The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: July eleventh, on the golden islands of Georgia.

In our last two programs, we looked at the beaches and marshes that form the barrier islands along this country's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Some of the most beautiful and wild of these islands lie along the 100 miles of Georgia that touch the Atlantic between South Carolina and Florida.

Ossabaw, Sapelo, St. Simons, Cumberland, and other smaller tufts of terra firma form the chain known as the Golden Sea Islands. Though closely spaced, each is a discrete piece of real estate, with its own distinct history, charm, and attraction.

For example, much of Sapelo Island is state land devoted to wildlife management. The village of Hog Hammock is inhabited by the descendants of the slaves who worked the big plantations that once covered the island. St. Simons has been the most populated of Georgia's Golden Islands since colonial days. Today it's a place of pleasant bungalows, manicured golf courses, and a thriving seaside village. Nearby Sea Island is also covered by the green lawns and golf courses of the Cloister, a very venerable and up-scale resort. On the other hand, Little St. Simons is mostly a wild, uninhabited bird sanctuary. Most of Jekyll Island is a state park, with a fishing pier, public golf courses, and seaside village, but it also has a string of resorts along its beautiful, ten-mile beach.

Finally, touring the forests and swamps of Cumberland Island's National Seashore is reminiscent of taking an African Safari.

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