A Feeling Beyond Words

We woke early and left as the sun peaked through the clouds. Cruising past the papermills on the northwest side of Amelia Island, the air smelled like the inside of a cardboard box. The shrimpers hadn't even left their docks yet when we went by. With Fort Clinch behind us, we were finally out of Florida! By 10:30 AM we were at our first stop, Cumberland Island. Since there is no docking allowed we anchored out and took the dinghy in. We were not ready for what we were about to experience. This writer's supply of adjectives doesn't even begin to express the majesty of the maritime forests; live oak trees laden with Spanish moss and sunlight streaming through...endless expanses of salt marsh flats dotted with white egrets...feral horses left behind by conquistadors grazing in grass fields near abandoned artesian wells...wild turkeys...blue heron...butterflies...osprey soaring overhead...nesting sea turtles. To be there, to witness such beauty...we were filled with so much gratitude and A feeling beyond words.

The history of Cumberland Island is interesting. Originally occupied by Timucuan Indians, the Spanish established a mission here. James Oglethorpe built a small fort on the southern tip. We visited an old cemetary where Robert E. Lee's father, "Light-Horse Harry" Lee was buried. He was a friend of General Nathaneal Greene, one of the first to own land and build a home on this island. The home was named Dungeness and it was destroyed during the "War Of Northern Aggression". It still lays in ruins, yet, if you close your eyes you can imagine the parties, the music & the elegance of that time. In 1882 milionaire Thomas Carnegie purchased the island and rebuilt Dungeness. For almost 50 years the Carnegies maintained a vacation home on the island and even some of their children built "cottages", among them Greyfield Inn, one of the most exclusive and romantic places to stay on earth!

Yes, this island is magical. I am so glad we decided to go a bit off course. Anyone who cruises by and doesn't stop has missed a priceless experience, the best of what life has to offer...a place to experience an abundance of nature, a little bit of history...and a feeling beyond words.