With my penultimate school year in the books, this trip was a welcome reward for me, and hard-working Alesia as well.
The Atlantic Ocean glistens under the emerging sunlight. Such a pretty and peaceful setting, well worth our early rush to get outside.
Below is a short video I made to capture the sights and sounds, the dawn of a new day.
The Westin’s amenities include multiple swimming pools. I don’t quite understand people who book the oceanside Westin, then sit/lay by the pool all day. Just saying.
Nice pool for sure…
The Great Egret (in the foreground) knows that the beach is where it's at! Clear skies, with temps in the mid-80s. We were fortunate to have great mid-May weather.
Our vacation took an interesting turn when we met this guy and his wife, who told us they are annual visitors to Hilton Head from Nashville, where they live. His name is Jamie Perremot. Alesia and I were on a walk when we came upon Jamie who was intensely examining shells in the sand, looking for shark teeth.
He showed us several he had found. I picked his brain for tips on what to look for and how to look for these fossils that can be thousands of years old.
A few minutes later, lo and behold, I found one! I confirmed with Jamie that it is a shark's tooth. He even commented, “I’m jealous.”
Two more were found, and I couldn’t have been more excited. We started talking right away about returning to look again the next day.
The area of the beach where we found these three was not as far a walk as the day before.
I documented the location where we met Jamie and his wife. This is for our next Hilton Head visit!
Jamie says this has been his hot spot for some years. This blog post will help me remember it- marker 118, and this home with interesting architecture.
What I learned is to look for shark teeth when the tide is going out and to look where you see large deposits of shells.
As the waves come in and out, look very closely straight down from where you stand and look for black shapes and angles that may indicate a shark's tooth. It does take time and patience.
This is the rich deposit of small shells where shark teeth might be found. Emphasis on might be found- maybe, maybe not. See any black shark's teeth in this photo?
I have found numerous shark teeth and bone vertebrates inland. Most of these in my display bowl were uncovered in the North Charleston area near my home, many from 20-plus years ago when our neighborhood was in its early stages.
On weekends, my boys and I would go to the back of our neighborhood, where new roads were being constructed. We’d scour the piles of dug-up earth, looking for jagged edges. Since those days, I have visited construction sites and found fossils here and there. Eons ago, it was ocean from here to 100 miles west to Columbia!
I was pleased to record a lifer bird! This is a Black-bellied Plover. I only was able to get this one photo before it flew off.
These tulip shells may be under assault by a conch up next to them.
Have to say, this was a first for me, seeing so many conch shells and other types with their creepy creatures inside and slithering around!
Port Royal Sound connects with the Atlantic Ocean at Hilton Head’s northern tip. The sound was busy with boat activity involved in work of some sort.
The small boat on the right is the Lil Chit. Online, I found it referred to as a general towing vessel. The craft on the left has a crane that is holding a huge pipe.
From our hotel room balcony, I observed similar boats and activities.
This time the small tow is the Mr. Loy. I found a video on Facebook of it helping to reposition a dredge pipe on the Savannah River.
I never knew Hilton Head Island had this shoe shape. The Westin Resort where we stayed is in the heel area. Port Royal Sound is behind the heel.
We have found over the years that mid-May is a nice time for Hilton Head- not too crowded with younger children still in school. And the weather and water are warm enough to enjoy the sun and swimming.
I had an excellent read for the beach.
We bring our own beach chairs (instead of renting them and an umbrella from the hotel) and have one of the popular Shibumi shades, so we can get out of the sun when needed.
Love the pasta at Nunzio!
We tried a new place this trip, Benny’s Coastal Kitchen, a seafood restaurant located on Skull Creek.
Benny’s has a fun vibe with good drinks and food.
From our table, we had a nice view of the expansive outdoor area.
We didn’t partake in the table tennis or corn hole, but after our meal we did find a bench outside to enjoy the sunset views (see those photos ahead).
I ordered the shrimp jambalaya and Alesia had the crab cakes dish.
The hush puppies at Benny’s are also tasty.
What a perfect time and place for this getaway! The beach was beautiful, and finding several shark's teeth was a special bonus.
Alesia’s Marriot/Westin perks covered our breakfasts each morning. Made-to-order omelettes two days were perks I greatly enjoyed.
A hearty breakfast was in order since we skipped a formal lunch each day.
The Westin’s keyless key system took a minute to get used to, but it is a benefit when your hands are full at the door.
We met a man from western New York who took this photo during our daybreak excursion.
We are already talking about returning to Hilton Head Island next May.
Alesia gave me a break on the drive home by taking the wheel. On Highway 17 passing Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, this plane flew right over us.
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