Finally after being cooped up in the RV for the entire time
we have been in the Myrtle Beach area we were able to get out and see the
area. We had to take full advantage of
it for these few days since they are once again forecasting rain for the next 4
to 5 days.
Our first day of no rain we chose to take a short bike ride
to the beach and then along the beach to the nearest Pier which was about 20
miles round trip. We have been having
issues with our bike batteries and chargers so we did not want to push it and
it was a good thing since Jerry’s bike limped back home and he barely made it.
It was nice to walk out on the
Cherry Grove Pier and take in
all the ambiance of the Atlantic Ocean.
They do charge $2 per person for an all-day pass to either just walk or
fish on the pier but it was something we wanted to do.
We found an advertised bike route but soon found out there
really isn’t one. We were either on a
major highway with only sidewalks, very narrow ones with obstacles everywhere,
poles in the middle of them and sidewalks abruptly ending into a sandy path
which bikes do not travel very well in them.
So we were cautious. Along the so
called path next to the beach was just us riding on the road which was alright
because the speed limit was 25 to 30 and we could go that fast, plus the
traffic was light but we would not recommend it during busy season.
During one of the attempts to avoid an obstacle I did not
quite maneuver correctly to get out of the way, or should I say my flip-flop did
not make it without scraping along the cement block next to the pole. It got my attention and I have to admit…I
cried but it will heal and even though I left a few layers of skin on that
block I will survive.
Since the weather was going to cooperate again the next day
but the bikes and paths were not, we decided to take a much shorter trip.
Directly next to the
Briarcliffe RV Resort, Inc. where we
are staying is the
Barefoot Landing. It
is a unique place where you can find Dining, Attractions, Night Life and
Shopping or just sort of hang out as we did and find some neat things to do.
We parked our bikes and just wandered around checking out
the stores, many had souvenirs and lots of unique gifts and we checked most of
them out.
The
Carolina Vineyards Winery was one of our stops that we
were looking forward to since we have noticed that many of the local wines are
much sweeter than they are in the west and even though many wines in the
grocery stores are more expensive the tastings are not. We paid $3 for 7 tastes which is unheard of
in the west.
They offered the dry and semi-dry Merlot’s, Syrah’s,
Cabernet’s, Chardonnay’s, and Pinot Grigio’s but we stayed clear of them as we
usually do but being east we may try them at the next winery we visit since we
immediately noticed how much sweeter the wines were in this area and they
offered a much bigger variety of them.
We tasted Riesling’s and Gewürztraminer’s that were sweeter
than any others we had tasted. We tasted
a few of their own such as the Southern Belle, Tropical Escape, Wanda’s
Fruitcake and our favorite of all, Ocean Breeze.
Most of the wines were sweet, so sweet that we actually
began going to the medium sweets since we had 14 tastes to do between the two
of us. We tasted Raspberry Rieslings,
Pomegranate, Cherry, Strawberry, Blackberry, and even Mango. Some were great, while others were not, but
all were interesting and different which is what we always look for in any wine
we taste. We had a great time and would highly recommend others to
check them out whenever you are in the area.
After our wine tasting, we found
The Olive Shoppe where
tasters are welcome so we did just that.
They have a website that once we arrive in Maine we will order and have them delivered because
we tasted some awesome oils and vinegars that would work perfectly on Lobster
and we look forward to trying them. The host was superb and had us taste some great combinations.
We wandered around more stores and finally arrived at
MaggieMoo’s for ice cream where we had a 2 for 1 coupon. It’s like a Stone Cold Creamery but better as
our wonderful ice cream creator pointed out to us. She had an infectious smile that was so
inviting that we appreciated and told her so, and she makes a mean ice cream creation too.
All in all this was a perfect time out and it’s amazing what
you can do without spending a whole lot of money. We usually do not purchase many things since
we live full time in our RV but we would have liked to eat at one of the many
restaurants they have and possibly bought a few bottles of the goodness at the
Winery or the
Olive Shoppe but it's okay because soon we will be rolling in the
dough once again and continue having the time of our lives.
This entire area would be highly congested during season and
we would not enjoy it as much as we have during this time of the year and if we
ever plan to visit again it would be during off season.
We have one week left here and there are only a few days
where they are not predicting any rain at all so we may venture out again. Otherwise we will be staying close to home
catching up on a few things and soaking in some rest since once we leave we
have a very busy April planned.
·
Attend the NASCAR race as fans at
Darlington Raceway
in Darlington, South Carolina (tickets purchased back in December)
·
Work the summer in Scarborough, Maine as a cook
and baker
·
Work the winter in Florida working a Kiosk in a
Mall selling Sports Memorabilia
As you can see we will be very busy going forward so a
few days of rest is definitely in our plans and since we took so many photos of the area, please check them all out at our
Google + Web Albums.
