Savannah, Georgia

Destination: Savannah, Georgia

Skipper's log: Day 138 and the cabin fever has set in. While Captain J is out adventuring I'm trapped on the ship swabbing the deck....  
Ok, sea voyager analogies aside, the cabin fever kinda HAS set in but mainly due to where we stayed this week, Hardeeville RV Park (1 star rating from us). Last month we were spoiled by the miles of walkable roads and the two dog parks in Leesburg. Our park just outside of Savannah was sort of a parking lot in the woods with asphalt gravel and too many RVs too close together. There were a lot of young people in this park, but not many people were friendly here. That usually seems to be the case whenever the crowd is a little younger. It turns out they're mostly full-timers who are little too busy working to wave or stop and say hello. 

Aside from going to Savannah a few times, it was pretty boring in the area just outside the city. We attempted to go to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge, but they don't allow dogs ANYWHERE in the entire park!! Oh, but they do allow you to buy a permit to shoot just about any animal in the 'refuge', including squirrel, deer, water fowl, hogs, etc..  I mean, who walks without a dog anyway, really? I don't get it!  We were completely unable to find any dog-friendly walking trails during the week. Zero. Out in nature. Cross this place off our list of livable areas..

Savannah Wildlife Refuge (on fire)

That said, we did really enjoy the city itself. It was walkable, easy parking, people were friendly, beautiful architecture, tons of parks. They even have city ambassadors that walk around answering questions and handing out maps. Cool! The city was very dog friendly as well. Tons of restaurants offered dog water dishes, and we were able to eat lunch on a patio with them while listening to some live music. We stopped at an ice-cream shop called Leopold's with a line down the block. We figured there must be a reason for the line, so we decided to wait. It was worth the wait, plus they brought out free little ice-cream cones for the dogs! The people waiting in line loved it and my heart melted a little. That's how you do Customer Service! And it obviously pays off seeing as how they were crazy insane busy.

-Hana

Complementary doggie ice-cream cones at Leopold's

"The Watcher". Historic cemetery in the heart of the city.

Enjoying some southern/Mexican 'fusion' at Blowing Smoke Cantina; Yum!

  Our week in South Carolina was not as magical. Our campground was one of those boring places with nowhere to walk around. We did take a walk in the swampy woods behind the park, but after encountering a pack of wild hogs we took off and didn't go back. There was a pond in the back with fish, but the owner did not want anyone fishing in it. The dog park was full of those pickery balls that fall from trees, and our dogs were unable to move in it without hurting their paws. I brought it to the owners attention but nothing was done. There wasn't a single bathroom or shower. I would have to say it was our least favorite place. 

In the Savanah Wildlife Refuge I had observed alligators as big as 8 feet long. I had walked past a large, black snake that was hiding in the trail, and almost stepped on what appeared to be a golfball sized spider that was either holding a claw, or had one. I could not tell.

 I did find a large shallow pond in the refuge to fish in that seemed promising. Since it was full of weeds and lily pads I decided to give my rubber frog a try. I ended up catching three black bass in an hour. Exited about my catch I expected to get more, but  the fish didn't seem to want the frog as bad at the other creatures in the pond. I had a large bullfrog attack my rubber kermit with a vengeance, and when I pulled my bait in the bullfrog sat still and stared at me for minutes after until I went to another part of the pond. I had also noticed three other reptiles sitting frozen with their heads slightly poking out of the water while I threw kermit in the water and slowly bounced him on the lily pads. The next day I had a large snake go after my frog, and fortunately he let go before I reeled him in. Later that day I hooked a frog in the tongue. If I was hungry enough I could have easily had frog legs for dinner. While the bass just would not bite, I did have a couple of small alligators that I almost hooked with my rubber frog. I brought Hana out to the pond our last day, and within a few casts a baby alligator popped out and started to move quickly at my
frog as I yanked it in as fast as I could.

   Nonetheless, Hana did not have to drag me kicking and screaming out of South Carolina this week. 

-James

Cabin Fever Blues

Stay tuned next week for all the details about our harrowing highway breakdown and detour!