People often ask me how much of our trip is planned and how much is spontaneous. Our itinerary includes placeholders for National Parks and friends. For popular National Parks, we need to book six months in advance, and it's always best to inform friends of dates sooner rather than later. As of early December, we have booked eight National Parks through June, along with a few state parks near friends. The rest of the trip consists of large blocks of time that we plan as the dates approach. This segment was one of those times. We knew we had a three-week window between Edisto, SC, and Hot Spring, AR. David's sister, Nancy, called and expressed a desire to meet us in early December, so we checked the map, chose New Orleans, and finalized some dates. This left us with 11 days to travel from Edisto to New Orleans. I follow an RV group on Facebook and asked for recommendations, receiving hundreds of suggestions. We decided on 1) Savannah, Georgia 2) Providence State Park, Georgia 3) Two beaches along the Gulf Coast on the Florida Panhandle.
Savanah, Georgia exceeded our expectations. We were there for 5 days over the Thanksgiving holiday. To our surprise, booking campsites over Thanksgiving was a challenge. We landed in a beautiful State Park for 3 days and a rather crummy private park for 2 days (Thanksgiving and the Friday after Thanksgiving). I was so impressed with the State Parks in Georgia. They were simply beautiful, very inexpensive and included electric and water.
Savanah was a blast. We visited Wormsloe State Historic Site with and interesting museum and extremely knowledgeable rangers - some dressed in period costumes. One thing I am experiencing in the South is how important the Civil War was to shaping our country. The wounds of slavery and war are still very evident.
We spent another day in downtown Savannah, a city rich in history. This history is extensively documented in the "squares"—charming one-block parks featuring monuments, benches, gardens, and historical markers. You could easily dedicate an entire day to exploring these squares.
Of course we had to get on the water. We took and Eco Tour where we saw wild life - many birds and dolphins. We were quite under dressed and froze ourselves - you think Minnesotans would have known better.
From Savanah we were off to Providence State Park in Georgia - this was an interesting place! Poor farming practices of the late 1800's caused mass erosion that resulted in a beautiful canyon. We enjoyed hiking both the rim and the base of the canyon.
Similar to many areas in Georgia, this park featured trees adorned with Spanish Moss, which is simply beautiful.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of our travels is discovering hidden gems. This microbrewery was located in Omaha, Georgia—truly in the middle of nowhere. The beer was among the best I've ever tasted.
Heading to the panhandle of Georgia, we discovered that escaping the hustle and bustle of large cities was simple by visiting State and National Parks. The beaches and hiking trails in the salt marshes were stunning, and the best part was that they were mostly deserted.
I enjoyed hiking the parks in the panhandle. There is such an interesting diversity of plants and wildlife.
We're currently in New Orleans. Nancy and Steve have just arrived by plane. We're thrilled to see them. If anyone else wants to join us, just give us a call—we'd love to see you!
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