Rest and Regroup Day

 We decided to stay and enjoy the charms of Savannah for a couple of days, rather than move on to our planned destination of Beaufort, SC, a bucolic little town we have heard so much about, and save that for a trip when we have a car. It is challenging not to have transportation other than the coach, which not only needs a space large enough to park, but because of our precious cargo, needs to run the generator to keep the AC running while doing so.  The campground we were at was totally booked, so we needed to move a mile up the road to get a site in order to stay.

We spent the morning rearranging hastily packed things, and finding places for those we had stashed here and there, then checking out at the approved time.   Just like hotels, there are check in and out times, but nobody has to change the sheets and clean the rooms!  Maybe a quick rake if it’s a gravel site, but generally not even that. Maybe they are allowing for a needed late departure.  At any rate, we lucked out, and the space at Savannah Oaks had been vacated when we arrived, and we were able to move in before our allotted check in time. Unlike the Creek Fire campground we had left with its tennis courts, lazy River, pool bar, bocci courts and restaurant, to name a few, this place is pretty basic.  But it has trees!!  Lots of shade making trees!  Which of course when you live in a metal can with little insulation is a welcome benefit.  Not to mention the low flying hawk that flew in front of me as we parked! We rarely have time for all those fancy amenities anyway, as we like to explore.  But if you are staying for a while, like many people there were doing there, it’s great! Friends and families were camping side by side and enjoying the lifestyle, toasting marshmallows, and sharing happy hours, after a day enjoying the entertainment. 

All tidied up, and with the one full side slide pushed out, the space is pretty adequate, though Clem begs  to differ! 

Loki fond a nice cozy ledge he liked, so a folded towel made him a nice little bed. His  place when we drive, as our bed closes over it, but leaves a space to get to it. 

 The rest of the day was spent getting the blog going, and relaxing a bit after many hectic days, and taking a walk around the campground as evening approached and it cooled from what was a very hot 90 degree day!  Clem of course, struck up a conversation with a very nice young man who was doing maintenance, and he recommended some things to do when we go back into Savannah tomorrow. He highly recommended  a peach sangria we could find at City Market, and said he would probably see him there if we went! Nice guy.  We do meet a lot of nice people….it’s a shame about the ones who make our news so unpleasant. 

We opted for dinner inside away from the heat. 

Just like at home, Loki joins us for the evening news 

Not exactly campfire and marshmallows, Clem prefers a movie and popcorn inside away from mosquitos! We will definitely do campfires when we hit MA! 

A Special Day in Savannah

Well, another hiccup to start the day!  When we booked this campground, which is amazing, by the way, we were told there was a shuttle into Savannah.  Clem had verified times before we left home, but when he checked in, they said, oh we forgot....it doesn't run tomorrow! Great.  Luckily, there is a resident Uber driver, but he was booked at our chosen time, so we got a ride in at 8:30 AM, but the driver was very accommodating and gave us a bit of an overview of the city on the way to our destination. 

Friends Debbie and Michael arrived the same day, and we were to join them on a Historic Walking and Food tour, so we walked around and explored that part of the Historic district until our meeting time at 11:00.  Or at least that's what we thought!  We were wondering where they were, when we mentioned to the guide we were meeting friends and found out they had booked 11:30!  OMG.....am I losing it??  I called her and they were already walking , so they hustled  to meet us for 11:00, as we could not be accommodated at the later time slot!  They arrived huffing and puffing, but just in time, and of course, I apologized profusely.  They are sure I am a terrible travel planner at this point, leaving the cat meds behind and booking the wrong tour time!! 

The oldest and supposedly most haunted hotel in the most haunted city in America.  Nothing stirring today that we could see, rather than a guy washing the windows of whom Clem was suspicious! 

Statue of James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of Savannah and the Georgia colony in 1732, in Chippewa Square. 

 

Wright Square with monument to William Washington Gordon, Railroad baron who brought  cotton from the west to the port to be shipped.  Also the father of Juliette Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts in 1842. 

Regular old fashioned barber shop other old soda fountain next door, where Clem paused to adjust his shoe! 

We spent the next several hours enjoying tales of Savannah's history, exploring some of the 21 squares, and several of the eateries, where we sampled the fare.  The adorable shop where we started featured a presentation and sampling of honey, by an interesting young man who had trained to become a nurse, then bailed and became a bee keeper!  He was entertaining and his honey was delicious, and the shop was wonderful!  Recently voted the best gift shop in Savannah, I would not doubt it! 

Honey and cheese straw tasting at Capital Bee Company. 

The first and probably favorite food stop was a farm to table  establishment named  Cha Bella.  The owner spoke to us while we sampled a little ramekin of shrimp and grits, which was absolutely delicious! The place was charming, with three big outdoor swings, which Debbie tried, reporting she had forgotten how much fun it was to swing! 

Debbie tries out the swing at Cha Bella! 

Next stop was for  a Conquistador sandwich at a walk up restaurant started by a South African cook, and lauded as the runner up nationally, and first in Savannah as the best sandwich.  Others included a slider of alligator, of which Debbie and I braved a bite, a take on Oysters Rockefeller with a topping of collard greens and cheese, of  which I ate the topping only, but loved the side of fried cornbread, and a cup of the famous Leopold ice cream.  People line up daily for the ice cream, so it was nice to have our guide be able to go in and secure little cups for us....though we would have preferred maybe a local peach variety rather than the rich dark chocolate that was provided.  

Eewwww…..ok, I’ll try a bite. Yep….tastes like fried….anything! 

Leopold Ice cream is 100 years old, and people line up daily. This is reportedly short, for a line that often goes much farther down the block. 

Plenty of history and beautiful architecture around the squares standing under the big oak trees, and we were all totally smitten by Savannah.  We had visited before, but long ago, and we decided we should stay a bit longer and explore some more.  So we will move the coach today in order to do that, and save Beaufort for another trip! 

A beautiful old mansion, now a B&B on the square, where we decided it might be fun to stay next time! 

One of the many squares, this is where Forest Gump sat on the bench with his box of chocolates! They had to remove the bench because so many people stood out in the road to take photos, it became a traffic hazard. The bench is now located in the history museum. 

Beautiful church steeple across from the square, which also happens to be where the feather drifted down  from at the beginning of the Forest Gump movie. 

A group of Girl Scouts from Virginia here to visit the  founder Juliette Gorondon Low’s house, siting on opposite  sides of the square from their chaperones, who told them to wave when I mentioned my blog, saying they would be famous. 

After the tour, we wanted to do the trolley tour,  but were afraid we wouldn't have time to do that, return to the coach, and be back in for dinner reservations, so we parted ways, and they went in search of the trolley, and we did a quick tour of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace of the Founder of the Girl Scouts while waiting for our uber driver to arrive.   It was mildly interesting, so I was really glad Debbie and Michael chose the trolley!  They are leaving , and we have another two days to take that trip. 

We rested a bit after the heat of the day, fed the kitty, took a second shower, and headed back via uber for our dinner reservation at Elizabeth, in a Victorian Mansion, and reported to be the best in the city.  It turns out Debbie's daughter Melissa , with whom she has had many adventures, attended college here, and had worked at Elizabeths for most of her years here.  We were served by a white haired gentleman who Debbie suspected was one of the owners, and when it was confirmed, and he realized who she was, it became a most extraordinary evening!  Both owners, brothers, came to our table, and regaled us with stories and proceeded to treat us like royalty, bringing samples of their finest offerings!  It was amazing! A night none of us will ever forget!  

Elizabeth on 37th.
Hard to get a photo with all the foliage, but a beautiful old home. 

We had noticed the shadow box of the restaurant scenes, and Debbie said it looked like her son in law Palmer’s work, and sure enough it was! How amazing that we just happened to be seated there! 

Just two of the many wonderful samplings we were so generously offered by owners Gary and Greg.  One o my favorites was the one on the left, grits in a wonderful mushroom broth. 

Pimento cheese tart, mussel with delicious topping, and a fresh Georgia shrimp with brute blanc. 

We had such a great day, a meal beyond compare, a lot of laughs and stories shared, and we bid our friends a fond farewell, as we made our way to meet our anxious uber driver.  Dinner ran longer than anticipated with the abundance of food, and it was apparently past his bedtime! 

We are off, with a few bumps in the road!

 We were to pick up the coach at 9am, but the owners allowed us to get it the night before, so we could load it and get an earlier start. Well, it wasn’t ready until 7pm, and by the time we got the run through of operation and got it home it was well past 8, and loading took us late into the  night. And we weren’t finished! We finished up the next morning, loaded the kitty,  and finally headed out, a bit behind schedule, but still workable. We stopped for a rest and a bite at a rest stop, had a nice lunch I had prepared the day before, then Clem asked a question........OMG!  We had forgotten Loki’s special meds!!  They are refrigerated, and we missed them! We had to go through hoops to try to replace the specially compounded, chicken flavored  meds,  and lost two hours, then ended up hitting rush hour traffic in Jacksonville. The gas guzzler thing we rented almost ran out of gas, even though we had topped it off when we detoured to get meds, and we sweated out finding a station in time, with me dropping the speed and praying we would make it!   We didn’t get to our campground until 7:30, and by the time we checked in and got to our site it was after 8, and we were tired and hungry! So we had to skip the ghost tour in town that was on our schedule.....the day did not go as planned, but all survived! Loki seemed to adjust nicely to his new surroundings, but it was a long tough day for all of us.  

Blogger seems to have changed since last I used it, and I don’t seem to be able to rearrange photos!  So, out of order, Loki is having a bite with the coach closed up, which is a bit tight!  We brought a favorite throw rug and bed that he enjoys, for familiarity and to help him adjust. So far so good! 

The coach we rented from a private owner is 24 feet, which we did on purpose for ease of maneuverability since we won’t have a car, but it’s a far cry from our 40 foot diesel pusher with 4 slide outs and all the amenities of home. 

This is Loki passed out on the cool floor when we finally stopped and pushed out the slide.  Poor baby had a long rough day! 

Due to Covid, the coach was rented empty, ad we needed to bring dishes, pots and pans, linens....everything!  In addition to a months worth of clothing, etc, and as we started loading, I wondered if we could fit it all! 

“What are we doing now?”

Toasting our first meal back on the road.  This is just before we realized we forgot Loki’s meds, and went into high gear problem solving mode!