Wedding party number one toward the northern end of the beach.

Bicycling on Driftwood Beach. Thankfully, there are a bunch of rocks in this area. Without the rocks, the kickstand would just sink into the sand.

I headed back to the North Loop Trail which veers away from the roadway toward the Jekyll Island Pier and Clam Creek Picnic Area. The trail passes through a beautiful section of the marsh. The dry sections seen in the photos above and below are part of the many small arms of Clam Creek for which the picnic area is named.

Looking north along the saltwater marsh and Clam Creek.

No worries, though. I'll do what everyone else has been doing and pedal around the bridge.

Looking east toward the ocean

I spotted one of the locals out for a stroll on the beach.

It looks like the small wooden bridge that carries the North Loop Trail across this section of Clam Creek is out.

I spotted someone else going for a swim.

I don't know what kind of bird this is. But he seemed to be enjoying himself hanging out in the water.

Going for a swim.

I pedaled around the closed bridge and continued north along the North Loop Trail.

The marsh scenery was absolutely stunning on this day.

I stopped at another bridge along the path to snap a few more pics of Clam Creek which winds its way through the marsh.

Another of the many small arms of Clam Creek.

Looking northeast across the marsh.

Looking west at one of the many smaller arms of Clam Creek.

I continued north along the North Loop Trail.

I continued following the North Loop Trail toward the northern tip of the island. The Jekyll Island Pier soon came into view.

The Jekyll Island Pier.

The Jekyll Island Pier is an enormous fishing pier located at the Clam Creek Picnic Area at the northern tip of the island.

The view from this angle doesn't give the full perspective of the sheer size of the pier.

I detoured off of the North Loop Trail and headed down to the beach. St Simons Sound separates Jekyll Island from St Simons Island. I wish I would have been here earlier when the K-Line ship passed through on its way to the Port of Brunswick.

The sheer size of the Jekyll Island Pier can be appreciated from here.

The bridge in the photo above carries the North Loop Trail across Clam Creek. I had just come from the left side of the photo and detoured onto the beach for pics.

I spotted a few of the locals taking a leisurely stroll along the shores of Clam Creek.

I got back on the North Loop Trail heading toward the pier and stopped on the bridge to snap a few pics of Clam Creek.

Clam Creek heading inland.

Turning the other direction offered a great view of the Jekyll Island Pier.

Looking across the saltwater marsh back toward the North Loop Trail where I just was a few minutes ago.

Looking across Clam Creek over the saltwater marsh.

The North Loop Trail takes visitors to the parking area of the Clam Creek Picnic Area. The size of the Jekyll Island Pier became quite apparent from this side of the parking lot.

The dominant landmark to the west of the island is the Sidney Lanier Bridge which carries US Route 17 across the Brunswick River. The cargo ships headed toward the Port of Brunswick pass under the Lanier Bridge. It's a beautiful sight from a distance and is always one of my favorite photography subjects !

The original Lanier Bridge from 1956 was a "vertical lift" bridge, (i.e. a section of the bridge is mechanically lifted so ships can pass under). Over the course of the next 45 years, it was hit by passing ships twice, once in 1972 and again in 1987. After the second incident, the bridge was deemed a "navigation hazard" by the US Coast Guard, (definitely not a good thing considering the huge Port of Brunswick nearby). Plans were put into motion to replace it with a much taller "cable-stayed" bridge with spans that were not only wider, but also didn't require lifting. Site preparation began in 1995 and actual construction started in 2000. The bridge opened to traffic in 2003.

Jekyll Fishing Center.

Do not tie to the buoy.

I stopped to get some water at the Jekyll Fishing Center which is located in the picnic area next to the pier.

Vehicular traffic to the picnic area follows the appropriately named Clam Creek Road from Beachview Drive. Cyclists on the North Loop Trail follow Clam Creek Road back to Beachview Drive to pick up the North Loop Trail where it begins its southbound turn toward the Historic District.

The Jekyll Island Campground is conveniently located across from Clam Creek Road. This is also the point where North Beachview Drive turns south toward the Historic District and becomes Riverview Drive.

Jekyll Island Campground.

Also at this intersection sits the above historical marker that describes the Spanish presence on Jekyll Island from back in the day.

I followed Clam Creek Road south from the picnic area back to North Beachview Drive.

The Lanier Bridge would be visible from any point along the trail from this point. I also spotted a sailboat off in the distance.

I turned right onto Riverview Drive and headed south toward the Historic District along the North Loop Trail. As expected, the views from the trail over the saltwater marsh were quite amazing.

Sailboat on the Brunswick River.

I took A LOT of pics of the Lanier Bridge during this trip !

Zooming in on a sailboat on the Brunswick River.

My camera has a 35x optical zoom lens, and is also able to add 4x of digital zoom. The picture tends to become unstable at this level of zoom.