(Friday, June 5th – Sunday, June 14, 2020) – We both had an itch to travel that needed scratching, and with our first choice (Panama City Beach, Florida) near the cross-hairs of oncoming Tropical Storm Cristobal, we soon changed our plans and had reservations made for a Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina adventure! Neither of us has explored this area of the country, and with the history and charm of Charleston, the Smoky Mountains, and, of course, our old friend the Atlantic Ocean, we were excited to head out on an adventure!
Friday, June 5th we traveled from home to Peru, Illinois, and stayed at the LaQuinta Inn.
Friday travel stats: 9 hours traveling; 471 miles
Saturday, June 6th we traveled from Peru, Illinois to Dandridge, TN, and stayed at the Quality Inn. We were traveling in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and we noticed, in general – at gas stations along the way, it seemed we were in the minority in wearing masks, about a third of the places had workers wearing masks and about a fourth or less of customers (us included) wore masks when entering buildings. The Quality Inn in Dandridge was noteworthy for a few things:
- An outdoor pool that made for a delicious and refreshing tonic after a day of traveling.
- A great view of the Smoky Mountains in the distance.
- After swimming, as the sun was setting, we noticed some lightning bugs in a field next to the pool.
Saturday travel stats: 11.5 hours traveling; 622 miles traveled
On Sunday, June 6th we traveled from Dandridge, Tennessee to the Hampton Inn & Suites on South Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Along the way, we were witness to some magnificent scenery as we traveled through the Smoky Mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina.
We arrived at Myrtle Beach about 3:45 p.m. eastern standard time (or as we began to call it – the vacation time zone). After check-in, we went to the beach, had each had a dip in the ocean, and spent some time laying on the beach, enjoying the feeling of the salty air caressing our bodies as we listened to the magical sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach over and over. We love spending time at the ocean and have some special memories of trips to the Atlantic Ocean over the years – a trip to Miami Beach in 2010, our honeymoon trip to Pompano Beach in the fall of 2011, and a trip to Cocoa Beach with family in the fall of 2015, and a trip to Daytona Beach in 2016. We also went for an evening dip in one of the seven pools at the hotel and spent some time together swinging in a hammock by the pool – it was delicious!
Sunday travel stats: 7 hours traveling; 378 miles traveled
Monday, June 8th was our first full day at Myrtle Beach and it was a true beach day! We rented chairs and an umbrella right on the beach and had an amazing day – reading, relaxing, and playing in the ocean (bobbing up and down in the waves coming into the beach). There was some excitement in the afternoon as the lifeguard spotted a shark and blew the whistle for everyone to get out of the water. We were in our chairs under the umbrella as the drama unfolded. It turns out that it was a 3′ long sand shark, so “no big deal” according to the lifeguard. Several minutes passed and it was safe to go back into the ocean.
After a delicious seafood meal at Pier 14 (that included shrimp, whitefish, scallops, flounder, and oyster), we went to Kirk’s Ice Cream Parlor for a sundae and milkshake for dessert. A trip to the local Walmart store (where they had only 500 shopping carts for over 750 customers) capped off an amazing & wonderful day!
Tuesday, June 9th began with a different breakfast, as the milk hadn’t arrived yet but was expected soon (at the breakfast “grab-n-go” area set up in the hotel during the COVID-19 crisis). Normal breakfast buffets with delicious waffles, etc. have been temporarily outlawed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We went with the instant grits (butter flavored) along with a delicious English muffin.
Today was another magical beach day, where we looked forward to decisions of the day that included: when to play in the ocean waves, when to reapply sunblock, when to read a book while overlooking the ocean, when to just watch people at the beach, and when to just doze off lazily while being serenaded by the rhythmic sounds of the ocean waves…and finally, when we should head to the hotel pools before lunch/lupper…?
The beach drama today was the threat of lightning nearby for a brief period and the lifeguard had to get everyone out of the ocean and post the “No Swimming” flag. The usual “red flag” that was up the entire time we were there meant no swimming in the ocean beyond “waist” level due to the threat of a “rip-tide” that could pull you out into the ocean. Going into the ocean waist level, or just beyond, was perfect – as the waves coming in would sometimes go over our heads, and having the ocean waves toss us about was fun/invigorating and exciting all at the same time!
We retreated to the pool area for a while to wait for the passing storm to clear the area and then decided to have another delicious Hungry Howie’s pizza for lunch. After another delicious meal, we headed back to the beach for the remainder of the afternoon. We enjoyed our beach time relaxing and playing in the ocean before heading for some pool swimming and a walk along the beach to capture another perfect vacation day at Myrtle Beach! In the evening we reviewed/planned our activities for Wednesday and Thursday when we’ll be traveling/staying two hours further south along the Atlantic coast in Charleston, South Carolina.
Wednesday, June 10th we traveled from Myrtle Beach to Charleston, about a two-hour drive. We were able to check into the Hampton Inn in North Charleston early and then head to downtown historic Charleston for a horse-drawn carriage tour. The carriage tour was very informative as we learned of the historic significance of South Carolina in its part of the Civil War. The tour also took us past many historic homes, some built in the 1700s. One home was only about 14′ wide and about 900 SF that sold for $1.7 million, according to our tour guide.
Wednesday travel stats: 2 hours traveling; 96 miles traveled
After our horse-drawn carriage ride, we drove across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge from Charleston to Mount Pleasant and spent time visiting Patriot’s Point. Patriot’s Point is the home of the USS Yorktown battleship, the USS Laffey destroyer, and the Vietnam Experience exhibit.
Thursday, June 11th we had a day of tours in the Charleston area: the Magnolia Gardens and Plantation tour and then the Charleston Harbor tour. The morning tour in the Gardens and Plantation was during some brief showers and it was very humid. We were checked to see if we had a fever – due to the COVID – before we were allowed to enter. We both passed the temperature check and enjoyed a couple hours walking through the gardens and the plantation house-guided tour.
We next drove from the Magnolia Gardens along the Ashley River northwest of Charleston, to the Charleston Harbor area for the Harbor tour. We arrived just in the nick of time to make the tour (we were a bit delayed due to parking and walking snafu to get to the boat location – haha!). The Harbor tour was a delicious boat ride with a great history of the Charleston Harbor area. The tour took us past Fort Johnson (where the first shot of the Civil War happened), Fort Sumter, and another fort (that I can’t remember now). We also passed under the majestic Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (named after a politician who “brought home the bacon” for funding the almost $700 million bridge).
We drove into the historic district after the Harbor Tour and had “lupper” at a restaurant that is renowned for their seafood – called Hyman’s Seafood. Hyman’s had delicious seafood! We had a North-style crab cake; the Carolina Delight; and the Shrimp & grits. We also received a complimentary appetizer of fried green tomatoes over a bed of grits and cheese – it was very good! Probably the second-best crab cakes ever (second to Cap’s Place in Pompano Beach).
Friday, June 12 we said goodbye to South Carolina and began our journey back home. Along the way, we stopped in Newport, Tennessee for lunch at another Cracker Barrel for some more delicious comfort food. We landed at Frankfort, KY for the evening at a Hampton Inn.
Friday travel stats: 11 hours traveling; 556 miles traveled
Saturday, June 13 we traveled from Frankfort, KY to Cedar Falls, Iowa where we landed at the Comfort Suites for the evening. We enjoyed listening to an entertaining audible book (9 hours or so long) along the way home.
Saturday travel stats: 10.5 hours traveling; 601 miles traveled
Sunday, June 14 we traveled from Cedar Falls, Iowa to home sweet home! We loved taking this road trip adventure to South Carolina and look forward to our next road trip adventure!
Sunday travel stats: 5 hours traveling; 267 miles traveled
Road trip totals: 3,067 miles traveled from start to finish and we averaged 33 miles/gallon in our Subaru Forester; four nights in hotels along the way (two nights each way) with six days traveling (three each way); five nights and five full days spent in South Carolina (at two locations, Myrtle Beach & North Charleston, SC. Overall, six days of traveling and six different motels/hotels over the ten-day adventure!