Myrtle Beach

Well, my family and I are back from our surprise vacation to Myrtle Beach. Things went well, and everyone seemed to have a good time. I got my first look at he the ocean and only one mild sunburn.

We left at 5:40 AM on Thursday morning to start on our 11 hour drive. My hubby, who plans and drives a trip like Clark W. Griswold, expected a smooth, straight through drive with maybe one stop for lunch and two potty breaks. He still hasn't gotten used to the idea of what traveling with a one-year old entails. All in all, we didn't do too badly on time. Even with all of the unplanned stopping, we still made it in under thirteen hours.

Our hotel was wonderful (a very kind gift from my PIL who were with us), right on the beach with pools and whirlpools galore. We were on the 14th floor, which was actually the 13th. I never understand this. Do they think that superstitious people are that easily fooled? Just because it is labeled 14 doesn't make it any less the 13th floor. The fact that the elevator numbers skip from 12 to 14 should be a dead giveaway! lol! But all superstitious silliness aside, the view from our balcony was breathtaking. The only thing that I regret was the fact that the air conditioning was so loud that when the door was closed you couldn't hear the ocean, even though we were mere feet away from it.

The weather was beautiful, but hot. We did a little shopping and a lot of eating. My husband went parasailing and drug me along for the boat ride on the choppy morning before a storm rolled in. I decided then and there that I was never sailing the ocean again on anything smaller than a cruise ship. I love boats and I am an experienced ski boat driver, but those waves in all of that vastness had me so tense that my muscles were sore the next day. The armchair historian in me couldn't help but think of all of those people who have come to this country across the choppy waters of the Atlantic. I kept picturing Pilgrims and my own Irish ancestors crossing that water, not knowing what they were coming to. And I thought I was scared!

I really loved the ocean, but I think I could have done without Myrtle Beach. It was so crowded and noisy. Very touristy. The Atlantic of Maine is more my speed. Cold and wild. I'm not exactly a beach bunny. Below, you can see a few snaps of the trip.

The ride home took even longer (15 hours) and I was glad to see our little house. I've finally gotten all of the all of the clothes put away and the sand out of our hair and shoes. I'm ready to stay home for awhile.