We saw live oaks through much of South Carolina and Georgia, but Cumberland Island is truly a magical place. Here the live oaks are huge, old gnarled things that arch over the paths. The branches get so long and heavy that they bend down, and where they touch the ground, they put down roots and start to grow anew. Here the Spanish moss grows so thick that it looks other-worldly. Wild horses roam the riverside, armadillos aplenty forage in the underbrush, and then just around the corner are the ruins of a mansion that was once fabulous. We had a picnic lunch beside the ruins, where more wild horses grazed and a flock of turkeys wandered by. We walked trails and boardwalks to the ocean beach, collected a few shells, returned a cannonball jellyfish to the water, and bird watched. It was not a day for swimming or sun bathing, but it was fun.

After a fairly bouncy night in the anchorage, we set out early to get across another open sound before the wind built. We motored through the ICW in strong gusty wind with some showers. Sometimes the wind was against the current and we had choppy conditions, sometimes it was with the current and the water was smoother.

It was a long day, but now we are in Comachee Cove Marina, which is at the north end of St. Augustine and a good place to be for a night when we are expecting gale force winds and very cold temperatures. Someday it will be warm, really!