Pacific to Atlantic and back - Part 3
Hi all.
If you're just joining the thread, check out Parts 1 and 2 also.
Moral of the story in Part 2 is always think ahead. It may not be wet and muddy now, but what if it gets that way and even though you have a 4x4 or all wheel drive tow vehicle, if you can't get traction it don't mean a thing!
We arrived at the KOA in Myrtle Beach, SC expecting to only stay overnight but were so taken with the area, beaches, campground etc, that we ended up staying three days. It was there that we enrolled in the KOA club and the rest of the trip enjoyed 10% off each night we stayed in a KOA. The beaches were just across the highway, about a three block stroll and were possitively beautiful. There are two parts to Myrtle Beach, North and South. The KOA we stayed in was in the South and probably a little less busy than the South area though at the time of year we were there, January, it' probably pretty quiet anyway. Izzie loved the sand and with here long line (26 feet) could finally get some running and digging in and of course she tried to eat the shells of every crustacian that she found on the beach. The campground was quiet, heavily covered in Pines. The weather was so nice that when we weren't taking a walk on the beach we were in our recliners trying to stay awake long enough to read some of the many books we brought with us. They also had a nice enclosed dog run with a doggy obstacle course which was very nice though we couldn't get Izzie anywhere near some of the contraptions.
Myrtle Beach has a big shopping area just minutes from the KOA with a Costco, Petco, Walmart etc. If you are in the mood for a great hamburger try 5 guys burgers and fries. They have a broad following and have been written up by a number of restaurant reviewers. The burgers are huge, delicious and cooked to order. Make sure you get the garlic fries and, oh, by the way, all the shelled unsalted peanuts you can eat while you wait. We had lunch there and didn't need dinner.
We finally needed to move on and left Myrtle Beach, the next stop being Charleston, SC. We had a bit of rain the day we left but nothing severe and drive down Highway 17 was very picturesque with broad flat backwater areas, and swamps. The route parallels the Intercoastal waterway so periodically you cross a river that leads out to the atlantic. This whole area of America is noted for it's birds and wildlife habitats. Truly a worthwhile drive. We stayed at yet another KOA in Mt. Pleasant just north of Charleston. Our plan was to do some sightseeing and perhaps have dinner in town. That meant of course that we had to find a place for Izzie. We called around and soon found a great kennel, The Home Place Bed and Biscuit about 10 miles north in Awendaw, SC. Izzie had taken all of her remaining vaccinations, including her last puppy shots, Rabies and Bordadella (for Kennel Cough) and we had had her microchipped so we were confident we could board her safely. We also carried ALL her records with us as a precaution. She had her first night away from us in a kennel and we had her bathed and groomed as well. When we picked her up the next morning she was glad to see us but had been terribly spoiled, looked terrific with a colorful scarf about her neck and smelled great.
We drove into Charleston found the visitor center and began our day with a quick tour via a small Grayline bus in order to get the overview of the city. We had the bus drop us at the waterfront where we jumped on a tour boat that took us to Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired. The tour was conducted by a young docent who had many interesting anectdotes about he fort, its construction and subsequent shelling. It was originally a Union Army fort but was quickly taken by the Confederate Army. It was then shelled into a rock pile from nearby artillary locations by the Union Army but was not retaken until the end of the war. The Aircraft Carrier, USS Yorktown,accessable by car from Mt. Pleasant or boat from Charleston, can be seen docked across the Harbor and offers daily tours. We also visited some period homes that had been occupied by plantation owners before the war and used as their summer retreats. The architecture is stunning and the stories told by the docents are fascinating. Since we didn't have Izzie to worry about, we took our dinner at Hymans Seafood restaurant down town. It's famous for it's fabulous fresh fish and casual ambiance. We loved it, the meal was excellent and we would not hesitate to recommend it as a must do when in Charleston.
The next morning we picked up Izzie from the Kennel and spent the day at the KOA, hiking a relaxing. They have a lake with a trail that leads around it which looked interesting, however, there was a big sign at the start of the trail indicating that South Carolina has poisenous snakes and Alligators. It warned you not to let your animal too near the water as Alligators are known to wait quietly by the bank and to spring in ambush dragging small animals to the water, drowning them and, well you know what happens next. We decided that since Izzie is so dear to us (not to mention how much money we've spent on her) that we would forego the loop trail around the lake but still had fun. While we were here there were a series of dreadful rain storms that passed over us during the night. The rain was pounding so hard on the trailer that it literally woke us up and prevented sleep. The only leak in the TM was a slight drip where the TV antenna comes through the roof. I found a small puddle of water that had formed from drips from the antenna. That would occur again later in our trip but only after the hardest of rain storms. These rain cells were part of a disturbance from the Gulf that were moving to the North East and passed directly over us. We heard the next day that some tornadoes had touched down in Florida and Georgia on their way to SC. We finally had to move on but are looking forward to future trips to the area so that we can see and do things which our schedule this time around would not allow.
Enough for now, I've work to do and will rejoin our trip with Part 4 later.
Dan.
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