Hilton Head, SC

I wasn't sure if I could drive to Hilton Head in one shot, because it was a 15 hour drive. The longest I'd driven before by myself was 12 hours. But - it was a breeze! It actually took 16.5 because of traffic, and the last two hours I was kind of tired. The way back Kris went with me and it took 15 and the point is ... driving far is awesome, and I should do it more. 

Beach

You can ride bikes on the beach. I can't get over this. I've never been to a beach that was firm enough to ride a bike on it! I am drawn to the beach like a magnet. I love to run, walk, swim, look at it, and now - bike on it. 

We got out there at high tide, and it was like riding on wet cement. It was super hard. We went again at low tide and it was a like a paved street. I didn't make that mistake again! We stayed at the Marriott SurfWatch (thanks to our friends Brian and Jenny) and they rented bikes for $30 a week, which I thought was reasonable. We just got two and took turns.

We could walk half a mile to a channel of water going into the ocean, and it changed all the time with tides. All the kids loved playing in this water.

We found dead jellyfish, live sand dollars, crabs, and a live conch. The beach was always changing and fascinating.

Parks

We rode bikes in Chaplin Park, which was close to the hotel. Spanish moss! A free range chicken, and paved roads! Excellent riding through there.

We also went to Audubon Newhall Park, and although it was small, we liked it. Everything was labeled, and we saw plants and things like cypress knees that we've never seen before.

We loved Sea Pines Forest Preserve, and you should totally go here. You have to pay $9 a car to get into the Sea Pines area, and it was worth it. We walked the trails here for about two hours, and we loved seeing the trees, the jungle-like plants, the Spanish moss, the resurrection ferns, and the alligators lying in wait in the water and on land to kill us.

We'd read about the Indian Shell Ring, and we walked a long way to see it. When we got there, we had to laugh. There was a shell ring there at one point, but now it's just a slightly raised berm covered in grass and leaves. The signs made us laugh, too. "Why do you think people put shells here?" Our guess is as good as theirs! We went with 'they ate the food out of the shells and pushed them out of the way until they had formed a ring around the fire in the middle and they also can't believe there were signs leading to this trash pit.' Ha! But everything else in this park was worth seeing, including the dead snake, the vine that broke when Ty tried to swing on it, and the giant palms Max carried around.

Harbour Town Lighthouse

There's a museum in the lighthouse (costs $4.50) that we enjoyed, and you can go outside on the top and see the beautiful view from there. All around the lighthouse they have a great playground, shops to buy food and gifts, and a nice walking area along the boats.

Kayaking

We booked with Kayak Hilton Head, because they were the only ones with a spot! Dave texted me late at night to figure out details, which I really appreciated. It was touted as a dolphin tour, and when we went, our guide Doug said we had a 50% chance of seeing them, which we were all fine with. You can't depend on sea creatures. We just wanted to kayak!

He was a good guide and we enjoyed listening to him tell about the area, the houses, the neighborhoods, and the wildlife. We kayaked to a spot and waited for some dolphins for a bit, but none came, so we shrugged and headed back. Then he got a call that dolphins had passed the marina and were headed our way. And then, there they were! The swam right around our kayaks and everyone got to see them. I loved seeing them as always. Nice addition to the trip.

Then we started kayaking back. It was against the current, and the wind was against us. Oh my - I had to work really hard to make it back, and I felt if I paused I would be RIGHT back where I started! I kayaked like a rower in a competition. He had said the day before he had to tow two people who had fallen behind and I was determined that wasn't going to happen to me. We worked up a sweat and made it just fine!

Fishing and golfing

Kris and guys went fishing on a charter that our friend Matt arranged, and they caught 11 fish. They liked it, and I liked eating them. Kris and guys also golfed at Oyster Reef, which they enjoyed. There are lots of options for chartering boats and golfing.

Food

We ate in all but one meal, because there was a big group of us and we made dinner together at night. Kroger's was convenient but always packed, (and I mean like day-before-a-holiday-packed) so try and get there early or late. Reilley's was a great place with a lovely atmosphere and outdoor seating, plus reasonably priced.  

Games

Our hotel had bocce ball, basketball, shuffleboard, and horseshoes, and our kids spent hours playing these games. My grandparents were shuffleboard players, but I hadn't played, and it was great! The games were actually one of their favorite things, which makes me think we don't actually have to take them anywhere ever, just build a horseshoe pit.

I loved the trees full of Spanish moss, the beach, the water, and the general beauty of the area. I can see why it's wildly popular! A couple of people working there said that it was one of the busiest weeks in two years, which is understandable, and I still loved it. Different, pretty, and totally worth the drive anytime!

If you ask enough times, your friends will totally recreate their proposal for you.

This was the only chicken I saw!

Beach yoga

You can ride a bike! On the beach!

Note the determination. It's genetic.

Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas anniversary trip

We like to go on a trip for our anniversary, so we decided to knock out two states Kris hadn't visited yet - Mississippi and Arkansas. It was cheapest for us to fly into Memphis on Southwest. 

Memphis, Tennessee

We visited Beale Street at about 2:00 p.m., and it was lonely. Very few people, not much open, and we didn't see anywhere we wanted to eat. We searched 'best BBQ in Memphis' and it directed us to Central BBQ. There was a line outside, which we knew was great. Then I ate a fantastic, delicious pulled pork sandwich, which I haven't eaten since I was a child. We then drove to ...

Jackson, Mississippi

We have friends who have spent time in Jackson, and they gave us tons of ideas of places to go. Unfortunately, those weren't walking distance from our hotel, and when we're in cities we like to walk because then we feel like real, live city-dwellers. We checked into our downtown Hampton Inn and the front desk gave us bottles of water and a glass of champagne. This has never once happened to be before at a Hampton Inn, and I don't even particularly like champagne, but YOU CAN BET I accepted it. What a surprise! Everyone working was so friendly and talkative and nice. I waited for Kris to park and soon enough I knew about all of their histories and suggestions on where to go in the area.

We walked to Iron Horse Grill, which was full, fun, and had good food. Kris suggested we go for a nightcap at Johnny T's, and we proceeded to walk down abandoned, empty streets toward it. I told Kris that all of my instincts that had so far kept me alive told me NOT to do that, but we did it anyway. They wouldn't serve us a drink without buying an entree, so we did the walk of shame out. Ha!

The next morning we ran to the capitol building and war memorial. The rest of the city was pretty empty, and we left to drive to ...

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

We didn't really mean to go to Hattiesburg, but we wanted lunch and there was the promise of a rose garden at The University of Southern Mississippi. The rose garden was on beautiful grounds, but short on roses as it was WINTER. We happened upon a perfect southern breakfast place (and we had not had coffee, which was a recurring theme on this trip) called Midtowner. It was not even ruined by the phone call that at home one of our tractors was on fire. And you know that's a good breakfast. 

Biloxi, Mississippi

White sand! Ocean! Sunshine! I love going to the ocean anytime, and this place is beach oriented. There were many, many hotels right along the beach, and we stayed at the Hampton Inn. Inexpensive and just one road between you and the water!

We walked on the beach toward the casinos, which look like Vegas places inside and out. There was still apparent hurricane damage from years ago, which you could especially tell because docks were half gone and the boardwalk was missing 25 percent of its boards. It didn't diminish my enjoyment at all, because it was beautiful. We walked all around downtown, in and out of the casinos, and along the beach. 

We drove a little bit to Ocean Springs, which reminded us of a little Michigan beach town. Lots of shops, lots of outdoor restaurants. We stopped at a few, and the locals were all so friendly and talked to us. We especially liked Mosaic. 

We went in our hotel hot tub and met people from two different countries, then went for a late dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in the casino. Kris and I don't gamble and don't especially love casinos, but ... it was packed full of people! It was New Year's Eve, we were looking for a fun place to be, and during a pandemic apparently casinos are the place to be! They had a DJ, people were dressed to the nines, and it was awesome. Kris and I were the only two people who cared about it turning midnight. The crowd in the casino looked up from their gambling for only the 10, 9, 8 ... yelled happy new year, kissed their partner, and then turned immediately back to gambling. Funny!

At 12:19 a.m. as we got into our Uber, I got my first swimming lesson registration, since I open it on Jan 1. People are ON IT.

On New Year's Day, we ran along the beach and did a polar plunge to start the new year, as is our tradition. However it was really cold and we didn't think the hotel would appreciate us walking through their lobby, dripping. We went up to our shorts. Close enough. 

We drove through Gulfport and it had a much more kid-stuff, touristy, Myrtle Beach kind of vibe. We also went there for coffee, because the south just doesn't have coffee shops every two blocks like the north. We went there on our way to ...

Lake Chicot State Park, Arkansas

I couldn't get over the trees that were emerging from Lake Chicot. They were very unusual, and later a friend identified them as bald cypress.

Little Rock, Arkansas

We didn't know what to expect in Little Rock, and we didn't even know if we were driving all the way there, since this was a freewheeling vacation, but we're so glad we went! Little Rock's nightlife was great! So many people out, so many cool places. Lost Forty was the first stop we made. They told us that since it was New Year's weekend, they were serving brunch all weekend. We had a first-for-me breakfast pizza with a fried egg right in the middle of it. We also loved the atmosphere of the place. We next hit up Flyway Brewing which was okay but empty, and then landed on Fassler Hall, a lovely German-themed place! We ate our giant pretzels and ordered giant mugs and reminisced about the time we went to Oktoberfest in Munich. They had music and picnic style tables and a ventilation system that is exactly what we have in our calf barn at home. Delightful place.

We ran to the capital building in the morning, and then went downtown for coffee and the sculpture park along the water. It was raining, so we took our time, but then I was itching to get on a hike. It kindly stopped raining long enough for us to hike up ...

Pinnacle Mountain State Park, Arkansas

I loved this hike, and it is one of the highlights of the trip. It was as if someone just dumped rocks on a mountain. It was SO rocky. Sometimes you go on a hike and they say it's challenging, and it never is. I actually slipped and fell on this hike - I can't even remember ever falling on a hike! So yes - AWESOME hike. Great path, gorgeous view at the top, and it even started SNOWING on our way down. Thus the slippery rocks. I love, loved the hike.

We checked out and ate in trendy East Little Rock and made our way to...

Big River Crossing

This is the country's longest pedestrian bridge, it's right along a train track, and it connects Arkansas and Tennessee! So, right after we crossed into Tennessee, we parked and walked on this ... right back to Arkansas. It was a beautiful walk and view right over the Mississippi River. We then checked in our downtown Doubletree, which was walking distance from ...

Beale Street 

This was a complete and total different scene than it was during the day. Much like Nashville or Austin, there was live music pouring from every place! It was lively and fun, and everyone walking around was having a good time. We listened to awesome music in one place, then even better music in another, and so on until late. I love cities like this that are just designed for music and people who love it! 

We left our hotel at 3:30 a.m. the next day to head to the airport in Memphis and begin our real lives of 2021. 

As for numbers - this is our 19th anniversary, Kris' 47th and 48th state, and he has one more before we both hit 49. For us, 2020 was a great year of travel, and we look forward to many more!

Melbourne Beach, Florida - Dec 2020

With everything in Michigan cancelled - including sports, school, private businesses - there seemed to be no better time to LEAVE! I don't remember exactly how it happened, but in a flurry of text messages and $34 airline tickets (no joke, they were really that cheap) 17 of us were headed to Melbourne Beach, Florida!

We used VRBO to rent a house that was on an inlet, and the reviews all talked about manatees, dolphins, and birds coming by the dock every day. I thought it sounded awesome, but since you can never count on wildlife to show up, I wasn't banking on seeing anything. 

Manatees 

As soon as we got there, we saw manatees sticking their heads up right by our dock. I couldn't believe it. I'd never seen them before, and there were so many of them! People came by on a little rowboat and a bunch of manatee made the water church under them. They were scared and laughed and we did too! Later the same thing happened to me when I was in a kayak, and I was so glad. Usually you could just see their heads surfacing for air, but a couple of times I saw their tails, too.

Later I talked to a woman in Matt's office who grew up on the beach here. She said when they were kids they would feed the manatees heads of lettuce from their hands while in the water with them. 

Dolphins

I never knew you could HEAR dolphins, but it was so quiet in the inlet that you would just listen for them surfacing, and you could hear an exhale and inhale. Then you could watch them. They swam right next to my kayak many times, and right by our dock all the time. YOU CAN HEAR DOLPHINS. Thanks, Melbourne!

Birds

We were surrounded by so many pelicans, tons of different herons, and even flamingoes. People did a lot of fishing, and when the fish were big enough, Matt or Niles would filet them, Kate would cook them up, and we'd eat them minutes later. If they were too small, we sometimes threw them to the heron that was waiting in our lawn for just that reason.

Roffs

My friends own a business in Melbourne that provides fishing forecasting analysis. We visited the actual building (cool) and met his coworkers (also cool.) We also ate outside at a lovely outdoor restaurant nearby - The Mansion.

Beach

We stayed on Arrowhead Lane in Melbourne Beach, and as far as I could tell, all the houses along the inlet would have the same opportunities. One downside was the tiny black flies that were there at dusk and in the morning. We really got bitten up before we got bug spray, but I'm sure these are seasonal. There were no flies at the beach - we spent a lot of time at the private (Sunnyland Beach) that we had access to with the house. It was one mile away. The ocean was fantastic, as always. The sand was white, it was really empty, the waves were huge, and I loved it like I love most beaches. We came here every day to run and swim and play. 

I've been to Florida many times, but never here - really loved it. Maybe we'll do it again next year - and pack bug spray!

Maryland

In August I went to see one of my best friends, Alicia, who lives in Annapolis, Maryland, just for a quick weekend. I've been here before, too, and it's such a fun place to visit!

Bay Ridge

Alicia lives within walking distance of Bay Ridge, which is a beautiful neighborhood on the water. I couldn't stay away from here - walking, running, riding a bike - it was such a nice place to be. Alicia also said she loved telling her son Billy there was a secret trail, which I eventually found between the street and the beach. When you're on it, you're hidden from the road, but above the beautiful beach. Awesome place.

Billy Goat Trail

Alicia and I drove to go on the Billy Goat Trail, which is right on the Potomac. It has a great name, because you are really hopping on rocks for a long time! It was gorgeous, plus you had a spot where you had to climb up a steep part, plus you're balancing on rocks above a river, and I like hikes where you really could plunge to your death if you trip. They had all the regular 'you need water, this is a hard hike' signs that you can pretty much ignore unless you're in poor health. Super fun hike!

Annapolis by the water

Of course, it's on the water. We walked all along the water, got Alicia's son Billy ice cream, and had a wonderful time looking at the boats and all the people. One thing I love about Maryland is everyone's commitment to their state flag. No state has more of a connection to their flag, I'd argue. It is everywhere, it is easily identifiable, and I love it. It's flying from boats, it's on their logos, it's on babies' onesies. Everywhere.

Also I learned a word from Alicia. Burgee. It's a 'distinguishing flag of a recreational boating organization, most often in the shape of a pennant.' Please note, Alicia made fun of me when I called it a pennant. It just doesn't come up in my non-boating world! 

Annapolis downtown

Alicia and I went to Forward Brewery and walked to the state capitol building. There were lots of people out in the lively downtown. (Last time I visited here we also visited the U.S. Naval Academy grounds. We also went to St Michaels, another nice seaside town!) We then did something I've never done before ... 

Paddleboard yoga

So, I didn't like yoga until last year. Now I love it, and the chance to do it on a paddleboard? Why not?!

We went through Capital SUP. We walked to the dock and they gave us our weight, which was a Tide detergent container filled with sand. I plopped it on my paddleboard and we headed out to the middle of the water, where there were other classmates, our teacher, and a guitarist with an amp floating on a stage.

Right? Just my normal everyday yoga class. 

I threw my weight over the side, and as the class started, I started drifting farther and farther away. My weight apparently wasn't heavy enough, or wasn't hitting the sand. A couple of other people had the same thing happen to them. The instructor told me I should head for a shallower spot, so I went closer to shore and had no problem.

The sun was setting, the music was beautiful, and it was all so wonderful and fun. The yoga instructor did some more difficult poses, like a headstand, and when people fell in, we would all laugh and good naturedly cheer.   

All the elements - the sky, the music, the water - came together to make it a magical atmosphere. The people were all chatty and friendly too. Lovely time.

Alicia and I met her husband Bobby for dinner at the Annapolis Yacht Club that night. I also got to spend some quality time with her son Billy, who told me I was his best friend, probably because I have a lot of experience hanging out with little boys who love superheroes and wrestling. 

If you have the chance to go to Annapolis, it's a beautiful spot. If you want to fit in, just wear anything with the Maryland flag - and use the term burgee correctly.