I spent four days at coastal Georgia in the Altamaha River area of Darien, Jessup, and surrounding communities. It was a real adventure, as a friend and I travelled a thousand miles in a jeep along the backroads that lined the second largest river basin system East of the Mississippi.It greatly resembles the Mississippi, in much of its flora and fauna. I saw wild boar, coyotes, herons, seagulls and alligators. There were also manatees, but I wasn't fortunate enough to witness one along the 3 rivers that form the islands and mouth of the Altamaha River. I interviewed a woman who 30 years ago saw the Altamaha-ha. She described seeing it while crossing the stretch of I-95 that crosses the Champney River. She looked east over the bridge, and saw a large creature rise up out of the sound like a submarine, propelled at an angle to splash down onto the surface.It was her description that forms the basis of many of friend Rick Spears' famous depictions, as she saw as much of it as nearly anyone, with the exception of one man who saw it flail on the muddy banks at low tide. It was not so much that it was only agile in the water, but the rising and ebbing tide reveal a landscape of hip-deep mud and marsh grass. Even the feral pigs scrambled to make their way back to the surrounding low-lying hills before they get caught in the tide. They can swim, but the mud at low tide is almost inescapable. I stepped off the sidewalk at Darien to look at the oyster concrete walls of Tabby Ruin, and sunk in the organic black ooze of a deceptively green lawn.On backroads, I saw a strange vulture with a red bare head, white underwings with a 6-8 foot wingspan. It dwarfed the smaller, all black turkey buzzards. We made our way on Saturday afternoon to the back end of a creepy bayou, where some good ole boys did all they could to dissuade boaters and tourists from disrupting their dock fishing into murky waters. The highlight of the trip was finding and visiting the warehouse containing not only Dan Taylor's 60 foot, locomotive engine-driven sub, in a state of partial disassembly, but turned and saw the famous one man Viperfish submarine he took to Loch Ness in 1969.I tracked down the Taylors' best friend in Hardeeville, who gave me the number to Margaret Taylor, who relocated to Fayetteville, Tennessee, after her husband passed away. We talked a good while, and I received permission to put Dan in his sub in my 3rd novel, "Wake of the Lake Monster". I told her I would be complimentary, as I am all my real-life characters, and let him chase his monster. I took lots of pictures, and will post a couple copies, once I get them back and scan them in. I took a whole roll just of the subs, reaching into the portholes to photograph the interior of the larger sub. The property is now owned by Sun City Developers, who have given Mrs. Taylor only a week to remove the submarines. They intend to scrap them, afterwards.I contacted Mrs. Taylor, to let her know of their intentions, and offered my services. Dan's cousin will be picking up the smaller sub, to bring in back to Tennessee. It is lterally still on the same trailer he backed into the jetty at the loch in '69. She wants to donate it to the Smithsonian, if they will have it. It was sad to see that the larger sub was unfinished. The parts are there, right down to the plate bands and the thick glass of the portholes. All lying nearby, of course. She is looking for someone to take the bigger sub, preferably a university that would be able to complete its construction. She has the plans, and all they would have to do is pick it up. Easier said than done, but if anyone has ideas who might make use of it, she's open to suggestions. Please feel free to contact me at the email address given below. * Update* I spoke with Mrs. Taylor, who said she has given the larger sub to the fire department in Hardeeville, who intend to finish building it for display in the town where it was built over a 35 year period. As for the smaller, I can only assume that Dan's cousin made good on his promise to take it back to Fayetteville for storage. If the Smithsonian doesn't want it, I know someone very, very deserving who does, and will present it in its proper venue. Either way, this weekend's it. We got lucky because the developer was grading the lot, and have no interest in the subs. They have not been sold, but will be made donated. All in all, a very eventful weekend. I completed my research, and have been invited back by Darien for a release party of "Wake of the Lake Monster", as it involves the unexpectedly modern town built over the husk of the leading port burned by Sherman's troops in 1863. I hope my report is satisfactory. I firmly believe I have identified a probable species for the Alty, and that the river system has a great deal of room to navigate and tributaries, swamps and marshes in which to hide. I am 2/3 of the way through with my 3rd novel, and have learned much about the area, and its most celebrated cryptid.Once I have the photos scanned, I will put up a full retrospective on the Altamha-ha, as well as Bishopville's Lizardman, which I researched last year, on my web site. I also visted Lake Murray, the home of Messie, and will add those to the mix.I am here to tell you that the Southeastern United States has its own cryptids, every bit as elusive and persistent as their western cousins.