As noted in the preview, 35 campers trundled off to Sapelo Island for a hair-raising bus ride through the woods in a Georgia DNR wildlife preserve... I guess when they said "wild" life, we though it would be the flora and the fauna, but wild ride would have been a better description. Regardless, our tour guide Yvonne hurtled straight and true, only taking us airborne a few times. The old school bus we took was no worse for wear when we got off.
Sapelo is a barrier island like Jekyll, but has a far different history and management. It was the playground for a few rich, but individuals rather than a group. Each stamped their character on the place. The last, R. J. Reynolds, left his grand mansion and thousands of wild acres as part of a state park.Only the small village of Hog Hammock remains of the generations of African Americans who had earlier developed 5 communities on the island. Isolated plantations, a hunting camp, and a lighthouse are but a few of the remnants remaining. No causeway, and limited access make Sapelo look to Jekyll like Jekyll looks to Saint Simons, far less population and activity. Maybe except for the occasional crazy wild bus crashing through the forest.
Photos by Judy McClure
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| The bus of excitement |
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| Yvonne |
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| Exploring shell ring, a huge midden left by the indians. |
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| First Baptist Church, resurrected from remnants blown onto Sapelo by a hurricane. |
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| Lunch at the beach. |
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| The 1820 Sapelo light house. |
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| The Reynolds mansion, open as a guest house in the state park. |
Photos by Mahlon Stacy
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