Myrtle Beach

The Grand Strand

Myrtle Beach, SC

Freewheeling down the mountains from Asheville and into the rolling foothills of South Carolina, your arrival at the lowland country is heralded by the appearance of cotton fields, Spanish moss, and palmetto trees. Heading toward the beaches you’ll also see a hundred billboards for Sparky’s– a fireworks joint that grew into a giant emporium, and is well worth the stop.
 

Myrtle Beach is a splendid blend of Atlantic City-style boardwalk and Gatlinburg’s overload of touristy fun. Plus a marvelous beach that offers warm water late into the season.

 

 

 

We spent a couple of days enjoying the sand and surf at Myrtle Beach State Park. Camping was excellent, even in the middle of the busy Bike Week Rally. The campsites are deeply shaded, and a short sidewalk stroll took you right to the pearly sands.

 

Tike Bikers

Also on the State Park property is a long fishing pier and gift shop, where we slurped ice cream cones and watched a huge shark circle slowly around sniffing for chum.

 

On the north end of town is Broadway on the Beach - a large complex of attractions connected by walkways over man-made lagoons. We had a fun supper at Margaritaville, where waiters on stilts twisted clever balloon art to help you celebrate any occasion.

 

 

 

Our stay here was too short…there’s so much to enjoy. We’re sure glad we had cousins to show us the highlights.

Tonight we are motoring in the direction of home, skirting around a tropical storm that has dumped flood waters back home. We'll hunker down in camp tonight as the rain passes by.

 

Beach & Bikes

Myrtle Beach State Park

South Carolina
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It’s Bike Week at Myrtle Beach! And a great place for a birthday celebration!

Hundreds of bikers have arrived to cruise Ocean Boulevard. The campground is full of sweet looking machines. This Fall meet is a bit tamer than Bike Week in the Spring. Cyclists are a little older, more prosperous, and are riding expensive tricked-out machines. More like the Doctors and Lawyers Club than Hells Angels.

 

Spent the afternoon on the beach with cousins. Deliciously warm day and wonderfully empty beach. Great to be out here in the off-season!

 

Giant Jellyfish!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cousins

 

We strolled the boardwalk in the evening. Great seafood at Dirty Dons Oyster Bar. Giant Skywheel ferris ride. Lines of motorcycles parked everywhere.

 

Highlight was a 30,000 sq ft souvenir shop called The Gay Dolphin. Never seen so much stuff in one store. We gawked and gaped at all the merchandise and didn’t buy a thing!

 

 

 

More beach time scheduled for today, including combing the sand for buried treasure with our metal detector.

On The Rodeo

Newport, Tennessee

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Having a motorhome means…get this…you’re motoring a lot. On the road and traveling the wilds of America’s interstate system, where anything can happen.

Like another Epic Traffic Jam.

Alert Readers will recall that less than a week ago we spent the better part of a day parked on I-71 while highly trained authorities and expert contractors spread a truckload of molten fat across the highway and had a giant weenie roast as the gooey stuff burned for more than 11 hours.

They had a really great time, said they would do it again real soon, and the Kentucky State Police even invited travelers to join in the fun by keeping the highway open. We went along because, geez, how often do you get to see 44,000 lbs. of Crisco go up in flames, and besides there weren’t any warnings that we’d be stuck in a colossal tailgate party for the rest of the day.

Out here in Tennessee, authorities don’t have the same partying spirit. They actually closed the highway and diverted traffic from the scene of a huge wreck.

From the midst of the Smokey Mountains we saw a black plume rising, and it didn’t seem like the kind of picturesque vapor that would usually draw tourists. Sure enough, there were yellow flashing signs, red traffic cones, and serious-looking cops waving us off the interstate.

It was supper time, we hadn’t had a snack in a good 20 minutes, so we pulled into a campground on the detour road and tucked in for the night. And we watched an account of the accident scene on the national news. If it had been Kentucky, we could have seen it live.

The Dirty Pants Club

Troy, Ohio

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 Under a spreading chestnut tree

The village smithy stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles of his brawny arms

Are strong as iron bands.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

Every September a couple of thousand blacksmiths convene in tiny Troy, Ohio. The annual convention is sponsored by SOFA (Southern Ohio Forge & Anvil), and is the signature event for those who like to beat upon hot iron.

 

We’ve attended for several years, camping at the fairgrounds where the Meet is held. It’s a great event – smoking forges, hammers ringing, rusty implements for sale. If you’re interested in the hobby, this is the place to buy and sell all the tools of the trade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guys (and gals) who come to this meet tend to be a bit grizzled, whether they are young or old. All display great guns (muscles), and are generally convivial and anxious to talk shop. Demonstrations and competitions are held all weekend, with lessons by expert forgers.
 

Steam Engine

Fire-Breathing Dragon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At a large gallery in the center, participants can display their creativity. There’s some real artistry in the pieces, showing many hours of dedicated work. (They also have a small table for Spouse Crafts, and I won a Blue Ribbon for my tatted doily.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



My Tatted Medallion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Epic Jam

Outside Cincinnati

 

 

You’ve heard about it, read about it, and seen it on TV…The Epic Traffic Jam.

 

Yup, we were one of those poor schmucks stuck in a legendary snarl.

Six hours at a dead stop on the Interstate.

 

Most fortunate that we were in the motorhome – potty and refrigerator at hand!

 

We were heading up north, cruising merrily along on a beautiful day, when around 4:30 the traffic came to a stop. Aw, it’ll clear up, just a little fender bender. Ohhhh...but noooo.

 

After a while of no movement at all, folks started getting out of their cars, stretching, complaining on cell phones, peeing in the margins. We turned off the engine and waited.

 

Hours stretched by. Nowhere to go. Can’t turn around. No exits in sight.

We took the dog for a walk. Made a snack. Laid on the couch. Watched TV.

 

Every 60 minutes or so a bit of hope would arise. Truckers would start their rigs, everyone would  jump back in their vehicles, and we’d move…about 100 feet.

 

Afternoon gave way to night. Our side of the highway was a line of dark cars and semis – everyone conserving gas and batteries. Knots of stranded folks formed in the aisles, trading what little news there was about our situation. Surprisingly, people were pretty calm.

Word was that a tractor trailer had overturned, then caught fire when it was being hauled away. It was carrying a load of powdered animal fat that kept igniting and spreading across the pavement. It got so bad that airport crews were called in to foam down the wreckage.

 

Around 10:30pm we had crawled to the site of the accident. We picked our way through police, firemen, excavation crews with backhoes, and a quarter-mile line of dumpsters. What a mess!

 

Finally made it to my folks house at midnight, six hours too late for supper.

 

Epic, I’m telling you. A legendary traffic jam.

Here’s hoping once was enough!

Down By the Old Mill Stream

Spring Mill State Park

Mitchell, IN

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There’s no denying that we are State Park enthusiasts. The parks are usually dedicated around some feature that we enjoy, like a historic site or a geological wonder. Many are thoughtfully laid out, with plenty of green spaces and a network of hiking trails. The larger parks also have a hotel with a dining room that we look forward to visiting.

We found on our first trip to Spring Mill State Park that it was loaded with all these amenities, plus some unique attractions to boot.

The Inn

Grindstones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Mill’s central feature is a working mill, complete with water wheel, grindstone, and water-powered sawmill. The mill’s awesome wood and iron engineering is demonstrated every hour, fascinating to watch.

The mill is centered in a large complex of pioneer village structures, each housing old-timey artifacts and many offering living museum demonstrations by expert craftsmen. We encountered the blacksmith, leather worker, broom maker, weaver, and herbalist - all bustling with the activities of their trade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The small, clear spring which feeds the mill also winds prettily through the main picnic area, and we saw lots of folks unable to resist the temptation to kick off their shoes and go for a wade. This was good summer fun at its finest!

This area is threaded with underground springs, and the park has several wet caves. We took a $3 tour on a small boat through Twin Caves, guided by a park ranger who gently pushed us through the cavern and spotted with a flashlight the odd formations and blind water creatures.

The astronaut Gus Grissom is a hometown hero, and a good size museum is dedicated to this space pioneer. Grissom was an early space program veteran, piloting missions for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. He died tragically in a fire on the launch pad while conducting a routine test for Apollo 1 - a prep mission for landing on the moon.

  

There are numerous hiking trails in Spring Mills, including one that winds through old-growth forest where some trees have reached 300 years old. But alas, we ran out of time and couldn’t see it all in one weekend. Which begs for a return trip! 

 

Nearly Home

Middletown, Ohio

We are a few hours from home, stopping over at my folks’ house for the night. We’ve had a great second week of vacation. The first week…hmmm, not so good. Emergency hospital stay for several nights was not the best start to a leisurely vacation.

But we loved our week in southern Ontario and hope to return soon.

We followed the path of the War of 1812, through many coastal towns which saw skirmishes. Back in 1812, Britain was preoccupied with Napoleon and left the Canada colonies unguarded. The Americans were licking their chops to take possession of Lake Erie’s shores, and began a campaign to harass the Canadian settlers. Having enough, General Brock enlisted the help of Chief Tecumseh and his Shawnee warriors, and kicked the Americans back, burning Detroit for good measure.

The Canadians were fond of reminding us, “We won that one, eh.”

Indeed. And you are still winners today.