Bike around Sea Pines

Monday, June 4 - While I was at Crossfit, Sandy went for a 7-mile bike ride around Sea Pines.  It turned out to be a very exciting bike ride...  in addition to visiting the beach, Sandy also had the first alligator sighting of the road trip.   

She came up on a father and son looking into the water, and she asked what was going on, and there was the alligator.  So, she snapped a couple of photos and quickly moved along to stay out of trouble.  

Crossfit Hilton Head

Monday, June 4 – My Crossfit tour of the South continues.  This morning I did a great workout at Crossfit Hilton Head with owner/coach Craig.  Today's workout, or WOD (Workout Of the Day) as Crossfitters call it, was 5 rounds of a 200m run and as many pull-ups as you can do at once.


I know it may sound crazy that I keep going to Crossfit on vacation, but the workouts are short - you're in and out in an hour - and the people are really great.  It's fun to break out of "tourist mode" and get a good workout in at the same time.  Thanks for a great workout, Craig!

Arrival in Hilton Head

Sunday, June 3 – Sandy had been looking forward to her return visit to Hilton Head Island since she was about 10 years old.  She recalls that family vacation vividly with two very prominent memories:  she was very bored, and she had wished that she had stayed at Sea Pines.  Well, that childhood wish was realized today.  We stayed at the Inn at Harbour Town in Sea Pines, which was fantastic.  And there was plenty to do on the island, including lots of bike paths.  Everything that she had hoped for.  



We were also a 5-minute walk from the Harbour Town harbor, with the famous lighthouse.  It was such a beautiful evening, so we sat outside and had a salad and burger by the water.  While it was a little cloudy for the sunset, Sandy never saw a sunset that she didn’t like, so all was well with the world.

After dinner we climbed to the top of the lighthouse for the view of the harbor and the 18th hole of the golf course where the PGA Heritage tournament is played.

Quick stop: Beaufort

Sunday, June 3 – We didn’t have a lot of time to stop and explore Beaufort (pronounced “BYEW-furt”), which is one of the recommended stops in the Lowcountry.  But, we did need to grab some lunch, so we drove into town to check it out.  Unfortunately, nothing much was open on Sunday afternoon, but we found a little ice cream and sandwich shop right by the water called Kooky Mookie’s, so we grabbed something there and ate lunch on the waterfront. 

We then made a quick drive through the old residential area, which has a lot of antebellum houses in a lush landscape.  We saw some of the most dramatic Spanish Moss on the Live Oaks here, and we stopped to snap a few pictures of the hydrangeas in someone’s yard, because they were so huge.  I knew my mom would like to see these…

Drayton Hall plantation

Sunday, June 3 – After sadly packing up and leaving Charleston – such a great city – we headed up the Ashley River a bit to check out Drayton Hall plantation, another recommended stop by my friend Greg.  I feel like we had pretty much figured out the plantation drill on this trip, since we’ve been to quite a few, but this one was surprisingly different.  What makes it so, is that it has NEVER been “restored.”  It is still in original condition. That's right, original.  The current main house was built in 1738, and was kept in the Drayton family until 1975, when it became a property of the National Historic Trust for Historic Preservation.

We had a great tour guide Amanda, who was an historic preservation major, who told us how the family knew that they had a treasure in this property, and thus didn’t do any 20^th century modernization to the house.  They never even installed electricity or running water, or installed modern kitchen appliances, even though it was still being used as a home.  There is very little modern paint in the house, and much of the carved plaster ceilings are amazingly still intact.  There is no furniture in the house, because there will be no attempt to renovate it to look like it did during any certain period.  Instead, they only conduct preservation efforts to maintain the house in it’s current condition, which they say is constantly ongoing.  They also continue to embark on archeology projects on the property to continue to research the history of the plantation as new tidbits of information are revealed.  Really amazing.  You get a very good sense for what life was like in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and it is unbelievable to know that you're looking at the same untouched craftsmanship that was done hundreds of years ago. 

This is a “must do” for anyone visiting Charleston for anyone who has any interest in history and historic architecture.

Hominy Grill Breakfast

Sunday, June 3 - My friend Kjerstin once again recommended a winner:  Hominy Grill in Charleston for either breakfast or lunch.  They open at 9am for brunch on Sundays, and according to the tips on Foursqaure, people start lining up early.  A few other recurring and entertaining recommendations on Foursquare:  get the Big Nasty (biscuit with fried chicken, cheddar cheese and sausage gravy... you can only imagine the commentary), Shrimp and Grits or the Chocolate Pudding.

So, we got there about 8:40am, and while the line had already started, we were there early enough to get a table right when they opened.  While neither of us got the Big Nasty - I'm sorry, just couldn't do that for breakfast - I did get one of the specials, a Shrimp Western Omelet along with a side of grits, and Sandy got another special, the Red White and Blue Pancakes with blueberries, strawberries and peaches.  Oh, yeah - we got the chocolate pudding, too.  Yum, yum and yum.

Dinner and Spoleto in Charleston

Saturday, June 2 – After Fort Sumter and a little happy hour on the roofdeck of our hotel, we had dinner at Hank’s, a seafood restaurant where my mom and her cousin ate several years ago and had a fantastic time.  We also had a great meal.  The crab cake appetizer was amazing.

As we were planning out the trip about 6 weeks before leaving, Sandy read about Charleston’s Spoleto Festival USA in Coastal Living Magazine.  We had never heard of it, but it’s a 17-day performing arts festival that’s been around since 1977… and it perfectly coincided with our road trip schedule.  Sandy took a look at what was available when we would be there, and she found a concert by solo ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro.  He is an amazing performer, and plays songs from all different genres like jazz, rock, funk, and bluegrass.  He got his big break after a video he posted on YouTube several years ago, a video which now has over 10 million views. 

The concert was in a great outdoor venue, the Cistern Yard on the campus of the College of Charleston, on a perfect evening.  What a great night. 

Fort Sumter

Saturday, June 2 – This, of course, is where the Civil War began.  Our overall assessment of the voyage:  Great ferry ride. Fantastic views of Charleston, the Ravenel Bridge and an aircraft carrier.  Very informed tour guide at the fort.  Good value for the money.  Even made friends on the ferry.  All that + beautiful day = Definitely worth it. 

We had such good seats on the top deck.  We - along with everyone around us - wanted to claim “same seats” for the ride back.  So, in the spirit of looking out for the team, which included a couple from Montgomery, AL on one side and a multigenerational extended family on the other, Sandy high-tailed it back to the ferry to save seats for everyone as most of the people were still taking their time in the fort.

As we were on our way back to Charleston from the fort, a “tall ship” on a cruise of the harbor also appeared.  Very appropriate.

BTW…  Today was laundry day, since it marked the end of week one.  We found a great Laundromat on the campus of the College of Charleston before we went to Fort Sumter in order to get our chores done.  It’s good to be clean.

Green and Lean 5K

Saturday, June 2 – In all three previous road trips, we had never done a race on the road, so we were on the lookout for one this time.  We got lucky, and found the Green and Lean 5K on the Charleston peninsula to benefit the mission to Keep Charleston Beautiful.  It took place in Brittlebank Park and around The Citadel on the Ashley River.  It was also sunny in the mid-70s with high humidity, so any runner knows that = hot…

It was a really nice, well-run race, that also gave prizes for first dog and first stroller to cross the finish line, so that gives you a good feel for things.  They announced that this year’s race had the most people that they’d ever had register, with 241 finishers.  And, in a first for my running career, I placed first in my age group!  That’s a feat I never come close as one of thousands in NYC races.  In addition to the visual proof with the photo of me accepting my medal, to back up this claim you can see the results HERE.  A nice start to a weekend in Charleston!

Dinner at Husk in Charleston

Friday, June 1 - Both my friend Kjerstin and my Uncle Bob recommended we have dinner at Husk, which Bon Appetit rated as the best new restaurant in America in 2011.  When I called about 10 days before our visit to make a reservation, they said that they were booked two months in advance.  However, they could put us on the waiting list, and we could try to come early to get one of about seven or so walk-in slots on their upstairs porch that they typically have each evening.  So, the plan was to get there at 5:30pm right when they opened.

Then, I got the phone call on Friday morning: they had a cancellation, and would we like to come for a 5:45pm reservation?  Definitely!

The chef is known for pork, so I went with the pork dish and had a chilled corn soup to start.  Sandy had an excellent chicken with barbecue sauce that had peaches in it, and we got a side of bacon cornbread.  Then, to top it off, we had a peach cobbler for dessert.

Put Husk on your list for your next visit to Charleston!  And, plan ahead!

Entering South Carolina

Friday, June 1 - Savannah is right on the South Carolina border, which you cross as soon as you go over the Talmadge Memorial Bridge.  The bridge was completed in 1990 to replace an old, lower bridge because it had become too dangerous for all of the large ships entering the Port of Savannah.  The port is the largest ocean container terminal on the US East Coast, and is the nation’s 4^th busiest seaport.  Who knew?!

There was also some beautiful marshlands in the Low Country as we drove to Charleston.