Sunrise at Pinckney Island
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It is becoming a regular affair for me to take a vacation in winter to warmer weather. For the longest time I thought this was something only old people did, but I am starting to like it. Last year Nancy and I went to Honolulu and we missed a snow storm while gone. This year we headed to Hilton Head for a short family trip. My aunt and uncle, Rose and Mike, flew in from LaCrosse and along with my Dad and Pat we headed down for some fun in the sun.
Nancy and I got a rental car and drove down on Saturday. We couldn’t afford to fly and neither of our cars are good for long haul driving, so rental it was. I got a Dodge Caliber from Enterprise, not a very impressive car, but it got 30 miles per gallon and was comfortable to drive. After the 10 hour trek down to Hilton Head we were very happy to get out of the car and do a little partying. When we arrived the rest of the family was already there and waiting for us. They had brought with them some wine and beer, but we had the food!
After unwinding from the long trip and catching up into the wee hours of the morning, it was time for bed. Nancy and I as the odd couple on the trip, got stuck with the pull out couch. But considering room was free and a lot of the food and drinks were paid for it was still a hell of a deal. The biggest thing was just getting there.
Sunday we stayed pretty close to the hotel and got our bearings straight. We hit Harbour Town for a few hours and stayed for lunch. Well it was actually a bunch of appetizers as we bellied up to the bar. I had a great opportunity to walk around the harbor and get some pictures of the water, the boats in the harbor, and lots of water fowl. We also hit Coligny Beach for our first taste of sand and sea. Unfortunately the water temperatures was way to cold to enjoy it, but the perfect late afternoon weather made it fun to walk around. We also got our first ice cream from a local shop near the beach. Over the entire trip we got ice cream 3 or 4 times total.
River Street in Savannah
Monday was a rain day. We checked the weather the night before and it was not looking good. When we got up it was absolutely pouring outside and we planned accordingly. We got a late start and headed to the outlet malls just off the island for a little shopping. Here I got some stuff from Banana Republic, I love that place, and of course some more ice cream. On the way back to the island we stopped at the only winery on the island to taste some wine. We knew they didn’t grow their own grapes, come to find out they get them from Virginia. We drove all this way to sample Virginia wine. After sampling we stopped at the Hilton Head Brewing Company for happy hour beer and appetizers. The place was empty and the beer was nothing to write home about. Fortunately the pub was in a mecca for restaurants. We ate at One Hot Mama’s which had excellent BBQ and our night cap at Reilly’s Grill and Bar, an Irish pub next to that. Having happy hour drinks, dinner, and after dinner drinks at three different place and not having to drive any where was great.
Pinckney Island
Tuesday was an early morning for myself. I wanted to do a little hiking while on vacation and picked Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge as my place to explore. Four thousand acres of marsh land, this collection of islands is protected land just over the bridge from Hilton Head. When I arrived it was just after 7am, the sun was peaking over the horizon and provided some great shots. The sky was bright orange and the calm water reflected the orange color from the sky.
I hiked for several hours around the island and had a blast. Birds provided the sound track for my hike and kept me company for most of my hike. Time didn’t allow me to walk deep into the island like I wanted. We where headed to Savannah for the day and I wanted to catch up with everyone as soon as possible. Just as I was leaving the park I sent a message to my Dad and Nancy letting them know I was on my way, and not a moment to soon. I got a reply back from Nancy saying they where just about to leave but would wait for me to arrive. After a quick shower we were off to Savannah with our own personal guide Nancy who lived there for many years.
The short drive through back country roads dumped us right in the heart of old town and the tourist district. We walked along Market Street which is several blocks of open air restaurants, bars and tiny shops selling all sorts of goods. It was lively, if it was summer and later in the evening the place would have been packed with people, filled with noise and a breath of life. We then walked down some steep steps to River Street and the water front. Here we did some shopping at some crazy little boutique shops and ate at the Shrimp Factory for lunch.
small park in Charleston, SC
After several hours we headed back to the car with a quick stop at the Lady and Sons restaurant. Rose is a big Paula Deen fan so we stopped by to snap a few pictures. Being early in the afternoon we headed to Tybee Island on Nancy’s recommendation. We saw the light house they have there, and promptly got kicked out because of a private event. Oh well, we didn’t want to see your stupid light house any how. Then it was off to the beach and a walk along the pier with another scoop of ice cream for the drive back to the hotel.
Wednesday and our last full day on vacation, this time we had to blow it up like it was 1999. Another day trip, we headed to Charleston and some more old house and water front property. Getting there was much longer and we actually got lost getting downtown, once we made it to the parking garage things fell into place. We walked along a water front park and the pier taking in the spectacular view. Then along the city streets to get a better feel for the old city. Everyone wanted to take a carriage ride which Nancy and I elected to skip. We didn’t get all the history of the city, nor the guided tour. We just walked up and down the streets checking things out on our own guided tour.
Savannah's Waving Girl
We hit Washington Park, a small park with a monument to different confederate Civil War battles, kinda odd to me, but then again this is the deep South. We also hit several art museums to check out some local work. Only a few of the pieces we saw were worth buying, but not at the prices they wanted. We where also on the look out for a restaurant for lunch when we meet backup with everyone else. There were a ton of great places but most didn’t open till 4 or 5 in the afternoon. We eventually found an old church that was turned into a restaurant and bar. We kept joking about how we where all going to hell and that it was probably the Catholic’s that sold the church, to make a buck.
As the day wore on the weather turn for the worse. The clouds moved in adding a chill to the air and soon rain would start falling. We made one final stop at Market Street to check out what local vendors had to offer, unfortunately not a lot. A short walk back to the cars as it started to drizzle and then we where off. When we arrived back we relaxed and cooked our last meal together, none of us felt like going out for dinner. We did head out for a night cap back at Reilly’s Irish pub and closed the placed down.
again from Pinckney Island
The next morning everyone was up early to see Nancy and I off. The rest of the crew was headed to Williamsburg for a few days of history. We wish we could have joined them, but I needed to get back by 7pm for my DB class and we both had work to catch up on Friday. It was fantastic spending the five days with my family in Hilton Head. First time there, I would consider going back again. Maybe next time when it was a little warmer so we could enjoy the ocean a little more.
