Riding with Andrews Valley Rail Tours

Living near the old Murphy Branch of the Southern Railway, we were happy to see Andrews Valley Rail Tours start their business. By leasing an unused section of track from the Great Smoky Mountains Railway in  Andrews, NC, Andrews Valley Rail Tours provided us with a short ride behind a Fairmont speeder. The air was chilly and the cart was a bit rough but we totally enjoyed our ride. The tour starts from the Andrews Depot and runs for about 5 miles to the Historic Valley River Tunnel. The tunnel was hand dug by the Southern Railway in 1894 and is a bit on the spooky side. There was a short stop on the far side of the tunnel which allowed us to stretch our legs and explore. We then turned around and came back. What a fantastic trip! We will surely be back next year when they switch over to pedal rail bike tours.

Photos from the Georgia State Railroad Museum

We took a road trip to the Georgia State Railroad Museum. The museum is housed in the former Central of Georgia Railroad Savanah repair shops which closed in 1963. They are trying to preserve the old landmark buildings. While the grounds are clean and walkable, there isn't much here. A few cars and a couple of locomotives are on display. We spent about an hour exploring but mainly because I am a train nut. My suggestion would be to try and visit when the museum is holding some sort of an event.

Photos of the Tree Spirits

Out of twenty or so Tree Spirits that are located around St Simons Island, Georgia, eleven are located in publicly accessible areas. You can pick up a brochure telling you where their locations are. This creates a sort of scavenger hunt. Warning: some tree spirits are difficult to find. Some of the trees, in which they inhabit, are beginning to consume them. Here are photos of all eleven of the public Tree Spirits of St. Simons Island.

Road Trip to Jekyll Island

We woke up early to try and catch the sunrise at Jekyll Island, Georgia. It was brutally windy and cold. Our first stop was to Driftwood Beach. What a fantastic place to explore! Old trees littered the beach making for some interesting shapes to photograph.

Photos from the Grey Owl Inn

We stayed at the Grey Owl Inn during our trip to St. Simons, Georgia. The inn is a fantastic bed and breakfast. We couldn't have been happier with our accommodations during our stay.  It's quiet and centrally located to all the places we wanted to visit. If we were ever to travel back to St. Simons this would be our first choice as to where to sleep. 

A trip to St Simons, Georgia

 We took a road trip down to St Simons, Georgia. I have to say I wasn't impressed. I had high hopes that it would be an upscale beach town. Nope, just your average touristy beach area with cheap Chinese imports in all the downtown shops. The only saving grace was that the food, from all the restaurants where we dined, was delicious.