Finally, it was time to ride our bikes! Morning skies were cloudy, with sun in the afternoon. As long as it's not raining, I'll take it!
We parked at Frederick Park on St. Simons Island and rode the north end of the island first. The north end is more marshy and wooded and less built up. It was a pleasant enough ride, but even though we were on a bike/pedestrian trail, it was just a few feet off the roadway, so not our favorite kind of riding.
Ready to ride, St. Simons Island
Beware of slipperiness
Marshy goodness
After stopping back by the car for our packed lunch, we rode on to the south end of the island. The sun was starting to peek through the clouds, so things were looking up! There was more traffic to the south, and we had to cross through a few chaotic roundabouts, but there was a lot to see.
Spoooooky
Beachcombing birds
We continued our Tree Spirit Scavenger Hunt that we began yesterday, eventually finding all 11 carvings that are on property open to the public. It was fun hunting! Some were better than others, so I'm only including pics of our favorites.
Jana at Spirit Tree #9
Spirit Tree #2
Spirit Tree #5
I should mention our stop at Barrier Island Brewing, because of ALL TWO breweries in the Golden Isles area, this was the best. A little heavy on the hops maybe, but still good. We stopped for one and would have had a second, but time did not permit.
By the time we reached the St. Simons Lighthouse and pier at the southern tip of the island, it was a much prettier day. We tracked down a few more tree spirits on the south end, then headed back toward the car.
St. Simons Lighthouse from the pier
St. Simons Island Pier
Pelican on the pier
St. Simons Lighthouse
Tom and Cora, aka Spirit Tree #1
On our way back, we somehow took a wrong turn and ended up riding in the road. There was no shoulder, a ton of traffic, and it was a little scary! But if we'd turned around to get back on the trail, we wouldn't have made it back to the car by dark. Long story short, we survived, but yikes.
After loading the bikes, we drove back toward the south end of St. Simons for dinner, beer, and to catch the final three tree spirits. Bubba Garcia's Mexican Cantina was awesome!!! Highly recommended. Afterward, we walked over to Weber's Growler Factory. They had dozens of beers on tap, and we both found something we loved. Good day!
Spirit Tree #3
Georgia bulldog
Weber's Growler Factory