A Magical Island

This past weekend I had the privilege to visit many islands off the coast of Georgia.  This one had to be my favorite, one I can not wait to come back and visit to see more of its' magical landscape.  What's it called you ask? 

Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island is approximately 18 miles long and between one-half and 3 miles wide—or about 40 square miles.  And within this small space is a story, rich in history and beauty.  One that we couldn't grasp all in one day.

The legendary horses of the island.  These horses are wild.....meaning they have no interaction with humans for care or survival.  Don't worry, they keep their population going just fine with out us humans intervening.  The white horse baby was a few months old, and we saw another that was just a week old.

Walking on the island was intense.  We'd be under a beautiful oak landscape with lovely breeze to below, an almost desert feel heading to the coastline.  And once we hit the coastline, the wind was enough to blow you sideways.

 Look at these swirly trees!  And so cool under this canopy.  There are two ways to stay on the island, camping or an inn.  There are also homes on the island privately owned.  We didn't make it to this part of the island due to the tropical storm headed in.  In fact, they evacuated the island while we were there.  Talk about an experience!  The only way on and off the island is by boat.  We rode the ferry. 

It's amazing what an untouched shoreline can look like.  Unfortunately we weren't allowed in the water, not because it is sacred, but because of the storm.  So we walked the shoreline instead.  And picked up shells.....oooo....we picked a ton of huge ones!  Don't worry.  The ranger said it was OK. 

We also visited St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and the Okefenokee Swamp.  It was truly a wonderful trip.  One I hope Mailey and her 17 little Girl Scout friends never forget.  Yep, you heard me.  We took 24 people to the Georgia Coastline.  Which during the weekend just happened to have a tropical storm hit.  And somehow, it missed us the entire trip.  No really.  It did.  Now the hotel we stayed it rained the entire time.  But each day we'd get up and go on with our plans and have perfect weather.  We did have to altar the plans one day....Jacksonville, Florida was out.  Instead, we visited St. Simons Island.  Another Georgia spot rich with history and beautiful landscapes.  Here are a few other shots that are my favorites:

 St. Simons coastline and lighthouse.

 Okefenokee Swamp boat tour

And yes, you do see a ton of these along the road to the water and in the water. 

 Happy Momma and daughter...with memories to last our little lifetime.