Next up in our southward journey is the vacation mecca of Myrtle Beach, SC where we had some RV maintenance done, took a couple of down days, and meeting with some friends. This is the time of year to visit the MB area. Not many tourists so the crowds are down and the temperatures are great in the upper 60’s and low 70’s!
Relocation
From our old hometown in Virginia it is over 350 miles to Myrtle Beach, so we selected a spot in Rock Hill, SC to stay at about the halfway point. We had to leave Claytor Lake State Park since we maxed out the maximum 2-week stay.
As it turned out, Pat stayed behind two more days to help our son Ross while I took the rig down south. I stayed at the Rock Hill/Charlotte KOA which was not much, but right next door to a great Publix store and the RV park had a bar/food truck that I was able to help support.
Myrtle Beach
November appears to be a great time to visit as there were no major crowds along the beach or boardwalk areas. We really did not do a whole lot in our week, except a couple of meetings with friends and some walks along their very nice boardwalk and some lunches.
The city’s 34,000 people will host up to 14 million tourists a year, so yes, this is a huge tourist attraction. The town was formed in the late 1800’s and named after an abundant brush, the southern wax myrtle.
Willow Tree RV Resort
This is a really nice place. Located a little further from MB at about 30 minutes. Very quiet with some long pull through sites. Ours was 170 feet long. They have many nice amenities that one would expect at a resort.
It seemed strange to me, but many folks from Up North come to this park for their winter destination. Yep, it is for sure warmer than New York, but they still have a winter with frost and occasional snow. Why not drive another two days south to hit the south Florida warmth? Not sure. But they have many gazebo tents with side flaps down, all huddling around an electric heater. Not my idea of being a snow bird. Love my flip flops and short pants!
RV Maintenance
Since we purchased our 5th wheel trailer from the dealer RV Outlet, we try to bring her here for any known or annual type of maintenance. This trip it was to repack the wheel bearings, inspect the brakes, and replace our slide toppers that had been beaten up in the Sioux Falls, SD tornado.
They were able to work us in and accomplished everything in one day while we waited. Just like being a homeowner, there is always something to repair or replace when owning an RV. But that is just part of this great life of a fulltime RVer!
Tom & Gretchen
What a great time! Tom was a co-worker of mine for well over 30 years working for the same company, but always at another location. Our jobs were usually the same, Plant Controller, meaning that we headed up the finance team for our different manufacturing plants.
Tom and I would meet once or twice a year at company meetings and would also chat on the weekly conference calls. We would compare notes on the best way to accomplish the constant flow of corporate requests. Boy, I do not miss those days.
Pat and I met Tom and his wife Gretchen for lunch one day at Sea Captains House. Excellent choice as the food and service were both great. We enjoyed getting to know Gretchen and Tom and I got caught up on our lives since retirement. They moved from Michigan and bought a beautiful home in Myrtle Beach, close to their daughters.
We also met at their home for a weekly church house group meeting. It was great to meet their friends and have some fellowship time. That is one aspect that I miss from our life on the road. Enjoy your retirement Tom and Gretchen and hope to catch you next time.
Bob & Lois
It came as a complete surprise when Lois contacted Pat on Messenger that they were arriving in Myrtle Beach for a couple of days on the way to Florida. Let’s meet for dinner! Bob and Lois are a couple of full time RVers that we met at Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville Louisiana.
Last summer, we traveled through their summer hometown of Waterloo NY and they hosted a several day tour of the 100 wineries located in the Finger Lakes. OK, we did not actually tour all of them.
We met them for dinner driving about 30 minutes north to the small town of Calabash NC. Some good seafood and we walked through an endless gift shop.
They are both doing well and have just purchased a home in Waterloo, so are making a change to leaving their 5th wheel in Florida year round while driving their small car between the places. They have been traveling the country for many years. We wish them well!
Wrap Up
The current cold front has reminded me that being Up North in November can bring some freezing temps. Even in South Carolina! Next up is Charleston, SC as we slowly make our way to our winter home in Florida.
Take care and God Bless.
Good luck with your moves South. You will soon be where it’s warmer.
Yes, it already is starting to feel like the Florida I remember.
I find it surprising that the cost/convenience of having a 2nd small car to use only as your “local” car, is high enough to warrant taking an extra vehicle along, considering all of the fixed cost of the 2nd car. I am not saying that it would not be more convenient, only that the cost seems way out of proportion to just using your truck, or local taxis or bus from time to time. Perhaps I am missing something here. Very interesting, I enjoy and look forward to reading all of your articles and use them sometimes as a guide for our trips.
Hi Francis and thanks for your comment. I’ll try to explain. From a total cost standpoint it just cannot be justified in having a small car to drive along behind the truck/5th wheel. That was the accountant in me speaking. The one-time cash outlay for the car by far exceeds any savings. When I mentioned in a prior blog that it is a breakeven analysis, that is only considering the monthly fuel and maintenance on both vehicles. Specifically, 40 MPG vs 17 MPG on the truck while not towing. The main advantage is being able to get around towns and park anywhere, whereas the one ton dually is a bear to park. It opens up much more local exploring that we love. Also, Pat does not like to drive the truck, so she uses the car for any errands. And the final benefit is that she will have a vehicle when we stop full time RVing in a few years.