Seventh Day

Wednesday, June 30, 2004-

Upon leaving St. Simon's Island the next morning, Savannah and Tybee Island, GA were the initial destinations for Wednesday. Tybee Island was the site of the "lighthouse de jour." The 178 steps to the top ranked it as a "moderate" climb among lighthouses, but a very warm one on that sunny but humid day. Lunchtime arrived soon after the lighthouse climb and tour of the fort (Fort Screven) and museum. The oceanfront restaurant and lounge, Dolphin's Reef, looked good in the advertisements but proved to be the culinary low point of the entire trip-at least in MJ's opinion. How can you screw up a broiled flounder? They found a way.

The restaurant seemed like one of those places that had been very fashionable at one time in the past but had become tattered over the years with insufficient compensatory maintenance to help it retain its place among the "in" places to dine. A twenty-minute trip back through the marshes on US 80W brought them back to Savannah. (Tybee Island is actually the beach access for Savannah which is situated a few miles inland from the ocean.)

Savannah lived up to its "Chamber of Commerce" descriptions that had been offered by Pete and Harriet. "You just simply MUST spend some time in Savannah," Harriet had insisted in her beautiful Southern drawl. The wrought iron balconies jutting out over the sidewalks did give it the look of the View Carre (i.e., French Quarter) of New Orleans. The tunnels of Spanish moss clinging to the limbs of Magnolia trees as they draped over the cobblestone streets seemed reminiscent of several cities in Mississippi and Alabama, as well.

Above: Carol Stockton inside Tybee Island Lighthouse

This proved to be a "two-lighthouse day." Crossing the Savannah River put them in South Carolina about twenty-five miles from Hilton Head Island, another resort designed especially for wealthy golfers. The Harbour Town Lighthouse is located inside a gated community (Sea Pines Plantation) which requires a $5 pass just for the privilege of driving through its streets. If, as some say, a map of Hilton Head Island looks like a human foot, the lighthouse is located near the big toe, an area locally referred to as "South Beach." The rain combined with the early symptoms of a cold kept MJ in the car, but Carol braved the rain, paid still another fee, and climbed the 114 steps to the top of the structure where a gift shop is located. Reviews (Yes there are lighthouse reviewers!) have called this one the most commercialized of all US lighthouses. The fact is that it was built for commercialization more than navigation, according to another reviewer, and is located in the "World's Largest Snobatorium." (That would be Sea Pines Resort, where it appears that money will buy one social status and lack of it severely limits one's activities.)

On to Charleston, SC, it was after the viewing of the Harbour Town Lighthouse was complete. Traffic was of the "bumper-to-bumper" variety on Hilton Head Island and on all of its bridges and causeways connecting it to the mainland and I-95.

Above: Harbour Town Lighthouse, Hilton Heaqd Island

Dinner was at "Jasper's on the Lake," a country café just off I-95 whose name somewhat exaggerated its claim to elegance. Since one member of the staff had been fired and a big party had arrived unannounced, Carol and MJ had plenty of time between courses, to enjoy sitting on the porch and watching it rain. Carol tried the She Crab soup finally and found it very good. It was late in the evening when they arrived at Mount Pleasant, SC, just across the Cooper River from Charleston in an area called "Patriot's Point." The USS Yorktown, a WWII aircraft carrier, is docked there.

Wednesday, June 30, 2004-
Upon leaving St. Simon's Island the next morning, Savannah and Tybee Island, GA were the initial destinations for Wednesday. Tybee Island was the site of the "lighthouse de jour." The 178 steps to the top ranked it as a "moderate" climb among lighthouses, but a very warm one on that sunny but humid day. Lunchtime arrived soon after the lighthouse climb and tour of the fort (Fort Screven) and museum. The oceanfront restaurant and lounge, Dolphin's Reef, looked good in the advertisements but proved to be the culinary low point of the entire trip-at least in MJ's opinion. How can you screw up a broiled flounder? They found a way.
The restaurant seemed like one of those places that had been very fashionable at one time in the past but had become tattered over the years with insufficient compensatory maintenance to help it retain its place among the "in" places to dine. A twenty-minute trip back through the marshes on US 80W brought them back to Savannah. (Tybee Island is actually the beach access for Savannah which is situated a few miles inland from the ocean.) Savannah lived up to its "Chamber of Commerce" descriptions that had been offered by Pete and Harriet. "You just simply MUST spend some time in Savannah," Harriet had insisted in her beautiful Southern drawl. The wrought iron balconies jutting out over the sidewalks did give it the look of the View Carre (i.e., French Quarter) of New Orleans. The tunnels of Spanish moss clinging to the limbs of Magnolia trees as they draped over the cobblestone streets seemed reminiscent of several cities in Mississippi and Alabama, as well.	Above: Carol Stockton inside Tybee Island Lighthouse
This proved to be a "two-lighthouse day." Crossing the Savannah River put them in South Carolina about twenty-five miles from Hilton Head Island, another resort designed especially for wealthy golfers. The Harbour Town Lighthouse is located inside a gated community (Sea Pines Plantation) which requires a $5 pass just for the privilege of driving through its streets. If, as some say, a map of Hilton Head Island looks like a human foot, the lighthouse is located near the big toe, an area locally referred to as "South Beach." The rain combined with the early symptoms of a cold kept MJ in the car, but Carol braved the rain, paid still another fee, and climbed the 114 steps to the top of the structure where a gift shop is located. Reviews (Yes there are lighthouse reviewers!) have called this one the most commercialized of all US lighthouses. The fact is that it was built for commercialization more than navigation, according to another reviewer, and is located in the "World's Largest Snobatorium." (That would be Sea Pines Resort, where it appears that money will buy one social status and lack of it severely limits one's activities.) On to Charleston, SC, it was after the viewing of the Harbour Town Lighthouse was complete. Traffic was of the "bumper-to-bumper" variety on Hilton Head Island and on all of its bridges and causeways connecting it to the mainland and I-95.	Above: Harbour Town Lighthouse, Hilton Heaqd Island
Dinner was at "Jasper's on the Lake," a country café just off I-95 whose name somewhat exaggerated its claim to elegance. Since one member of the staff had been fired and a big party had arrived unannounced, Carol and MJ had plenty of time between courses, to enjoy sitting on the porch and watching it rain. Carol tried the She Crab soup finally and found it very good. It was late in the evening when they arrived at Mount Pleasant, SC, just across the Cooper River from Charleston in an area called "Patriot's Point." The USS Yorktown, a WWII aircraft carrier, is docked there.