Our annual trips unofficially began right after we started dating. In 2010 we went down to Escalante with Todd's brother and his wife as well as some other married friends.
Our second summer (first summer married) we went to... my grandma's front yard. Wah, wah. I don't remember a specific camping trip but maybe our honeymoon to hike around Zion's and Bryce count?
Summer's three and four took place in Wisconsin at Devil's Lake and Council Grounds.
Summer four also took place in Wisconsin at Door County... part one and part two. Definitely a favorite.
Last year, summer five, we took a short trip with a teeny baby Calvin up Hobble Creek.
And here we are in Georgia for summer number six! 2016! We drove down the coast a little bit and camped on Jekyll Island (Peter called it Jack-o-lantern for a while). It's a pretty richy-pants touristy little place but also outdoorsy and filled with wildlife at the same time. You can probably guess which category we fit into. (:
We dodged some crazy weather and arrived on Thursday night with just enough time to set up and attempt to make a dutch oven dessert. Our dutch oven hates us though so of course it didn't work. Maybe we are doing something wrong. Maybe...
Friday morning we awoke bright and early to clear skies and georgia blueberry pancakes.
We also tested out the bike trailer since it has been in storage all summer... which makes me so sad. Fortunately it still works well and the boys were happy... even though I rode through some mud and sprayed them a bit. Sorry about that guys.
Our first stop was Driftwood Beach. It was only half a mile away so we loaded up the bike trailer with snacks, towels, sand toys, and two cute boys.
Those two cute boys as well as the one big handsome boy loved the beach. The water was warm, calm, and shallow and we only ran into one slightly dangerous creature...
... this little dude. Squishy, of course.
It's called Driftwood Beach for a reason...
The sand was also superb. I know this is basically a picture of Todd's rear but I caught Calvin handing him little bits of sand for the castle. It was adorable. The sand thing... not Todd's bum. Haha.
It ended up looking like the Oakland Temple with a moat. Cool!
The lack of shade wore Calvin and I out pretty fast so after a couple hours we loaded up and headed back. We took the long way and both boys got a nice nap.
As I mentioned... there was all sorts of new wildlife on Jekyll Island. Not only is it a sea turtle nesting ground but there are alligators, other turtles, snakes, racoons, birds galore, and lots of interesting bugs. Peter called this one a super bug. He kept coming back to look for snacks on our picnic table. p.s. he's on the right side of the lantern.
We saw lots and lots of neat birds at our campgrounds bird sanctuary. The boys loved it and Calvin, to no surprise, barked at the birds the whole time.
Day one ended with hot dogs, s'mores, and just enough rain to cool us off. But not enough to put out the fire. Perfect!
The next morning I got up and took a solo ride out to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful of course and it was fun seeing all of the "morning life." Ya know crabs and anything else not scared away yet by beach goers.
Aren't these uprooted trees so cool?
Day two also brought a visit to Horton Pond. Known for it's wildlife... and it did not disappoint!
As soon as we got there two ~6 ft. alligators swam over looking for a snack. We were a tad nervous but the gators kept their distance and no one fell in the water so all was well.
After the pond we visited the farmer's market-- there were four vendors haha-- and we got a sweet potato muffin. It was unbelievably moist! And delicious. (:
We ended our trip packing up the campsite and visiting the Georgia Sea Turtle center on our way out of town.
Overall we loved Jekyll Island and would definitely recommend camping there. It's very visitor friendly with it's beach access and bike paths around the little island.
