Instead of giving an hour-by-hour description of our Hilton Head excursion, it has been decided to go with something more thematic. After all, it would take a while to write about everything. With that being established, here are the themes that I have come up with.
Beach – We spent the first afternoon hanging out on the beach. It was relaxing to hear the waves continuously crash. However, my people-watching is my favorite thing about the beach. People walk. People jog. People ride bikes. People play in the surf. People wear things that make you wonder if they thought that looked good when they began their day.
I did not make it back to the beach until the third afternoon. This time, I decided to get into the water and play around with my stepdaughter. I wonder if anyone was watching me like I was watching people a few days before.
Food – I must admit that the restaurant choices at Hilton Head were not that great. I am probably a food snob, but I was not impressed with the places we dined. I guess that I expected some good seafood places like those that can be found at other beach places.
In retrospect, Hilton Head is not a place that caters to tourists. It is a place where people go to retire or spend their leisure time at beach houses. This means that they do what people do all over the country. They eat at home and, occasionally, go out to eat.
The best meal was made by our friends who have a house a few blocks from our hotel. On Saturday night, they cooked pizzas on the grill. It was an awesome meal.
Sightseeing – On Saturday, the ladies went to the beach while the husbands went on a short island tour. We drove into a private resort that was the first to be developed in the area. It was full of big houses, hotels and golf courses. In fact, this is where Hilton Head’s PGA tournament is played. When it is on television, the cameras always show the lighthouse at Harbour Town.
The lighthouse can also be seen on postcards and in photographs. When I think of Hilton Head, this lighthouse is the thing I picture. We climbed the lighthouse and walked around the harbor filled with yachts.
I must admit that the climb to the top of the lighthouse was disappointing. The lighthouse is not a real lighthouse. It was built to be the symbol of the development. It is filled with a museum about local history, which was interesting, but I was still disappointed that the lighthouse is not a real lighthouse. Heck, there is not even a light at the top. There is a souvenir shop that is not unlike the souvenir shop at the base.
With all of that being said, the view from the lighthouse is great.
On Sunday, my wife and I tried to ride bicycles to the lighthouse, but they would not let us through the gate. We had to go back and get the car. This time, we found relaxing place to eat. Wait, should that go under the food category?
Engine Light – Late Saturday afternoon, the engine light glowed on the dashboard of the car. It was too late to take it to the dealership, and we decided that we would let them look at it on Monday, which was the day that we were going home. We got to the dealership when they opened, and they were good about looking at it quickly. Unfortunately, the had to order a replacement part. That meant we were going to spend another day in Hilton Head.
There are worse places to be stuck, but we had our minds set on heading home. I kept thinking they would give this to us as a loaner.
Instead, they provided a less expensive car. Luckily, we did not have to sleep in it because we had the keys to the house of our friends. They had already gone home but were good enough to allow us to crash at their pad. My wife went back to the beach. My stepdaughter got back on the bike. I laid around the house and thought about the greatness of our vacation.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
Sounds pleasant, but I think I’ll take Cape Cod 🙂
I bet they are more similar than we realize.
Cape Cod hits a nice balance between residents and tourists. Partly because it has been a tourist destination for more than 100 years. Lots of restaurants. They cater to tourists. And besides, it’s just an hour’s drive. No reason to travel hundreds of miles when we have great local resources.
I would have ignored the engine management light – probably just a dodgy electrical connection! I drove around Ireland for nearly a week with the engine management light flashing, but then again it wasn’t my car!
We thought about it but did not like the idea of driving 8 hours home with it on. Besides that, we were heading back through Georgia. I could just hear the Deliverance banjo playing.