Snowbird Travels – Stop 4

Days 24 – 33 – Travel and South Carolina

We left Arkansas very early on December 1, and it was COLD. Freezing, actually. We departed the 20 degrees hoping we were headed for a warmer climate. So far this snowbird thing wasn’t panning out weather wise, as Arkansas was mostly cold and rainy while we were there.

Our halfway point on this long drive – the longest of our trip – was a place in Riverside, Alabama. It would take about 10 hours we figured to get there, so we left around 5:20am and planned to arrive before sunset (not making that mistake again!) We got there safe and sound around 4:45pm, with just enough sunlight to hook up necessities and get into the trailer and start the heat – and for Dan, time to relax!! I cooked up our dinner while he relaxed … and by relax, it meant a beer and a shot. Actually it meant MULTIPLE beer and shots. After 10 plus hours on the road, he was pretty fried and needed to just let loose.

Well, we needed to leave early the next morning again as the drive would be just about the same amount of time to get to N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As it was once again in the 20’s, I was anxious to get out of there and get to some sunshine! I should also mention, the campground in Riverside … a big non recommendation from us. While the view was ok (a pretty lake) the campground was not and I was happy to stay one night and get out of dodge. Unfortunately, when I went to go wake my wonderful captain, he was not having it. I believe the words were, give me 30 more minutes I am TOO hungover! Being there before, and knowing he had a daunting task ahead of him, I let him sleep a little longer to try and help. Unfortunately when we woke the work began, and we had to unhook and put away the various things set up – which included the sewer. I think I heard “Oh I am going to throw up” a few times LOL. Slowly but surely we hit the road. Until the first of four diesels came roaring up on us, swaying us to and fro, and then the first thing we came to was a bridge. We took the first exit off of the bridge, and Dan had to get some cool air and take a quick break before we could hit the road again. He was shaky, but I had complete faith he would make it through. Eventually we got back on the road and we got to N. Myrtle Beach before the sunset. Suffice to say it was quite the long drive for Dan but the spirit of his Dad was with him.

Our site at NMB RV Resort was a concrete pull through, which always makes it nice when unhooking and staying for a bit. You are almost always 100% level, not needing to try and maneuver to level is a plus. We got a site that had a cabana type structure over the table, and the sites were really spacious with nice grass, a big area for sitting, the cabana and a fire pit. Our first night after getting set up, we were both all about getting some seafood so off we went to a place called The Flying Fish. Dan picked the perfect fish and accompaniments, mine was good but I was regretting my choice after I tried some of Dan’s. I have no idea how he does it but he has a knack for ordering something and having it prepared special. We also went for some fried green tomatoes as an appetizer– I had never had them and they supposedly were a staple of the south! When in Rome do as the Romans. They were pretty good. I am not sure I would order again, lol.

Thursday I had taken a half day off, so around lunch we went to a place called Wild Wing Café. We were suppose to be there for lunch, hit a winery for a mid day happy hour, and then we were going to go back to camp for dinner and a fire. That was the plan, until Dan decided he thought it would be fun to teach me Golden Tee Golf (which I kept calling Golden Wheel, for some reason it sounds better to me!). We enjoyed the game for so long, making friends with a few locals and enjoying laughs with them, and we wound up getting back to camp and not doing anything we had planned on.

The next day we golfed in S. Carolina! Checking it off the bucket list! I will make another post on the golf, but we enjoyed the round immensely.We finished pretty early, so we grabbed some lunch and headed out to get groceries. A little survival tip to readers, during the toilet paper crisis people rarely look in the RV section of the store. Thankfully they had plenty for us to stock up on! I had been begging to see the beach, so after the grocery store we headed to Cherry Grove to check out what the beach looked like. It was overcast as some rain was coming through, but we still got our toes in the sand and I decided I couldn’t wait to bring the pups back with us. That afternoon we spent some time relaxing at camp – playing Mexican Train Dominos and then getting the fire going to enjoy campfire quesadillas for dinner. All in all, Dan and I both agreed that was one of the best days we’ve had.

The weekend brought us more enjoyable weather – the sun was shining and the temperatures were much warmer then we’d been experiencing. We went to a cute “local” place called Boardwalk Billy’s Saturday afternoon before having an amazing dinner at SeaBlue – where Dan had a delicious grouper and I got a plate with a scallop, lobster tail and 2 shrimp. We were in seafood heaven as the food was decadent and well worth the price. Sunday, after service with Calvary Chapel Myrtle Beach, we took the dogs to the beach, which was no easy feat. Leo, our water loving Lab, seemed awed by the vastness of the ocean. To date he had only seen a small lake and I wish there was a way to show you the expression when he saw all that water. He would walk out into the low tide, and as a wave rolled in he would bolt away towards the beach again. It was so much fun to watch. Poor Tines though was not a happy camper. Any time that water rolled up to him he would prance away in agony. Leo and I eventually had some fun running into the water together – and while the water was cold, it was too much fun to chase waves with him.

Of course this trip isn’t all play, so Monday we were stuck working and we laid low. Tuesday was a bitter cold day, but I had taken the time off so that we could golf again, this time in N. Carolina – so off we went. Dan and I both agree it was the coldest round of golf we have ever played. We layered up and thankfully had a blanket I could throw over my legs, but let’s just say I hope we never play in those conditions again! That night after dinner we decided to drive through a Christmas light show we had seen advertised. It was so cute, and fun to see. They had a special section that was linked up to music, which was cool. It was like the Denver Zoo of lights, just a drive through. We enjoyed it.

We had one last day in this beautiful spot on Wednesday, and we spent it once again laying low (working) and then finally hit the winery I had asked we not forget about. The tasting was fun and the wine was great! Afterwards we went to an authentic Tex-Mex Cantina, Nacho Hippo. It was actually really good, we enjoyed it. Overall, we both really enjoyed the time in South Carolina and agree it’s a place we would for sure want to come back to if we do this again.