Day 37 - Orangeburg Reunion

July 13 - We headed south from Myrtle Beach to Savannah, stopping along the way in Orangeburg, SC, where I lived and worked from 1977 to 1987. I showed the family my various residences and where I worked and played (softball and Frisbee golf), and we met an old friend of mine for a late lunch/early dinner. Kallie did her driving stint through rural SC between Myrtle Beach and Orangeburg. She was passed by 23 cars, most of whom were probably racing home from church to eat lunch.

In Savannah we played a game of Scrabble by the pool and then headed to the Riverwalk for a late snack. The Riverwalk is a fun collection of hotels, restaurants and shops on the Savannah River. Musicians and artists also perform, a la the New Orleans French Quarter. A blues guitarist invited me to sing a couple of songs with him--I did "House of the Rising Sun" and "The Ballad of Curtis Loew"--neither went quite as well as they did at Karaoke in New York--there I was more familiar with the accompaniment and had help with the lyrics. Still it was fun, and Erin shot some video. Maybe I'll have the courage some day to watch it.

Check out more pictures from Orangeburg and Savannah at http://www.photoblog.com/dadlak/2008/07/13/former-orangeburger-goes-home---day-37.html

Day 36 - On the Beach

July 12 - We spent a relaxing day in Myrtle Beach at the hotel and on the beach, going out only for food - bagels for breakfast, Damon's (no trivia) for lunch, and Italian for dinner. Everyone enjoyed the break from life on the road, which will resume soon enough. We didn't do any of these pictured activities, though Kay did spend a lot of time on the beach reading, and Kallie and Erin played in the waves.

Day 35 - Pigeon Forge With Sand

July 11 - Our trip from Chester, VA to Myrtle Beach, SC was one of our best yet - about 320 miles covered in just over 7 hours. A quick lunch at Subway helped keep us moving. Kallie's driving stint took place between Fayetteville and Lumberton, NC. She got off the road just in time as the next "turn" was an on ramp. US 74 in North Carolina is setting up to become I-74.


I told the girls that Myrtle Beach was like Pigeon Forge with sand--a collection of tacky amusements and shops. I don't think I missed it by much. It hasn't changed much since we were here on vacation in the '90s.

The Holiday South hotel in Myrtle Beach is no jewel of hospitality, but it does have its good points--a balcony with an ocean view, a beautiful pool, and access to the beach after less than a 50 yard walk. Our room has a fridge, microwave and stovetop, but two days just isn't enough time to set up for housekeeping. Otherwise it's a typical older beach motel with mildewed rugs and peeling paint. Kallie was put out that both the ceiling and the walls were spackled. Decoration is not a value here. Neither is Internet access or cell phone coverage. The building is a concrete bunker of sorts, which appears to interfere with cell phone signals - kind of like living in an elevator shaft. They don't offer wireless Internet either (or wired for that matter), but the desk clerk did tell me that I could probably get a signal at the picnic tables outside, which is where I am right now. I have become enough of a fixture here for people to comment on their way in.

The girls are upstairs watching "Nancy Grace Weekend" on CNN Headline News. They've become big fans of the feisty former prosecutor/now TV host's exposes on lurid crimes. I find her a little too intense, which I suspect is mostly for our entertainment. They also saw her playing herself in the Will Smith movie "Hancock". Erin came back insisting that every movie would be better if Nancy Grace appeared in it.

Kay insisted on eating a seafood dinner in a non-buffet restaurant, a bit of a trick in Myrtle Beach. We drove about 10 miles to nearby Murrell's Inlet before we found such a place, the Inlet Crab House. We tried sitting outside on the patio to enjoy the beautiful weather and live music (a one-man band--singer, guitar and laptop accompaniment), but South Carolina's famous gnats drove us indoors as they swarmed around Kallie's crab leg dinner. Back at the hotel we crashed early. Tomorrow should be a nice relaxing day around the beach and pool.