We are nearing the end of our stay in Myrtle Beach and will be heading back inland tomorrow morning. It’s time for a different geographic phase of our travels. We have been walking along the beach every morning and enjoying the beautiful views. While we are not real beach people, but we do love to walk along the cool surf waters and look for shells or sea life.
Yesterday, we drove about 20 miles south to Huntington Beach State Park (a $5 entry fee each). This is a 2500 acre park and sanctuary that was part of the estate of a wealthy couple, Archer and Anna Huntington. They built a Moorish style castle on the property in the 1920’s. It was since become mostly ruins over the years. The park service has somewhat refurbished it and now has tours through the property.
While there, we also walked on the unspoiled beach front and toured the campground. It looked to be an excellent place to camp, but is booked up for several months out. There were many people at the park, partly being a Saturday, great weather, and early summer. Being retired and usually flexible we try to do this kind of thing on Monday to Friday. Not the weekend.
We also went out to a very good seafood dinner at a touristy place called the Noizy Oyster. I had the steam pot for one, a huge combo dish that included 2 Clusters of Crab legs, Crawfish, Shrimp, Red Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, and Andouille Sausage. Pat had the mahimahi dish. Both were very tasty. I had almost forgotten how much work the crab legs are, but they are worth it. Butter stains on my shirt to prove it!
This morning we attended an independent, fundamental Baptist church, Friendship Baptist Church that was located right next door to our KOA campground. This is a very small church with maybe 75 people attending service this morning. The preaching was certainly bible based, which we were looking for. It was also a bit more fiery than the Presbyterian background that we have become used to. It is very interesting to experience different denominations practices.
Tomorrow, we need to stop by the South Carolina branch of the RV dealer that we purchased our RV from. We have a few minor repairs to be made and have a 9:00 am appointment. I certainly hope that we are finished there well before noon, because we have about a 4-5 hour drive to Asheboro, NC. To be there by 9, we need to leave here by 8 am and it takes about an hour or more to store everything inside and outside, drain tanks, unplug, pull in the slides, and then finally hitch up the truck. So we need to begin this process around 6:30 am. Yikes! That’s early!
Over the last few days here, we have also booked some more of our itinerary through next March, with a few holes remaining. As I’ve mentioned before, we have found that to be more difficult than we had imagined due to finding the best campgrounds booked up. It will become much better once we begin booking out further in the future. The downside with that is a lack of the flexibility that I wanted to be able to stay longer in one place if we really enjoyed it.
Here are some photos:
It looks like you are both having a great time! How many stanzas of “Just as I am” did you get to sing?
Hi Cherry! We did not sing “Just as I am,” but did some other similar ones that were new to us. 🙂 Now we need to determine the next on the road denomination to visit. Any thoughts?
We live in a coastal town (Wilmington NC) and we do crab boils when we have company. Next time you are in area check out Brookgreen Gardens across from Huntington Beach. It is beautiful. I enjoy following you guys as we plan to hit the road full time next summer. We are going to do the host camping thing til we turn 62 as my husband has 2 retirements and I will have one…and we aren’t ready to quit working but want to travel the country staying a few months here and a few months there. At age 62 (which will only be 4 years away next year) we are going to quit host camping and just travel. Hope repairs go quick in am. If you are going where I am thinking you might be going, you will be in my prayers to be able to be at your destination tomorrow night. Been there done that.
Tammy, thanks for your comments! We have made a note of the Brookgreen Gardens for next time. It is great to have some locals favorites! You guys are still relatively young and it sounds like you have a solid plan worked out. Pat and I had been planning this RV escape for about 3 years as it is a longer term planning process with financial goals in mind, a home and years of possessions, and to determine what RV is the right decision. Our repairs went amazingly well today at RV Outlet and we were on the road by noon and now are parked in Asheboro, NC for a couple of days.
Take care and keep us informed of your progress and let us know if any questions that we may be able to help answer.
Randy & Pat
We recently looked at some of their campers. We haven’t made up our mind yet as to which brand. I was afraid you were referring to another camper dealership in that area that doesn’t have a good reputation. Good to know that about rv outlet.