Yankees March to the River

This afternoon was hiking time in Skidaway State Park.  The park borders the Skidaway River on one of its' sides.  It requires a few miles of hiking through wetlands, marshes and forests to get out to the river.  The weather was perfect, in the high 70's with a light breeze.

Eva was ready to go and what the dog wants, the dog gets.

Terri and Eva under the Spanish moss.

After a few miles we made it to the river.  We followed the river for a while until cutting back inland.  It was nice walking in shade with very few bugs.  I have become a fan of Bounce fabric softener sheets as my bug repellant.  I rub down with a sheet before going out in nature.  It seems to work well for me and I smell "Downey Fresh".

Down by the River.

Confederate embankments in the forest.

As we walked through the forest we reached a historical area.  As part of the defense of Savannah the Confederate soldiers dug long embankments to protect themselves when the Union soldiers advanced on the city.  They were laying in wait behind their earthen berms for Yankees that never came.  No fighting action took place at this location during the Civil War.

As a point of clarification, it is not the "Civil War" to folks down here.  It is "The War of Northern Aggression", as they still say, there was nothing civil about it.

You may rest assured Southerners have not forgotten.

Another Yankee marching out of the woods.

At the end of our hike today we stopped at the interpretive center where they had a wonderful "birding" area set up.  The feeders and water features attracted dozens of varieties of birds to watch within a few feet from where we were sitting.

I saw my first male Painted Bunting (pictured above).  Hummingbirds, woodpeckers, finches and many more were there for our enjoyment.  I loved it.

Life is good for me and the birds.

Another dead tree shot for my collection.