Food For The Soul

Cumberland Island, GA

30 45.77 N 081 28.40 W

We're replenished for a while. We spent today walking the trails, dunes and beaches of Cumberland Island.

It is wonderfully pacifying under the tree umbrella of Cumberland's forests. The wind is still. Bird songs are plentiful and the shade offers pleasantry on a warm day. It reminds us very much of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain.

We inspected the remains and the ruins of the Carnegie estate at Dungeness. Those also remind us of Champlain. In its prime, the Carnegie mansion at Dungeness must have closely resembled the Vanderbilt mansion in Shelburne, VT.

For a special treat, we walked two miles barefoot in the ankle deep surf. That's especially good for the soul. I know that ancestral humans were not designed as beach combers but it sure feels like it. We amused ourselves by collecting shells for the grandchildren.

The last time we visited Cumberland, perhaps 2 years ago. We went to the wilderness northern end of the island. This time we visited the more touristy areas on the south end. I'll give you our verdict; the north end is better. On both ends one finds trails, and beaches and wild horses and armadillos. However, in the north end the live oak trees are two or three times bigger than the biggest ones you've ever seen. Really majestic. Of course the solitude of the wilderness areas are also a large part of the appeal.