Jekyll, Day 2 - Bike Paths and Squirrel Appocolypse

Jekyll Island has made it a priority to build and maintain some of the best bicycle paths, both paved and unpaved, we have had the pleasure of riding on.  Today we checked out two complimentary bikes, made a picnic lunch and peddled out the dirt bike path from the marina to the downtown shopping area.  After checking out the Jekyll Market and a few other shops, we headed south along the Atlantic shoreline behind the dunes and sea oats.  This trail    teed into a dirt path that wound through thick tropical undergrowth with live oaks, palms and pine trees, making a tall green canopy overhead.  Wood bridges took us over estuaries and marshes until it intersected with another paved section.  This pattern repeated itself until we had covered the entire island, passing some of the places we went yesterday but mostly new territory.

We found a really cool picnic area that was shady and had wooden walkways and stairs that would take you over the dunes and onto the beach.  Once we got our lunch out and ready to eat, we looked up and there were at least 7 squirrels that had surrounded us and began demanding a taste of what we were having.  They eventually got so bold that they were jumping onto the table and trying to take food out of our hands.  We had some fun with these guys, and it was clear that we were not the first ones to share our lunch with them.

The bike trails on the northern end of the island go all the way to Driftwood Point before it turns south again.  Not sure how many miles we pedaled today, but it was all flat and easy going.  We only saw a hand full of folks out doing the same thing.  Since the weather was unseasonably cool, we didn't even work up a sweat, but we did work up an appetite.

Back at the marina in early afternoon, we did a load or two of laundry and the firstmate read her book while I worked out the next week's destinations that will take us from here to Charleston, SC.   Later, three other Looper boats and friends of ours tied up to the dock and the crews of State of Bliss, Dash Away and First Forty joined us aboard Viridian for docktales and sharing war stories.  It was good to see some familiar faces on such a sunny and breezy day.

That's the news and here are some views:

Piper and Leaf sold at Jekyll Island!!!

Hey guys,it's our lucky day!

Free food!

Viridian tied to long dock at Jekyll Island Marina, FL

 The crews of Viridian, Dash Away, First Forty and State of Bliss unwinding and telling tales