The Fish Boat

March 7, 2026

That's what Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard called it - the fish boat. His requested the fish boat to help the Confederacy defend Charleston against the brutal blockade choking off supplies. The Hunley, a submarine, answered the call. However, after sinking the much larger U.S.S. Housatonic, the Hunley simply disappeared. 

The Hunley was found under 30 feet of silt in 1995 by NUMA. Yes, the National Underwater and Marine Agency is a real agency founded by Clive Cussler, the best-selling author. It took them over a decade to find the Hunley. Then the question was what do to next and just who owned the vessel. 

It took a few years, but the vessel was eventually raised and is being conserved. Her eight-man crew were buried in Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery.

The Friends of the Hunley operate the conservation site. It's open on weekends for tours. You can see the Hunley in a conserving solution. What caused the vessel to sink? Despite all the advances science has made, the solution to that question has yet to be determined. 

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One Savannah Day

March 5, 2026

We had decided to take a trolley tour of Savannah to get an overview of the city. We're glad we did. The beautiful squares looked to be a bit of a nightmare to navigate. Parking squeezed in tight spots, lots of people, and heavy vehicle traffic with a few construction and utility vehicles thrown in for good measure, spelled stress to us.

Our tour was in the afternoon so we spent a some time in the morning at the GA State Railroad Museum with a very enthusiastic, if not somewhat loud, guide. Savannah is a very pretty city and perhaps one day, we'll spend more time there. 

One of 16 operating round tables in US

Wooden "bricks" catch and filter oil

One of the beautiful squares

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Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

  March 4, 2026

We only had a couple of days in the Savannah area. We were using our Passport America discount, and the maximum stay was three nights at Savannah Lakes RV Resort. Unfortunately, we had acquired a chip in our windshield. Not wanting that chip to worsen into something that required an entire windshield replacement, part of our first full day was set aside for windshield repair.

We opted to visit the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge for other part of the day. They have a four-mile loop road through the refuge as well as a visitor center. Not in any real hurry, we spent around two hours making that loop. The refuge had its beginnings as rice paddies. The gates used to flood the rice fields were ideal for controlling the water levels in the now refuge. 

It's a birding favorite for sure. At times it was a little tricky as vehicles stopped to view wildlife on the one-way, one lane wide path. We were on the look out for alligators. We were not disappointed. With all the birdsong, it was a relaxing way to spend some time.

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Georgia State Vegetable

 March 3, 2026

On our way from Perry to Savannah, we noticed that about a 25 minute detour would take us to the Vidalia Onion Museum. We decided to kill some time on our drive and find out what makes the Vidalia Onion so special. It's the seed, soil, and growing season that makes the onion a Vidalia Onion.

Fields have to be registered and located only in a very limited county area. Adjacent counties may or may not grow a Vidalia onion. It depends on their soil, which is tested. 

Interestingly, the bulb transplants are almost entirely planted by hand. When ready for harvest, equipment will uproot them and turn them out on top of the soil. A couple of weeks later, hand harvesters go through the fields, clipping the stems and banding them in bunches. It's a very labor intensive process. 

April starts much of the harvest time and the Vidalia Onion Festival is held the last full weekend in April.

So of which agricultural product do you think, when you think of Georgia - peaches, pecans, peanuts, or Vidalia onions?

Smallest registered field (at the museum)

What makes a Vidalia

Dark counties can grow - Medium counties require soil testing

Fighting for the name after folks tried misleading the public

Old onion farming tools

Onion dome

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Camellia

March 1, 2026

Just before leaving the Perry, GA, area, we were able to meet up with Keith and Carol. Keith and Harold worked together for several years. The American Camellia Society, just about 15 minutes away, was having a flower show. We thought we'd give it a try. We walked into a room filled with camellia blooms in tiny vases and cups of water. Shades of white, pink, and red were everywhere. We certainly were surprised by the variety of cultivars. 

We learned the difference between protected (essentially a greenhouse) and unprotected growth and marveled that blooms from nearby states made the trip unscathed. 

Then we walked the gardens. Many of the trees were a bit past their prime, the ground littered with blooms. Still, plenty of blooms and fragrance made for an enjoyable stroll before heading off to dinner.

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Plains and Trains

February 28, 2026

We noted that the SAM Shortline Excursion Train was about 30 minutes away from our campsite. They had a day trip to Plains, GA, home of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. So we decided that the train would be a relaxing way to visit the town. 

Though Billy Carter's service station was closed, and the former president's home was off limits, we enjoyed walking around the block of shops, the depot campaign headquarters, and the old high school. Jimmy Carter presented himself as the everyday American, and Plains is certainly represented as such.

The train volunteers talk up the soft-serve peanut ice cream. We did enjoy it, but I think both of us enjoyed the salted, fried peanuts even more. We should have bought more than one bag!

Oh, and the reason the old depot was selected as the campaign headquarters...it was the only available building at the time that had a bathroom! 

Pecan orchard

That's pretty much the whole town

Campaign Headquarters

Billy's Service Station

Peanuts waiting to be hulled

Yum!

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