New Year’s Day found me doing a lot of walking, relaxing, and carb-eating in the relative warmth of the south before heading back to the cold of New England tomorrow.
I obviously started my day with the first sunrise of 2026. Given that there were again no clouds in the sky, I walked a couple of miles on the beach before heading behind the dunes to add some foreground interest to my photos.
Next up: pancakes. And not just any pancakes. Southern Coney and Breakfast has a sign above the door proclaiming them to have the “Best Pancakes Ever”. I can’t say I agree with the superlative, but my chocolate chip pancakes were pretty good.
From there, I headed back across the Intracoastal Waterway to Pinckney Island. Home to the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, the island encompasses about 4,000 acres and has 14 miles of trails to explore. I make it a point to take a long walk here every time I visit. In the past, I have seen armadillos and alligators, but it was too cold to see either of those today. Instead, I listened to the birds chirping and enjoyed an almost 6-mile walk in near solitude. It wasn’t until I had been walking for an hour and a half that I saw another person. By the time I left, the parking lot had filled up and I had plenty of company.
After my walk, I headed to Bluffton to try an iced breve from 7 Brew. It was good, but I prefer Elliano’s for my southern coffees. Then it was back to my hotel to go through my morning pictures, pack my suitcase, nap, and sit in the sun to read my book for a while. I also completed my version of a New Year’s polar plunge, which involved dipping my feet in the mighty Atlantic.
Dinner was at Giuseppi’s Pizza in the Shelter Cove plaza. I had pepperoni rolls (pepperoni and cheese rolled in pizza dough and baked), zeppoli, and an Austin Eastciders cider.
My final activity for this first day of 2026 was a sunset walk on the beach. Hilton Head is one of my favorite places on earth and I don’t want to leave, but after nine days away, I’m also ready to be home. I plan to leave Hilton Head at 6AM tomorrow to drive back to Jacksonville for my flight home to Boston. And just two weeks from now, I will turn around and return to South Carolina for a long weekend adventure in Charleston. 🙂
Traveling with Laura 