We are back for another fall vacation! We came to HHI in 2014 and loved it so much, we decided to come back this year. I am racing in Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah on Saturday (I’m going to actually start and finish this time!) and HHI is GORGEOUS this time of year. We are mountain people in the summer and beach people in deep fall. Neither one of us love crowded or hot beaches. Give us cool breezes, sweatshirts and flipflops for sunrise coffee, and deep red sunsets.

Gluten-free Road Trips

Road trips can be fun and they can be a gluten roulette if I don’t plan ahead. There are 3 “fast food” chains that are my safe places.

1. Wendy’s chili and baked potato with broccoli are foolproof. They also use designated fryers for their french fries if I’m feeling lucky.
2. Chik-Fil-A is the best at keeping their waffle fries away from flour. They have designated AREAS for their fries. However, their grilled chicken nuggets are awful. They have a weird taste and I don’t like it.
3. Chipotle is my favorite road trip stop, but they are not as common as other chains.

This brings me to today’s find. TACO BELL. I haven’t had Taco bell since we moved  to Tuscaloosa 12 years ago. We have a fantastic local taco chain,Taco Casa, and it is so much better than the Bell. The shells are thin and crispy. The taco meat actually tastes normal. The queso is worth penning a sonnet. But, Taco Bell now has protein bowls and adding double meat will not break the bank. I took a chance and tried one and I loved it. Meat, rice, beans, guac, veggies, cheese, queso. All of it is gluten-free, according to corporate TB.

And it looks like real food, too.

Beachin’

As before, we got to the condo late in the day and had time for a quick walk to the beach before dinner. As I posted on Instagram, the giant RESET button is activated . School is nearing to hysteria this time of year. We are knee deep in building a house. Stephen’s job industry has been tanking for 2 years so this is NOT the optimal time to sink a load into a construction loan. And, this is the 2 year anniversary of the most painful time of our married life. Coming to the beach, sinking toes in the sand, looking at the giant world in front of us, it just pushes the puzzle of perspective back together.

Dinner at Sunset

For dinner, we had a little trouble. We forgot about “off season” on the Island. Many places close early due to less tourism during the colder months. We found The Bomboras Grill close by.  It had a gluten-free menu with some really good options. I chose the Gouda Grits and the Seafood Gumbo. Both were fantastic.

After a long day, we crashed soon after another night walk on the beach. Tomorrow, we are exploring the island and then it will be race day!