The Atlantic Ocean

I was up early. I’m thinking it was 645a. I didn’t get much if any deep sleep. I rolled out of bed, grabbed my ‘carry-on’ and headed to the bathroom to fish for my running kit. I blew my sinuses as clear as I could, though my head was still somewhat in a fog immediately out the door. It was a gorgeous North Carolina morning – sunny and about 70 degrees. I was a little leery of the neighborhood at first but quickly found an upscale business park that was very pleasing to the eye. I felt safe back in there. The landscaping was like eye candy.

I was gone for approximately 30 minutes. I’m guessing that was about 3.5 miles – good enough! Back in the room Mindy and the kids remained asleep. I took a shower and dressed for the go. I was chomping at the bit for everyone else to get up and moving. Mindy wasn’t too happy when I turned on the TV, but what the hell else was I gonna do? I drew the shades back a time or two, too, to allow sun beams to strike the faces of the sleeping kids. Everybody was up by 8a. Mindy showered relatively fast. We headed for the complimentary breakfast in the lobby around 830a.

We weren’t quite sure what was on the menu, but I was hungry. It was just OK - fresh waffles, fruit, pastries, coffee, and juice. I really wanted some protein (aka bacon and eggs), but I settled for what was there. We ate quickly. While everybody else finished their breakfast, I checked out of our room. Saw the weather forecast just before we left. Expecting it to reach the mid 90’s. We were on the road at 9am exactly. Mindy communicated via text with our travel party. They were about 50 -100 miles behind us. At some point along our travels we learned that the O’Connell’s were already in NC. They left CMH at 4a that morning.

Based on our rough calculations, we’d arrive in MB around 1p. Forgot to mention earlier, we used our Droid Google navigation for the first time, comparing it to the printed mapquest directions. It would’ve been a trick if both systems had us going the exact same way. There were several small differences. At one point we got cute and tried mixing the two but quickly nixed the navigation system using it only for back-up. Mapquest directions seemed more logical.  As a side, there is no singular direct way into Myrtle Beach. Instead, lots of alternate highway routes off I-74 east.

The weather was gorgeous. Sunny and 90. As we neared Myrtle Beach we stopped at a McDonald’s so everyone could pee. Thought we might get some lunch too, but the crowd was crazy. And after Friday night’s experience, we decided to skip any thought of waiting in the ridiculously long line for food. I figured we’d eat once in town. As it was, we’d almost certainly arrive an hour or so before all the others.

We pulled into North Myrtle Beach at 1pm. We parked out front of our beach house, one of the largest along Ocean Blvd. After checking out the grounds (place was locked) we walked the strip down to the pier and local restaurant. Mindy says its name was actually The Pier. It was there we decided to lunch. I thought about a beer, but opted for sweet tea, a South Carolina staple instead.   I ordered their fresh fish hoagie and fries. Jacob ordered chili fries. Mindy ordered a chicken Caesar wrap. Bella ordered a corndog and fries.

The service was friendly, much like you might stereotype South Carolinian’s to be. They were fast, too. I think it was Jacob who quipped that they were more like fast food than the Wendy’s we had Friday night. He was dead on. Mindy picked up the check. We walked back to the house. As we neared, we saw Kenny & Chrissy pulling up. The kids ran ahead to greet them. Bella was eager to see her long lost peeps, Makayla and Lillian.

It was about 2p. Chrissy said they wouldn’t let us check-in until 3pm. Said the room wasn’t ready. No worries. All the NMB beach front houses rest atop stilts, or a parking level. Mindy and I opted to carry all our gear to the first level for ease of loading in later. The others soon followed.

The vacation rental office wouldn’t allow us to check in early. Said we’d have to wait until 3pm. OK. Seemed silly. We waited, but let the kids swim in the pool. Come 3pm the office said that we could hang out but that they had until 7pm to finish prepping the house, including cleaning and bedding. Chrissy got the key at 3pm. In NMB, you pay extra for linens, a lot too - $300 worth. They were already there in laundry bags. We decided to clean the house ourselves and move all of our gear in come about 430p.

The house is/was nice, but I wouldn’t call it luxury by any means. It had adequate accommodations, a pool, basket ball court, outdoor patio, bar area and best of all, right on the beach. I’m quite sure everyone expected something a tad nicer for the money we spent, though. Still, Mindy and I decided to take the high road. We know all too well that it’s not the house or room that makes the vacation. Rather, it’s the experience - the beach and the people.

All sixteen of us were there and settled by 5pm. We enjoyed time at the pool and a few beers. Julie and Mike sprang for Sunday dinner – four pizzas. It was good. As planned, we had all five girls in one room, the three boys in another, and each couple had a private bedroom. Turns out, there were only three baths to share, or one for every two bedrooms. No worries.

We  hung out on the back patio (ocean view) thru a late evening thunder storm or until 1030-11p. All day long there was an incredibly strong wind blowing in off the ocean. It made the 90 degree temps more than tolerable. The ocean view was gorgeous, too. Good night NMB.