Tybee Island is one of the most popular areas in Georgia to go to the beach so we didn't want to miss that. The Tybee Lighthouse was built in 1773 and is the oldest and largest lighthouse in Georgia.
Down the road is the tourist area where all the tacky stores and burger shops are. This is the first pier we've seen with concrete footings, usually they're wooden poles. Certainly looks sturdy. There were a few people fishing off the pier but not catching much that we could see. Still, it looked relaxing, in fact I think some were asleep.
We like long walks on the beach, holding hands and solitude. This beach at this time of the year fit the bill perfectly.
We found a nice quiet spot where we could relax and enjoy the view after a long walk on the beach.
The ocean was rough that day my friends. We sat and watched surfers attempt intricate maneuvers on their boards such as trying to stand up. It was quite impressive. That black object in the surf behind the surfer is not a shark, but another surfers butt. He did resurface eventually.
On I-95 just west of Savannah sits the Mighty Eighth Airforce Museum. I do love my aviation museums and I've seen the sign for this one every time we drove down to Daytona Beach over the years, and every year I said we've got to stop and see it. Well, finally we have our chance.
The eighth air force was formed during the second world war as that arm of the airforce tasked with taking the war to Germany by using large bombers to bomb military targets in Germany and surrounding invaded countries. At their peak, raids of over 3000 bombers were sent over Germany during the day. Because there were no fighters capable of flying that far, the bombers were unescorted for most of the trip and suffered huge losses. Some raids lost up to 30% of the planes. Once the P51 arrived, it could protect the bombers and losses dropped to 2 or 3% per raid.
This museum was formed by the pilots and crews who flew in the eighth air force. It is not an aviation museum, but an historical location where records and plaques about the eighth are displayed. There are only about 6 airplanes in the museum so I was greatly disappointed about that. But, there are rooms of well displayed actual artifacts from that era with stories and films. It very effectively explains the times and efforts taken to win the war. The loss in planes and crews was incredible, yet every day they would go out and do it again. A flight crew member had a 30% chance of surviving the 25 flights it took to get sent home.
This is a replica of a British country chapel where some went to worship during those years.
Its a beautiful building and is used for special events, memorials and even sometimes a veterans funeral. The stained glass depicts aviation themes rather than the standard saints etc. As a place to look at planes, a dud, but to get the history and feel of those wartime efforts, the museum was well worth seeing.
Tomorrow is Veterans Day (Remembrance Day) and the museum is planning a big event. As a result, there were flowers in holders all over the grounds with great big wreaths at some of the memorial sites. Lovely.
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