Gym's Ramblings: The Deep South and Interstate 95

Now where did I leave you? Ah yes, the airplane ride! We had an uneventful two-legger down to Miami on United Airlines. The first leg ended in Houston and we caught the second plane on time at George Bush Airport. The only negative that I can report is that the second leg was altered somewhat due to a massive storm over Florida and this resulted in a longer and bumpier ride then we were supposed to have had. Mrs. Gym was shaken but not stirred by the uneven ride and rough landing. I was fascinated by the Florida everglades as we descended into Miami from the west. After we collected our luggage, we took the MIA light rail train to the Car Rental Centre and picked up a late model silver Ford Taurus. It was already past dinner, so we had reserved a room at the Airport Hilton for the evening and we had a great stay there. We retired early because we had a long drive ahead of us in the morning.

Airport Hilton - Chris and I stayed here not too long ago and to you Chris, I can report that the rooms on the other side of the building are much quieter!

Our ride

Our next hotel room was 8.5 hours north of Miami and two states away! Gym's plan was to do plenty of driving on the first full day of the trip; leaving short hops of less than 3 hours for the next week, as we flitted about Georgia and the Carolinas. As I write this entry, we have already spent the second night of our trip in South Carolina and I am currently sitting in our beautiful room in the Historical District of Savannah, Georgia, where we will be spending our third and fourth nights. I don't want to get ahead of myself though, so let me back-up.

We didn't want to dawdle on the trip which took us through the entire length of the State of Florida, so we stayed on the I-95 all the way up here and made some pretty good time. We stopped at a couple of rest stops, refuelled the car at a gas station and refuelled ourselves at Church's Chicken (try the corn nuggets). We crossed the Georgia border just past Jacksonville and blasted all the way through Georgia to Exit #8 in South Carolina, which took us to the William Hilton Parkway and Hilton Head Island, which by the way is named after an English adventurer who explored the Cape Fear region during the 1600's and not Paris Hilton. Our room was waiting for us in the famous resort area of Harbour Town, where just last week the PGA played the RBC Heritage Classic (nice to have a Canadian bank take a lead sponsor role in such a storied annual golf event).

Room at The Inn at Harbour Town

It was a long drive and again, we were arriving at a destination after the dinner hour but we checked in to the Inn at Harbour Town and immediately went for a stroll. We started at the famed 18th green where they were still taking down the grandstand from the tournament and watched as the last few foursomes came in on that nasty-long par-4. We then walked backwards down the course covering the 18th, the par 3 -17th and the par 4-10th hole. That is where we encountered two critters that Mrs. Gym recorded on her trusty camera. We dined very late in the clubhouse on that first night and turned in.

View from our deck - No. 1 Tee, No. 9 Green and in the background the range at Harbour Town

Darn narrow fairways - 30 yards wide

The famous lighthouse at Harbour Town

Critter No. 1 - don't let the border collies swim here!

Critter No. 2 (Red Cardinal)

In the morning, we took the hotel up on the free bikes that they had to offer and we went on a long ride to the island's south beach. The entire resort area is criss-crossed with excellent bike paths and biking is a great way to explore the island. We saw some beautiful properties adjacent to the golf course and along the beach. The beach itself was beautiful and although it was a little blustery out, it was still a wonderful way to spend the morning after two long days of travel. Unfortunately, we spent less than 24 hours on the island but we saw the highlights and we promised the hotel staff that we would be back for a longer stay next time. We packed up and headed back towards Savannah and the Ballastone Inn, where we are currently camped out in the China Trade Room. They have cocktails in less than an hour in the parlour, so I am going to wind this entry up and change into my evening wear for our first of two nights in this really interesting southern belle of a city.