December 2025January 2026 February 2026

01/31 - Guale Preserve

One of our favorite places to wander on Big St. Simons Island is the Guale Preserve. Coming from the Northwest, it's exotic country with its flat terrain, gnarled trees, sandy soil and palmettos. The first part of our walk had a bit of up and down though not enough to qualify as terrain. It was old sand dunes now covered with organic matter, forest and palmetto. We headed back on the old telephone line trail which was completely flat. Welcome to the Southeast.























Keywords: georgia

01/30 - The Beach at Sea Island

We took a walk along the beach looking for birds and sea life. There were some sand dollars, some peeps and some pelicans flying. There were also a few machines moving around sand at low tide.











Keywords: georgia

01/29 - Fort Frederica

We also stopped by Fort Frederica, now long abandoned. There was a whole town here along with the army base. Now, there are old trees and a few old fortifications. The British were worried about the Spanish heading north and invading back then. Now, it's a historical park and a very nice one.





















Keywords: georgia

01/28 - The North Dike - Birds

We hitched a ride up to the North Dike and visited several blinds and lookouts. The wetlands were full of birds.























Keywords: georgia

01/27 - North Dike - Alligators

It wasn't just birds. There were several generations of alligators as well.

Mama


Babies

Young 'uns





On the walk back to the lodge






Keywords: georgia

01/26 - The Atlantic Beach

That afternoon we took a guided walk along the Atlantic beach. The tide was low and the sky was very dramatic. We could see the weather about to change. There was a cold snap coming in bringing sleet and snow to the region.

Oh yes, an armadillo


The road to the beach

At the beach







All sorts of beach birds



Very dramatic sky







Seen on the drive back to the lodge

Also seen

Keywords: georgia

01/25 - Found on the Beach

Here is some of the stuff we found on the beach. There was driftwood, and there were jellyfish, sand dollars and a number of interesting shells. There was also a lot of sand which is more interesting than it sounds.

















Keywords: georgia

01/24 - Night Owl Hunt

After dinner, we went out to hunt for owls. Our guide had a Bluetooth speaker that she used to play owl calls. We walked along the road in the dark as she played the calls, and we heard owls responding in the trees around us. Then it started to rain. We were exhausted and now wet. We didn't see any owls, but we gave it the old school try.

Something we did see

Keywords: georgia

01/23 - Three Pines and South Pond

It was colder, but we took a walk from the lodge to the Three Pines Trail and then around South Pond. There are just so many walks one can take on Little St. Simon's Island.



Sandy soil




A cardinal

An eagle's nest


Mushrooms, something of a surprise













Keywords: georgia

01/22 - The North Dike Revisited

The wind picked up in the afternoon. At least we weren't having a snow or ice storm. Still, it was chilly up in the spotting tower.



One of the alligators








Remember this pelican. This is the one that decided to fight the wind. We saw him flapping furiously overhead before he made an emergency landing on our spotting tower.

Yeah, that guy

Keywords: georgia

01/21 - Last Night and Day in Georgia

We said goodbye to Little St. Simon's Island in the glow of morning. It was cold and windy, and we were a small party departing, so we took the smaller but faster boat rather than the more larger, more sedate one. It was a wild ride but a short one. We had a 300 horsepower motor and blasted over the water leaving a cloud of spray. It was cold, and the wind was fierce, but it was over quickly.

We had a short drive to The Cloister where we had a quiet dinner watching the sunset, inland over the river. We may be from the west coast, but we weren't going to get tricked into watching the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean.

The next morning, we took a short walk on the beach. The rest of the day was going to be planes, trains and automobiles. We had to drive to Charleston and catch a flight to Seattle which naturally meant taking the Seatac subway from one of the satellite terminals. We really did take a train.

Our plan was to spend a night at Seatac and then catch a puddle jumper home. The night in Seattle went as planned.



The hot water line in froze in the night. Here's some more frozen water.
















Keywords: georgia

01/20 - Flying Home

We had booked a morning flight home to Port Angeles. We, our plane and pilot arrived at Boeing Field as scheduled. Unfortunately, so had a lot of fog arrived out on the peninsula. We checked our weather app. There wasn't much of a ceiling. Our pilot checked his weather app and called his home base. Things didn't look good.

So, we did what we usually do when things aren't looking good for travel and went and got lunch. We had cassoulet at Cafe Campagne which was as good as ever. We're sure they doubled up on the duck confit after hearing our sad tale of travelers delayed on the road.

Then, our pilot came up with a plan and a backup plan. We could make it to Port Angeles, but, if the weather worsened, we'd land at Diamond Point.

We left Boeing Field and flew west. Below, the problem was obvious. There was a lot of fog down there, and it was clinging to land. The sky was clear enough over water, but we had hopes of landing without having to swim to shore.

At some point over the peninsula we dropped below the clouds and followed the coast. It was clear flying though one couldn't see very far inland. We were heartened however when we flew over the Dungeness Spit Light House. We couldn't see Striped Peak or Hurricane Ridge, but we could see the Ediz Spit just fine. Then there was the Port Angeles airport probably wondering all the talk of fog was about.

We were home! (Actually, we still had to drive home, but we were really close.)


The problem down there is obvious.


Mount Baker



The Hood Canal Bridge, clear over water

Fog below

Keywords: flying, weather

01/16 - Signs of Springs at the Dungeness Dike

It was almost spring like at the Dungeness Dike. It was a bright sunny day, and we had started at the schoolhouse rather than near the creamery. There was an eagle on display and bright shiny water. We were sure it was still winter, but we saw some Queen Anne's lace in bloom, a wooly bear caterpillar out crossing the trail and, to our great surprise, the first skunk cabbage of the year. It has been a mild winter, so maybe this isn't as odd as we think.


An eagle on the watch



Bright sun and bright water



Queen Anne's lace

A wooly bear caterpillar

Scan for skulking skunk cabbage.



Keywords: dungeness, spring

01/15 - Dungeness Highlands

This isn't one of our most ambitious hikes. It's just heading south from the Dungeness Spit parking lot along the water and then cutting inland. It offers great views of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. This time, everything was fog enhanced. The sky was a spectacular gray and the mountains blurred in the distance. It was an easy enough walk but very rewarding.

The Olympic Mountains


The misty trail

The thicket



Gray sky and mountain view
















Keywords: dungeness spit

01/12 - Little River Trail

With all the rain this winter we decided to head up the Little River Trail where we were rewarded with a little river in full spate and a misty forest trail. Here and there we were slowed by windfall, but the trail was easy going. Once in the national park proper, we descended to the roaring river and mystical forest.

Descending to the river





Entering the misty forest

A little waterfall across the river

Windfall



Down by the river




Fungus?


Walls of the river valley

More mist on our way back





Keywords: little river, waterfall, winter

01/10 - Find Me A Primitive Trail

The usual route to Dungeness Spit from the parking lot is pretty enough, but we prefer the slightly longer but even prettier Primitive Trail. If nothing else, it has better slime molds.

















Keywords: dungeness spit

December 2025January 2026 February 2026