Hilton Head

During our weekend in Savannah, we decided to drive to Hilton Head, South Carolina for an afternoon. It's not exactly close, but it's only an hour drive from Savannah. Much shorter than the 5-hour drive it would be from our apartment in Atlanta. I'm the one who planned this particular trip, and I figured that since we were already going to be in the area I'd like to see Savannah AND Hilton Head. That way if we are only able to make it back once more before we move, we'd know which city we like better. I think Jared likes Savannah better, but for me it's too close to call. The historic feel of Savannah is fun, but I was really into all the bikes and dog-friendly beaches at Hilton Head. Our first stop at Hilton Head was a random beach. By happenstance, there was a dog park right by where we parked! Savvy had a blast playing with the fluffiest litle golden doodle we have ever seen. It was soooo cute. Dream dog for sure. I wish we would have spent more time on the beach, because it was quiet and dog-infested and perfect. Dozens of dogs were fetching sticks into the ocean and digging holes in the soft white sand. It was the cutest beach everrrr.

Blurry, but we had the bright idea to stop for ice cream before we stopped for lunch. Jared got cookies and cream (always cookies and cream), and I got banana pudding ice cream. I don't remember the name of the shop, but I would definitely seek it out again next time we go just to get the banana pudding ice cream.

After ice cream we went to a more crowded beach just for some lunch, and then our final stop was a place called Sea Pines. It's full of incredible nature walks, all of which we had to ourselves! It's kind of spooky to walk along the boardwalks and look down into the swamps, knowing that there could be alligators anywhere. We made sure to keep Savvy on a close leash. The end of our walk was a gorgeous little lake that felt like Jurassic Park. We actually did see a couple alligators lying in the sun and swimming around here. The sun was setting as we walked back to our car, which was perfect. We don't get to see many sunsets in Atlanta--the trees are just too tall so we have an extremely limited view of the sky. I remember some of my BYU friends who had come from back east complaining that the Utah mountains blocked the sky and made them feel claustrophobic. I wonder if they'd had much experience living in a forest of enormous trees? They are beautiful, no doubt, but after living in Atlanta I feel like Utah's skies go on forever, and I really miss my nightly sunset. Someday we absolutely hope to settle down somewhere in the West, but for now I'm glad we're able to explore the uniquely beautiful Southeast.