Still at Skidaway Island

Skidaway Island State Park is a great place to set up a camp to explore the Savannah area. Not far from the city and close to Tybee Island for additional exploring. On Sunday we visited Fort Pulaski which sits at the tip of Cockspur Island separating the south and north channels of the Savannah River as it enters from the Atlantic Ocean. At Tybee Island, across the South Channel, there is a cool beach town that is built on the ocean. Lots of history here, as well as a big beach and fishing pier. During the civil war the union army set up cannons on the beach at Tybee to take down Fort Pulaski and gain entrance to Savannah and the river. Today the island is a beach community with a bustling business area, resort hotels and quaint neighborhoods.

Still at Savannah's riverfront, we enjoyed the old buildings and maritime atmosphere. 

We took a ferry boat ride across the river to the convention center and them back to the east end of the port area.

This monument was dedicated to the African American soldiers who fought during the civil war in Savannah. There was also a monument to all U.S. veterans who fought during our 21'st century wars.  

City market in downtown spans three blocks and has lots of shops. cafes, and live entertainment.

A memorial to Casimer Pulaski who was a polish immigrant in the early 1800's who came to the U.S. for the love of freedom. 

On Sunday we explored Fort Pulaski National Monument east of town. This was one of a series of forts that was built by the US government in the mid 1800's to protect our waterways from foreign invasion. 

A view of the fort. The earthen mound were built to sheild the fort and hide it from the sea. 

Inside were cannons and the yard where the soldiers carried out their routines.

This is one of the best preserved and refurbished forts in the country even though it sustained heavy damage in the civil war. The CCC was responsible for a lot of the renovation.

The end of our stay at Skidaway Island.

Savannah Georgia (continued)

Walking around Savannah there is so much to see and do. It's hard not to snap photos at every turn and just marvel at the art and architecture. I think about what the city must have been like a hundred and eighty years ago. 

The building across the street say's "Arts" on the awning. Not to be confused with Art's in Glen Arbor.

The city squares contain monuments and landscaping to draw you in. 

Modern tours take tourists on explorations of the city.

And there are slower paced means of touring as well.

History abounds.

Walking through the cemetery was another interesting time. This man was born four days after our country declared it's independance! 

Some of the tombs resembled beds with their occupants snoozing comfortably.

Outside the Savannah Police department. 

This was my favorite front porch on one of the old historic homes. 

River Street along the Savannah River. This is among the busiest ports in the country. Huge container ships move past daily. The old buildings were a bustling port center nearly two centuries ago. 

The Georgia Queen offers dinner cruises and sightseeing on the river.

Another view down River Street. 

Savannah Georgia

Our second time visiting Savannah we took a day to walk around and visit a couple of the restaurants. This is a beautiful city full of history and beautiful city parks plus a historic port along the Savanna River.

We walked the streets of Savannah and enjoyed the historic homes, city squares, churches and old neighborhoods of the city. Many of the historic places have markers in front that tell their story and give the year of relevance. 

The old historic homes are magnificent and huge. The buildings have been well maintained over the past nearly two centuries.

The designers of the city set aside land for city squares or parks throughout the neighborhoods.

A view of the historic buildings along Whitaker Street. 

Brownstone houses and cobblestone streets give the area a wonderful colonial flair. 

A marker for Pulaski Square. Casimer Pulaski was a soldier from Poland that came to the United States and died fighting for the freedom he revered in this country. There is a fort named after him on Tybee Island near Savanna. 

I found this boar wearing a Christmas hat in front of a beautiful white brick home. 

And what a home it is!

The artwork and detail in one of the fountains was incredible.

An Forsythe Park Animal hospital built in the 1840's

Another example of the elegant architecture of the houses in Savannah. This one is available and can be viewed on the Seabolt real estate website. 

There were several old churches that were some of the first churches of their denomination in the country.

The first Synagogue in Georgia. 

Working our way south

We left Tennessee on Monday, January first, and found a campsite near Columbia, South Carolina. It was a good place to get re-acquainted with camping mode and de-winterize the fifth wheel.
Next stop was Magnolia Springs State Park just south of Augusta, Georgia for another night. This was a really nice campground and we were camped right next to the lake, but again, we only used it for a night and got underway again after a nice walk in the morning.
Day three of our journey and we made it into Skidaway Island State Park just outside of Savannah by 1:00 in the afternoon. After setting up camp we settled in for a three night stay. We've been at this park before and knew it was a good spot to camp and visit Savanah. There are trails in the park and all the conveniences nearby to restock the refrigerator and kitchen shelves.

Magnolia Springs state park in Georgia. Moving south.

We walked trails here around the lake.

Visiting Downtown Detroit at the end of 2019

While visiting with the family in southeast Michigan we took a tour of downtown Detroit with Dave and Becky. They wanted to show us all the new development and revitalization that is going on down there. Mike and Lisa met us downtown and we all walked around and were amazed at the atmosphere and vitality that has become the new character of down town. We walked for blocks and blocks, around Campus Martius and the riverfront area and there were people and activity everywhere.  It was good to see the city finally making a big comeback.

A fine group of folks touring the "D" on a Saturday night at the end of 2019.

We started near the casinos and Campus Martius. The square was loaded with vendors and people milling about.

The christmas lights added so much color and beauty to the area.

The Ren Cen is GM's headquarters and a beacon for the city.

A view south from the water front across the Detroit River to Windsor. 

Looking north from Hart Plaza at downtown.

The Renaissance Center from the south.

The ultimate carriage tour of downtown.

A few pictures from Leeleanau

A look at December activities before we left home...

This guy was parked in front of Happy Hour Tavern near Northport. Looks like he's late for fall harvest or early for next spring planting.

Red berries. I didn't notice the twinkle lights on them!

The iconic red school house on the side of M-22.

Picking out a christmas tree at the Kovarik farm. We wanted to be decorated for the holidays. 

On the Road Again

After spending Christmas with our family for six days in the greater Detroit area, (Howell, Ann Arbor, and Romeo), we drove to Elizabethton, Tennessee to celebrate New Year with David and Sara. This morning we pulled our fifth wheel out of the storage lot and are now near Columbia, South Carolina.
We set up camp at about 4:30 this afternoon and are getting settled in our winter home.
The weather here is in the mid fifties and we hope to be able to camp from here on out.