This is a standard winter view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, made from the top of Amicalola Falls a few years ago. I’m out on a limb on the county, so to speak, since Lumpkin County is nearby and my depth perception isn’t the best. Either way, I hope you enjoy.
This view was made from the bridge at the Deaton Springs Pumping Station, near the Polk-Bartow County line. It’s a beautiful drive between Aragon and Taylorsville and roughly follows Euharlee Creek. The visible 800-foot peak in the image, unnamed to my knowledge, might just be a foothill to folks in the area but it’s a mountain from my South Georgia perspective.
I’ve always called these pedestrian sections on the sides of bridges along the coast “fishing bridges” but I know there must be a better name. On a list of McIntosh County fishing piers, this is identified as the Champney River Bridge Catwalk, and catwalk seems a good description. It’s probably the safest, accessibility wise, of all of these public piers in the Altamaha Delta, because there’s a nice parking lot. The others generally have little more than a pull-over spot and US 17 is a very busy road most of the time. Tourists may use these from time to time, but locals, who know the tides and and the runs of numerous species, use them frequently.
If you’re not an angler and just want to take in the coastal scenery, or a birdwatcher checking out the diverse avifauna, they’re a good starting point.
This is located in one of the most pastoral parts of Berrien County, with well-kept farms and fields and skies that go on forever. I think this was a stock barn, but can’t be sure.
This small tidal creek [sometimes cited as the Kilkenny River] gets its name from Kilkenny Plantation, which was built along its banks in the 1840s. It’s located to the west of Ossabaw Island.
Cay Creek is a tidal waterway in eastern Liberty County, originating near Midway and meeting the coast near Harris Neck. Originally known as Salter’s Creek, it was renamed Cay Creek for Raymond Cay, Sr. (1805-1883), who owned a plantation near the present-day Cay Creek Wetlands Interpretive Center. The relatively short waterway features an amazing variety of ecosystems, including upland forest, open wetland, tidal swamp, brackish marsh, and finally tidal creek.
It’s always encouraging to see Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) in the landscape, and there is quite a lot of it in Baker County, like this stand on Williamsburg Road.
The savanna [grassy woodland] is the habitat most associated with Longleaf and is essential to the health of numerous keystone species, including the Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus borealis), Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), and Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi). Many of the plants and animals the environment supports are threatened or endangered.
Clay County may be named for politician Henry Clay, but driving around the countryside you’d be hard-pressed not to wonder if it has something to do with the earth around here. The red clay is most evident in winter, when fields are fallow and awaiting the next planting. It’s a beauty all its own.
I thought this beautiful sunset over a finished cotton field would be a good way to end the year. Happy New Year to everyone; be safe and be joyous.
The name of this creek has always fascinated me and I don’t think there’s agreement on what it means. It’s possibly based on a Native American name but I just can’t find anything about it. I somehow don’t think it’s related to sweet potatoes. A relatively small stream, it rises northwest of Swainsboro and joins the Ohoopee River near Oak Park.