Site 410; W/E/S/CATV; All pull-thru sites; concrete pads; Poor wifi; Verizon Cellular – 2 bars
Campground.
Close to highway, well laid out, cookie cutter pull-thru sites with privacy shrubs. Some waterfront sites. There is a constant drone from I-95, but it is not loud. Basically white noise. If you sleep with the windows open it could be an issue. This is a very adequate stop over spot with easy access to Jekyll and Saint Simons Islands. Good value.
Brake and Tire Problem on the Road!
We took state roads on our way to Coastal Georgia RV. It is so much more intersting and relaxing than taking the interstate. While approximately 30 miles from arriving we were stopped at a left turn lane. As I took the turn, I looked in my drivers' side view mirror as a matter of habit and saw smoke coming from my trailer wheels.
I immediately pulled over and had an “oh no” feeling from head to gut. I though I blew a tire, but I didn't notice anything when I got out. I then tried to pull forward by simply releasing the brake while in Drive. The truck didn't move so I knew the brakes were on. I checked the break away cable which is attached from trailer to truck and forces the brakes on if the trailer separates. It was OK. Sandy then inspected while I tried again and she saw that only the left rear wheel was not moving.
I just sat in the truck for a few moments in despair. Then, something popped into the recesses of my memory and I put the truck in reverse and eased on the gas. Truck and trailer moved fine. I then went forward and back a few times by just easing off the break. At this point I realized I had locked the rear break and I had freed it by going backwards.
I then went back and inspected the tire more closely and saw that the smoke I saw was caused by the tire dragging through the intersection. It was worn completely flat in one spot removing all the tread.
I called the Airstream road service and they had a tech call me back. He said he would try to find someone in the area to change the tire and check the brakes. Sometime later he called back and said he was having trouble finding someone. I decided to try driving on it because I was not in a good place to change the tire and it wasn't that far.
The truck has a gain setting that adjusts the percentage of voltage going ot the break controller when you press on the break. It has three modes: hi, med, and lo. Each mode has a range of 1-10. It was on hi-7 when the brakes locked. I set it to med-7 and proceeded the rest of the way to the campground.
I made it to the campground with no further lock-ups, so I think the gain setting may have done the trick. I also called Airstream service and my dealer. All thought it may be OK but to get it checked when I can. My dealer had told me that the gain does need to be turned down after driving, but they never said how much down I will need to go or how long I would need to keep adjusting it. I had tweaked it down from 10 to 7 since new, but apparently I still needed to go down more. I think they locked up slightly when I was about to pull into the previous campground. I should have tweaked it down then.
How to change a tire on a dual axle trailer. Torque wrench handy.
Since then I have tried to contact an Airstream dealer and local brake shops, but have not had success. I drove from Brunswick to Metter Georgia without incident. Still looking for a shop.
Nearby.
St. Simons Island.
Just north of Jekyll Island outside of Brunswick, Georgia, St. Simons Island is more residential (and wealthy residential at that), but is well worth a visit. The southern end has appropriately named Pier Village, with the requisite gift shops and restaurants found in the upscale sea-side towns. There is a fishing pier and an nice little park giving a good walk for up to an hour (more if your shopping).
Mallery Street.
Shops in the Village
The Pier in the Village.
St Simons from the Pier.
We ate at Barbara Jean's on Mallery Street because it focuses on crab cakes. We sat at one of a few sidewalk tables and had an average Cesar Salad with above average crab cakes. The she-crab soup was bland compared to others we've had. No hint of sherry. Afterward we drove to Fort Frederica on the island.
Al Fresco at Barbara Jean's
Also at Barbara Jean's. Feisty little bugger chasing others off.
Houses and condos on the Island.
Fort Frederica National Monument.
On the north end of the island, this landmark is a wonderful visit. This was a colony and fort on the banks of the Frederica River, created under the guidance of James Oglethorpe after a grant from King George II in 1732. This point defined the southernmost settlement of the British and stood to keep the Spanish from going further north.
While no buildings remain of the town (only the barest remains of some foundations), the roads of Frederica are clearly marked, as well as information panels describing the owners of many house lots. The park brochure with drawings of how the town looked paints a good image as you walk amid the towering oaks – some with 200 year old vines growing around them.
Palmetto thatched hut was used while houses were built. Some colonists who couldn't afford a house, stayed in these.
Broad street was purposely wide and divided the town so that if a fire spread in one section of the town, the other half would be spared.
Broad Street.
Side streets lead to Broad.
A 250 year old live oak with a lightning scar.
A side street. A marker can be seen identifying the location of a house.
We took a walking tour from a young park ranger who told interesting gossip about the people who lived there. Like the woman who came to the US with her innkeeper husband, but he died on the trip over, so she ran the inn herself, until she married a man that brought them both to ruin and had to leave town.
One of the largest houses was a duplex where on one side lived a surgeon and the other half lived a tavern keeper who also was the constable, and used his power to get rid of people he didn't like. The largest house belonged to a candle maker. He made his candles in the town's only cellar - which regularly flooded.
The lone survivor of a cannon used at the fort.
The remains of the fort.
Period piece cannons look to the south waiting for the Spanish. The bridge to Jekyll Island is in the background.
The remains of the barracks and infirmary.
On the road...
