Day 17

Day#17: Savannah, Georgia- Hilton Head, South Carolina (35 miles by car, 18 miles by bike)

We had a nice weekend in Savannah.  Tried a few new beers, enjoyed our comfortable beds and nice view at the Hyatt, and took an educational riverboat cruise.  

On Saturday we decided to walk by the Mickve Israel Temple.  We didn’t expect to go inside for services because my dad was wearing his bathing suit and biking shirt.  It was the nicest bathing suit he had, mostly because it is the only bathing suit he has with him. He would have been wearing his shorts and biking shirt but he lost his only pair of shorts somewhere in Georgia.  As we got closer to the synagogue, we asked a woman on the street if she knew where the synagogue was.  She was headed there and insisted that we join her, and not worry that we were not appropriately dressed.  Turns out the synagogue was celebrating its 281^st Anniversary.  It was founded in 1733 – how cool is that!.  They also read from a Torah scroll that was the first Torah scroll brought to this country.  The scroll, although not “kosher” was over 500 years old.  The reform service was very enjoyable and because it was the 281^st anniversary of its founding we learned a lot about the history of the Jewish community in Savannah. 

We planned to wake up at 7AM this morning, but when my dad woke up it was pouring rain.  When he woke me at 10AM it was still raining.  Another problem was that the bridge we needed to take to get out of Savannah did not allow bikes or pedestrians.  So, we took a taxi to Hilton Head, South Carolina, a little less than an hour away.  Hilton Head Island is known for it’s great bike trails.  What’s ironic is that there is no way to bike onto Hilton Head Island. 

South Carolina-Smiling Faces Beautiful Places

Once we checked into the Hampton Inn, we decided to take advantage of the great bike paths.  We rode towards the beach, got lunch, watched the world cup, went to the supermarket, and rode back.

On the ride to the beach, there was a sign saying not to feed the alligators. 

After that, we were obviously on the look out for alligators.  As we went over a bridge, I was looking into the swampy water, and I found one!

Tomorrow we’re going to keep exploring Hilton Head Island, because there are more than 50 miles of bike paths, even though it’s a 12-mile island.   Then, we might drive to Charleston for the night so we can join the Adventure Cycling maps again.  We are hoping for clear weather since it rained almost everyday last week.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

P.S.- Happy Birthday Esther Malka! Hope you have the best day in Turkey! Don’t party too hard ;)