Photo Essay: Start of Summer
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I had a weird run at the beginning of this summer where I was *around* fish, but not catching any.
Troutfest was great fun, but after a hot afternoon teaching casting, I decided I wanted to get up as high as possible. This was late May, but it was still 62 degrees on top of Clingman’s Dome. I love it up there; the air tastes clean and the foliage is much more Canada than Tennessee.
Anybody know what these flowers are? There was a bank of them.
Probably the best thing about Clingman’s Dome is the very steep ascent trail they’ve made from the parking lot. There are benches every .1 miles, which is nice because just about everyone needs a break climbing that hill. The actual Dome has an observation tower on top which is this big, spiral ramp up to a central guard-house looking pillar. As I was walking up, I realized the ramp itself was wheelchair compatible. I am pretty sure a Murderball contestant in a souped up wheelchair could hit 150 mph by the time he burnt his brakes to a crisp back down in the parking lot a half mile below…
Less than a week after being on top of the Southern Appalachians, I found myself on the Georgia coast chasing tripletail. My boss Richie has a flats boat, and we successfully targeted these fish last year. This year was much better technically; great conditions, light wind and chop, and both of us managed to get good casts and drifts on at least a half dozen tripletail a piece. The problem was they wouldn’t eat this time. I don’t know if we went wrong by relying on the local knowledge and using their “Bat” fly (something like a white tarpon toad) instead of the Bearded Clam which worked last year or what. It was depressing, but that area is awesome.
At one point we beached our boat on Cumberland Island, a 28-mile long barrier island which is a National Seashore. We watched a turtle rescue chick on a four wheeler dig out a freshly laid sea turtle nest to move it to a better location (the eggs look like golf balls). We also saw abundant fresh sand dollars, and a surprising plethora of dead horseshoe crabs. At one point we picked up some tracks which I initially thought were deer, but which Richie correctly identified as hog prints. We followed them about a quarter mile, finally coming upon an absolutely decimated horseshoe crab. It was upside down, with pieces of it laying around and the whole sandy beach in the area like churned butter from the hog.
Richie: “You know, these are just not two creatures you think about coming into conflict with each other.”
Agreed.
Following our Cumberland jaunt we motored around looking for tailing reds (no dice) and nearly got ourselves killed trying to go back out for triple tail in 4′ churning seas and a 15 knot wind. Finally we bagged it and hit the Jekyll Island Club, which is awesome. We also got to eat at my favorite BBQ restaurant in the world, Southern Soul on St. Simon’s Island.
The Jekyll Island Club, where the Federal Reserve was invented and the first cross-country telephone call was made by none other than Alexander Graham Bell. I drank Pimm’s Cups in the bar and talked to the country club types about their yachts. Very hoity-toity.
Southern Soul
Best ‘Que in America, and I will fight you on that point.
This is how it is done. This restaurant burned down a couple years back, and they built it back exactly the same in the exact same old gas station style it had originally. It’s on the roundabout on St. Simon’s. Best dish is the “Barbecuban” sandwich but it is excellent top to bottom and has great beer.
Oh, and this last pic is for Andrew, who loves South Carolina so much he would marry it if it weren’t for Brooke. My phone didn’t have the zoom to do the Palmetto Moon justice but it was there all the same.
Zach
Nice report Zach. Your mention of Cumberland Island brought back memories of staying at the Grayfield Inn. I think it is the only commercial establishment on the island. It is an old wood frame inn. I would call it a bed and breakfast, but since there are no restaurants on the island, it serves all three meals to the guests. We stayed on the island for 3 days and wandered (and bicycled) all over the island. At the time there were small herds of wild horses on the island, but I’m not sure if they are still there.
I think the flower may be thymeleaf bluet, better known as Houstonia serpyllifolia.
Nicely done Zach. Funny you mention Clingman’s Dome. As you know….the 8-mile spur road to the top is closed during the winter months. I got a wild hair one February day….and mountainbiked to the top.
Fun stuff.
I must agree with you, that Southern Soul is the best BBQ in the World, and I will have your back if anyone wants to argue that point!
You can taste it before you get there and the meat melts in your mouth.Sounds like a nice trip.
Keithnice TR Zach…it’s been 20+ years since I’ve been to Cumberland Island, no hog problem then…still a cool place.
Bob was right on the Houstonia serpyllifolia…they are on the cover of Wildflowers of the Smokies. At first I thought you where starting on a “Hazel Creek via Clingman’s Dome” trip… 😉
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