Sunday, June 26, 2011
342.2 miles
 | The breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express Nearest Universal is wonderful! They were re-stocking it even though I was there in the last half-hour after sleeping in. | |
| This
was my breakfast on my second morning in Orlando: sausage patty (which
I put in the yummy biscuit), cinnamon roll (the best!), strawberry
yogurt, skim milk, orange juice, and a bananna. I love Holiday Inn Express breakfasts and wish I could always afford to stay in them :) |  |
I got out the door at 9:51 am after enjoying sleeping in late!
Gas was $3.459/gal in Ormond Beach, Florida.
I ate lunch at McDonald's at 12: 53 pm: strawberry shake and southern-style chicken sandwich!
It hit 100 °F at 2:33 pm!
My driving goal for the day was Savannah, Georgia.
I thought about stopping in Daytona Beach, Florida, or St. Augustine, Florida, but pushed on instead.
 | I made it to the Savannah area by 3 pm. Rather than go into the historic town center, I decided to drive out to Tybee Island first. This street looked like stock footage of Savannah to me :) | |
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| I was disappointed with my first impressions of Tybee Island (couldn't see the beach, parking nightmare), so I decided to wash my clothes, as I'd been on the road for a week. I found a coin-op laundry on Tybee Island at the stoplight where the road turns. It was very hot, sunny, and in the 90s outside, but the laudry was air-conditioned. There were only two women inside, and I got to chat with them while my clothes were in. In about an hour, my clothes were clean and dry! | ||
 | While waiting for my clothes to dry, I read a local tourist magazine for Tybee Island. It had a map of the area, so I was able to find how to drive to the beach and lighthouse. Parking was 25 cents per 10 minutes, so I paid $1 for 40 minutes of beach parking. Here I am next to the Tybee Island lighthouse! It was about to close, and I didn't make it before they stopped selling tickets, so I enjoyed it from the outside! | |
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| I wasn't dressed or prepared for swimming, so I took off my sandals and just walked along the beach. The beach was populated (but not crowded) and had bathrooms and a cafe/bar. It was fun to see all the happy children and families having a good time! | ||
 | The waves were constantly rolling in. | |
| The lighthouse can be seen from the beach, even though it is a bit inland. |  | |
 | Here is a classic sandy feet photo, taken when I walked along the beach at Tybee Island, to go with my muddy feet picture from Mont Saint Michel, France! | |
| One of the unique features of the beach was public beach swings. So cool! |  | |
 | I had such a great time on Tybee Island! | |
I left Tybee Island around 6 pm and drove toward Savannah, Georgia.
Where the road to Tybee meets the road to Savannah, I stopped at the nice shopping center (restaurants, Walmart) and got orange juice and Diet 7-Up at the Publix grocery store.
I drove through the town center of Savannah, didn't like the feel--I assumed that it would be easy to see/find things to see and do, but it wasn't--and drove on.
It was about to storm, so I decided to stop early (at 7 pm) and found a room at the Econolodge in Pooler, Georgia for $50 + tax.
I got Taco Bell for dinner just down the street and brought it back to my room to eat and watch Next Food Network Star.
I made it back just in time to get to watch the storm through my hotel window!
| Back to Itinerary | On to Day 9 |