By Tony Rehagen
Turn the car off U.S. 17 and onto GA-520, the Jekyll Island Causeway. Sentinel palms line up on either side of the road to greet you, swaying in the salty breeze, waving you through the Spanish-style gates. A tunnel of trees opens into the vast, flat marshland. The pavement rises slightly, offering glimpses of osprey and spoonbills bathing and hunting in the tidal creeks, while marsh hares dart in and out of the tall spartina grasses. An infinity of green stretching to a flat horizon. For most of its existence, Jekyll has been a land apart, only accessible by sea and later by air, either at great effort or expense. The causeway now connects more people with that island paradise. These 6 miles of road, nearly as long as the isle itself, are a natural wonder of their own: a tranquil, liminal space between Jekyll and the outside world.
