Great Loop: St. Simons & Nowhere

Days 40-41: February 26-27, 2023

Before heading out, there was a little time for kayaking.

Then it was goodbye to Jekyll Island.

The dinghy ride to nowhere

Ok, technically we went to Brunswick. However, upon arriving we found the public dock to only cater to VERY large boats and no way to tie up the dinghy. The only marina there was not too friendly. Even offering to buy fuel didn’t get them to allow us to tie up for a quick trip to the grocery store.

It was Instacart to the rescue. We ended up putting in an order and having it delivered to us at the public park with a boat ramp close to the anchorage. It worked out well in the end though I really don’t understand a marina not willing to allow a dingy to tie up for provisions, especially if purchasing fuel. I get not wanting the derelict boat owners to continuously come in; however, you can solve that by charging a nominal tie-up fee, which we’d have gladly covered. Maybe it’s insurance, though charging a fee is the same as renting a slip so that should also cover it.

The quest for tree spirits

Mayli had read about the St. Simons tree spirits. Her, Tonia, and Emily were going to find some! They attempted to get a Lyft/Uber ride from the park to the downtown starting point except the rides were sparse or out 20-30 minutes. They decided they could use the movement and steps and walked the 3 miles to town.

The first stop, an ice cream reward at Moo Cow! It was delicious and hit the spot. Onwards to find tree spirits!

While on the search for tree spirits, they were able to take in the public fishing pier, park sculptures, lighthouse, and popped into a few stores. Emily would recommend against trying whole honeycomb unless you like trying to get wax out of your teeth for a long while!

The Golden Isles Welcome Center provided a map of where to find the 11 carvings on live trees throughout the island. The first tree spirit was an easy find! The full-size mermaid was right next to the Welcome Center!

The next one was a trickier find. Emily found an article giving clues to its location, which happened to be near a small hotel’s swimming pool. The third was an easier find as it was just in front of the Village Inn & Pub right next to the sidewalk. The next two were located in park areas across the street from each other just a couple blocks away—there were a LOT of trees so it took all three to search the many trees to find those two. With five of the eleven public tree spirits found (there are presumably around 20 as some are on private properties) and the rest requiring a bike or car to find, they decided it was time to head back. Thankfully, they were able to get a ride partway back after 5+ miles of walking that day! Funnily enough, the #11 tree spirit was actually located in the park where they started, though it was not easily visible. It was quite the fun adventure!

The day ended with a wonderful sunset.

As can be seen from the Day 41 map below, it was a long, almost 9-hour transit day. We contemplated stopping to break it up into two days but decided instead to get as close to Savannah as we could so Emily would have a chance to see a bit of the town before leaving us. There was, however, time for a little fishing! While we didn’t catch fresh fish for dinner as Emily really wanted, I did catch a sting ray. He was promptly returned to the wild as no one wanted Ray for dinner.