Bug Smacker

I am waking this morning to the rhythm of waves pounding onto the sands of Myrtle Beach. It is as spectacular as we had expected. The ocean breeze is whistling through the palm trees causing them to sway like a conductor would orchestrate to the approaching waves of the sea. The sun is glistening across the ripples in the water and reflecting disco ball patterns into the windows of our RV.

Last night the gentle breeze had kicked up a notch. With a storm approaching our RV was actually rocking back and forth as if we were aboard a cruise ship. The rain came down hard and the trees bent over and touched the ground. Today however, is going to be great.

I want to thank Maite at Ocean Lakes in Myrtle Beach for helping us find some great spots close to the ocean when we checked in. Even though we hadn’t made any reservation, she was able to provide us with a couple of front row ocean sites during our stay here. We had to relocate a couple of times, but it was well worth the hassle to be right on the oceanfront.

The campground at Ocean Lakes is just as nice as it was last time we were here. The sites all offer full hookups including: 23/30/50 electric, water, sewer, cable and wifi. This place is always exceptionally clean and well maintained. On this visit we found the golf cart activity to be much more acceptable. Last visit here there was a continuous parade of kids cruising up and down the road in front of us all hours of the day and night. This was most likely due to the time of year that we are here.

We went down the road to check out two nearby state parks. We found Myrtle Beach State Park to be congested with small sites and muddy. We had read in the brochure that you should not wear open toed shoes and to use a flashlight at night due to the possibility of Copperhead Snakes. When my wife saw one of these serpents cross the road right in front of us in broad daylight, I was instructed that we would not be staying here…EVER!

The other state park we saw was Huntington. This park was really nice. It has an abundance of wildlife. We saw birds, fish, deer and even alligators.  It is also located on the ocean. The sites are mostly large with electric and water. This would be a real nice place to stay if you can get a reservation. I see why they go so fast.

We took a drive down the boulevard downtown. We stopped in to visit with Cathy from the Sea Horn motel. Before we had our beloved BugSmacker RV, we would stay at the Sea Horn. This place is spectacular and the owners treat you like family. It was really great reminiscing about all the great times we had here.

We headed over to Murrells Inlet for dinner. Murrells Inlet is known as “a quiet little drinking village with a fishing problem”. Terri and I split a plate of Calabash-Style Fried Shrimp at the Dead Dog Saloon which was terrific. Afterward we took a stroll along the Marshwalk.

We returned a couple of days later to Murrells Inlet for dinner. This has become our favorite place to go while in the Myrtle Beach area. Judging by the crowds, we are not alone. We stopped to eat at Drunken Jacks. They had a 45 minute wait, so during our wait we headed over to Creek Ratz. Here we shared a Shrimp basket. As we finished our page came in for Drunken Jacks. We returned to honor our reservation and had a couple of (you guessed it) shrimp plates. This meal also included a salad bar and some of the best Hush Puppies you have ever eaten. We love the creek shrimp they serve in Murrells Inlet. Our favorite was at the Creek Rat, but if you want a complete dinner, you can’t go wrong at Drunken Jacks. Plus the people there were exceptional.

We aren’t much for buffets, but tonight we took the advise from a group of really nice people we met on  the beach and tried one. We headed to what is refered to as restaurant row in North Myrle Beach to a place called The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood Buffet. This place had more food than china. The selection was enormous. It wasn’t just the volume that impressed us, the food was delicious. I want to thank our waitress, Catie for making sure we had anything we may desire and making us feel so welcome.

Following dinner had us stop into a shop called “Purpleologist”. It was filled with all things purple. She fell in love with the place.

As always, Myrtle Beach is going to be hard to leave.

We made it to Pigeon Forge and the first place we parked the RV was at the local Wal-Mart. We did this so that we could check out a couple of different campgrounds without hauling the trailer around. We met my parents in the parking lot at Wal-Mart and rode with them a bit. Before we left Terri and I ran into the store to purchase something that is not available in Michigan…BBQ Fritos.

After checking out several campgrounds in the area we settled on Twin Mountain RV Park. The park is located right on the bank of the Little Pigeon River in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. All sites include water, electric, sewer and cable. This is a very nice campground and we will be returning here sometime soon, I’m sure.

The site we chose was right on the river. The area of the river where we were located had several rocks which created a small rapids and the sound was quite soothing. This was a popular spot for fishing (for both people and birds alike).

On our second day we headed over to Dollywood with my parents. My mother, bless her heart, was like a kid in a candy store. She was so excited. We had a hard time just keeping up with her. She asked us if we were interested in seeing the Kingdom Heirs show. No sooner than we could spit the word “yes” out and she was off like a race horse just launching out of the starting gate.

We were at Dollywood during the Festival of Nations. This festival brings in talent from all over the world. After the Kingdom Heirs we headed over to the Cirque Shanghai show. Then we saw the Wings of America Show Birds just before my dad talked me into going on the Tennessee Tornado rollercoaster ride. Next we took a train ride on the Dollywood Express. Finally we mounted a couple of horses on the Village Carousel.

On the way home we stopped at Big Daddy’s Pizza for dinner. This and the BBQ brisket sandwich we purchased from Tony Gore’s place were the two best meals we had. The latter being the best!

Following our excitement at Dollywood, the next day we took a leisurely scenic drive through Cades Cove. While in the National Park we saw lots of deer, birds and even a couple of bear cubs which had just emerged from their den.

One day we hopped a trolley (which conveniently runs right by our campsite every 15 minutes) and headed to Gatlinburg. We strolled through town and checked out the various shops. We stopped into Ole Smoky Moonshine to sample their beverages. GOOD STUFF! Next we went to Dicks Last Resort for lunch. We met some people who were also from Michigan.

The weather while in Pigeon Forge was great. The temperatures got up into the mid 90’s. This was a far cry from the 30’s we had back home in Michigan when we left the other day.

This is our first trip down the Rifle River. We put the kayaks in at Moffatt Bridge. We then traveled down the river to the Outdoor Adventures Rifle River Resort. The resort is located at the Melita Road Bridge.

The river where we launched our boats is about 50 feet wide. The water is 1 to 2 feet deep at this point. Several places along the way during our trip were shallow enough to cause our kayaks to drag bottom. However, at no point did we need to get out and drag our boats across the rocky bottom of the river.The entire trip took about 3 hours. We did some floating and an average amount of paddling.

Whenever we arrive at Outdoor Adventures it is always a gamble on what sites are available. We know what ones we like, but it seems as if we can never get the same one twice. We knew since we were going to be here for 2 weeks that we wanted a full hookup site. We also tend to prefer the end ones. We got lucky; we got exactly what we were looking.

This luck ran out with the first rainfall. This month had started out as the driest on record and has now become the wettest. Apparently we had setup our RV in the middle of what would become a huge puddle. Not only were we in a low spot, but since the ground is mostly clay the water will not seep into the ground very well. This left us with a moat around our RV.

We both have been working during the week and commuting to our jobs from here each day. This gets old after a while since the drive is so much longer. We also have been eating out quite a bit and by the time we get home at night there isn’t much time to wind down.

Terri’s parents stopped by for a visit. We had a little cookout and enjoyed some really great “home grown” sweet corn from the local market. The following weekend the resort had a Pig Roast which was spectacular.

In previous posts I have mentioned that this resort has an outdoor chapel. I have also indicated that the pastor rides in on a bike. On the way into the park the other day I noticed the bike he rides was parked alongside of the road. Check it out. I love the custom paint job.

It’s called Paddling

Tim R. Enright

Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t get very excited over sporting events. Last night, however, I witnessed an event that totally astonished me and I can’t seem to get over what took place. This was the most fantastic sporting event I have ever attended.

When I called last week to reserve the site at the campground we are currently at, I was asked if we were coming to town to watch the canoe race. I replied that I didn’t know what he was talking about. The guy from the campground just snickered and proceeded to explain that it was a canoe race from Grayling, Michigan to Lake Huron along the Au Sable River. I thought it would something fun to see if we had nothing better to do.

When we arrived at the campground my wife picked up a brochure about the race. It said the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon was a 120 mile race on the Au Sable River. It would take the contestants 15+ hours to complete the race. The Marathon started in Grayling at 9 PM with the canoes staged downtown in the street. We decided to head over and check it out. We arrived in town to find thousands of people waiting for the race to begin. Shortly after we got there the starting gun was fired and the paddlers picked up their canoes to make a mad dash for the river. The Au Sable River at this point is only wide enough for about 3 canoes. The contestants bumped and crashed as they try to enter the river at the best possible spot.

The crowd roared as the last contestants set their canoe into the river. This was definitely the home town favorite. It was Al Widing and his partner, 21-year-old Hailey McMahon of Grayling. At 87 years old, this is Al’s 40th attempt. Al currently holds the records: Most Marathons Entered, Most Marathons Finished, Oldest Paddler to Compete, and the Oldest Paddler to finish in the top 10.

This event is advertised as” North America’s Toughest, Richest Canoe Race and the World’s Toughest Spectator Race!” The contest pays out over $50,000 in cash & prizes. The contestants come from all over the world for a chance to compete in this distinguished event.

To get an idea of how fast they paddle down the river, we made a trip on the Au Sable earlier that morning that lasted just over 3 hours. The pros get down that same stretch of river in 1 hour 8 minutes. This is amazing.

Back in Mio we woke from a brief cat nap to go down to the dam to wait for the Paddlers. This was spectacular. There were crowds of people waiting for the paddlers. The canoes were approaching the Mio Pond in total darkness. Some had a small lamp but others had nothing at all to guide them through the obstacles in the river. We have a hard time avoiding these things in broad daylight. The only thing to alert us of their arrival was the faint sound of paddles entering the water and an occasional ” Hup!”

I really can’t belive that I have lived in Michigan all my life and never head about this event. While the world watches Olympics events like Synchronized Swimming, Trampoline, Badminton and Ping-Pong, we have the grand-daddy of all canoe races right in our back yard. Next year give yourself a treat and check this out. It will be an experience that you will never forget.

To find out more about this great event go to www.ausablecanoemarathon.org

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