Day 8 - Hilton Head Island, SC to St. Simons Island, GA

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page."

Joel and I are up at dawn for a sunrise walk along the beach.  It's low tide, so the hard-packed sand closer to the water is like walking on a sidewalk, and the wind is pushing us from behind making the stroll effortless.  The crashing waves are not as dramatic as last night, but I still strain to hear Joel's voice as we talk over the nonstop rushing sound.  The cloud cover is thick and blocking most of the sunlight, but I feel invigorated gliding along the ocean this time of the morning inhaling the fresh moist air.  Turning around and walking back the other way proves a little more difficult with the wind now in our faces, and I have to turn my head to the side to keep the wind from whistling in my ears.  Several other resort guests are also out taking advantage of the early morning--biking, jogging, and fishing.  A little boy delights in digging seashells out of the sand, new parents leisurely push a stroller, and a man and his best friend are enjoying a game of fetch.  As we walk inland back towards the hotel, I am amazed how quickly the sound of the waves and the wind diminish with each step away from the ocean.  I am completely unaware until we get back, but I am covered with a thin dusting of sand from the minuscule particles blowing on the beach.

After sitting on our balcony enjoying the view and reading for awhile, we check out and drive to the Piggly Wiggly where there is a Starbucks--remember...we're in South Carolina.  Today's drive is much shorter as we make our way to St. Simons Island.  We arrive in just under three hours and check in at the Holiday Inn Express before going to forage for food.  A walk around the lighthouse and down the pier is all the time we have before meeting up with Beth and Bev and the boys for supper at Sal's Neighborhood Pizza.  The food is outstanding (just as we remembered), but Sal wasn't able to greet us as we had hoped.  That just means we will HAVE to go back tomorrow for more of Sal's specialties and hope to see him then.  Tonight, we shared a pepperoni pizza, mozzarella bites, two Salzones, and some tiramisu, cheesecake, and cannoli.  YUM!!!

Bev, Brad, and I stay at the hotel while the rest of the family head over to the fitness center for some racquetball and basketball fun during a pretty good thunderstorm that rolled through the area.  We are certainly having a wonderful time already, and so glad to be all together for the next part of the trip.