Two Lane Adventures: April 28th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

We departed Crooked River SP on GA 40 to I-95. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We followed Gary & Sheryl, our wagon master team in training! Let me tell you … they did a great job! They are learning with our friends, Ray & Pat, who are learning to become tail-enders!

Since we are traveling on the interstate, there is not much to see … so I will share some Georgia trivia with you! Did you know that the Georgia Colony originally spanned all the way to the Mississippi River. So for all those Georgians who hate on Alabama for one reason or another, those Alabamians may have been Georgians at one point in time.

"Sleep tight! Don’t let the bed bugs bite!" You’ve probably said this before at some point or another. But the phrase actually originated in Georgia because of Georgian colonials who would use Spanish moss to bind their mattresses together, bringing tiny little creepy crawly bed bugs in.

There is only ONE county in Georgia named after a woman. Only one, guys?! Out of 159?! This… (sigh) … is pretty embarrassing. Nancy Hart, a Revolutionary war rebel received the honor of having Hart County named after her. While wonderful, we need some more female recognition!! A side note, we have been to Nancy Hart’s cabin in Elberton (Elbert County) Georgia!

Last one … Georgia was originally founded as a felon colony. In 1732, James Oglethorpe wanted to use the colony of Georgia as a place for prisoners who were unable to pay their debts.

From I-95 as we crossed the East River we could see the Sidney Lanier Bridge, located at the entrance to the harbor at Brunswick, Georgia. The bridge was named after Georgia poet Sidney Lanier, whose poem The Marshes of Glynn is set in Brunswick and describes the vast open saltwater marshes in Glynn County. It replaced an earlier lift bridge. Given that 20 large ships enter or exit the harbor each day, the lift bridge was often closed for many hours each day. In shrimping season, the bridge would be raised many more times. As a result, traffic across the old bridge was often backed up. Another key reason for building a new bridge is that many modern ocean going ships are larger than what the old lift bridge would allow. That prevented Brunswick from competing on a global scale. In fact, two ships struck the old lift bridge, causing 10 deaths and resulting in the bridge being closed for many months.

Our wagon masters did a great job telling us little known facts about Georgia, but they also pointed out interesting items to see along the way! The first interesting thing was spotted by Nancy … wild pigs on the side of the highway! Sheryl caught the second set of pigs a few miles up the road!

From its headwaters in Appalachia to its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean, the Savannah River forms the border between the states of Georgia and South Carolina, draining a watershed of 10,577 square miles. It originates in the mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia near Ellicott Rock, the point where the three states meet. Tidal action influences water levels and flows about 45 miles upriver from the mouth. The Savannah broadens into a marine estuary before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean near Tybee Island.

I found this cute town logo on their water tower, the turtle interested me, as the town name is Ridgeland. That name does not conjure up the thoughts of a turtle! But, I learned it was originally known as Gopher Hill, the Town of Ridgeland was incorporated in 1894 and was the first railroad stop at the highest point between Savannah and Charleston, which is how the Town’s trademarked motto “The High Point of the Lowcountry” came about. Ridgeland is the historic “gateway” to the South Carolina lowcountry. Ridgeland is one of the last, remaining authentic lowcountry communities. Ridgeland is rich with pre-revolutionary and civil war history and is well-known for its commitment to preserving natural resources, small-town charm and business-friendly environment. They are home to several award-winning South Carolina BBQ Trail restaurants.

Coosawhatchie River … Coos a what? Named for the Coosa Indians that once inhabited the banks. The Coosawhatchie, a tidal river that originates near the Town of Allendale, and accepts drainage from Black Creek (Lake George Warren) and Cypress Creek before merging with the Pocotaligo River to form the Broad River. The Broad River joins the Chechessee River and the Beaufort River to form Port Royal Sound, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

We exited I-95 onto US 17 and I saw a sign for Port Royal Sound. It’s not a town, so what is it? Let’s first define a sound and describe some of the geological features that make up the Port Royal Sound Area. A sound is an ocean channel between two bodies of land, yet still accessible by ocean-going vessels. This means that the channels, which are relatively shallow and narrow bodies of water, are deep enough to allow deep-hulled ships to pass through unscathed. Almost all of the rivers and creeks in the Port Royal Sound watershed are not what you traditionally think of as rivers. Port Royal Sound rivers don’t have a headwater originating inland, either in the mountains or in the coastal plain, with fresh water flowing toward the ocean. Instead, ocean tides drive water flow in the Port Royal Sound Area rivers. These high tides drive ocean water through a network of tidal rivers and creeks that extend 20 miles inland. Tidal creeks are easily recognized at a distance because they are bordered by grasses and rushes that can tolerate regular salt-water flooding. Low tide reveals muddy banks pockmarked with thousands of holes made by fiddler crabs and bordered by intermittent oyster beds.

The Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Basin (abbreviated as ACE Basin) is one of the largest undeveloped estuaries along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. The Ashepoo, Combahee and South Edisto rivers combine into the larger St. Helena Sound and drain a significant portion of the Lowcountry region. The 1.6 million-acre ACE Basin watershed is one of the largest areas of undeveloped wetlands/uplands ecosystems remaining on the Atlantic Coast. This remarkable interlocking web of ecosystems includes forested uplands and wetlands, extensive tidal marshes, managed wetlands, barrier islands, and peatlands. It supports 33 types of natural plant communities and provides critical habitat for waterfowl, migratory birds and endangered species.

In historic Jacksonboro, SC you can find the Pon Pon Chapel of Ease. “Pon Pon” was Indian phrase for “settlement”. It was established 1725 by Act of the General Assembly, Pon Pon Chapel of Ease was one of two serving St. Bartholomew’s Parish after the Yemassee War in 1715 aborted plans for a parish church. At time of construction, the chapel site, was on the busy stage-coach thoroughfare which connected Charleston and Savannah. President George Washington traveled this round on his Southern tour in spring 1791. In 1754, a brick chapel was erected to replace the earlier wooden structure. This brick chapel burned in 1801, and Pon Pon Chapel has subsequently been known as the ‘Burnt Church’. Rebuilt between 1819 and 1822, the chapel was in use until 1832 when it was reduced to ruins either by disrepair or a second burning. John Wesley preached two sermons at Pon Pon on April 24, 1737. Also of significance is the church burial ground. Here are the graves of two Congressmen, Aedanus Burke and O’Brien Smith, and numerous other local leaders.”

We arrived at Oak Plantation Campground in Charleston, our home for the next 5 nights. We got to work, by meeting the caravaneers that were here already and we put their numbers on their rigs and tow vehicles. We enjoyed an Italian dinner al fresco from a food truck! Provata - Authentic Italian & Fresh Pasta - Mobile Kitchen. We all had something different ... Stuffed Shells