Into the Heart of Dixie

It has taken me a while to get it through my head that Florida was a Confederate state. That seems much farther in the past because of the invasions of the Yankees seeking warmth and sunshine in the 1900's until today. Now we are going into the heart of Dixie as we move up the coast of Georgia and into South Carolina. Yesterday we packed it all in and moved out of St. Augustine, through Jacksonville and over the most beautiful sail-like bridge, and then into Georgia. I do believe that I have never been in this state or in South Carolina where we will be next week. We are stopping first at Fort McAllister State Historic Park for two nights to regroup and get ready to attack Savannah. Today we visited the fort where we learned some Civil War history and marveled at how a simply built earthen-work fort could control the critical shipping lanes into Savannah. It also amazes me that the Confederacy, which lacked any industrialization, could have held its own for the four years of the war. Guts and determination they had in abundance. We are hearing the Deep Southern accents and feeling the slowed down cadences of Southern life. Tonight we are camped in a forest of Georgia pines, live oaks, and palmettos with the songs of birds and chirps of frogs to keep us company. Tomorrow we head fifteen miles up the road to a campground close to the city where we can take a trolley into the historic downtown. Peace.