Bicycling the South End of Jekyll Island

Two days ago, we bicycled the north end of Jekyll Island.  Today, we decided to explore the south end.  Our route was along the Jekyll Island Trail.  Here, Eric examines a trail kiosk:

Our trail covered shore and forest.  Here, Kathy, Ginny and Eric are getting ready to ride into the forest primeval:

But I digress.  Our ride actually started at the Great Sand Dunes Park, heading south from the same point from which we started the other day.  Here, the dunes are draped in vegetation:

At the south end of the island, we reached St. Andrews Beach, which curls around the south end and up, looking west across Jekyll Creek:

We were lucky to arrive at low tide, because we saw a flock of American Oystercatchers:

The American Oystercatcher is found on the Atlantic coast from New England to northern Florida, and into South America. It is also found along the Pacific coastlines of North America, Central America and South America. In the 19th century they became extinct in the northeast, but after receiving protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, their range re-extended to New England. Oystercatchers are closely tied to coastal habitats. They nest on beaches on coastal islands and feed on marine invertebrates. The large, heavy beak is used to pry open bivalve mollusks. Oystercatchers raise a clutch of two or three eggs. In winter, they are found in flocks along the coast from central New Jersey to the Gulf of Mexico.  Here in Georgia, they flock and feed along the shoreline at low tide.

The beach along the south end of Jekyll Island is quite picturesque.  Here, Eric and Kathy explore between the dunes and surf:

We spotted three cormorants making practical use of a channel marker near the beach:

David got a new slant on an old, dry subject:

Kathy found the Weirwood Tree from "Game of Thrones":

Both of us found our shadows, with Eric and Ginny looking on in the background:

After a picnic lunch, we pedaled back up the western side of the island, which boasted wetlands nature preserve in the center of the island, with habitats ranging from wetland to grassland to maritime forest:

Ponds and streams made homes for a great egret we spotted, as well as other waterfowl:

One of the most notorious incidents in American history took place on the south end of Jekyll Island in 1858 when the slave ship Wanderer unloaded 409 African slaves there. The importation of slaves had been outlawed in the United States in 1808 and the men involved in the operation were indicted (but never convicted) by the Federal government. It is believed that the Wanderer incident was one of the last major slave smuggling incidents in U.S. history.  A memorial to the people transported on the Wanderer and enslaved in the American colonies, as well as their descendants, sits in the grove and picnic area at St. Andrews Beach.  Those slaves were cruelly and illegally imported to Jekyll Island at the instance of an ancestor of one of the men who sold the island to the founders of the club of wealthy businessmen who built their cottages on Jekyll Island.  The memorial reminds us that forces in history can have their dark sides as well as their glamorous features.

This was our last full day in this area, and we felt lucky to have such warm, sunny weather to grace our last exploration of the area.  Tomorrow we have a dinner to bid goodbye to our friends Eric and Ginny, as we move to St. Augustine and they move their RV to another new campground.