We’ve been in Myrtle Beach SC for almost a week now. I can tell you that it’s a place we will definitely return to.
The beach front runs for 29 miles. It’s beautiful, pristine and relatively safe to swim in. The sun shines a lot. North Myrtle Beach, where we are, is highly commercial. Little Disney, Vegas, Dollywood, and a lotta…
Golf!!
Golf carts are street legal and people use them all the time. They even grocery shop with them. And the beachfront is stunning…
Seems to be a lot of grands and grand kids spending time, making memories and having fun in the sun. We haven’t spent a lot of time at the beach, we’re sorta catching up on civilization after the rual spots we’ve camped in. But the dining is oh so lovely.
And the weather! I think we’ve spent more time outdoors here than any of our other haunts and the evenings are lovely. Cool enough for fires and warm enough to be without a heavy jacket. Last night 2 other couples in the campground joined us, and we chatted around the campfire till deep into the dark. It’s a neighborly kinda place.
You can’t beat it
We took a day and drove up to Wilmington NC to see the USS North Carolina. It’s a decommissioned battle ship from WWI and WWII.
It sits on the Cape Fear river. Remember that old Nick Nolte movie? And the show, One Tree Hill? Both were filmed here. Never mind it’s historic part in both revolutionary and civil war history, entertainment is what matters, according to our water taxi driver. It’s also a 9,000 mile long river, covering 13% of North Carolina. In the ‘olden days’ (a famous phrase I used with my grandma) raw goods were shipped to the mouth of the river by barge, then shuffled to ships headed to England and Europe.
The North Carolina was impressive. Bruce’s grandfather served on the The USS Tennessee in WWI and this ship was it’s sister. He explored all levels, I stayed on the main deck, (those ladders were intimidating). I was moved when I saw the bunk room. Nothing but wire spring cots, 3 levels high, to house the men who fought to protect our country.
A far cry from today’s luxury mattresses!
Our journey to Myrtle Beach began when we left Hatteras Island NC. It took 2 ferry rides with our 41’ RV and truck, they totaled about 9 hours of travel. Milo slept the whole time, we think he might be adjusting to this life.
Bruce was in heaven
I have to admit, it was a pretty cool thing to do. We navigated the first ride through the channels over the Pamlico Sound, then landed on Ocracoke Island.
It’s such a cool place. Perfect for a long weekend away. Plenty of places to stay right on the water or with a view (my qualifier for any beach vacation). Kitschy restaurants and shops. And your best mode of transportation is a Golf Cart, which are rented hourly, daily and weekly.
The maritime history is filled with stories of Pirates and sunken ships. The Jolly Roger is off the shore and some of the artisan crafts are replicas of the pictures from it.
There are sandbar excursions for shelling and bird watching, and sea fishing trips in abundance. I wish we’d had more time there, I could have spent the weekend. Not a perfect place to camp, but definitely worthy of a hotel weekend.
Yesterday we met with a couple that we were introduced to, by mutual CA friends (via text/email no less). Never saw each other before, hoping that our friendship with the couple in CA was enough for an introduction. It was an extremely sweet time!
They moved to MB about 18 months ago from Capitola CA. A drastic change to be sure. Even though both are beach communities, CA and SC are miles apart in culture. We visited a church together and had lunch at the beach then back to their home for a visit with their pups.
It’s always a comfort to me that when we share a common faith, relationship happens almost instantly. There is simply something about Kingdom kinship that can’t ever be manufactured. It’s either there or it isn’t. And in this case, it was there in spades.
The longer we’re on this epic journey (which really isn’t as epic as it could be), the more assured we are of God’s hand in it. Bruce is learning to sort out the various voices that have lived in him for decades. And I’m experiencing a level of trust in God that I’ve not known before. It’s not an easy adventure. There are hiccups to manage and some frustrations to navigate. But the joy of seeing someone freed from past wounds, learning to know what wholeness is…
Miraculous
And the weather ain’t bad either!
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