WORKING AND PLAYING IN SOUTH CAROLINA

20 June 13
Charleston & 
Myrtle Beach, SC
Dahleen

Motorcycle Riding to Spend the Day at Myrtle Beach, SC

After working for a week in Spartanburg, SC, Greg is off for 3 days and we are drove the motorhome to Santee State Park pulling our motorcycle trailer.  While at Santee we decided to ride the bikes to Myrtle Beach for the day.  We left early had a great ride to the beach, spend 4 or 5 hours swimming and playing on the beach.  We probably walked 5 miles of beach, watching people and just generally chilling out and enjoying ourselves.

The actual bike ride to Myrtle Beach was different for me.  We hardly ever ride the interstates or any other high traffic highways...neither Greg nor I particularly enjoy that vs. the twistys of the mountains in East TN, N GA, and W. North Carolina.  I remember when I first started riding the curves made me nervous, but over time I got used to them and learned to enjoy them.  Now that I found myself riding on a straight, flat highway I was feeling a little uncomfortable.   I guess I am nervous about people not seeing us and hitting us.  I know how hard motorcycles are to see sometimes.  I am glad Greg and I ride fairly close together.....two motorcycles are easier to see than one.  :-)

After spending time at the beach we got dressed, loaded ourselves onto our bikes, and headed to Charleston to eat at our favorite BBQ place (Melvin's BBQ, I think?) and then on to dessert at the Marble Slab Creamery.

It was now 5 p.m. rush-hour in Charleston, and we did have a little drama as I got caught at a light without Greg didn't realizing it for a few miles.  Several cars had gotten between us during the ride through town, and he couldn't see me very well in the mirrors.  By the time he realized I wasn't anywhere close to him, he was 2 or 3 miles away.  Since I am 'directionally challenged', and had no idea to way to get to the Marble Slab Creamery (oh, the things we will do for good ice cream), I stopped and waited.  I waited for the inevitable cell phone call and the words 'where in the world are you?!'   LOL.  Once I got the phone call, I still had a hard time explaining to him where I was.  He doubled back and eventually found me.  All's well that ends well.  

We waited for traffic to subside a little then headed out on our 1.5 hour trip back to Santee State Park.

It was a great, fun, adventurous day.

VISITING FRIENDS IN GEORGETOWN, SC

2 June 2012
Georgetown, SC

Mike & Lynn with Greg  - 2012

We had been hoping to get a chance to visit our friends on sv Wombat of Sydney, Mike and Lynn Brown, for some time.  They had just recently completed a 5 year (?) circumnavigation and we they were now back in Georgetown, SC.  We had become friends with them in the Bahamas (click here) in early 2006 and had stayed in touch with them as best we could as they traveled across the Pacific.  

They went through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos Islands of the coast of Ecuador, then to the South Pacific islands, Australia, around the southern tip of Africa, and across the Atlantic back to the U.S. It had been over 5 years since we had last seen them, and we had a great time together.  We caught up on what was new with each other, and we quizzed them about the South Pacific and what it was like compared to the Caribbean.

Mike and Greg, Acting Fool

After talking until the wee hours of the morning on the first night, Dahleen and Lynn still found the energy to hit the outlet stores near Myrtle Beach the next day.  Greg and Mike hung around and worked on the boat, getting it ready to go offshore in a few days.  It brought back good memories for Greg, as he and Mike worked on various boat projects together in the Bahamas.  In just a few days, Wombat of Sydney and crew where headed to the NE U.S. coast for the summer.  

The two fun-filled days with them catching up and talking of future plans sure made us excited about pursuing our plan of cruising.  We certainly hope we can get back out on the water and buddy boat with them again.  

Maybe another Pacific crossing, guys?