Jekyll Island, Georgia

When we were first making our plans to come to coastal Georgia, we thought we would stay in the campground on Jekyll Island.  With lots of bike paths, the beach, and the sea turtle center, it looked like there would be a lot to keep us busy for a few days.

When we called, though, none of their “big rig” sites were available.  So, we ended up at Blythe Island . . . and it was a good thing!

We still wanted to visit Jekyll Island, so on Wednesday we loaded up the truck with our bikes and a picnic lunch, and headed over the causeway.

We had been told that there was a good place to park at the fishing pier across from the campground.  We wanted to check out the campground anyway, so we drove that way.  Good thing we weren’t pulling the RV, because we ended up getting all turned around in the historic village before we finally found our way to the campground!  We would have been in big trouble if we had the RV!

A quick drive through the campground was all we needed to know that we were much better off at Blythe Island!  They may have had a few big rig sites here on Jekyll Island, but getting to them would have been a real challenge – narrow roads and LOTS of trees – and hardly any definition to the sites!

After the campground, we drove into the park where the fishing pier is,

and took a look around.

There was plenty of parking available, but we decided that it we’d rather park at the more centrally-located beach parking lots that we had seen when we first arrived on the island.

 

The Great Dunes Park has lots of parking, a nice covered picnic pavilion overlooking the beach, and a restroom with changing rooms.  It’s also right in the center of the island, right on the bike path.

 

We ate our lunch, and then got the bikes out of the truck.

It was a beautiful, sunny day in the mid-70s – perfect weather for a bike tour around the island!    

We filled our water bottles and were ready for our ride.

 

 

 

 

 

There’s a lot of variety in the bike path – we rode on open paths along the beach,    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tree-lined shaded paths,

boardwalks,

 historic, cobblestone roads,

 and wooded dirt paths.

Around the island, criss-crossing through the center several times, and getting lost in the woods once, too . . . we figure we rode about 15 miles!

We rode past village shops that have been displaced to temporary trailers until the new downtown construction is complete,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

marina and boats,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and plenty of nametag-wearing, tour bus patrons!

Helicopter tours must also be a popular option, as we constantly heard them buzzing overhead.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last stop was the historic district where there are numerous old “cottages”,    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a chapel, and a shopping district.         

We stopped for ice cream cones at the Sweet Shoppe.

In the center of the historic district is the Jekyll Island Hotel,

an old, upscale hotel that looks just like it did at the turn of the century . . . complete with croquet players on the front lawn!

I wonder if it’s a rule that they have to wear white??!!

Jekyll Island is a great place for exploring on bikes, and we all had a great time . . . even Bryce!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at Dunes Park, we changed into bathing suits and headed down to the beach.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was late afternoon by then, and approaching low tide, and the beach was not too crowded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful day, and we relaxed in the sun for an hour or so before we packed everything up and headed back over the causeway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to stop and get some dinner on the way home, and we found a nice little bar and grill just over the giant bridge that goes into Brunswick.

That was definitely a trip to drive over!!

Nice view from up there, though!

After two busy days of exploring, we spent our last day just chilling around the campsite, and got all packed up and ready to move on to Charleston. 

We’re really excited to spend the next three weeks with our very special sailor!         

Historic Railroad Trail on Lake Mead

We had read about this bike trail on Wheeling It’s blog, and since it was just up the road from the RV Park we’re staying at, we definitely wanted to check it out. 

The trailhead is at the intersection of AZ-93 and Lakeshore Drive, just inside the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and the bike path continues through the park, passing right by our campground.  Bryce took a solo ride last Thursday, including the 2 miles from the campground to the trailhead.  That portion of the ride is on a nice wide, paved path, but steadily uphill . . . so when Bryce and I set out on Friday, we decided to load the bikes into the back of the truck and drive up to the trailhead parking lot . . . that turned out to be a good decision!

The trail is an old railroad bed that follows the Lake Mead shoreline all the way to Hoover Dam, passing by the Lake Mead Marina,

and through five old railroad tunnels.

The tunnels were really cool,

 

and we had some great views of the lake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was overcast that day, but the clouds provided some welcome relief from the high temperatures!

Bryce found a shortcut that he just had to try . . .

 

It was a nice day, and we made it almost all the way to the dam, although we stopped at the top of the last hill.  We’d already seen the dam, so no reason to ride down there!

We turned around and made our way back to the beginning of the trail.  We were almost back to the parking lot when we had our little mishap!

 

 

 

There’s a large gate at each end of the trail, which get closed and locked at dusk, and the wind had blown the gate at the beginning of the trail closed more than it had been when we first went through.  Bryce got through and warned me to be careful because the opening wasn’t as wide as it had been earlier.  The words were barely out of his mouth when my handlebar clipped the gate, and I landed face-first in the gravel!  Ouch!

Luckily, neither me or my camera were broken in the fall, and I ended up with just a scraped up elbow and bruised leg.  I was done on the bike, though, so we were really glad that we had driven up to the parking lot rather than riding the 2 miles up . . . and Bryce got to drive the truck for the 1st time!!

Balloons and the Pipeline Canyon Trail

After the Fiesta Bowl Parade last weekend, we took the boys to see Grudge Match (which was pretty good), and on the way home we started to see colorful balloons in the sky over the desert.

Just down the road from our park is a small airport in the middle of the desert, and we see hot air balloons almost every day.  On this night, though, there seemed to be a higher than usual number of balloons around.

They also rent these parasailing contraptions powered by fan motors (they sound like an airboat in the sky!), and on this night they were all over the place!

We pulled over on the side of the road so we could out and watch for awhile.  A couple of them kept buzzing right over our heads!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sky was alive with colorful hot air balloons and parasails buzzing around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at home, we finished up the evening with another beautiful sunset.

On Sunday afternoon, the boys were taking the bikes to the north end of the park to ride the Pipeline Canyon Trail, so I went along with them to walk part of the trail.

 

The trail follows the rim of the canyon, with the first half-mile pretty much all downhill to where the river meets the lake.

 

The guys like to ride fast downhill, so I told them to go on ahead and that I’d meet them at the bridge at the bottom.

I carefully made my way along the cactus-lined, rocky trail,

 

 

and down to the bridge that crosses the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicolas said that the water is higher now than it was the last time they were here – it was only up to this tree before.

 

The boys continued across the bridge and back up to the top of the canyon on the north side of the river.

 

 

 

 

 

After taking a few pictures, I went back the way I had come from.

 

 

The wild donkeys like to hang out in this less-populated area of the park, and the boys have seen them on the trail in the past.  As I walked back toward the truck, I heard them braying, not too far away, but they did a good job of staying hidden in the brush and the shadows.

 

I made my way pack to the parking area, and took a few pictures of the lake while I waited for the boys to get back on the bikes.

Before too long, the boys were back and we loaded the bikes into the truck and headed back to the campground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great afternoon for a hike and bike ride!