This summer was the perfect time to explore places close “ish” and driving distance from our home in Connecticut.
After four months of being in quarantine mode, we decided to rent a home in Sea Pines, Hilton Head for two weeks in July. We knew that this would be a very different trip, one where we could not try all the cool restaurants, or have our favorite drink at the fun bars, or shop at the cute stores on the island, or take advantage of all the activities, or be super friendly and chat with our neighbors.
But…we enjoyed the expansive, gorgeous beaches, cruiser bicycle rides in the Forest, on the beach and along the trails, family tennis games, viewing the inhabitants on the island – dolphins, alligators, turtles – long walks, a fun motor boat ride for two that we drove ourselves, and home cooked meals every night with a yummy bottle of wine. Yes, the 14-hour car ride from CT, was worth every minute!
In August we drove to Waterville Valley, New Hampshire and spent three glorious days hiking the White Mountain National Forest. Thanks to our guru hiking guide Sarah, we explored this spectacular area and took amazing hikes with our family of 14 cousins, plus the pooches of course!
Following this, we drove to Penobscot Bay in Maine, where our aunt and uncle have a home. Hiking, kayaking, sailing, are just a few of the activities that we indulged in, as well as taking off the road drives in their large, open-air ATV!
There are so many hidden gems that we do not think about as we always want to travel far away, by airplane, to someplace exotic. But during this “interesting time”, I highly suggest enjoying the beauty that exists close bye, in our own backyards.
