Day Eight

Smoke, smoke, and more smoke!  We drove over to Jekyll Island, and the smoke was thick like fog!  There were ashes on our car, and as we walked along the trails, we saw ashes covering all the spider webs.

Our first stop was for lunch, so we went to a local place called Red Bug Pizza.  Their pizza was yummy, and there was a cool playground for Sam to play on while we were waiting.  Unfortunately, a stray mushroom found its way onto one of Sam's pizza slices, so there was a mini disaster when that was discovered!  Jim and I managed to salvage the rest of the pizza, though.  No dinner for us!  :)

Afterwards, we visitied the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and enjoyed an informative talk given by one of the staff members about the patients they currently have in-house.  They rescue sea turtles and help them rehabilitate, as well as monitor the sea turtle nests and hatchlings all along the the coastal area.  One of their patients, Caton, was released three times, but kept coming back, so they have decided that he will need to be relocated to a permanent facility at an aquarium somewhere.  He likes all the attention and personal service!

This facility also offers two nightly walks to tour the beach for sea turtle nesting activities - we would love to do that, but don't have the time on this trip.  Hopefully in the future!

Also located on the island is the Tidelands Nature Center.  We paid them a visit, and checked out a few species located in some small tanks inside, along with some educational displays about the creatures in the area and their habitats.  Sam most enjoyed the touch tank, where he played with the spiny crabs, hermit crabs, and conchs for a while.  There were a few different types of anemones as well, and he laughed every time he touched them because they would close up like a flower.

We took a short stroll along the nature trail outside, but didn't go far because of the heat (94 degrees) and smoke combination.  After a few minutes, we knew it was time for some ice cream and something cold to drink!

This is another facility we would like to visit in the future, as they offer nature walks with a guide each morning at 9 am in different areas of the island.  We always love to go on guided tours!

A stop at the Dairy Queen on the way out for some ICE CREAM and we were headed back to our rig for the night.  The smokey air was really taking its toll, so we stayed in the a/c for the rest of the night.