Off for a visit to Jekyll Island

After having the home nurse and the physical therapist visit me yesterday, I was pretty worn out.  The physical therapist came again this morning and put me through my paces.  She was done by about 9:00, and Kurt and I were getting a bit of cabin fever from being stuck in side for a couple of days.  We decided to make a visit to Jekyll Island on the coast.

It was too cold and windy to enjoy the beaches, but we were finally able to find the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  I’m not able yet to walk around the Jekyll Island historic district, but I thought I could manage getting to the center. 

Not many people, I’d guess, take the time to read the bricks along the path, but using a walker, I had plenty of opportunity to do so.  I got a kick out of these two border bricks.  Kemp’s Ridley is the name of an endangered sea turtle, but Olive Ridley??    (Kemp’s wife??)

                                               Then I came upon a brick that fit me to a ‘T’. 

There are many displays and interactive activities for young and old that educate folks to the plight of the sea turtles.  Having participated in the turtle watch program at Pea Island my first time there, I found it all very interesting.  We were also able to attend a program that explained the winter hazards to sea turtles when cold snaps happen.  Since sea turtles are cold blooded, when the ocean gets cold their body temp goes down and they are unable to eat. 

Many of these sickly turtles are gathered up north along the coast, and sent to facilities like this one for rehabilitation.  The surgery area of the center is pictured above on the bottom right.  In the last two months, around 200 turtles have been gathered and treated at similar facilities.

The part of the visit I enjoyed the most was going through the turtle hospital where a number of turtles were being rehabilitated.  The temperature of the water in the pools is raised about five degrees daily with the turtles in them until the ideal temperature of 70-75 degrees is attained.  At that point, the turtles are able to begin eating again.  At the lower temps, the immune systems of the turtles are also compromised, so the turtles are also treated with antibiotics to ward off infections.  Eventually, almost all will be released back into the wild.

It was a great day trip to get us out of the rig, and to learn something new.  If you find yourself on the Georgia coast south of Savannah, I’d recommend a visit to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  I, of course, had to buy a tee shirt to add to my collection and to support the work of the center.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy