Hilton Head Island – 6/24/17-7/1/17 Day 1

This was the third trip for me and my wife to Hilton Head Island, SC and the second for my parents and my dog, Maverick (7-year-old Black Lab). Just like last year, the four of us had served at our church’s Vacation Bible School (VBS). My mom worked the snack counter, my dad did security, and my wife, Christy, and I taught the high school class. It was busy and tiring, but we had mostly good experiences and a great group of 15 high school students! Mom and Dad wisely took Friday off from working VBS to pack and rest before the long trip ahead. Christy and I had to teach and clean up our room. We got home at 10:30pm.

Our VBS room, by the way, was decorated to look like a campsite by the mountains and stream, out under a star-lit sky. I have to say, on our limited budget, it was a room Walt Disney would’ve been proud of. We even set up a “camp fire” and had a computer playing the sounds of flowing water, crickets, and a crackling fire. All that said, it was a lot to take down!

Christy and I had previously packed our bags over the course of the busy week, so when we got home, we had only to go to bed and get a few winks before waking up and leaving at 2:00am You may think that’s early, but for having to travel through Baltimore, DC, and Richmond on a Saturday, it’s par for the course if you want to avoid heavy traffic. Maverick couldn’t care less either way. He loves lounging around in the back of the truck, occasionally sitting up to soak in the surroundings out the window. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast in Emporia, VA, and then topped off our gas tanks at the next and final exit in VA since both Emporia, VA and all of North Carolina have significantly higher gas prices in the south. A full tank would get us through NC and well into SC before needing to fill up again.

Once in SC, we stopped for lunch at a Firehouse Subs and continued on I-95 until our exit came up that would cut across rural SC to Hilton Head. On that road, we love how the trees overhang the road with Spanish moss dangling from the branches. As predicted, now about 5:00pm, we got stuck in the mass of traffic going onto the island. We crept along at a stately 3mph average until the highway split on the island. We took the toll road to our place (shorter in distance and time for $1.25). We found our 2 Bed, 2 Bath second floor condo and began to unload the car and truck. By the end of the process, Dad and I were drenched in sweat from the high humidity. But the cool air inside felt good. Mom and Christy went to Kroger to do our grocery shopping. The place was hoppin’! We determined that in future trips, grocery shopping the day after arrival might be wiser.

We ended our evening with some pizza from the local “Dough Boys” restaurant and it was very delicious! We were settled in, but Maverick was having trouble adjusting to his new surroundings. He kept waking us up periodically through the night. Another bad night’s rest! At least Sunday called for a 9:30am wake-up instead of 2:00am :p