When my work offered some flexibility around Christmas such that I could get a few days away, I pulled up a map to figure out where I should go and my Hilton app to see what hotels that interest me might be affordable. I'm not sure I hesitated for more than a moment before I clicked book when I found the Home2 Suites on Jekyll Island.
It's my first holiday season since the divorce. I had been able to go home for Thanksgiving but I knew Christmas wouldn't be realistic. I didn't have a lot of traditions with my ex-husband around the holidays so I didn't think it would be that hard. But I also knew how good the beach has been for me this year. I was wrong to think this wouldn't be hard. Jekyll Island was a good choice.
Including a stop at a grocery store to pick up food for the week, my trip was 8.5 hours, a total of 473 miles. It was cold out and all freeway driving with speed limits of 70 mph and so my efficiency was a bit down at 3.6 miles/kWh. I didn't remember to check out any new audiobooks or line up any podcasts and so I mostly just sat with my thoughts as the miles went by which was good.
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| My last charging stop was at a gas station that had 8 Tesla Superchargers, at least one ChargePoint DC Charger, and at least one level 2 charger, all in a pretty tight parking lot but it actually worked well. |
My hotel is nice. There is a small kitchen plus living area in this king studio. And they offer EV charging for a fee but after my walk on the beach, I discovered the free chargers just two parking lots over and moved my car.
I walked down to the beach with just my journal and my iPhone. I didn't want to get too lost in the photography. I really just wanted to hear the waves.
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| The sun was getting close to setting and so my long shadow was fun! |
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| This is the boardwalk up to the Residence Inn that I stayed at with my Mom and sister a year or two ago. The ramp has caution tape over it now that I don't recall being there before so it appears the beach has eroded away some. |
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| Here's the beach parking lot with the free chargers. |
Back in the room, I dug out the orange scone I had bought at Panera's this morning and opened the bottle of Chardonnay I picked up at the grocery story. The place is lacking wine glasses so I guess I will be drinking my chardonnay out of a coffee cup. At least it isn't a plastic cup like the one I managed to crack in Venice, Italy years ago.
That evening, I went out for a walk to look for Christmas lights. One big advantage of this hotel is that it is just a block from the village and a lot of paths so I didn't have to go far. The stars were breathtaking. I was amazed at how many I could see even with a fair amount of light pollution. Jekyll Island has done a nice job with Christmas lights. There is even a tour you can take and a suggested route to drive if I had been in my car but I was fine with just the ones I could reach by foot. At one point though as I walked down a fairly dark path which backed up to dense bushes/trees surrounding a tidal pound, something large suddenly moved in the bushes giving me a bit of a fright! I moved on unharmed though, at a bit quicker of a pace.
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| I found a spot on a quiet path, near the beach where there was a little less light pollution than other areas and just laid on my back to stead myself for the long exposure on my iPhone. |
The next day was Christmas Day. I had stayed up later than normal the night before and felt very alone as I woke up the next morning so it was a bit hard to get out of bed but something told me the sunrise would be worth it. So I got up and got out there about 20 minutes before it was set to rise. The colors at that point were already spectacular. I probably could have gotten out there even earlier but that's okay.
The tide was going out and so had left the sand wet and glistening which created this beautiful reflection of the colors in the sky. And so I snapped a few photos and then just watched as the colors continued to change. By the time I was done my feet were frozen - the temperatures were in the upper 40s and I like to wear sandals on the beach to make them easy to clean off.
After the sun had risen, I made my way back to the hotel to thaw out and find some breakfast. I used that time during breakfast to look up recent bird sightings on the island. A pond near an amphitheater had sightings of Roseate Spoonbills among many other species this week. So with just that idea in my mind, I went up to get my camera bag, grabbed my scooter from my car trunk, and headed that direction. I started on paths that paralleled the main roads and then turned off on one that started out paved as it entered the forest. Eventually that path turned to dirt and so I got to test out how well my scooter could handle it with its small wheels. That path took me over wood bridges that crossed streams and through more forested areas before rejoining another road.
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| While I was standing on this bridge looking out at the water, a Great Blue Heron suddenly called out loudly, took off and flew directly over me! It was amazing to watch! |
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| As long as I avoided the tree roots, this path was firmly packed enough for my scooter to handle okay. |
When I reached the main road, there was not a parallel bike path so I made my way down the road. It was so quiet, I only encountered one car this whole stretch although I did pass a few people out walking. I scootered right past my turnoff, not recognizing that I was looking for a muddy, unmarked road. I had assumed there would be signs for this "amphitheater" but there were not! I turned around and Google helped me find the right road, which opened up into what appeared to have once been a parking lot and then had various paths leading from it. With how muddy this area was, my scooter was worthless, so I folded it up and carried it.
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| Something in my gut suggested this path. I wondered if at one time it had a sign for the amphitheater which I was now wondering if even existed anymore. Down this path, which was fairly overgrown, there were a few turns where I had decisions to make but eventually I found myself in the middle of an abandoned amphitheater covered with graffiti and trees growing in the middle of it. |
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| These rickety stairs went up to the stage |
Just beyond the amphitheater was the pond I was looking for. I will admit that I hesitated a moment when I saw what I thought might be a large dog (or some other wildlife) run off. I had not seen any signs of another human so wasn't expecting a dog. But then I proceeded towards the pond and didn't see that dog again (or any other people).
As I gazed across the pond, the sound of larger birds in nearby trees filled my ears. The Merlin app on my phone upon hearing their song, encouraged me to look for Pileated Woodpeckers, a favorite bird of mine! So I put down my scooter and got out my camera to look for them. There seemed to be so many as I looked from tree to treat although I don't know how many of them just kept moving with me. I did photograph both males and females so there definitely were multiples.
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| This female was hanging precariously from this branch while she picked something off (berries I believe) although she didn't keep everything she picked off as I kept hearing things fall into the water below with a repetitive "plop". |
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| A White-eyed Vireo that caught my attention between Pileated Woodpeckers |
I was also hearing Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, and Flickers so this was definitely woodpecker territory!
After I had been there maybe an hour and a half, I decided I was done wandering in such an isolated place. It was time to move on. Maybe that's a bit of a metaphor for my grief. I need to sit in the stillness of it all at times but then I need to move on until the next time feel the need to sit in that stillness again. On my way back towards the amphitheater I came across this neat mushroom. I didn't switch lenses to my macro lens so this is just an iPhone photo but it is still cool.
I then retraced my steps the best I could and managed to find my way back to that muddy parking lot and muddy road. Once I was back out in what felt like civilization again, I continued along that road that had lead me to the amphitheater turn off until it reached the other side of the island. I then followed the bike paths along the coast, past the Wharf, and eventually to the Marina before turning back towards my hotel.
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| Snowy Egret |
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| I discovered my scooter is just too darn loud! It makes so much noise going over wooden bridges, stone paths, etc. and scares away all the birds. There were times I picked it up and walked. |
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| Little Blue Heron |
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Double-crested Cormorants at the Wharf
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| Brown Pelican |
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| Willet |
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| Black Vulture |
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| The causeway that takes you onto the island |
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| The Marina |
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| And then just before my hotel, I stopped to admire these beautiful flowers which are planted all over the island. |
Being Christmas Day, I had decided I wanted to actually cook something so I had picked up a small packet of chicken breasts and some veggies. The front desk had these portable cooktops and pans that you could borrow so I asked for one before heading back to my room after the morning's excursion. I'm impressed without how it turned out given the limitations.
The rest of Christmas Day was spent talking to loved ones, writing, and reading. I not only survived a hard day but I think I really made something of it!
The next morning when I got up, I knew there was a good chance there would be clouds and maybe even rain. It appeared the rain was holding off so I decided to still go to Driftwood Beach. I figured I could always head there a second time in the next couple of days if the sunrise looked promising on another day. And there is something really moody about a cloudy day that seemed appropriate both for the driftwood and for my own thoughts. I grabbed breakfast first and then got my in car and drove to the parking area.
It was already starting to get light when I arrived. The first people I encountered all either had a tripod in their hands or were reluctantly following a loved one with a tripod in their hands (plus the person sleeping in a hammock - which seemed interesting for such a cold, windy morning). Eventually a couple dog walkers joined me but overall, it was really, really quiet.
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| I had plans to keep my feet dry - it was cold and windy. But then photo opportunities like this presented themselves and I just didn't care anymore as the waves rushed over my sandals and got the bottoms of my leggings wet. |
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| Look closely and you will see the bubbles were multicolored! |
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| Here's the guy or gal in the hammock. |
As I was using Google Maps on my phone to find my way back to my car, I noticed Horton Pond about 7 blocks down the road from where I parked. So I left my car where it was after putting my tripod back in the trunk and then continued down the road on foot. Horton's Pond was well marked with a well maintained overlook and well marked trails, quite a difference from yesterday morning's adventures! I didn't see a lot there but it was still fun to check it out. On a sunny, warmer day, I understand alligators are usually the highlight of this pond. There was a path that indicated it went all the way to Horton House which are neat ruins I have visited on previous trips but I wasn't sure I wanted to walk that far today.
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| Black-crowned Night Heron |
I then made my way back to my car and back to my hotel. Outside my hotel is a spot to wash your feet so I cleaned up my shoes and then went in to get a cup of coffee from the lobby. An older couple I understand had watched me wash my feet in the cold and jokingly commented that I must be crazy. They wouldn't be all wrong.
Back at the hotel, I had some downtime before I made myself a salad for lunch and then decided to head back out for a walk on the beach. The ground was wet as it had rained while I ate lunch. The wind was still very strong. So I took my raincoat with me to use as a wind breaker and eventually to help keep the rain off me.
I walked about a mile and a half down the beach before I turned back. There was no one else out except this one older gentleman who waved and gave me a thumbs up as I passed. The tide was still pretty low and so the beach was long and smooth. There is just something about being out in all weather. I feel most alive when I'm in the middle of something like rain. Maybe it's a reminder of the complexities in life and how I fit into the bigger picture.
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| I found just a few sand dollars which reminded me all that my sister found when we visited here with our Mom a year or two ago. I decided to take one hoping it would survive the trip home as a reminder of this trip and then on second thought grabbed a second as a backup. I'm glad I did that because only the second made it back to the hotel! In editing this blog now that I'm back home, I'm sad to report. I managed to break the second as well within 24 hours of being home. Oh well! This was meant to be more of a connection to another time and place and less about this particular trip so I'm okay with it. |
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| A warning about tides and sandbars |
When I got to the point where I had decided to turn around, I took a path over the dunes so that I could wash my feet and take the paved ocean path back. It was a bit less windy so a little warmer and it gave me a change of scenery.
And then I ended in the village where I did a little shopping including picking up a bottle of rum to warm me up. They had the same kind my Dad and I had discovered in Sanibel so that is what I bought.
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| My ex-husband loved nutcrackers at Christmas - I don't know if I will ever get to the point where there won't still be things that remind me of him. When you spend two decades of your life with someone, you don't just erase them. |
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| More flowers in the village! |
After breakfast Friday morning, I walked out to the ocean trail above the dunes along the beach. It was about 20 minutes before sunrise and the sky was starting to get lighter but it was fully cloudy so I knew I wouldn't get a glimpse of the colors of a sunrise. Nevertheless, I sat on a bench with my cup of coffee from the hotel and just took in the sounds of the waves and the breeze that rushed through.
Mid-day, I took my scooter out for a loop that included going past the Summer Waves waterpark which is closed this time of year and partially around the pond next to it before continuing on the South Loop. Part of the Summer Waves Crossover Trail was too soft for my scooter so I had to walk but the South Loop was a bit more firmly packed so that my wheels could more easily roll over it.
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| View of the pond from the 4-H Tidelands Nature Center |
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| Can I get this scooter up to 10mph? Maybe.... |
At one point, I ended up in the middle of a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers (also known as "Butter Butts"). I left my camera in my camera bag for this trip and coming upon this flock of birds was no exception. I just wanted to be present for the moment and so I stood still and took in the experience. The stillness allowed me to hear the whisper of their wings as they flew over me. And they chatted cheerfully among each other as they flittered from branch to branch. Like many song birds, these little warblers don't sit still. After the fact, I wrote this poem to try to capture the moment.
The Sound of the Stillness
soaring across the path
a small bird catches my eye
I pause.
at first overwhelmed by silence
as the wheels of my scooter stop
I breathe.
the song of warblers reaches my ears
a chorus of more than the eye can spot
I am still.
wings push through the air, an audible sound
as they fly over my head
I am.
Despite the overcast skies, something in me pushed me to drive out to St. Andrew's Beach on the southwest side of the island as it got closer to sunset. I'm really glad I listened to that gut feeling because as I pulled into the parking lot of the beach, I could already see bits of blue sky appearing. I walked out onto the beach and discovered it was at or close to high tide as waves were starting to touch the ramp down to the sand.
I remembered there being driftwood at this beach from my last trip but I guess I didn't remember this much. There were a few families gathered on the beach right near the ramp so I continued on hoping to find a quiet section of the beach. I didn't have too go far before I realized it probably wouldn't be hard to find an isolated section if I was willing to climb over and under the piles of driftwood to get there! So I pushed forward ducking, bending, climbing, jumping - it was quite the obstacle course!
And then I came upon this small horseshoe section with a fallen piece of wood for a bench and the most beautiful piece of driftwood partially immersed in the water not far off shore. At that point, there was a break in the clouds and a piece of the sun shone through. So using that falling branch as both a prop for my phone to try and capture some video and as a solid surface to steady my camera, I snapped a few photos and then stepped back to just admire the beauty.
The no-see-ums made an appearance at this point so I zipped up my sweatshirt and pulled up my hood to minimize exposed skin and then turned my focus back to the waves and the sun and all the sights before me. At some point, a question passed my mind as to whether the tide had reached high or if it was still climbing as my journey back would be even more challenging if the tide was still rising! A look at a tide chart for the marina made me realize we were still an hour from high tide! Oh well! I wasn't ready to give up my spot and view of the sunsetting for the possibility that I might have to wade in the water a bit.
I managed to capture similar shots of the boardwalk down to the sand both on my way out and when I returned to see how different the tide was - it was noticeable but not huge. The left one was at the start of my journey and the right one at the end of my journey. These two photos were taken 56 minutes apart.
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| Some of the driftwood I was climbing under or over |
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| This is my little private beach where I watched the sunset. It's actually the branch on the far right where I sat and propped up my phone and camera. |
Once the color was starting to fade, I started my way back. My footprints from my journey to this spot had been washed away in a couple of places and so I had to find new paths (or get my feet wet which I was hoping not to do).
After the sun had set, I made my way the other direction towards the observation tower and came across this sandman.
By that time, I figured I should make my way back to the car. I had walked far enough that it was going to be an unfamiliar path that took me back to the parking lot and with how forested the parking area was I figured it probably already was quite dark. But before I did I took a moment to stand on the beach, look out at the water, and give thanks for all the healing and growth I found on this island. This was my last night before the trip home.
The next morning I had set my alarm to make sure I was up in time to get to Driftwood Beach for one last sunrise. With it being a weekend day, breakfast at the hotel didn't start until 7:00 a.m. so with a 7:21 a.m. sunrise time, I figured I would have to catch something to eat after my time at the beach.
On the drive over, I slowed my car as I passed five deer wandering along the side of the road. I had seen three deer the evening before on my way back from the sunset so I was not surprised to see them on this island.
I arrived while it was still pretty dark and parked in the first parking area which has a more forested path to the beach. The headlights of my car stayed on long enough and penetrated just enough through the woods to help me find my way (and create some shadows that startled me a few times!). Before I left the hotel that morning there had been a large enough parting of the clouds to reveal a crescent moon so I was a little hopeful. But the fog along the horizon was constant enough to obscure most of the sunrise's colors. The tide was fairly high as I made my way down the beach, stopping from time to time to admire a view or capture a photo.
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| This was the closest I got to any colors and then after I snapped this and the next couple of photos the clouds and fog more fully obscured any colors. |
I tried this time to keep my feet dry. I was wearing sandals with a pair of socks this morning since a spot on my toe had started to rub. But before I knew it, water was swirling around my ankles and drenching even my leggings. Although dry feet are nice, I think life's too short to not step in the water sometimes.
There was a photographer (he is in the distance in this photo below) who at first was taking photos of the driftwood using a small tripod. I then saw him head this direction and go past this sign (which asks people to stay out of the area because it is a conservation area) so that he presumably could get photos of the flock of White Ibises that were feeding in the pond just to the left of where he is standing in this photo. As wild animals do, they quickly fled when he got too close. It really saddened me as the birds need safe spaces they can feed. There is a reason for that sign. I strongly believe that as wildlife/nature photographers, we have a moral obligation to not disturb what is around us. My goal is to peek into their habitat without disrupting them.
I didn't take any photos of those White Ibises, by the way. Instead I just observed them from a distance with the excuse that I was too lazy to change my lens and the lighting was not great. But really, there is so much value in just being present with nature and not always viewing it through the lens of a camera. I feel like I found a better balance this trip - taking more time to pause without worrying about capturing the perfect photo.
And then when I felt ready to leave Driftwood Beach, I made my way back to that forested path near my car. As I walked down that path, the sound of a large woodpecker echoed in my ears. When I spotted a male Pileated Woodpecker, this time I did take the time to switch lenses so I could try and capture one more photo of this magnificent bird!
Before I drove away, I looked down the road each direction to admire the fog. These photos minimize the fog a bit but they still give you a bit of an idea.
Back at the hotel, I walked around to the backside where there was a foot washing station to clean off my sandals, socks, and feet and I came across this beautiful flower bathed in the morning's rain. This is just an iPhone photo so not quite the artistic quality if I had pulled out my macro lens, but nevertheless it is a beautiful flower.
And that ended my time on Jekyll Island. I finished packing, loaded my car, and then grabbed some coffee and breakfast to take on the road. The drive home only took 7 hours and 45 minutes and this time I avoided Atlanta so drove roads that were a bit slower speeds, going through a lot of towns with stoplights along the way. It made the world of a difference in my efficiency! Compared to the 3.6 miles/kWh I experienced on the drive down at freeway speeds, I averaged 4.5 miles/kWh on the way home. This difference in efficiency (plus a slightly shorter route) meant only 2 charging stops vs the 3 I made on the way down. For my 7 hour and 45 minute trip, I only spent 27 minutes charging and it cost less than $16.
