North Carolina - Myrtle Beach State Park

 

North Carolina - Myrtle Beach State Park

This post will squarely focus on the Myrtle Beach State Park, as in the four nights I booked for us there I only ventured out twice from the park. Once to go shopping as we needed groceries and new hiking shoes (great outlet mal - Columbia delivered) and the second time to ride my bike as the bike trails in the park are limited. 

I also have to admit my review on the Park itself will be a bit jaded as our arrival was such a nightmare. However I do want to point out the trails are beautiful and I was able to ride my bikes on some of them. Of course the beach was nice but even that  took a bit of a walk compared to other State Parks on the coast. Many campers actually drove their car to the beach parking lot. We did enjoyed walking on the Dock and watching people fish from it however.

Now to our upsetting arrival:

 I am still trying to get to terms on why it is so difficult to comprehend what the qualification for Big Rig Friendly is! When I made the reservation I checked my go to Apps as in RVLife and Campendium and I admit both let me down on this one (not the first time when it comes to the Big Rig Friendly Option). And this can seem like me whining but I just wish there was a definition as to what is a Big Rig. For us, 40’ feet is not a big rig but larger size. Anything over 60’ feet should be considered Big Rig. Now I also had a handicap, as I was unable to use Google Earth as the campground was heavily treed, so I had no visibility of the access roads or the site. 

To make this story shorter the site promised to be 70’ feet long, it was however super narrow as in 15 feet, lined by trees. The access road was equally narrow as in 12 feet. In no form could we back in as our turn radius needs obviously more space then that. So after trying several times and stopping traffic we were finally offered to drop and park Lou somewhere else. The park hosts were of no help what so ever. They sat in their pickup while I had to redirect traffic and try to help my husband back up. 

So this stop was not a highlight for us but we still got to see new scenery and we can say we been to Myrtle Beach, a check mark I guess 😉

North Carolina - Harvest Host - Walton’s Distillery

 

North Carolina - Harvest Host - Walton’s Distillery 

Ron and I picked our first Distillery as a Harvest Host Stop.

Walton’s Distillery in Jacksonville NC

Disclaimer I have no real knowledge about Bourbon, Whiskey or Moonshine but my curious mind wants to keep learning. 

Also this was not my first Distillery and tasting Tour as my friend Kim once took me to Balcones Distilling in Waco TX. There we sampled different Bourbon and I know how it felt very refined but the one version with Balcone Bourbon I truly fell in love with came from a coffee shop that sold Balcone IceCream on a waffle cone. Beyond Yummy. So I figured my German taste pallet that focuses mostly on beer, wine and Schnaps still had a chance.

So I picked this Harvest Host as it was on our Route South and when researching it I was beyond happy and intrigued when reading they make Moonshine there. This is what I am really excited about as I wanted to taste and see how it compares to our yummy German Sprites like Prinz Schnaps, William’s Birne, Alte Marille, Kirsch, Himbeere etc. 

In my mind I figured that that moonshine was in a parallel line to our early Schnaps burning. And now, while I might not know much about Bourbon and Whiskey, I do love a good Korn, Schnaps/Spirit. They after all have healing ❤️‍🩹 factors 😉

Let’s just say I was not disappointed! Their Moonshine was amazing, from flavorless to yummy sips of Salted Caramel and Apple Pie. Honestly it couldn’t get more American than that! It was moonshine heaven.

So we received a very informational tour but I also got to sample everything. Along with Bourbon, Whiskey and Moonshine they also craft Rum and Vodka here. 

On my eyes they have something for everyone! And if you don’t like liquor then the Gift Shop will have something for you. I even tried on a Redneck Hat and wished I would have bought it. We bought two jars of Moonshine, and one bottle of Bourbon as well as a magnet to remember once the liquor is gone.

We had a great night and it is Big Rig Friendly! They allow Generator use - yay and even tell you you can set up and BBQ if you like. They close by 16:30 so it was a quiet night and we left shortly before they opened up at 10. 

https://www.waltonsdistillery.com/

North Carolina - The Outer Bank ♥️

 

North Carolina - The Outer Bank ♥️

In the 20 months of travel there are only two places so far that really made my heart feel at home, in regards to people, history and scenic beauty. 

Eastport, ME was the first, but now I get to add the Outer Banks.

We spend 6 nights at Camp Hatteras in Rodanthe NC and it was magical.

This campground encompasses both sides of the island, the North Atlantic beach and ocean AND the Sound. So with just a very short walk you can see the sunrise and sunset over a body of water every single day. Stunning! This Campground was clean, beautiful layout with an outside and inside pool and spa. One of the better ones for sure and much nicer than the KOA next door which I toured. 

Our spot, a nice pull thru (a little on the short end but we were allowed to have Lou’s tires on the grass), was only about 100 meters from the beach facing the Atlantic. Since I am morning person I wanted us on the ocean side and not sound side so I could sit on the beach every morning to watch the day start.

Every evening Ron and I walked/drove across the campground with our chairs and sat on the shore of the Sound to watch the Sunset. Stunning.

Now on to the history. If one loves light houses there are two and still this area is called the graveyard of the Atlantic. Many ships, even to this day still run aground and shipwreck here and one can scavenge the beach for parts still today. Darn even in the 1 week we were here two yachts (Sailboats) wrecked. Each time the people on were saved but the boats took on a lot of damage and lots of water. Recovery depending were it happens in the Outer Banks is tricky.   

Now since we stayed in Rodanthe NC I felt obligated to read the book and watch the movie of the Nicholas Sparks Book ‘Nights in Rodanthe’. One can walk right up (I took my bike) to the Inn that is featured in the Book and Movie. It is actually for sale and I think it was listed for $1.26 Million. Darn a steal 😉

I was happy to be able and explore a lot on my bike and I met some great locals and some seasonal visitors. One day I headed out to find the ‘Eye of Rodanthe’ which looks stunning on Google. Well it was very hard to locate and get to. Ironically the people I met that live there seasonal, spring and fall, never even heard of it. They invited me into their beach house to show me the view they have on the 3rd floor up and what do my eyes see? The Eye just about 300 meters from their house. So to see it someone needs a drone! And here I was hiking through sand dunes and high grass that was cutting my feet to find it 😱

So as to nature, if the water and beaches isn’t enough for you, we are smack between two National Wildlife Areas. The Pea Island Wildlife Refuge just a few miles north of Rodanthe (and where one of the yachts ship wrecked), plus the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Beautiful pristine and protected beaches for miles and miles. In the Sound we could watch wind surfers every single day.

We did drove as far as we could by car, to Cape Hatteras to see one of the Light Houses and from there the only way onward would be by Ferry as there are a couple more islands to explore.

We also drove to the Northern Outer Banks.

We toured the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills which was beautiful! 

We also took a tour to see the Wild Spanish Horses in the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge by Corolla. That outing made me sad but that is in another Post. 

Over all I love the Outer Banks but sadly I don’t think this magical place has a good future ahead with the climate change hitting hard. Human engineering is at work hard here to combat the constant shift of dunes and the loss of beach. A new bridge, that we drove over, just opened up last year that replaced miles and miles of HWY 12 that was not manageable any more due to the shoreline changing. Those constructions come with heavy price tags and many mainlanders I talked to think it is just a temporary bandaid as the Outer Banks have always shifted over the ages and it is such a narrow line that takes the brunt of every storm that the North Atlantic throws at it.

Maybe this is part of why I am so drawn to it. The people that live there full-time are full of heart and grit. This is what they know and love and I understand why. Just like Eastport ME. The toughness the locals display is so heartwarming to me.