Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

After the morning at Old Fort Jackson and lunch downtown at a sidewalk cafe, we took our tour in a new direction: The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Now, it seems to me that much confusion could be avoided if it were called The Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge. You see, it's named Savannah, but located across the RIVER in South Carolina of all places. I mean, wouldn't you look for something named Savannah in Georgia? I'm just sayin'. . .

In any case, the temperature was mild (by Texas standards), nearly cloud free, and the countryside was very pleasant, if a bit flat. The marshes were extensive and "open water" seemed to invite lily pads. But it's a wildlife refuge and I suspected the lily pads were simply camouflage for 'gators and other things that would "get you" if you wandered too far off the beaten track.

Alert to all forms of wildlife, we came across this butterfly. There were also a few wading birds that seemed to keep their distance from the roadway. The only "wildlife" we saw in abundance were red winged blackbirds. I was really wanting something exciting to shoot, but this seemed to be a bust for wildlife.

This road looked promising, with its deep shadows and Spanish moss. Maybe we'd find snakes or something hanging from the trees as well. . .

Naw, but Darin opened the sun roof and I took a few shots of the canopy. I like the picture okay, but only see the dearth of wildlife.

Finally! A great croc shot - whoops, 'gator shot - and in a Burnt Orange waterway! Making up for the slow beginning, perhaps? Okay, Savannah NWR, I'm mollified.

Here's a smaller one (see the inset for more advantageous lighting), just waiting for an unwary passer-by. Perhaps something plump, with feathers, with stilts for legs. Yeah, that's the ticket. Unfortunately, visitors in general (and this one in particular) seldom have the time or the patience of an alligator to catch a Mutual of Omaha moment.

Having seen a few gators now, I began to appreciate the drive a bit more and realized there was probably a lot more going on right in front of me than I could see. It was certainly a pleasant afternoon drive and we capped it off with a stop on the way home to Leopold's Ice Cream Parlor, downtown. I also picked up a couple bottles of hot sauce for my son in Australia from Wiley's Championship Barbeque. Darin and I had eaten lunch there yesterday and it was, without a doubt, the best barbeque I've ever eaten in my life.

The next morning at 6:00, I departed in the dark headed west for home. I'd originally planned to stop about half way, in Biloxi, but I'd been gone nearly three weeks now and  really wanted to get home. I stopped for a brief nap just east of Defuniak Springs, FL, and that was enough to carry me through some monsoon-like weather in Louisiana and east Texas about sunset. I pulled into Austin just after midnight, and the 2013 East Coast Road Trip was history.  I didn't necessarily replace all the pictures I lost with the computer crash, but I got some new ones to keep me busy for awhile. It was terrific, visiting with those family and friends I got to see, but there were a lot more who were skipped, to my regret. Perhaps I'll be able to catch them on the flip side. . .