DigitalRoadtrip: Georgia Roadtrip Day 4, Darian Bound

Day 4

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

For a change of venue, this morning's sunrise was shot from a pier on the far north end of downtown.

It's also the pier where the Cumberland Ferry disembarks. So, I had a nice chat with some of the Park
Service staff as they head out. We even pulled out our phones and compared some of our favorite sunrises.
With everyone assembled, they all climbed into a boat and set off to get everything ready for the morning's
tourists.

Only after the sun eventually rose behind the paper mill did I notice the light fog on the water. I was too high up to really do anything with it from the pier. Fortunately, there are plenty of places closer to the water.

With sunrise over, it was time to shower, pack the car and face the day. No rush though. Two doors down from the hotel sits the St Mary's Submarine Museum, and it doesn't open until 10.

Inside, you'll find a comprehensive history, dating back to the first experiments with submersibles, to the CSS Hunley and through to the modern day nuclear fleet. I'll admit it's not something I had previously thought about, but there's a surprisingly long list of submarines that left port and never returned. The Navy lists them as still missing. Their memorials refer to it as being on eternal patrol. It's a pretty small museum, but well forth my $5 fee.
One last stroll through the river front park, and it was time to go.

Just up the road from St. Mary's is Kings Bay. That's where you'll find the Navy's home base for the Atlantic submarine fleet. In front of the base you'll find this memorial.

...
It's the sail from the USS Bancroft, a ballistic missile submarine decommissioned in 1996, and named after George Bancroft, Secretary of the Navy from 1945-46 and the founder of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
The water adjacent to the base isn't deep enough for the submarines to dive. They're actually escorted out to the sea. If you're lucky, you can see them pass by from Cumberland Island.
I left the base and worked my way back to Hwy 17 and started driving north, passing this abandoned barbecue restaurant on the outskirts of Kingsland.

And the long abandoned Georgia Girl cafe in Woodbine...

Further north, I picked up Hwy 341 through Brunswick, home or the original Brunswick Stew. And they're quite proud of it. Sitting on a pedestal in a small municipal park. they've memorialized the first Brunswick Stew pot.

Leaving Brunswick, I stayed on Hwy 341 to the town of Everett, named after Robert Everett, a previous landowner. At the far end of Altahama Park Road, you will indeed find a small municipal park. You'll also find the remains of an old railroad bridge.

The bridge was originally part of passenger service called the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. After various mergers and new owners, the decision was made to reroute the track closer to the coast. This would cut thirty-six miles of travel. Much of the old route was fazed out and simply abandoned.
From the park, it was an easy drive to Darian, my home for the next two nights. I chose Darian simply for it's proximity to Sapelo Island. But, that's tomorrow's adventure. Just up from Fort King George(established in 1727 to keep the Spanish out) is the Darien Waterfront Inn. It's a really nice B&B a few blocks from downtown.
The ferry to Sapelo leaves fairly early, so I ditched my stuff in the room and took a drive up Hwy 99 to the visitor center. I wanted some idea of the route and time involved. The view from the visitor center.

One thing I learned on this trip, Spanish Moss is really difficult to shoot. It may look majestic dangling from the trees, but tends to look flat on film. And yes, I tried...a lot.

There are only a few places for food in Darien. I've had good luck before with a place called Skippers Fish Camp. The menu includes plenty of seafood, right off the boat. With plenty of time until sunset, I settled in with some amazing steamed shrimp and a local stout. Feeling pretty good, I wandered out to the patio and dock in back. I had no idea what I was about to walk into.
Sunset was supposed to have been 5:10P. The late light was casting that golden hue on the shrimp boats. It was the start of a show that would last an hour and a half.