Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2004. This was Mattie's second trip to the Outer Banks. Even on the actual beach with sand, sippy cup was in tow. Sippy came with us everywhere and in all sorts of weather. Since Mattie LOVED only drinking milk, that meant that I had a cooler with me at all times. Look at Mattie's facial expression in this photo!!! Doesn't it paint quite a picture?! 


Quote of the day: Appreciate again and again, freshly and naively,
the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy,
however stale these experiences may have become to others. ~ Abraham Maslow

Our goal today was to have a more relaxing day on the island, rather than jump in a car and spend time commuting. We rented bicycles for the week. Even that was easy on Kiawah Island. You can pre-arrange a bicycle rental before you get on the island. They will drop off bikes at your condo, house, or hotel and they will pick them up at the end of the week. There is no labor or logistics to worry about. They supply you with helmets and a lock to secure your bicycles when they are not in use. So we set out to ride on the beach today. I have never rode a bicycle on the beach mainly because most beaches are not conducive to riding. Which is what makes South Carolina so unique. Very long stretches of hard packed sand, perfect for riding. 

A selfie of us sitting on our bicycles with the Sanctuary Hotel in the distance. We are staying in a condo right next to this hotel. 

The beach is filled with pelicans. They fly over us at all hours of the morning and afternoon. 

Do you get a feeling for just how expansive the beach is??? Also notice no crowds. There are people around us, but because the beach is huge, you never feel crowded. There is no loud music playing, no garbage, and no rowdiness. It is an absolutely peaceful and beautiful area and I suspect those who come here are seeking the same things as us. 

I am not sure our intention was to ride 13 miles today. But we did it. I can safely say that riding against the wind is VERY challenging. Even though the sand is flat, it almost feels like you are peddling up hill when you are riding into the wind. 

However, I was not sure what to look at first while on the beach. The water, the sand, the bird traffic or the houses. 

We looked up housing prices here and on average a house this sizei

It is not just one house but try a whole row of them that goes on for miles. If one has the money, I can see why people retire to this community. In a way it is a bit like Disneyland. Too good to be believed. The island has its own services like fire and police, it has its own grocery store (by Harris Teeter), its own shopping and lots of good restaurants. I haven't met one surly person yet. Everyone is lovely. 

This is our view while bicycle riding!

Not sure what you are seeing here? Try our National bird... the eagle. This fellow was hanging out in the tidal flats looking for prey. I tried to get as close as possible without spooking him. 

Do you see the hole in the sand next to my bicycle? Well what came out of that hole was a large whelk shell. Intact no less. We brought it back to the condo and you will see a photo of it below. 

We rode out to the eastern most point of Kiawah Island. At this tip is Little Bear Island, part of the natural conservancy. Unlike in the Outer Banks, here we have seen VERY few shore birds along the water's edge. However, we found where they all are... at Little Bear Island.  

Miles and miles of sand for as far as the eye can see. 

Thirteen miles is a long stretch to ride. So periodic breaks were needed. Unlike our city life, people around us here are more trusting and respectful. So leaving your bicycles parked in one location is no problem. 

Keep in mind that you need a permit to get onto Kiawah Island. There are guard gates all around the island, so unless you are staying here, you aren't visiting. 

Some of the houses are gigantic. Several people stopped along the beach today to admire these two. 

So here is what we bicycle rode. Starting from the round blue dot on the left, to Peter's thumb on the right, and then back to the blue dot. 

Given the incredible work out we had, we had to regroup when we got back to the condo. Thankfully we brought water with us, but air conditioning was necessary, as it was in the 80's with over 80% humidity. So it was hot. 

We decided to have a late lunch at Cherrywood BBQ. The restaurant is located within a golf course on the island. The food was wonderful and I figured we couldn't be in South Carolina without trying authentic BBQ.

Peter had a combination of BBQ chicken and ribs.

I had pulled pork with an amazing cucumber salad. Not to mention that homemade corn bread is served with these meals!

This is what we were looking out at from the restaurant. This place just seems too good to be true. Just beautiful. 

At the end of the day, this is what my shell collection looks like. Not unlike shore birds, finding shells is also mission impossible. However, we were very successful at Little Bear Island. You can see the large whelk shell on the left that Peter pulled out of the sand. Also finding sand dollars on this beach is very common!