9.19.19 - Thursday - Day #4 at Myrtle Beach and Beyond

Today we did a Road Trip of sorts.  We took off from the resort and headed north.  I put in the Maps app on my phone a random place on North Carolina and off we went.

Well, it wasn't really random.  It was Calabash, NC, where my Dotti's friend Trish lives.  She met us two visits ago and she and I had lunch.  We didn't get together in May because her ailment with her back and legs was starting.  We didn't see her this time either due to surgery on her back to hopefully correct all of the problems she is having.

Anyway...we started out going to Calabash, switched to Sunset Beach, and ended up at Brantley Island.  I really didn't know where we were going; I just wanted to drive up the coast into NC and hopefully find a beach we could walk to and that is exactly what happened.

Brantley Island has numerous summer homes, most of them rentals.  I jotted down the name of the rental company so that we would have it for future reference.  Some of the houses were duplexes.  Some were occupied.  Many were not.  Some looked like permanent homes.  We drove a loop of houses that made up the bulk of the island.  We spotted a parking area at the beginning of the loop, so we found a parking space, hung the Handicapped sign, and walked the ramp to the beach.  

The beach itself was beautiful.  A rubber mat led from the ramp through the sand to the beach itself.  The sand was dotted with colorful umbrellas, folding chairs, and little carts with big wheels.  As we surveyed the people, we noticed that most of them were elderly, but there were a few in our age group (and we are NOT elderly----yet).  A few young families with small children, a few babies also, were taking advantage of the sunshine and the cool sand and rushing waves.

The little carts?  We watched as couples journeyed down the ramp, wearing swimwear and straw hats, pushing or pulling their carts behind them, loaded with folding chairs, towels, treats, and entertainment such as readable books as well as puzzle books.  We came to the conclusion that those little carts are similar to the wagons that Hilary and many of the other baseball moms load up with their chairs, treats,coolers, and sunscreen, and sometimes toddlers (like Owen).   

Hunger caused us to look for a restaurant.  I tried Trip Advisor for some ideas, and we ended up at a Mexican place called Las Palmeras.  The atmosphere was like many other Mexican restaurants we have visited and the menu was very similar as well.  We both ordered combination platters and the food was hot and delicious.  

We traced our route back to a t-shirt and souvenir type place and found t-shirts for the three older kids plus a couple of things for us.  I felt like we did well on our purchases, until we walked to the car and asked Gary why he bought a keychain that said "Travis" on it.  He said it was a souvenir for the car guy who has been working with us from Bob Rohrman in Lafayette.   That would have been so thoughtful....except his name is Trevor.  Not sure what we will do with a Travis key leather key chain, but I hope we run across someone someday and remember where the item is stashed!

The route back was a little different than the one we took to drive to Calabash, and we decided to stop at the Bass Pro Shop and check out my favorite thing there---the clothes.  I walked out with a long sweater and a few tops to go with it.  Sounds strange, I know, but I do like their clothes, and if I can find a sale?  Perfect.

Next was our 3rd movie of the week. We went to the Cinemark at Myrtle Beach which is actually at the Coastal Grand Mall.   Hustlers was the choice today - Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu.  I knew one of the actresses who appeared as the reporter and couldn't think of her name at first....Julia Stiles.  This was not a movie that I would recommend, but I did like it better than I thought I would.  

Back at the room once again, with take out from Olive Garden for dinner.  I am thinking now that we should have stopped at a winery that was close to the Olive Garden we visited the other night.  Each time we drive past there are people sitting at little outdoor tables, enjoying either appetizers or a light meal and glasses of wine.  This weekend is a big grape stomp and I know there will be lots of people there.  We also wanted to return to Lulu's again, this time a little later so we could enjoy the music.  Once again...the grape stomp will increase the crowds.  

We haven't been on the boardwalk this trip either.  We had talked about eating at Landshark where they have the BEST fish tacos.  Once again....the weekend will draw more people and restaurants will be crowded.

I am still holding out for a trip to a state park, so I am hoping we can get that in tomorrow.

Why is it that when a vacation week begins, I always think we have SO much time to do everything, and then suddenly, it is the end of the week and everything I wanted to do, we didn't get to do?