Savannah’s capitol building.

January 11, 2010 – Monday morning we drove to downtown Savannah for breakfast.  While it was fun wandering around, looking at the old buildings, waterfront, fountains, parks (and the spot where Oglethorpe and party landed), we were hungry and just really wanted some good food.  Fortunately, we managed to find our breakfast destination – Goosefeather’s Cafe and Bakery.  From the espresso and coffee, to the breakfast sandwich, bearclaw, and raspberry cream filled croissant, breakfast was excellent.

Yes, the moat is real. (Don’t ask)

After breakfast we went to Fort Pulaski, on Tybee Island.  We saw several deer on the way into the park; we also saw a red-tailed hawk soar into a tree by the road. Once we reached the fort, we briefly went into the visitor’s center; a nice older ranger chatted about cameras and his recent cruise, but I don’t think we were that talkative.  He did, however, recommend that we walk around the fort so we could see the extensive damage from shelling.  We also found a sign indicating an unmarked mass grave, where prisoner’s of war were buried after being placed in the line of fire.  (This was done since the opposing side believed their soldiers were being similarly treated.)  The fort itself is surrounded by a moat, and is situated on a picturesque stretch of land.

There were still some artillery shells present in the wall.

After a whirlwind tour through the fort, we went to Wiley’s Championship BBQ.  We couldn’t decide what to get, so we tried the sampler (with smoked sausage substituted for the chicken).  The pork was good, the beef brisket and ribs were excellent, and the smoked sausage was really tasty.  We liked their traditional Kansas City BBQ sauce, which they call “Better than Sex BBQ Sauce.”  No comments on that, but it sure was good on the BBQ.  For the sides, Tony tried the macaroni and cheese – it was very good, and was penne pasta with a tangy white cheese sauce.  Louisa had the sweet potato casserole -  sweet, delicious, and a perfect dessert.  Tony said that their sweet tea was also the best he’s had.  Overall, this was the best BBQ that we’ve gotten to try.  They also gave us two beef ribs to try; they were very tender and flavorful.

Lighthouse at St. Augustine

After a leisurely lunch, we headed to… Florida!  And St. Augustine.  We drove through the modern, wrong-side-of-the-tracks / redneck side of St. Augustine, and then made a beeline for the coast.  Before we got to the coast, however, we stopped to see the St. Augustine Light House.  We took some pictures of the light house, and then walked across the street to a little pier (it might have been part of a yacht club) so we could get some different views of the light house.  At this point, we also saw an osprey perched on a post about 20′ from us.

Great perching spot… close to the camera.

After admiring the osprey, we then drove the rest of the way to the ocean.  We spent some time watching a brown pelican on top of a light post, and enjoyed the sunset over the ocean.  At that point, we realized that (a) we didn’t want to have to drive back through modern St. Augustine, and (b) the ocean was cool and we wanted to stay there.  So, we went to the hotel Castillo Real and, since it was the off season, were able to get a room for that night.

Mr. Pelican says keep your anti-virus software current!

Now that we had lodging figured out, the next thing was to find dinner.  So we stopped at the Sunset Grille and enjoyed some fresh fish (we were told the boat had just come in that afternoon) and seafood ravioli.

Savannah and Fort Pulaski photos can be found here, while St Augustine photos can be found here.

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