Georgia Has a Coast?

https://bittersoutherner.com/georgia-has-a-coast-ben-galland

by samsolomon • 8 years ago

271 132 8 years ago

Beautiful pictures. They make me want to be there.

stevehawk2• 8 years ago

I love runs like mosquito creek. Seadoo used to make a small 4 person jetboat (now it's basically a floating mansion for towing boarders) that was so quick and nimble and we would negotiate a similar area in the Virginia tidewater region during high tide. As teenagers it was how we learned where the apex if a turn is and the very important "no throttle? No turning" aspect of jetted water vehicles. Both of which served us well when we starter throwing motorcycles around Virginia International Raceway.

IAmGraydon• 8 years ago

HR native here just saying hi!

limaoscarjuliet• 8 years ago

It does not look all that great from ground level. Not to say it is not that great, just does look differently.

(I live in Georgia and visit the coastal region BTW).

code_duck• 8 years ago

The Oregon coast looks much more fabulous, but I know where I would rather be on a small boat.

mrunkel• 8 years ago

Great photos!

I was struck by the seeming serenity in most of them and then imagined the great whining racket that the drone was probably emitting. :)

Nevertheless, I think the photos were worth the momentary disturbance.

mieseratte6• 8 years ago

These are really beautiful photos, and now I am damn well hiking a barrier island this weekend. Being a lifelong lowcountry South Carolinian, it's nice to see the Georgia coast getting some love (Y'all tourists really should visit there :) ).

ubertaco• 8 years ago

St. Simon's Island was a childhood vacation spot for me. I loved it. Having gone back just this year for the first time in over 20 years, I realized I like it even more now that I can enjoy the small-beach-town atmosphere and the deep-rooted history.

It's not Orlando, It's not Miami, it's not even Jacksonville. It's a tiny little spot with decent beaches, a long history that's reasonably-well-preserved, and quiet relaxation.

The marsh that's pictured in this article (labelled "boardwalk over marsh") looks like the Bloody Marsh [0], the site of the battle that was the "last straw" for the Spanish in their attempts to claim land further up from Florida (which used to extend a bit farther north than it does today).

The colony of Georgia was chartered by Britain around this area in part as a response to that "invasion", in an attempt to protect the important British port of Charleston up in Carolina (before the NC/SC split). Of course, the other key motivation was to have a whole bunch of land to use as an alternative to overcrowded debtor's prisons, so there's that.

This is in part why Savannah (another beautiful historic coastal spot in Georgia, though a much larger one) was so significant to the state for so much of its early history: it was the first planned city in the state, as evidenced by the fact that it's home to the oldest still-standing building in the entire state (a gardener's shed built in the early 1700s, now part of a tourist-trap restaurant).

All this to say: yes, Georgia definitely has a coast, and it's worth seeing (in this HNer's opinion), and worth preserving.

mieseratte6• 8 years ago

This is in part why Savannah (another beautiful historic coastal spot in Georgia, though a much larger one) was so significant to the state for so much of its early history: it was the first planned city in the state

Having spent many a weekend in Savannah from youth through to being an adult, and now having lived in Charleston for the better part of a decade, I really think Savannah is a nicer city.

Perhaps because Savannah was planned or because Charleston is constrained by its peninsular nature, but Savannah always felt like a small city whereas Charleston really just seems like a haphazard, overgrown town.

If any of y'all reading ever consider a trip down to Savannah, it's well worth a long weekend at the very least.

subpixel• 8 years ago

I grew up in Charleston, an experience that makes me, as an adult, uninterested/incapable of living in another tourist destination, ever.

phillywalsh• 8 years ago

I also live in Charleston and go to Savannah a couple weekends a year because it really is a cool place. But when it comes to living in a place I would far prefer to live in Charleston. The actual grid plan of Savannah's historic district is superior to Charleston's street plan and I don't think Savannah ever had a building height limit so the taller buildings make Savannah feel more 'urban', but when it comes to jobs and all around momentum Savannah has very little; If there was more going on there it'd probably be the better place between the two. I get why the thought of a tourism would turn people off from living in a place, but in reality, nowadays the same thing that attracts people to visit cities are the same things that attract people to live in a certain city, just look at how Airbnb more less turned every city into a tourist destination.

FLUX-YOU2• 8 years ago

I hated the smell after heavy rain though. Made it really difficult to do anything outdoors.

anonu• 8 years ago

Smells of what exactly?

thieving_magpie3• 8 years ago

Many people are probably familiar with St. Simon's from the 30th g8 summit, though they technically refer to it as Sea Island (more on that in a moment).

St Simon's has changed over the years. It's finally succumbing to development though they are being careful about it so as not to kill the golden goose (a very private feeling island). Most of the people that lived there prior to its rise in popularity have been driven out by high prices or cashed out if they were lucky enough to own land. The Eastern part of the island has become much more accessible to lower income populations. (edit: I've got this next sentence wrong as corrected in a comment below)Rich homeowners, as a result, erected a guarded gate in front of Sea Island (basically part of SSI) to keep everyone out.

I still love SSI. My only hope is that it doesn't continue on the path it's currently on. Privacy and exclusion are separate ideas. SSI can still be private, but it doesn't necessarily have to exclusive. My hope is that can change. However, my head tells me that everything I like about SSI is scarce and prices will only continue to climb, driving away those not fortunate enough to afford it.

TheBeardKing5• 8 years ago

The same thing happend to Hilton Head Island, SC. Most of the south end has become a gated community. Hunting Island, SC as well - Fripp Island is a gated community.

My biggest hope is that Cumberland Island, GA can avoid this fate. It has no bridge to it, and most of it is preserved as wilderness area, but the county seems to be trying its hardest to develop what private land remains on the island. It's a real shame, because it's one of the last wild, preserved islands anyone can get to by booking a ferry with the park service.

jcater6• 8 years ago

I live on St Simons.

You're conflating two islands here -- Sea Island is a separate island that has been privately owned since at least the 1920s. You have to drive across St Simons to get to Sea Island. For sure, Sea Island is a high end, gated resort community of a few hundred people.

St Simons is home to about 12k people. It has been an expensive place to live since at least the 80s. I, too, share your concerns about the current development going on -- I'm not sure the developers are in fact being careful about killing the golden goose. Developers are cutting down our historic oak trees and indiscriminately putting up cheaply built condos as fast as the corrupt planning commission will let them.

This is the perfect opportunity to plug the St Simons Land Trust: https://www.sslt.org/

brightball2• 8 years ago

Most of the people that lived there prior to its rise in popularity have been driven out by high prices or cashed out if they were lucky enough to own land.

This is happening all over the South Carolina coast as well.

lousyd• 8 years ago

It looks to be more of an "island" than an island. I mean, the piece of water barely separating it from the rest of Georgia is called a "creek", for pete's sake.

jcater6• 8 years ago

And three miles of saltwater marsh.

No, it’s not an island in the middle of the Atlantic, but it is one of the eight barrier islands of Georgia.

salimmadjd3• 8 years ago

Drone photography is transforming how we tell visual stories. I've been doing photography since college and rather passionately for the past 15 years (some of my work here[0]).

I have literally changed my perspective, and I am obsessed with it. Shooting from a drone, with a straight-down vantage point, has allowed me to explore my coastal muse with a brand new eye

To me along with mobile phone, the drones are transforming how ordinary people are able to capture and tell amazing stories.

You can argue drone photography, is the most important camera innovation of the past 100 years.

Sadly, there are a lot of backlashes against it. Before I became a convert, I found them annoying, too. People do not like the buzzing sound (which I agree and I'm glad companies like DJI are doing innovations to reduce the buzzing sound). There are a lot of privacy concerns, which is fair. But I don't see that privacy concern in public areas any worse than mobile phones.

I just hope that drone operators use common sense and be considerate and not ruin the use of this amazing technology, for the rest of us.

[0]https://www.eyeem.com/u/photojournalist

smhost• 8 years ago

I have literally changed my perspective, and I am obsessed with it. Shooting from a drone, with a straight-down vantage point, has allowed me to explore my coastal muse with a brand new eye

Sounds very Jackson Pollock.

There are a lot of privacy concerns, which is fair. But I don't see that privacy concern in public areas any worse than mobile phones.

This directly contradicts your earlier point about being able to see things you couldn't before.

freehunter2• 8 years ago

I think the idea is that anything in public can be photographed at any time by any one. If you're out in public, someone could photograph you with a cell phone from the street, from a building, from a helicopter, etc. Drones don't change that equation in the slightest.

What drone photography does change is how easy it is to photograph angles that were difficult before, not the fact that it's possible. Which is the same for mobile phones. Since the invention of the camera, it's always been possible to photograph anything anyone anywhere. Camera phones just made it easier, since now nearly everyone has a camera. But that doesn't mean it wasn't possible before, or that you have less privacy in public places. You've never had privacy in public places.

josephjrobison• 8 years ago

The fear of 100 drones in the sky of every neighborhood, and neighbors shooting them out of their backyard if they cross the property line thankfully hasn’t come true yet. And we’re a few years into consumers buying pretty powerful toy drones like the Magic Pro.

I have seen more no-drone signs up at National sparks such as Joshua Tree, but that’s fair enough in spots like that.

Hopefully the positive trend of human drone harmony continues!

hoorayimhelping• 8 years ago

It gives a new perspective but it doesn't allow for very visually interesting photos. The shots are (by nature of drone photography) almost always composed exactly the same. The different landscapes in the article are beautiful, but there are basically two compositions in the article: the majority have a vertical composition looking straight down with a path or river going from top to bottom (sometimes it goes from left to right). There are a couple of shots that show a landscape from a non-vertical angle.

You can argue drone photography, is the most important camera innovation of the past 100 years.

Really? I mean you could, but it seems silly. I'd say digital image sensors are by far a much more important innovation. Without those, you don't have drone photography, or you do, but it's so prohibitively expensive that it's not available to anyone who can do interesting things with it. Without digital image sensors you don't have camera phones, you don't have GoPros, you don't have dashcams, you don't have bodycams, you don't have drone cameras, you don't have cameras mounted on the sides of rockets, etc. You don't have the DSLR revolution that got high quality cameras in the hands of amateurs last decade.

jacobush• 8 years ago

Well, you had the Estes Super 8 rockets. :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l65CvkeYowM

salimmadjd3• 8 years ago

I'd say digital image sensors are by far a much more important innovation I thought about this statement before writing it, and I know what you mean. But the way I justify this view is that with film vs digital I was never able to take any different images. Sure, digital photography is at the heart of drones. But A digital camera didn't give me an entirely a new way to easily tell a story.

Of course, I could rent a helicopter (almost impossible for some locations and prohibitively expensive) but to carry a small gadget and send it up to tell a story is something that has only become possible recently.

Take something like this [0]. It's a former spy radio satellite the operated in current Latvia during the USSR days and now has been turned into a radio telescope. It would be impossible to tell a story about it's location in middle of trees, etc. unless I had a helicopter.

Or how do you show there is a monument built on top of the hills in Buda side that overlooks the river on Budapest. You can not [1]. As I said, it gives you abilities to tell stories that you could not do with an analogue camera.

[0] https://www.eyeem.com/p/121629319 [1]https://www.eyeem.com/p/110013323

ethbro4• 8 years ago

The amazing thing is to think we've only had aerial photography since ~1860 (so 58 years). And people in the air at all since 1783.

Before that, literally no one had seen the world from that vantage point. Baring a convenient mountain.

ISL• 8 years ago

2018-1860 = 158.

emaginniss• 8 years ago

I'd love to hear your perspective on life as someone living in 1918.

veidr• 8 years ago

Since nobody else has said it in this thread: wow, some of your photos are fucking awesome! I especially loved the pensive aahhhdammit face composed of the moon on orange sky with three birds.

salimmadjd3• 8 years ago

Thanks! Two interesting thing about that photo.

1 - It's near the arctic circle by the Lofoten area in Norway. In or near the arctic circles the sun and the moon (in winters) stay very low, so you get this very long period of low angles of the moon or sun. In San Francisco, you are rushing to capture 1-2 shots before the moon has moved a few degrees upwards.

2 - that moon image was at the opposite side (if I remember correctly) of the picture below it [0] which is a reminder to always look behind you, during dramatic colors.

[0] https://www.eyeem.com/p/122317208

blhack• 8 years ago

Right there with you. I recently got a DJI spark as kindof a toy, but was blown away at the incredible videos and photos I was getting with it.

It made me a little sad to find out that some cities in my metro area have ordinances banning me from using them there. So for instance: I can't fly them at family gatherings to take videos of us.

moosehawk• 8 years ago

Sadly, there are a lot of backlashes against it.

I went to New Zealand last year for 3 weeks. It was the most beautiful place I've visited in my life. And not just visually beautiful, but audibly beautiful too. The ambience made for an incredibly serene experience like none other.

Nothing ruined those experiences more than when someone with a drone showed up to drown out all the noises of nature.

bacon_waffle• 8 years ago

I live in the South of New Zealand, hearing the bird song is one of the big perks of being here.

Drones, I don't really have much of an opinion on to be honest. There is certainly good and bad outdoors etiquette; if it were in vogue to play a trumpet outside in a beautiful wild place, I'd probably not be a fan of the person playing it, but I don't mind the instrument in the right context. There does seem to have been quite a backlash against drones here (see rules 11 and 12: https://www.airshare.co.nz/rules), though I don't know how much of that is driven by the general resistance to new things here, or privacy concerns, or how much is the spoiling of public spaces as you mention. My guess is that it's roughly those issues, in that order.

All that said, the sound of a bell on the neighbour's cat is offensive to me, for the fact that I'm hearing it and not the birds it's killed (we also have invasive rodents, which do harm bird life but some are also eaten by cats). It makes me wonder about shifting baseline syndrome too - what would it be like here if we could get rid of most of the the human-introduced predators? https://cacophony.org.nz/

puranjay• 8 years ago

Man, your work is beautiful!

jstarfish• 8 years ago

the drones are transforming how ordinary people are able to capture and tell amazing stories.

I disagree. Drones are allowing ordinary people to take ordinary pictures, only from a much greater height.

punchingpeople2• 8 years ago

I have visited the Bulgarian side of the Black Sea and found it quite fascinating, there was a time wild dolphins came not far from the coast. For sure I would love to visit the Georgian coast as well, have heard good things of the place and have never met a bad Georgian.

iandioch• 8 years ago

I believe here they're talking about Georgia in the United States.

punchingpeople2• 8 years ago

Just realized that, my mistake. Every time I hear Georgia I immediately think about the country in the Caucasus. I am half asleep right now.

Georgia, USA, could be interesting too, although the only thing I know about it is they film "The Walking Dead" there.

Uberphallus• 8 years ago

Obligatory link: https://i.imgur.com/XFSFSkw.jpg

theandrewbailey• 8 years ago

The Georgian coast of the Black Sea. You know, the one north of Florida. \s

cm20122• 8 years ago

What's the best time of year to visit Georgia for beaches? September ish?

jcater6• 8 years ago

Yes, I live on the island mentioned in the article. This place gets insane with tourists during the Summer months, but gets much calmer during September. The weather is also nicer, with the highs averaging in the mid-80s(F). The summer months are generally hot and humid -- this is the deep South after all.

thieving_magpie3• 8 years ago

I'm jealous. I visit several times a year and often think about just moving there. I'd eat too much southern soul though, it's for the best.

jraines• 8 years ago

I'll have to defer since you live there, but I'm from South GA and my sisters live on SSI and I'd think September would be hotter than that & October would be nicer (my favorite month in GA overall).

Also, if you happen to live in the Northeast, I recommend a visit to SSI in the early spring to cure that endless winter misery that you get in March & sometimes April.

ericcumbee• 8 years ago

I had no idea that there where this many Ga people on HN. I live in statesboro (about 45 minutes from Sav), and am from south south georgia.

ethbro4• 8 years ago

Depends on where you're from and what temperatures are comfortable.

May and September are the standards. Adjust to preference.

smileysteve• 8 years ago

For Cumberland Island, you want to go before the mosquitos come back; so often late February or March.

cpursley2• 8 years ago

Camping on Cumberland is a great way to enjoy the island:

https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/camping.htm

anonhaterinbed• 8 years ago

nvm

frockington• 8 years ago

Perhaps it was lumping all southerners together and calling them all inbred racists that resulted in a bad time for you. I think a lot of people would like to explore Georgia as a Florida alternative

cm20122• 8 years ago

Replace the word southerner with some other minority and see how it sounds. Not all southerners are racists, and inbred is just a slur.

That said, the political climate is a real concern for me, but I'm hoping it wouldn't be in my face in a tourist town.

TomMarius2• 8 years ago

Of course it does - there is always the Black Sea one ;-)

brixon• 8 years ago

What!?, you don't just assume the USA when a loosely defined location is mentioned on a site that is available to the world?

smt882• 8 years ago

The site is a regional publication for the Southeastern US, and it has "Southerner" in the name. So it's not vaguely geographically defined at all.

onychomys• 8 years ago

This question reveals much about the state of basic US history classrooms in Florida. How do you learn about the civil war and not hear about General Sherman's march to the sea? Especially if it happened in your basic area?

mrfusion• 8 years ago

Is a jet ski a good way to explore these kinds of places? I’ve never boated but I’m really interested in getting out to places like these.

A kayak just doesn’t seem to go fast enough to get too far.

chowells• 8 years ago

Not if you want to observe animal life too. Jet skis are very loud, and not all that comfortable either. You'd be better off with a flat-bottom boat, like in that one photo. Whether you have an airboat or a small outboard motor, they operate a lot more quietly and give you enough space to bring along whatever supplies you'd like.

justjash• 8 years ago

Airboats aren't quiet at all.... maybe you mean a canoe/kayak with an electric trolling motor? Newer PWCs aren't all that loud as long as you aren't going full throttle.

slaunchwise• 8 years ago

+1 for the Sturgill Simpson reference

ucaetano• 8 years ago

Sure it does, on the Black Sea.

filterfish• 8 years ago

I saw this headline and really hoped it would be about the country; but no.

@samsolomon maybe next time you could put "... Georgia, US"

jonknee• 8 years ago

I stopped at a station with pay-first pumps

Are there pumps that aren't pay-first? Even in non self-service states they ask for payment first.

cdoxsey• 8 years ago

Growing up in Alabama I always pumped then paid the attendant.

I found paying first super confusing. How do I know what it will cost ahead of time?

Then credit cards were ubiquitous and I never really thought about it again.

bdcravens• 8 years ago

Typically if you don't get as much fuel as you paid for you go back in for change.

pas• 8 years ago

Isn't there a meter on the pump showing the current amount you have to pay?

simonbarker87• 8 years ago

Every pump in the UK is pay after pump, unless it’s pay at pump then you are limited to £99 usually but it’s just a hold, it only charges when you reseat the pump handle. It freaks me out in Europe and the US when I come across a pay first pump, I don’t know how much it’s going to cost to fill up and then I need to go back in to get my change, ridiculous!

drewmol• 8 years ago

Typically the cashier can "turn on the pump" (enable pumping prior to paymemt) on request, and you can pay after pumping.

nradov• 8 years ago

I don't understand. In every pump I've seen you just put in your credit card, wait for the authorization, and start pumping. What's the problem?

justusthane• 8 years ago

At most gas stations in rural midwest (at least Wisconsin & Minnesota, can't speak as well for other areas) you can pay after pumping.

asveikau• 8 years ago

I remember sometime during the 90s, pay-first became more or less standard in the northeastern US, but it was confusing at first.

rhacker• 8 years ago

Massively incredible photos.

After my wife sees these pictures I'm going to have to figure out how to fit a drone in the budget.

klarrimore• 8 years ago

Nobody heard of Savannah?

jboggan• 8 years ago

These pictures from home are great to see on a California morning! It really is a special landscape and I'm glad to see it getting some attention.

I was extra excited to see the pictures of the Satilla River since it's a blackwater, something I feel like a lot of folks are unfamiliar with [0]. It's a really interesting feeling to swim or float down a blackwater that is clean and pure and full of fish and turtles pecking against your legs but whose tea-colored waters don't admit even a yard of visibility through.

0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_river

wyldfire• 8 years ago

The anecdote about geography that's summarized in the title isn't as interesting as the photographs themselves. They're magnificent. One of the tasks of great photography is to show an interesting or unique pespective. Composition is everything. These drone photos are awesome.

e40• 8 years ago

With uMatrix in default config I see only a blank page. I really, really wish people that make websites wouldn't do this. Load what you need from your domain, don't include a lot of stuff off-domain, so I don't know what I need to enable just to see the text you wrote.

tyw• 8 years ago

Used to live in Brunswick, now we're living in middle Georgia but my wife and I still love to fly our C182 down to grab some BBQ at Southern Soul (or cheesesteak at Skinny Pete's) every month or two. SSI is gorgeous and the airport is in a great location and staffed by some great folks.

gebeeson2• 8 years ago

I work on St. Simons Island and enjoy the environment completely; great place for a vacation. I would also like to plug Jekyll island which is just south over the bridge - there is a fee to get onto the island and passes are available. Beaches, a water park, hotels and a largish island to explore. Good times.

Georgia Has a Coast?

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