Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (September 2026)

Kristin and I went to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for a week in September. It took us 4 and a half hours to drive. Originally, we wanted to invite the Chos, who served refugees in Ohio, to spend time together. But they could not join us because of the unexpected move they had to make due to unwelcome bugs in their house. Instead, we invited the Orrs who live in Simsonville, SC, and they spent three days with us. Haeock and Kristin have been friends and prayer partners for a few years, since we lived in South Carolina. Even after we moved to Georgia, they still remain connected. We walked over to the beach without Danny, who fell asleep after dinner.

We strolled at one of the shopping plazas and found a few interesting sculptures.

There was a live music performance at a restaurant. It was enjoyable.

The next day, we drove to Harbor Town, established when Hilton Head Island was first developed. The name Hilton Head came from Captain Hilton, who explored the island and named one of its coves Hilton Head. Later, this name was used to describe the entire island. I did not know that you had to pay $10 to enter the residential and Harbor Town complex, called the Sea Pines Resort. 

There was a lighthouse, which looked like a candy cane. This has become the symbol of Hilton Head Island. Now it is used as a small museum. 

We ate lunch at one of the French restaurants, and it was excellent. In front of the restaurant, two ladies took a pose.

The next day, we drove to Parris Island, where Marine Basic Training Camp is located. Danny was a Marine, and he wanted to take us there. We saw some newbie Marines marching after they received their training supplies. 

One of the popular places for people to visit was Coligny Beach Park. It is a small park, but connected to Coligny Beach where people hang out to sunbathe and swim. This public beach is part of the 12 miles around the island.

After they left on Wednesday, we walked regularly on the Pathways that stretched 60 miles in total. Noteworthy were numerous oak trees covered with Spanish moss. They looked really old and gigantic.   

We found one restaurant called The Sea Shack. We arrived at the restaurant as the first guests, and soon after 5 PM, the line grew long enough for dozens of people. The restaurant was packed with guests for a while. 

We visited Coastal Discovery Museum. We listened to a weekly special lecture about the people and culture of the island. The museum exhibited many birds and sea creatures, along with the Gullah people and their culture. Gullah people are descendants of West and Central African slaves who have preserved their culture, living in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. 

Before we left Hilton Head Island, we went to visit Coligny Beach Park again. We sat on the swing to keep the memory. 

Both Kristin and I liked this place better than Myrtle Beach. Kristin suggested we come to this island every year, if possible. Lord willing. I am grateful for the opportunity for us to be able to travel and visit many places. Thank you, Lord! - Jeffrey

Anchorage, Alaska (September 2026)

After we sent off Joyce's family at the Anchorage International Airport, we rented a car and moved to an Airbnb. It was a studio apartment, but good enough for our three-day stay. It was close to the airport and also to a lake. The neighborhood was quiet and walkable. 

We visited Anchorage Downtown Market that was open only over the weekends. The scale was very small and disappointing. 

The city welcomed tourists; it was the second-largest economic contributor to the state economy. The entire state of Alaska has a population of less than 800,000, while the largest city, Anchorage, has a little less than 300,000. 

Apparently, the Anchorage City used to run an interesting Visitor Information Center built with logs. But it was closed when we visited.  

Kristin visited a souvenir store, a pretty large one, and found several things of interest. 

The city was well decorated with hanging flower pots along the streetlight poles. 

Dog-sledding is one of the pastimes for the Anchorage people. There was a Mushing District. Mushing is a sport or method of transportation where one or more dogs pull a vehicle, sled, or person over snow or dry land. We tried a dog-sledding ride in California, and disliked the agony that the dogs went through while pulling the sled. 

We stopped by another souvenir store. To me, I saw only socks. 

We entered a Federal Land Building, where we watched a film about people who had been living in Anchorage over the centuries. It was moving and quite informative. 

I saw a statue of Captain James Cook in the Resolutions Park. The view from the statue was panoramic. 

We did not have time to visit Alaska's Statehood Monument. Alaska became the 49th state in 1959, almost a century after the purchase of Alaska from Russia. 

One day, we planned to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It was about an hour's drive away from the City. On the way, we passed through the Turnagain Arm Drive, a beautiful scenic drive. Also, we saw a train that carried tourists with a view. 

We walked around the center and saw many animals such as bears, foxes, bison, muskoxen, eagles, deer, porcupines, and caribou. We missed the moose. 

The scenery was beautiful and tranquil. 

On Sunday, after we worshipped, we visited Anchorage Museum. We learned about the indigenous tribes, their cultures, clothes, and hunting skills. Also, we found many paintings and photos of Alaska, which were quite inspiring. 

One map was quite interesting to me. It was drawn from the perspective of the North Pole. In this map, Alaska's geopolitical and maritime shipping position was critically important. 

On the last day, right before we left Anchorage, we visited the Alaska Native Heritage Center. The day we visited this center was the first day of its off-season operations. So there were no activities or programs, and there was no entrance fee. They collected donations, however, and we were able to walk around to watch films and look at various structures. 

At the Anchorage International Airport, we found a statue of a moose, which we missed at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. 

With that, we had to bid farewell to Anchorage and Alaska. Probably we will return, Lord willing. Stay natural and beautiful, Alaska! - Jeffrey