Myrtle Beach – little too commercialized
Day 3 (May 15th): As I was waiting for my free breakfast at Notso Hostel, I had a chance to meet people from – the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden and I cannot remember the rest. I shared my room with three other guys and one of them was from the Netherlands. They all were interesting and had some fun stories to share. After my breakfast, my next destination was Francis Marion National Forest. When I got there, I saw the campground and some fishermen getting their boats ready. I saw the last leg of Palmetto trail which was 5 miles one-way, so I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to hike another 10 miles. The Palmetto trail is a series of trails extending from the mountains to the sea which is over 425 miles long. I was still tired from the previous days’ activities, so I decided to continue to drive to Myrtle Beach. Click here for more pictures…
Myrtle Beach - under the pier
I might have chosen worst week to be at Myrtle Beach. It was biker week; there were thousands of bikes everywhere. They are so loud and they think they own the road. I drove to Myrtle Beach State Park, the admission fee is $5 but the lady let me go for free since I didn’t had any cash and her credit card machine was broken. It was a perfect day with a cool breeze and the temperature around 90 degrees. I laid out for a little while but was getting bored and hot. So, I started wondering around and asked a couple of locals where I can see a beautiful sunset – Pawleys Beach. I found Myrtle Beach area dirty and crowded. The area is commercialized and touristy; you can see putt putt golf almost every block. If you are looking for solitude and some quite time, Myrtle Beach State Park might be a good destination. Click here for more pictures…
Pawleys Beach
Pawleys Beach is about 5-10 miles away from Myrtle Beach, it’s a nice little beach with residential houses. I wondered around for 3- 4 hours in circle, experimenting with my new camera. The view of the sunset was rather disappointing from the beach so I started driving back and there it was, the sunset that I was looking for. It was so bright and full of colors. I parked my car at someone’s property and walked along private docks and took a bunch of pictures. I headed back to the Myrtle Beach area and walked along the boardwalk. It was getting late so I wasn’t sure where I was gonna sleep tonight. Click here for more pictures…
Sunset
Day 4 (May 16th): I woke up around 6:15 am and I missed the sunrise by 10 minutes. I cannot believe I overslept in my car. I drove quickly back to Myrtle Beach State Park and took as many pictures I could. I walked around the beach and on the pier taking pictures. I saw the same group of fishermen on the pier from the previous day. It was a little too early to lay on the beach but that didn’t stop me. I took a nap but wasn’t sure what I was gonna do next so I decided to visit Brookgreen Gardens.
Myrtle Beach State Park
Myrtle Beach State Park
Brookgreen Gardens is located about 15 miles south of Myrtle Beach. It was founded in 1931 by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington to preserve the native flora and fauna and to display beautiful art in this setting. I strolled around the gardens where you can find sculpture in every corner. There are at least 500 sculptures in the garden.
My best part of the trip was cruising along the tributary creeks of the Waccamaw River on a pontoon boat along the abandoned rice field. The Creek Excursion tour provides a history of the rice plantation and slavery. The tour guide is informative and entertaining. There were several sightings of alligators. The trip was relaxing and cool, much-needed after strolling for hours on a hot humid day. Click here for more pictures..
Waiting for pontoon boat
The Low Country trail to the zoo is interesting with close up looks of fox, alligators, bald eagles, owls, and otters. The butterfly exhibit, “Whispering Wings,” was very disappointing. They did not have more than three species of butterflies. Although it is only three dollars in addition to the entrance fee, it’s not worth it. I guess they are trying to get more species of butterflies later. Click here for more pictures…
Butterfly
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Outdoors 