We continued to travel with Sojourn up the east coast and arrived on the Bumgardner docks of Blythe Island early afternoon. Chuck was there to greet us and help us with our lines. He soon left for a funeral, after giving us a tour of the house and providing us with a car key to what would become our courtesy car for the duration of our stay. We hopped in the car to explore historical downtown Brunswick and grab a bite to eat at the restaurant that Chris and Roger from Betty Gail suggested, Indigo Coastal Shanty. It was delicious! We walked the town and stopped in for a rum tasting at the local distillery. That evening, we went for a walk around the neighborhood with Vickie and Chuck, and then enjoyed time on their screened in porch drinking Chuck's signature drink, Old Dawg, and Vickie's signature drink, chardonnay, and then some bacon and venison burgers. Then it was off to bed!

The next morning, we were up early to explore Jekyll Island. The crew of Long Recess played golf and the crew of Sojourn took a tour of the town. We were paired with a nice guy, Tom, from Philadelphia, on vacation with his wife. We saw a few alligators lurking in the ponds near the greens, but nothing too alarming. We walked the flat wet course and had a good time. We were ready for a snack when Sojourn came back to pick us up and took us to the Jekyll Island Club. We enjoyed some drinks and nachos at the Wharf. That evening, we returned to the Bumgardner home for shrimp and grits with the family and boat tours. We again enjoyed Old Dawgs and chardonnay.

On Wednesday, we set out for St. Simons Island to tour the lighthouse and the WW2 Museum. Then we explored Fort Frederica on another part of the island. That evening, we returned to the Bumgardner home for spaghetti and meatballs and more Old Dawgs and chardonnay. Chuck also checked the crabpots hanging from the dock and boiled up some crabs, and taught Karen how to crack them and dig out the meat. The next day, Vickie made us crabcakes!

Since the wind picked up on Thursday, gusting to nearly 40 mph, we decided to remain on Blythe Island an additional day. We set off to explore the rice plantation Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation. We learned about the Gullah Geetche culture and the legacy of the plantation family. We returned to the Bumgardner home for some afternoon planning for the trip the next day and the coming weeks. We treated the family to Chinese dinner, and enjoyed chardonnay with Vickie. What a blessing this family was to us on our journey. We are grateful for the connection that Ralph and Suzi Shell, friends from Wilmington, made between us and Chuck and Vickie. It was tempting to cancel the loop and just stay there on Blythe Island!