Greetings from the Grand Strand. That’s what the local weatherman calls this section of the South Carolina Coast that stretches from Little River, north of Myrtle Beach, to Georgetown, where we’re spending one more night before continuing south.
We’ve been enjoying a very relaxed journey from New England down the Eastern seaboard. We learned about the Surfmen at a Light Saving Station, weathered a Nor’easter with 50mph wind gusts, and enjoyed leash-free romps on the beach with no other people on the entire beach. We watched die-hard fisherman cast their lines on 35° mornings, and happened upon an exhibit of Audubon’s original prints and engravings at the Booth Museum in Dover.
Marika drove us over the 18 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a truly beautiful drive from the passenger seat. We camped at a state park along the Chesapeake Bay and took beach walks every day. We walked the labyrinth at the Edgar Cayce Association for Research and Enlightenment, and marveled at the decoys at the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum. Marika even said that they made her a little hungry to carve again.
For Thanksgiving we visited with a dear friend who I haven’t hugged in 10 years. We camped in her driveway, and her husband even hooked up a 30 amp plug so we could have electricity. They gave us a tour of their town, and how they craft their handmade soaps, and took us out to a farm to see their beehives. We enjoyed delicious foods, chilly walks, and a golf cart ride to see the sunset over the Palmico River. And we even taught them how to play dominoes. We all needed the laughs and the easy companionship. It was the best Thanksgiving we’ve had in a very long time.
It poured the day we left, so the three-hour drive turned into four and a half, and we were both fried when we pulled in to register for our campsite in Carolina Beach. Our tanks were almost full from the 3 days in our friend’s driveway, but the folks in the office told us that the dump station was closed because a very large branch was hanging over the driveway to the dump. It had been like that for 2 months, since the hurricane, but there was no notice on the website. The nearby private campground wanted to charge us a night’s stay to use their dump.
We had to dump if we were going to stay, so we took our chances and backed into the dump station driveway, avoiding the hanging branch, which could easily crash down in a big wind. We hooked up both sewage hoses in order to reach the hole, and we emptied our tanks. When we pulled into our spot, we saw it had a sewer hookup.
We couldn’t believe they didn’t they tell us at the check-in that our spot had sewage at the site. (The reservation indicated water and electric only.)
AND, the car battery was dead when we pulled in, so we had to get the check-in people to give us a jump. After we pulled into our spot and set up, Marika was on the phone with AAA, asking about a new battery while I took Cody for a much needed walk.
AAA came, everything worked out, and we were so happy to be done with the day, feet up, under the trees, along a river, near the ocean.
Today we’re in Georgetown, South Carolina, about to drive into the historic downtown area to walk along the waterfront and check out the Rice Museum.
Tomorrow, we’ll head to Edisto Beach State Park, our last camping before we begin our three-month volunteering gig at Fort Pulaski in Savannah, Georgia.
P.S. I have been missing doing my coaching work and, once I know the wifi and cellular situation in Savannah, I’ll be sharing details about a new Virtual Heart Sparks Circle. Imagine 7 weeks of inspiring emails and exciting homework, along with weekly virtual gatheringswith 7 open-hearted women who, like you, are ready to say YESto exploring a new perspective, a new attitude, a new way to show up for ourselves and our lives. There will be also be one-on-one coaching sessions, to fully support you.
If this sounds at all intriguing to you, please email me so I know there is interest. No commitment required.
