Myrtle Beach: Part 1 Adventure in getting there

Why go? Don’t Miss an Adventure

Recently I’ve been needing some time to myself. I was going through a rough patch, and needed some time without three kids, and my husband in my head. Myrtle beach was the logical place for me to do this since it is where I had grown into an independent young woman. I was the most myself while I was 10 minutes from Myrtle beach, studying to be an aircraft maintenance technician. As my sister put it when she heard about my trip “so, you’re going back to visit your second home?” Honestly, when she put it that way, I realized she was right. That was why I chose the area so easily when there were so many other places I want to visit and haven’t. I suspect we all have a place like that. If you don’t it’s worthwhile to go searching! Half the Adventure is in getting there

I clearly value adventure as part of a personal healing process. (Obviously right now that’s not feasible but we can still look back and enjoy trips we’ve taken, and plan future ones) Travel takes us out of our comfortable bubble. Again, my theme seems to be trying new things. Seeing new places, and having new experiences keeps our brains active, as well as our bodies.

I actually got away from some winter!

Anyway, obviously as someone who lives in Vermont, it seemed winter was the best time for this particular trip. Yes, that took some thought and patience considering that I had decided I needed it in the summer. I happen to really like the beach in the winter despite many leaving for the winter due to “cold.” They actually do have a few days that could be described as cold, but comparatively, when I left Vermont on January 21^st it was -19⁰F! Put in that perspective 30⁰ doesn’t seem that bad. Even the 20’s would be 40⁰ warmer! Add that to the fact that the crowds disperse for the winter and it really felt like the perfect place for me to recharge. Some things do close for the winter, and many use this time for maintenance so if you plan on going keep that in mind if you do plan to make a trip of your own.

Making the most of a rare chance!

I made the most of my trip by traveling via train. As a stay at home parent who homeschools my two youngest one thing I do have control over is my schedule. My schedule is incredibly flexible. I’ve put a lot of effort in making this happen. It started so we could make the most of the time we had when my husband was home while the girls were little. I have always recognized that the time we have with our kids is actually quite limited. Plus it is my opinion that it is quite advantageous for a family to have one parent who can keep their schedule flexible to adapt to the family’s needs.

This time I decided to take advantage of that aspect of my job for myself and make the most of the voyage. You may not be able to take a full two weeks and add extra days for travel, but applying the same principle to keeping yourself from over scheduling long term you can still get some extra time for yourself- even if it’s on a smaller scale. I know how lucky I am to be able to take this much time, and really value it. Taking the train definitely added to the adventure. Because I did I was able to show my youngest around the epicenter of NYC, and add this aspect on a somewhat reasonable budget! Remember, don’t ever overlook the Adventure in getting to your destination!

Independence and change of pace for the whole family!

Yes, I did ultimately decide to take Youngest with me. Eldest and Middle girls actually encouraged it, so I knew they were unlikely to be particularly jealous. They are 16 and 17 years old, and were quite looking forward to the independence this trip would afford them. My husband doesn’t generally do much sitting still and wasn’t likely to take much time off while I was away, though he really could have. He did take a couple days though, and each of the girls who stayed home got some time on their own with him. Deciding to bring Youngest with me made my trip even better. She’s still at an age where she seems to enjoy my company, but she’s old enough so It’s much like taking an adult. I mean, I wouldn’t be comfortable letting her wander NYC by herself, but I think you get what I mean. It added the joy of showing her a little more of the world without taking everyone, and defeating the point of my trip in the first place. I was glad I seem to have passed on my appreciation for adventure! She even encouraged me. This trip was exactly what I needed!

Adventure is not taking the easy route

Like I said, the day We left it was -19⁰F. It had been below zero for days. The first night was a huge one- I had originally planned this trip for myself and really was trying not to go overboard with the budget we slept in the station. I was lucky enough to know from experience that the actual Amtrak stations are pretty secure. Penn station is also open all night. It’s worth noting here though that I would not plan to spend the night in just any station, or many of the bus terminals I’ve been in. This was a particular set of circumstances. It happened to lead to an awesome 21 hours!

This part of our trip was not for everyone, but it did shake up the status quo, and went remarkable smoothly! We took walks exploring the heart of New York City and just looking around. That night my daughter chose Burger king, which allowed me to treat us to Sprinkles Cupcakes, and Jamba Juice before we left for the second leg of our trip.

Heading South Embracing the Journey! Getting There Really is Half the Fun!

On this leg we headed in comfort toward Florence S.C. I was really quite torn which route I wanted to take, but settled on the one with the shorter bus trip, and a bit more familiarity.

Florence has always has a challenging schedule. It’s the best way to get to Myrtle beach by land using public transport, but the only option is a daily greyhound bus. It doesn’t leave for several hours after the train station closes in the morning either. In January it’s still dark! That means somehow burning time between stations. At dawn there’s really not much to do there. This time though, I discovered the Lamplighter! We enjoyed a welcoming breakfast while we wasted some time that morning. I got to introduce my daughter to a real southern breakfast, and I think she really enjoyed it. I know I did, and all the walking we had done between both travel days made it even better! We really embraced adventure at this part of our journey!

It was oddly cold the day we arrived and I found myself using my wrap! There were palm trees even there in the dark, and cold. The change of scenery was a welcome sign to me.

Almost There!

Our last leg of the trip was an hourish long Greyhound from Florence SC to Myrtle beach. The biggest disadvantage we faced was the arrival time led to a fairly long wait for our checkin time, but we both embraced the challenge. This time having our luggage held at the resort lobby and taking a walk to do some shopping.

Youngest led the way here as I knew we really just needed to waste some time and getting lost was unlikely. Navigation in the area isn’t that complicated. She prioritized helping me choose a new swimsuit, and we proceed to shop along Kings Highway. I admit, as a mom who doesn’t often encounter such a main thoroughfare I found the idea of crossing it with my child daunting. Yes, more daunting than New York City! There are 6 lanes! She took it in stride, and was persistent that we needed to check the store she’d found so we did “cross that bridge” on our first day there! By the way, I found a bathing suit in that store. I found a really cute black and white polka dot bikini that I definitely liked, but was also quite bold. Have I mentioned Youngest embraces adventure? I went for it.

What a place to finally crash!

Once we arrived to our condo We were ready to drop! By then it was time for me to take care of some everyday responsibilities like settling the checkbook, so we ordered pizza while I did that. It seems pizza is our traditional first dinner of vacation meal. It’s easy relatively cheap, and provides at least one more meal the next day. Of course that evening I got to do my work while waves crashed outside our door.

If you’d like to read about the rest of my trip to Myrtle Beach see https://mytranslucentreflections.com/myrtle-beach-trip-part-2-inspiration/