With two more days to go before we start our journey back north, we lucked out today with more sunshine than had been predicted by the weather gods.
Category Archives: U.S.
Beaufort, South Carolina
We ventured into the heart of the lowcountry yesterday, with a visit to Beaufort, South Carolina, a picturesque town located between Charleston and Savannah that Pat Conroy calls home. After some delicious southern bbq for lunch at a place called Q on Bay, we strolled along the river and helped the local economy by opening our wallets at some of the shops on the main drag.
The $5 Challenge
We have been greatly enjoying the outdoors here at Hilton Head, as evidenced by the photos below of the girls at the pool and at the beach. We finally experienced some real waves yesterday and Chloe caught several good rides on her boogie board. But…
Charleston
After a two-day visit to charming Charleston, one of the most fascinating historic cities in the country, we are back on Hilton Head.
The Walking Wounded
We had some excitement at the beach today. As Chloe was attempting a boogie board run, we heard a piercing scream. “My leg! My leg!” she cried. She was not imagining things. Her injury, caused by a nasty jellyfish (the photo below, taken some time after the incident, doesn’t really do the welts justice), was impressive looking.
Full Speed Ahead
Non-stop activities today, starting with the bike ride Chloe and I took this morning to the racquet club for a semi-private tennis lesson. We had a great session with a pro who helped Chloe to refine some of the skills she’s learned over the past year and who assisted me in taking rust off my game. It was so much fun that we have another lesson tomorrow morning, at which time I may treat myself to a new racquet – the one I have at home was my father’s Prince graphite model from 30+ years ago.
Communing with Lowcountry’s Creatures
The sightings started with my morning walk, when I happened upon an alligator greeting passersby.
Hilton Head, It’s So Nice to See You Again!
After yesterday’s driving debacle, we all woke up eager to retake the road to get to our final destination. Indeed, today’s effort was much less taxing. We more than made up for the frustration we experienced north of the Mason-Dixon line and into Virginia by taking advantage of a 70 mph speed limit (which meant an 80 mph speed limit when I was at the wheel) for most of the remaining 400 miles of our journey.
Continue reading Hilton Head, It’s So Nice to See You Again!
Texas Underground
We visited our third cavern in less than two years today. First, it was Luray Caverns in the Shenandoah Valley in September 2010, then it was La Grotte de Seythenex in France in June 2011. Today’s underground exploration was at the Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown, Texas. We have visited more caves in the past 18 months than I’d visited during my first 42 years on this planet.
Chocolate for a Good Cause
During a trolley tour of the town of Hershey today, we learned that Milton Hershey, the founder of the eponymous chocolate company, did not have children – so no heirs to his vast fortune. Instead, at the turn of the 20th century, he and his wife founded the Milton Hershey School to serve orphaned boys. After his wife died, he seeded the Milton Hershey School Trust with $63 million to ensure the future of the school; today, the trust is worth more than $7 billion and is the controlling owner of the privately held Hershey company. Needless to say, the school is now one of the wealthiest private schools in the world, serving 1,900 underprivileged boys and girls in grades K-12.