Altamaha to Darien Ramble

   I got to start my day with a visit to the Altamaha WMA .Great way to start any day if I say so myself .The egrets ,herons ,  coots, ducks and song birds were incredible .

   Of course the marsh isn't a bad thing to view this time of day either .

   The early morning light twinkling off the spider webs on the banks looked like lacy flowers . Hard to get pics of how exotic they looked .

   The Altamaha River

   This may be part of  how Savannah acquired her name . Another facet of the Georgia coast .

   The old abandoned rice fields are maintained by Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources not only for the wildlife but also for the hunters , fishers , and wildlife observers . The dikes are well maintained and the walking is level and easy .  A good telephoto lens helps .

   I couldn't stop in Darien without trying to photograph the world famous shrimping fleet . (  shameless plug -- Always ask for Georgia Wild shrimp at your grocery stores . It is the sweetest shrimp you will ever eat , bar none . )

   If you are a fan of the logging shows on TV , you may like this .  I don't know if the captain was collecting driftwood or diving for salvage logs . If I remember correctly , the Georgia permit for salvaging sunken logs from our rivers is $10,000 per two miles . Besides shrimp , Darien is also known for being the terminus for millions of logs floated downriver from inland log operations . The history of the giant rafts of logs makes for some fascinating reading .

   There always seems to be a few characters to enlighten you anywhere you find fishermen . Fisherwomen tend to not be quite as colorful . Unless they are like my wife . Anyway ...
  The story I got from the gent repairing the public dock ,in preparation for the upcoming  Blessing of the Fleet , about this old gal was that she was slowly  being stripped for spare parts . Seems the owner couldn't keep up two boats as he was getting up in age . He couldn't sell because they were part of a co-op including the boats ,dock and the building . The other partners didn't want to sell so there she sits .

   Just a short distance downriver are the commercial docks and boatyards . This steel boat originally caught my attention . It was on the hard ,as they call not being in the water .

   When I pulled into the boatyard , this airplane motor looked to be their centerpiece . After asking permission to take pictures , I inquired about the motor . ( character cue ) .  It seems that the crew of the Smokin' Joe had a wee bit too much fun on the night before . When they showed up late the cap'n said ''T' hell with y'all !'' and left them on the dock . He probably regretted this decision about ten miles south of St. Augustine . After a long run , by himself , and getting his nets out , by himself , the nets got tangled in something on the bottom , by their selves .  He had to pull them up , by himself . If that wasn't bad enough he had to pull the entangled motor on board and untangle the whole mess . You guessed it , by himself . Rumor has it that they are from the ''Bermuda Triangle '' fiasco .  Maybe not the famous one but still ....

   Another tale as told by another salty gentleman .  The Shrimp Stalker ; not the original name ,couldn't recall what it was , was sunk by a log with a six or eight inch stub sticking up . Put a hole in her big enough to put her right , slap on the bottom . She was bought , raised ,  salvaged , and put right back to work . Of course it took the new owner a while to get her working , and she's still a work in progress . From the looks of the sorting table on the back of her , she may have a bit of age on her .

   These tabby walls are from the 1700s . As you know , I'm not real big on the whole shopping , B&B type experience so these are about the only shots I got of the town .

   If you get the chance , visit this area . Some of the friendliest folks I have had the good fortune to meet . They allowed me a glimpse of their lives that most tourists never get . Always ready with a smile and a story to share . All for the price of saying howdy .

Harris Neck NWR

   I recently had the opportunity to return to the Georgia coast . It's been about five years ,and I sure did miss it . Having previously spent quite a few years in south Florida between the coat and the Everglades I have a deep appreciation for both environments . The Georgia coast and marshes have absolutely the best of the two .

  Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge is one refuge accessible by car . Most of the others here require a short ferry ride that I just didn't have time for on this trip . As soon as I got out of the car , I saw this little four footer on the dike . Local welcome committee I guess .

   Plethora and cornucopia besides being fun to say , are the best words I can think of to describe the diversity of wildlife to be found in this Georgia gem . Even saw some young coots instead of the usual old coots . ( last pic for you young coots )

   More gators . Since the rangers seemed to be occupied else where , I figured I could get a few closeups without getting reprimanded .

   This is one of my favorites , a green heron . Pretty dang hard to get a pic of too in my opinion .

   These guys didn't seem to appreciate me disturbing their fishing in the half drained rice fields .

   The Spanish moss and flowers were spectacular .

   Just a few steps through the trees brings you right to the edge of the South Newport river .

   I searched and googled for the name of a group of fiddler crabs . Nothing , nada . So I searched for a group of fiddlers . Nothing , nada . Unless you want to be rude , then it's hillbillies . On to a group of crabs . Better , but not much . Seems there is a little confusion . Some say a consortium . Some say a cast . Some say a dose . I don't get the last one one . Do you ?

                                 
                                                                 (  Rant warning )
   Harris Neck was taken over and turned into an airforce base by the US government in WW II . After the war it was abandoned and then turned into a refuge . Since that time there has been an ongoing battle by the heirs of the original settlers/owners to have it returned to the displaced families . Considering the current push to have Federal lands returned to the states to save ,develop ,  exploit  or sell as the states see fit , I would rather see it go back to the heirs rather than to some political hacks favorite developer at a cut rate price .  ( rant over )
 
   The remains of one of the ancestral homes .

    On the way back to 17/99 there were a couple of places in the marsh that caught my eye . Looked like a good place to drop a crab trap , drink a beer or two , and relax . I am not sure if the windsock was in case some one was silly enough to try to land a plane or just to show if there was enough wind to blow away some of the gnats .

    I'm not sure but I think these are olive trees . I saw an episode recently on GPB about the growing olive and olive oil industry in Georgia . Evidently we are gaining an excellent reputation for our olive oil .

    The runways have pretty much been abandoned other than the perimeter road . The flat topography and remaining tarmac make this an exceptional place to bring your bicycles especially for the kiddos .  Walking is an absolute breeze even for us fat boys . This time of year , early April , was relatively gnat free , but I still recommend bring bug spray . Since I came during the week I had the place to myself other than one or two other folks .