Tybee Island, GA

On taking my leave of Charleston I made my way south on US17 to Savannah to visit my friends Darin and Jennie. I worked with Darin at Lockheed before my retirement and his departure for Gulfstream. Jennie works for the Leukemia Society. With both of them still working, Darin was kind enough to provide lodging and take a day and a half off to explore the area with me to boot.

Our first stop for pictures was a city/county fishing pier just beyond the Lazaretto Creek Boat Ramp where old Highway 80 crossed the creek. Opposite the pier, on the east side of the creek, are a couple of marinas. I don't know how much business they do, but the boats left at the dock are always good for several shots. The bridge in the background carries the Islands Expressway/US80 traffic to Tybee Island.

The Lazaretto Creek Marina is the southernmost of those clumped opposite the pier. The various channels within a mile or so form a veritable maze. Though this one is most likely Lazaretto Creek, Google Maps has it labeled the Wilmington River. In any case, the marinas are on Tybee Island, which means there's another lighthouse nearby.

Last time I visited, in 2010, I got some good pictures from Fisherman's Walk, but Darin wanted me to see the village Pavilion and fishing pier. The high winds promised lots of wave action at the beach and we weren't disappointed.

While the OBX wading birds were holed up in Charleston, I discovered the pelicans had come all the way to Savannah. These six were practicing low level tactics among the waves. Ask an A-6 or F-111 driver and you'll find terrain following takes intense concentration, and a great terrain following radar (TFR) helps a lot. These pelicans do it with the obstacles constantly moving! Okay, they're not doing it at a few hundred knots, but still. . .

Finally! The payoff: Tybee Island Light, with the most beautiful lines of any lighthouse I've seen or heard tell of. And, to top it off (literally), a fantastically dramatic sky-full of clouds.