50 States, Day 299

  Savannah and Fort Pulaski,  86 Miles

"The world breaks everyone and afterwards many are stronger in the broken places."
~Ernest Hemingway



Twice we went with the current rather than swim upstream and found some good fishing. But first, a Rant:
If tourism is your second source of revenue (next to container shipping), help tourists find your city! Two days in a row we got lost. Today was ridiculous. The off ramp read, 'Downtown Savannah.' Perfect. We took it. Rode five miles, freeway ends, three choices, none of them Savannah. You lost two tourists today, big S, don't play hard to get!



Once we stopped to turn around and not until a few miles away realized we'd been at a plantation, so we returned to visit Wormsloe Plantation. This was in the colony of Georgia, an experiment, a search for utopia that failed. Noble Jones, one of the bright spots, leased 500 acres from the Trustees on the Isle of Hope. This was a communal development, where everyone worked together for the common good. Communism, actually without the atheism. Trouble was, too many people wouldn't work. But old Noble could work.  



The place was gorgeous, especially the half mile of Live Oak shaded entry, dripping with Spanish Moss. And the fascinating fact was the heir to the original colonist lives in the house there presently. Cool to trace your roots to the 1700s, in the exact same place. Them's deep roots, y'all. 


Next we headed for Tybee Island but stumbled across Fort Pulaski, so we changed course. The fort was built by the US after the war of 1812 and they called it invincible. However, during the Civil War, the Union fired over 3,000 shells, and they used the new rifled cannons. These were much more accurate and powerful. The Union hammered the corner of the fort, intending to open it up, then fire through to the powder magazine, stuffed with 40,000 pounds of black powder. In 30 hours, they broke through and a shell exploded just short of the powder and out came the white flag. Amazing how new technology gives you an edge. 


Walking along the top of the ramparts with huge cannons pointed outwards, I marveled that anyone could take such a well defended fort. Amazing.  

We watched a demonstration of loading and firing a musket, where the soldier performed all the steps to shoot it. Crazy to think of lines of soldiers, assembling the shots and firing the rifles, taking around twenty seconds each time, while all hell is breaking out around them. The muskets were more accurate with their spiral rifling and accuracy to 900 feet, rather than seventy-five with smooth bore. 

While we never imagined where the road would take us today, what a treat. Sometimes ya just go with it. 

And now, going along with it too, Quilter Girl!

The sun was shining and the sky was blue and my spirits were happy.  Mr. Sun is better than any meds.  We may have ridden around lost, but the scenery was awesome and stumbling on the plantation and the fort was very nice, we couldn't have planned it better.  Noble Jones was such an interesting story as he was one of the original settlers who came to Georgia with Oglethorpe.  His son was a supporter of independence from England while Noble remained a supporter of the King.  Noble Jones died in 1775 just before the Revolution so he didn't have to choose between his son and the King of England.  The family has consistently been influential in Savannah. What a heritage.  

Dinner tonight was at a nearby Scottish pub called Molly MacPherson's.  It was a fun place to eat with the added bonus of NASCAR racing on TV.  I got my fix while we enjoyed Chicken pot pie (Kevin) and a very interesting turkey and cheddar on rye for me.

QG


Tomorrow we turn the corner and head West, toward Atlanta. It's over 250 miles, though, so it could take us a couple of weeks. Kidding! See you there... somewhere.      

2 comments:

Mel said...

So the Jones' family 'has consistently been influential in Savannah?' I'm guessing they could have been much more influential if they had learned how to make signs that actually directed tourists TO town instead of AWAY from town. Just sayin'.

Unknown said...

Yeah, sometimes the simplest things can trip up a city.
KP