Georgia

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My first week and a half of camping in warmer southern climate was South Carolina and Georgia on the Savannah River. Then I drove 3 hours to Holbrook RV Campground, a military campground, about 1/2 hour from Savannah, GA. It is great. There is a large pond, hiking trails in the woods that dangle long threads of Spanish moss from their branches. Magnolia trees, short palm bushes, scented flowers line the lawns that are covered in large pine cones. Not many fall colors here, just luscious green foliage and damp green lawns, well trimmed throughout most of my drive. Especially on military grounds. My first question at check in....what animals do I need to be on the lookout for. The receptionist said not much, just snakes, alligators, boars, mountain lions....and squirrels. Ya, one of those does not belong in the same category. When I walk in the woods, I wear a hood over my head because I have heard too many stories about snakes dropping from trees, NO THANK YOU. What I did see were so many armadillos. Live ones! They run away, not aggressive, don't make any sounds, root in the ground with their nose looking for food like a pig, do carry diseases and like to rile up the dogs at the campsites.

On the way to Holbrook Pond, I also saw fields and fields of cotton which looked like it was ready for harvest. I don't think I have ever seen cotton growing in a field before. The cotton plant is no more than two feet tall, dark brown wooden branches that split off to oblong bulbs that look like a flower bud. The bulbs open in fourths with a tuff of brilliant white cotton in each section. The sections of the bulb are a rigid cup that comes to a very sharp point at the tip. You have to navigate past the point to pick the cotton out of the bulb. The tuff of cotton gets larger and larger till it seems to become an unrolled cotton ball dangling from it's section of the bulb. That was what made me think it must be time to harvest? The soil it was planted in was very sandy but orangish like clay. It would stain and dirty the cotton if it fell to the ground right? Remember this is my first time meeting this plant and I have done approximately zero research. This is just me meeting the plant. I do admit I picked a quarter section of the cotton that was still balled up and white, yet large and puffing enough I didn't stick myself on the sharp bulb tip. It didn't smell like anything, it felt so incredibly soft and smooth, but there was a number of small hard pellets in it. Probably 6? They appear to be seeds. I kept my picked piece of cotton, took some pictures, absorbed the moment and got back on the road.

The other bit of nature I have be absorbing is the Spanish Moss. So incredible how the long threads of moss dangle from the tree branches. Each mass is a dingy greyish green color and clumped around the tree branches and trunk very high in the tree. No saying where it begins or where it ends. The threads of moss dangle randomly in what appears to be a mess, but looking at it closely, it is quite organized. It is very soft to touch even though it has one inch long spikes coming off of it. There are not many parks, hiking trails, waterfalls etc. along my route in this state. I was so excited for Georgia and it kinda looks like Louisiana so far. I will be back to this same campground to visit Savannah at the end of November to celebrate Don's birthday weekend. Hopefully I can get some good vibes while there. For now, I am just appreciating the warm temperatures, listening to the songs the birds are singing, learning about new plants, and relaxing.

Side Note: Oh the ways I entertain myself, like the little green frog I met at camp in GA. This little guy kept following me across the lawn to the restroom. There was no light switch in there, the lights automatically come on when you walk far enough into the room. Well I didn't know where he hopped so I was afraid to take any more steps. I slid my feet across the floor until I finally made it in far enough for the lights to come on. There he was up on the storage bin the whole time. What the heck? Another entertainment thing, I was watching a sunset and found a trail of sugar ants marching along. I dropped a dollop of jam on the ground to see how they would respond. Watching them was amazing. Ya, that is how I chose to spend my evening, watching sugar ant behaviors. Very similar to those of you that are sitting at home watching TV.

This blog site is now PUBLIC and not private so you are welcome to share the link with anyone you think might be interested. I made it private for my safety while traveling solo. Lucky me, I will be meeting up with Don very soon! Thank you for following me along on this sight, it helped me feel not so alone. www.mytb.org/Michelle-Ray

Live that life people write novels about.

Michelle

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Photos

Sago Palm
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. I am relying on Google image search to help me identify unknow plants species.

Holbrook Pond
Holbrook Pond RV Campground near Fort Lewis Army Base.

Hanscom Campground
Military Campground located on the Savannah River.

Hanscom Campground
Military Campground located on the Savannah River.

Hanscom Campground
Military Campground located on the Savannah River.

American Beautyberry
A tiny berry that grows in a cluster of beautiful shades of purple. Edible in small amounts, too much could cause a belly ache. Also used for homemade jams and wine.

This is me
This is how I take my walks through the woods. Biting bugs, possible poisonous snakes falling from trees. I had a pine needle fall from the tree and land on my arm while I was setting up camp. I FREAKED OUT! Mind you it was a big pine needle, but certainly not a snake. I'm not taking any chances.

Comments

[bain]

Cool photos!
You really know how to capture your travels in photos.