14 May: Myrtle Beach to Holden Beach NC

 

Packed up on Saturday and headed out.  Hit a few heavy rain downpours along the way, but the for the Whale it was not an issue.  Seems there was some type of Motorbike rally in the Myrtle beach area as they were everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Holden Beach RV grounds were fine - lots of seasonable/permanent residents and everyone packed in tight.  I asked about cycling to the beach and was advised that it was not a good idea due to the bridge across the intracoastal waterway.

Crazy to think that Gene and I sailed/motored past here about 30 years ago in Tao.

Headed out anyway and stopped at the Provisioning Company - a great restaurant/bar on the waterway to observe the bridge - looked daunting.  
The restaurant had this floating bar - basically a round tub with a bar in the middle - definitely something to go do one day.

Then went over to a bicycle rental place and talked to them and the advise from the manager was - 'do it at 3 in the morning on a Thursday night - because by then all the drunks are asleep'.  In any case, set the peddal assist to 5, got up to about 25mph and flew across the bridge without incident.

General feel about Holden beach is not positive - very few public access points to get to the beach, brown sea water, dirty beach, big houses and large parts are fenced communities.  Did about 3 miles down the island.  Once I made it back over the bridge I headed back to the Provisioning Company for a beer and dinner.  1/2lb of shrimp, crab cake and corn for $16 made for a great dinner + a beer and a number of rum and pineapple specials and all was good.  The fact that the Bruins lost against the Hurricanes did not help me at all, but...

 At the bar I started talking to a couple from Texas who was here to scout for a retirement place (the wife grew up here).  Interesting conversation about retirement and RVing and ...  At one stage I must have said something, and the husband said 'You seem like an intelligent person, do not tell me you are a liberal - how can you think like that'.  My response was 'What do you think - I am from Boston, I am not a liberal, I am a socialist'.  After throwing out things about our borders being overrun, Hunter Bidens laptop and a few other priceless quotes, my only response was that I was also an immigrant and he should stop watching Fox news.

They left shortly after and I headed home slightly unsteady on my bicycle along a road full of trucks with very big exhausts.