Friday, April 15th and Saturday April 16th, 2011
Coming home – Day-1
This morning we got up at 6:00 a.m. to start our journey home to Gatineau. Since most of the packing was done the previous day, all I had to do was unhook the outside connections (sewer, water, cable, phone, electrical) hook the trailer to the truck and drive away. Unfortunately, on checking the trailer lights we discovered that one rear light was burned out and we had to wait for the RV centre to open at 8 a.m.
Once the repair was done we were finally on our way. The drive was rather uneventful, except that we found the price of gas had gone up almost one dollar per gallon since January. I certainly had not factored this in the planning of the trip. After a good day of driving, we stopped at the Walmart in Martinville, West Virginia. Other RVs and transport trucks were already parked for the night so we felt safe for the night. Unbeknown to us, a major storm was brewing in the south and heading our way. Over the course of the night I noticed that the winds were strong enough to shake the trailer. Both Dee and I were restless and by 4:00 a.m. we were both awake, so we decided to continue our journey.
Coming home – Day-2
The temperature had drop significantly overnight and it was really cold this morning. Even Keisha was not to keen on taking a morning walk before leaving. I was already starting to miss the hot sunny days of Florida! After getting a coffee at Macdonald's and a gas fill-up we left Martinville around 4:30 a.m. The interstate was definitely not busy at this time of the morning so it was nice to go through the road construction in Pennsylvania in light traffic. The edge of the major storm that hit North Carolina finally caught up with us as we drove further north. The wind was very strong and with low temperatures and rain it made for icy roads and I could sometime feel the trailer swaying more than usual. This weather system stayed with us for the whole day so I was very tired by the time we got home around 3:30 p.m.
It was nice to get to the border and after the customary questions from the border agent, we finally cross into Canada! Even if we truly enjoyed our three-month adventure in the south of the USA, it is always nice to come back home. The weather could have been better for our arrival, but like they say, this is Canada! It will take a few days to unpack the trailer and truck and get back into our daily routine, but we look forward to the summer and we will start dreaming of our next adventure.
We enjoyed sharing our Florida adventure with you all and we hope you enjoyed reading about it. Our final blog will be our list of travel tips we learned through the course of our travels.
Take care and may God keep you safe on your travels and where ever your life journeys may take you
Denis and Dee
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Island Green / Packing Day
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Island Green
We played our last golf game today. We choose to play at the Island Green Golf Club which was recommended by Maynard who with played at Indian Wells. The course design is interesting; however the fairway conditions were not the calibre we have become accustomed to. Having said that, we did enjoy our round with two club members, Ricky and Alice who live in Texas but own a home on the golf course here. They both are very good golfers and they were leaving the next day for a three-day couples tournament in the Atlanta area.
I have posted pictures I took during our round of golf. Have a look.
Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Packing Day
Today we took Keisha to the groomers at 7 a.m. and she was all pretty by 9 a.m. We came back to the trailer to start the process of readying the trailer for our journey home. Tomorrow morning we leave our paradise here at Myrtle Beach and start the first leg of the return journey via North Carolina and Virginia with an overnight stop somewhere in Pennsylvania. The last day of the journey will take us through Pennsylvania and New York State then up and over the bridge to the Canadian Customs at Ivy League.
To end the journey Denis and I decided that our last posting on this blog will be a list of travel tips we learned through our three months on the road. Hopefully, the lessons learned, the travel tips, what you must bring and what you must do to make this a really great trip may be of some use to others who may one day make this pilgrimage. I know y’all just can’t wait! (A wee bit of Southern drawl) Hey!! I have been here three months it starting to slip out!!! Yikes.
All day long I have been having little weepy moments when I think about leaving. I am really happy to be coming home and seeing our kids and grandkids and family and friends but I feel sad to be leaving this beautiful place that I have called home for twenty two days of this ninety day trip.
The drive home is expected to take 18 hours. We hope to reach Harrisburg Pennsylvania and stay overnight at a Wal-Mart. If everything goes according to plan, Denis should be backing up the trailer on its pad in the backyard sometime Saturday afternoon. We just might finally get to watch a hockey game again!
Island Green
We played our last golf game today. We choose to play at the Island Green Golf Club which was recommended by Maynard who with played at Indian Wells. The course design is interesting; however the fairway conditions were not the calibre we have become accustomed to. Having said that, we did enjoy our round with two club members, Ricky and Alice who live in Texas but own a home on the golf course here. They both are very good golfers and they were leaving the next day for a three-day couples tournament in the Atlanta area.
I have posted pictures I took during our round of golf. Have a look.
Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Packing Day
Today we took Keisha to the groomers at 7 a.m. and she was all pretty by 9 a.m. We came back to the trailer to start the process of readying the trailer for our journey home. Tomorrow morning we leave our paradise here at Myrtle Beach and start the first leg of the return journey via North Carolina and Virginia with an overnight stop somewhere in Pennsylvania. The last day of the journey will take us through Pennsylvania and New York State then up and over the bridge to the Canadian Customs at Ivy League.
To end the journey Denis and I decided that our last posting on this blog will be a list of travel tips we learned through our three months on the road. Hopefully, the lessons learned, the travel tips, what you must bring and what you must do to make this a really great trip may be of some use to others who may one day make this pilgrimage. I know y’all just can’t wait! (A wee bit of Southern drawl) Hey!! I have been here three months it starting to slip out!!! Yikes.
All day long I have been having little weepy moments when I think about leaving. I am really happy to be coming home and seeing our kids and grandkids and family and friends but I feel sad to be leaving this beautiful place that I have called home for twenty two days of this ninety day trip.
The drive home is expected to take 18 hours. We hope to reach Harrisburg Pennsylvania and stay overnight at a Wal-Mart. If everything goes according to plan, Denis should be backing up the trailer on its pad in the backyard sometime Saturday afternoon. We just might finally get to watch a hockey game again!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Indian Wells
Monday, April 11th, 2011
Indian Wells
I always wondered why a golf course would be named Wells. I now know! Indian Wells has more water in play than you normally find on a “normal” golf course, hence, the name Wells! Today we were paired with a couple, Maynard and Linda, who are members of the golf course. Playing with someone who knows the course is very helpful, especially when it come to holes that have unique features.
The temperature again was great for a round a golf and even though both Dee and I struggled a bit, we enjoyed our round. Indian Wells is part of the Signature Group as well as Burning Ridge which we played last week so we again were treated to the cart GPS which eliminates the distance guessing game. Maynard gave us a few tips when we will return to Myrtle Beach on seasonal selecting golf memberships.
If you have been following us throughout our Florida Adventure, you may have notice that we have been using golf carts for all our rounds of golf. This was not planned because we have brought along our hand carts for the trip but we soon found out that very few golf courses in Florida and Myrtle Beach allow walking the course. Since a good majority of courses are built in and around communities, some of the distances between green to tee are far apart and if the golfers were allowed to walk the course it would affect the pace of play. It will be difficult to go back to walking courses when we return home, but it will probably be better health wise! Net time we come down south, will leave the hand carts home.
We have just a few days left before our return, and even though we are looking forward to getting home, we are a little bit sad to see the trip end; especially Dee, knowing that it’s back to work. As for me, I will have to get some golf games lined up with my buddies!
Indian Wells
I always wondered why a golf course would be named Wells. I now know! Indian Wells has more water in play than you normally find on a “normal” golf course, hence, the name Wells! Today we were paired with a couple, Maynard and Linda, who are members of the golf course. Playing with someone who knows the course is very helpful, especially when it come to holes that have unique features.
The temperature again was great for a round a golf and even though both Dee and I struggled a bit, we enjoyed our round. Indian Wells is part of the Signature Group as well as Burning Ridge which we played last week so we again were treated to the cart GPS which eliminates the distance guessing game. Maynard gave us a few tips when we will return to Myrtle Beach on seasonal selecting golf memberships.
If you have been following us throughout our Florida Adventure, you may have notice that we have been using golf carts for all our rounds of golf. This was not planned because we have brought along our hand carts for the trip but we soon found out that very few golf courses in Florida and Myrtle Beach allow walking the course. Since a good majority of courses are built in and around communities, some of the distances between green to tee are far apart and if the golfers were allowed to walk the course it would affect the pace of play. It will be difficult to go back to walking courses when we return home, but it will probably be better health wise! Net time we come down south, will leave the hand carts home.
We have just a few days left before our return, and even though we are looking forward to getting home, we are a little bit sad to see the trip end; especially Dee, knowing that it’s back to work. As for me, I will have to get some golf games lined up with my buddies!
Friday, April 8, 2011
People you meet in your travels / Burning Ridge / A Beach and a Fry
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
People you meet in your travels
After a cold and rainy day yesterday, we woke up to a sunny day and the temperature a high 60! We had a hearty breakfast and then we headed out for a walk on the beach with Keisha. During our walk on the beach we met some interesting people including John from Michigan who, upon hearing that we were from Canada, said that he has invested all his money in Canada! He thinks we are lucky to be Canadian and I must say I agree with him! His view of the USA is that the country has lost its way and unfortunately there are no leaders to right the ship. I guess he has not heard of Steven and Iggy!
After walking about a mile down the beach we reached the city limit of Surfside Beach. This city has posted a sign forbidding horses and dogs on their side of the beach! So off we went through a neighbourhood hoping the find an entrance back to Ocean Lakes RV. Unfortunately it was not going to happen! The whole property is fenced in and the only entrance is back on the beach or walk to the front entrance. We chose the front entrance and two miles later, Keisha panting, Dee slowing down, we reached the entrance! We still had about 500 meters to walk before reaching our site.
Before continuing our walk Dee decided to visit a few of the trailers on display at the Ocean Lakes RV Center. Of course she picked the most expensive ones and all it did was make her dream! No I am not trading in the Eagle. Anyway, we finally got on our way and walking down a street Keisha decided to drink water that was on the asphalt from a car being washed! I guess she was really thirsty. The guy washing the car saw Keisha and his wife came out and offered Keisha a fresh bowl of water. No one offered me a drink of water! The couple, Dee (yes another Dee) and Harry are from Rochester, New York and have been staying at Ocean Lakes for more than 10 years and own one of the cottages that border one of the lakes. They are also owners of two beautiful four year old shitzu’s, one of which was rescued from a puppy mill in North Carolina. They are very nice people and we discussed the possibility of getting together for a round of golf.
After spending half an hour socializing with the neighbours we continued our walk to our site and met a couple from Nova Scotia who also has a Jayco Eagle fifth wheel. A discussion ensued on the pros and cons of the Eagle model and of course exchanging some background information and traveling experiences.
Meeting total strangers and striking up a conversation about RVing experiences is a common occurrence when you travel in a RV and stay at the RV resorts. There seems to be a common bond between RVers and most are always prepared to help you out and provide good tips on things to do, what to avoid and places to visit.
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Burning Ridge
Our second round of golf was scheduled for early afternoon at the Burning Ridge golf course. The sun was shining brightly, the wind was calm and the azaleas are in full bloom. It was a perfect Myrtle Beach day. The Golf course was a 20-minute drive from our resort. After a nice welcome from the staff, are clubs were loaded onto the cart and to our surprise it was equipped with a GPS! Denis did not have to ask”how far do you think I am from the green”. This GPS tells you everything you need to know about each hole and how to play it. It also keeps track of your score and at the end of your round you pick up a printout of your scores at the pro shop.
We were paired with a very nice couple, the Dicarpo’s from southern Ontario. It was an enjoyable round playing with Nick and Laurene. After the round we shared a drink with them in the clubhouse and exchanged contact information. Hopefully, we will get together again for another round and maybe dinner.
Friday, April 8th, 2011
A Beach and a Fry
This is the start of our last week in Myrtle Beach. Next Friday we will be on our way home! With the sun shining brightly, I could hear the roar of the rolling waves beckoning me to come spend some time sitting under an umbrella watching the waves roll in and the children building sand castles. Off we went with Keisha in tow because she is one dog who loves the beach and the water and mostly the kids.
We spent about four hours on the beach with about ten thousand others that had the same idea but thank goodness the beach, known as the Grand Strand, stretches for miles and miles. There was ample space for everyone. This being the beginning of April, I can only imagine how occupied the beach will be in the summer months. It was a good thing that there was a nearby bar that served great Margaritas! I even had some barbecued hotdogs courtesy of Denis who volunteered to go to the trailer and prepare the lunch and bring it back to the beach. It is so convenient being a short walk from the beach, I just love it.
Ocean Lakes had a fish fry tonight and we decided to try it. It was not as good as Luc’s fish fry but it was ok. They also put on a free bingo for patrons. Not so complicated that Denis was able to play along! The bingo consisted of five games, and the prizes were bags of candies and coupons for ice cream and the prize for the last game was a limited edition 40th anniversary Ocean Lakes t-shirt and a coupon for some food. We did not win any prize but we had a good laugh.
I have posted a few pictures of our day at the beach.
People you meet in your travels
After a cold and rainy day yesterday, we woke up to a sunny day and the temperature a high 60! We had a hearty breakfast and then we headed out for a walk on the beach with Keisha. During our walk on the beach we met some interesting people including John from Michigan who, upon hearing that we were from Canada, said that he has invested all his money in Canada! He thinks we are lucky to be Canadian and I must say I agree with him! His view of the USA is that the country has lost its way and unfortunately there are no leaders to right the ship. I guess he has not heard of Steven and Iggy!
After walking about a mile down the beach we reached the city limit of Surfside Beach. This city has posted a sign forbidding horses and dogs on their side of the beach! So off we went through a neighbourhood hoping the find an entrance back to Ocean Lakes RV. Unfortunately it was not going to happen! The whole property is fenced in and the only entrance is back on the beach or walk to the front entrance. We chose the front entrance and two miles later, Keisha panting, Dee slowing down, we reached the entrance! We still had about 500 meters to walk before reaching our site.
Before continuing our walk Dee decided to visit a few of the trailers on display at the Ocean Lakes RV Center. Of course she picked the most expensive ones and all it did was make her dream! No I am not trading in the Eagle. Anyway, we finally got on our way and walking down a street Keisha decided to drink water that was on the asphalt from a car being washed! I guess she was really thirsty. The guy washing the car saw Keisha and his wife came out and offered Keisha a fresh bowl of water. No one offered me a drink of water! The couple, Dee (yes another Dee) and Harry are from Rochester, New York and have been staying at Ocean Lakes for more than 10 years and own one of the cottages that border one of the lakes. They are also owners of two beautiful four year old shitzu’s, one of which was rescued from a puppy mill in North Carolina. They are very nice people and we discussed the possibility of getting together for a round of golf.
After spending half an hour socializing with the neighbours we continued our walk to our site and met a couple from Nova Scotia who also has a Jayco Eagle fifth wheel. A discussion ensued on the pros and cons of the Eagle model and of course exchanging some background information and traveling experiences.
Meeting total strangers and striking up a conversation about RVing experiences is a common occurrence when you travel in a RV and stay at the RV resorts. There seems to be a common bond between RVers and most are always prepared to help you out and provide good tips on things to do, what to avoid and places to visit.
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Burning Ridge
Our second round of golf was scheduled for early afternoon at the Burning Ridge golf course. The sun was shining brightly, the wind was calm and the azaleas are in full bloom. It was a perfect Myrtle Beach day. The Golf course was a 20-minute drive from our resort. After a nice welcome from the staff, are clubs were loaded onto the cart and to our surprise it was equipped with a GPS! Denis did not have to ask”how far do you think I am from the green”. This GPS tells you everything you need to know about each hole and how to play it. It also keeps track of your score and at the end of your round you pick up a printout of your scores at the pro shop.
We were paired with a very nice couple, the Dicarpo’s from southern Ontario. It was an enjoyable round playing with Nick and Laurene. After the round we shared a drink with them in the clubhouse and exchanged contact information. Hopefully, we will get together again for another round and maybe dinner.
Friday, April 8th, 2011
A Beach and a Fry
This is the start of our last week in Myrtle Beach. Next Friday we will be on our way home! With the sun shining brightly, I could hear the roar of the rolling waves beckoning me to come spend some time sitting under an umbrella watching the waves roll in and the children building sand castles. Off we went with Keisha in tow because she is one dog who loves the beach and the water and mostly the kids.
We spent about four hours on the beach with about ten thousand others that had the same idea but thank goodness the beach, known as the Grand Strand, stretches for miles and miles. There was ample space for everyone. This being the beginning of April, I can only imagine how occupied the beach will be in the summer months. It was a good thing that there was a nearby bar that served great Margaritas! I even had some barbecued hotdogs courtesy of Denis who volunteered to go to the trailer and prepare the lunch and bring it back to the beach. It is so convenient being a short walk from the beach, I just love it.
Ocean Lakes had a fish fry tonight and we decided to try it. It was not as good as Luc’s fish fry but it was ok. They also put on a free bingo for patrons. Not so complicated that Denis was able to play along! The bingo consisted of five games, and the prizes were bags of candies and coupons for ice cream and the prize for the last game was a limited edition 40th anniversary Ocean Lakes t-shirt and a coupon for some food. We did not win any prize but we had a good laugh.
I have posted a few pictures of our day at the beach.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
River Oaks
Monday, April 4th, 2011
Today was our first golf game since arriving back in Myrtle Beach. We were scheduled to play River Oaks. For the pass week or so the GPS has not been operating properly so we started off in the wrong direction before it finally “located satellites” and we ended up taking a circuitous trip to the course. We will have to replace the GPS soon.
The River Oaks golf course is average in quality; however, it felt good to play a normal course after spending a month on the Clerbrook course. With the exception of a strong wind, the weather was good for golfing with the temperature in the mid 70s and no clouds.
We were paired with two guys from Pennsylvania, Walt and Glen. They had stopped in Myrtle Beach for a couple of rounds of golf before heading to Augusta to take in the Wednesday practice round for the 2011 Masters. Glen had won the right to buy up to four tickets through the lottery that Augusta National holds every year. Both put in their names each year and they last attended in 2004 so like Walt said, it’s been a long dry spell. Like most avid golfers, they attested to the fact that Augusta National is the Mecca of golf courses. Even their wives who are not golfers love to visit the course with all its beauty and splendour. Maybe one day we will be so fortunate to visit the course.
Returning to the RV in late afternoon we started to be concern that we had left the awning down and the wind was intensifying. Dee checked the weather network and they were announcing a severe storm was due to hit during the night. We decided to put the awning up and secure everything around our site. Hopefully the storm will bypass us.
Today was our first golf game since arriving back in Myrtle Beach. We were scheduled to play River Oaks. For the pass week or so the GPS has not been operating properly so we started off in the wrong direction before it finally “located satellites” and we ended up taking a circuitous trip to the course. We will have to replace the GPS soon.
The River Oaks golf course is average in quality; however, it felt good to play a normal course after spending a month on the Clerbrook course. With the exception of a strong wind, the weather was good for golfing with the temperature in the mid 70s and no clouds.
We were paired with two guys from Pennsylvania, Walt and Glen. They had stopped in Myrtle Beach for a couple of rounds of golf before heading to Augusta to take in the Wednesday practice round for the 2011 Masters. Glen had won the right to buy up to four tickets through the lottery that Augusta National holds every year. Both put in their names each year and they last attended in 2004 so like Walt said, it’s been a long dry spell. Like most avid golfers, they attested to the fact that Augusta National is the Mecca of golf courses. Even their wives who are not golfers love to visit the course with all its beauty and splendour. Maybe one day we will be so fortunate to visit the course.
Returning to the RV in late afternoon we started to be concern that we had left the awning down and the wind was intensifying. Dee checked the weather network and they were announcing a severe storm was due to hit during the night. We decided to put the awning up and secure everything around our site. Hopefully the storm will bypass us.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Moving Day / Destination, Myrtle Beach
Thursday March 31st, 2011
Moving Day
Today is moving day and we couldn’t have picked a worst day to leave the resort that we have been staying at for a month. The weather going through Central Florida was like a hurricane. The lightening and thunder was continuous and the rain was pouring down so hard at times that we could barely see in front of us.
We knew this storm was coming and the day before we took the time to pack as much of our stuff as we could so that all that was left were the bins that normally are hidden underneath the outside table.
Denis was outside in his yellow rain gear disconnecting the sewer, water and cable and hooking the trailer to the truck during the lull of the storm. I inside the trailer monitoring the weather network because they were giving time frames in minutes for areas that would get hit with the storm and I would yell outside to Denis that he had six minutes, then four minutes. He would rush into the trailer to ride out the tornado force winds and rain then back outside to finish. I sat out the storm in the truck (it is my job to back it up to the hitch)so Keisha and I watched the storm in the darkness of the truck while Denis struggled with the last details of hooking. Denis was soaked and although he had clothes in the trailer it wasn’t a good idea to change out of them so he started the drive towards South Carolina soaking wet.
We had to drive about 18 miles to the town of Leesburg to drop off the cable and internet boxes that we ordered for the month. Leesburg was into this massive storm as well so I knew that it would get hit by the cell around 11:22 a.m. It was 10:30 a.m. when we left Clerbrook Golf Club and RV Resort. Not good timing.
We were just going through Leesburg towards the Comcast building where we were instructed to drop the boxes off. We made a right hand turn and could not see anything. We were in a horrendous downpour of water and the wipers couldn’t keep up for us to see. All of a sudden, I see this green thing flying towards the truck. It was a tree being ripped out of the ground and it just missed us! It fell short of the truck. Had it been a taller tree it would have hit the passenger side of the truck exactly where I was sitting. Whew - talk about dodging a bullet (or a tree!).
Denis was awesome and remained calm during this episode and we dropped off the boxes and headed towards the I-95 with Georgia on our minds. The weather settled down but we still had a raining day of travelling. After five hours of driving, we decided to stop at the Wal-Mart in Brunswick Georgia. Our first impression of Brunwixk is that it's a really pretty town and it is located just south of Savanhah. The Wal-Mart allows RVs and trailers to stay overnight in their parking lot. We were asked to setup near the garden centre and the tire centre. As the evening was fast approching we were soon joined by two other trailers and a few more and RVs arrived for the night.
There is something to be said about “comfort in numbers”. In the RV world it is called “boon docking” and even though you don’t know these people we do meet and greet and get to share our traveling experiences and there is a common bonding and some comfort knowing that you are safe with like minded travelers around.
This type of camping is great when it is just an overnight stop as you travel to your destination but its not recommended nor allowed on a regular basis as you have no water or electricity.
We had to do some grocery shopping anyway so it was the perfect spot to park for the night. Most Wal-Marts in the USA have grocery stores and sell everything. We’ve been grocery shopping at Wal-Marts since Daytona Beach.
We also picked up a roasted chicken and some potato wedges and dined by candlelight.
Friday, April 1st, 2011
Destination Myrtle Beach
We woke up early on Friday and got on the road right away. The fridge in the trailer was not operating properly on the gas setting. It worked well with the electricity but there seems to be a problem just with the gas setting. this worried Denis and he didn’t sleep well and woke up tired. I slept very well and we hit the road on a sunny Georgia morning. Two hours into the drive we finally stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast. I don’t like Waffle House or Denny’s or I-Hop. I only like Country Kitchen’s partly because they are RV friendly and the food is good. But, they are not located everywhere. So when you are hungry you take what you can get. The drive was uneventful and when we stopped for gas I drove the rest of the way into Myrtle Beach. I don’t drive often but I need to once in a while just to give Denis a break when he is tired and mainly to practice. It isn’t easy pulling a trailer. I do like it when all I have to do is drive straight and this was my main goal for the day. Just drive straight!!!! Fortunately I didn’t have to turn much. It was around 2:00 p.m. when we arrived at the Ocean Lakes Resort.
I love the city of Myrtle Beach. The shopping is wonderful, the golf courses are the best anywhere in North America and the beaches are so lovely. It is clean and pretty. In my opinion, Ocean Lakes RV resort is the BEST anywhere and we have decided the next time we come down south we will stay for an extended period.
We set up the campsite today and then went to Martin's golf store. there is a kiosk at this store that will arrange golf packages for you. Spring golf in Myrtle Beach is the biggest time of the golf season. Rounds are expensive and it is better if you look at the many packages that are available that will suit the level and the amount of golf you want to play. We are here for two weeks and we decided that we will play four rounds of golf.
We also spent some time on the beach in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day just settling in. The RV park is much busier now than when we were here in January. It is great that we are just one block to the beach and we are on a concrete pad which makes all the difference when it comes to the trailer. Clerbrook RV Resort has larger lots but they are all sand based with not much grass (more weeds than grass) and it made for a dirty place as we and especially Keisha tracked everything into the trailer.
Here at Ocean Lakes, the concrete pad makes it so much easier to keep the trailer clean. We are parked away from the beach and its all good because the wind picks up the sand and just sandblasts the RV’s.
Including the regular anemities such as heated pools, laundry facilities, recreation centre, the cost of staying here includes free 70 channel cable, Wi-Fi internet access, telephone connection with free local calls (just bring a phone with you), daily garbage pick-up at your site and 24-hour security patrols and dogs are allowed on the beach but they strickly enforce the poup and scoup regualtion which is a good thing! The bathrooms and showers facilities are very clean. You can even get propane gas delivery at your site and we even saw a mobile RV cleaning and polishing service(needed because of sandblasting). They also have a RV and awning centre where you can buy RV parts they will come to your site to service your equipment if required. Finally, you can even rent golf carts to tool around the park! We will definitely return to Ocean Lakes RV Resort again.
Moving Day
Today is moving day and we couldn’t have picked a worst day to leave the resort that we have been staying at for a month. The weather going through Central Florida was like a hurricane. The lightening and thunder was continuous and the rain was pouring down so hard at times that we could barely see in front of us.
We knew this storm was coming and the day before we took the time to pack as much of our stuff as we could so that all that was left were the bins that normally are hidden underneath the outside table.
Denis was outside in his yellow rain gear disconnecting the sewer, water and cable and hooking the trailer to the truck during the lull of the storm. I inside the trailer monitoring the weather network because they were giving time frames in minutes for areas that would get hit with the storm and I would yell outside to Denis that he had six minutes, then four minutes. He would rush into the trailer to ride out the tornado force winds and rain then back outside to finish. I sat out the storm in the truck (it is my job to back it up to the hitch)so Keisha and I watched the storm in the darkness of the truck while Denis struggled with the last details of hooking. Denis was soaked and although he had clothes in the trailer it wasn’t a good idea to change out of them so he started the drive towards South Carolina soaking wet.
We had to drive about 18 miles to the town of Leesburg to drop off the cable and internet boxes that we ordered for the month. Leesburg was into this massive storm as well so I knew that it would get hit by the cell around 11:22 a.m. It was 10:30 a.m. when we left Clerbrook Golf Club and RV Resort. Not good timing.
We were just going through Leesburg towards the Comcast building where we were instructed to drop the boxes off. We made a right hand turn and could not see anything. We were in a horrendous downpour of water and the wipers couldn’t keep up for us to see. All of a sudden, I see this green thing flying towards the truck. It was a tree being ripped out of the ground and it just missed us! It fell short of the truck. Had it been a taller tree it would have hit the passenger side of the truck exactly where I was sitting. Whew - talk about dodging a bullet (or a tree!).
Denis was awesome and remained calm during this episode and we dropped off the boxes and headed towards the I-95 with Georgia on our minds. The weather settled down but we still had a raining day of travelling. After five hours of driving, we decided to stop at the Wal-Mart in Brunswick Georgia. Our first impression of Brunwixk is that it's a really pretty town and it is located just south of Savanhah. The Wal-Mart allows RVs and trailers to stay overnight in their parking lot. We were asked to setup near the garden centre and the tire centre. As the evening was fast approching we were soon joined by two other trailers and a few more and RVs arrived for the night.
There is something to be said about “comfort in numbers”. In the RV world it is called “boon docking” and even though you don’t know these people we do meet and greet and get to share our traveling experiences and there is a common bonding and some comfort knowing that you are safe with like minded travelers around.
This type of camping is great when it is just an overnight stop as you travel to your destination but its not recommended nor allowed on a regular basis as you have no water or electricity.
We had to do some grocery shopping anyway so it was the perfect spot to park for the night. Most Wal-Marts in the USA have grocery stores and sell everything. We’ve been grocery shopping at Wal-Marts since Daytona Beach.
We also picked up a roasted chicken and some potato wedges and dined by candlelight.
Friday, April 1st, 2011
Destination Myrtle Beach
We woke up early on Friday and got on the road right away. The fridge in the trailer was not operating properly on the gas setting. It worked well with the electricity but there seems to be a problem just with the gas setting. this worried Denis and he didn’t sleep well and woke up tired. I slept very well and we hit the road on a sunny Georgia morning. Two hours into the drive we finally stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast. I don’t like Waffle House or Denny’s or I-Hop. I only like Country Kitchen’s partly because they are RV friendly and the food is good. But, they are not located everywhere. So when you are hungry you take what you can get. The drive was uneventful and when we stopped for gas I drove the rest of the way into Myrtle Beach. I don’t drive often but I need to once in a while just to give Denis a break when he is tired and mainly to practice. It isn’t easy pulling a trailer. I do like it when all I have to do is drive straight and this was my main goal for the day. Just drive straight!!!! Fortunately I didn’t have to turn much. It was around 2:00 p.m. when we arrived at the Ocean Lakes Resort.
I love the city of Myrtle Beach. The shopping is wonderful, the golf courses are the best anywhere in North America and the beaches are so lovely. It is clean and pretty. In my opinion, Ocean Lakes RV resort is the BEST anywhere and we have decided the next time we come down south we will stay for an extended period.
We set up the campsite today and then went to Martin's golf store. there is a kiosk at this store that will arrange golf packages for you. Spring golf in Myrtle Beach is the biggest time of the golf season. Rounds are expensive and it is better if you look at the many packages that are available that will suit the level and the amount of golf you want to play. We are here for two weeks and we decided that we will play four rounds of golf.
We also spent some time on the beach in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day just settling in. The RV park is much busier now than when we were here in January. It is great that we are just one block to the beach and we are on a concrete pad which makes all the difference when it comes to the trailer. Clerbrook RV Resort has larger lots but they are all sand based with not much grass (more weeds than grass) and it made for a dirty place as we and especially Keisha tracked everything into the trailer.
Here at Ocean Lakes, the concrete pad makes it so much easier to keep the trailer clean. We are parked away from the beach and its all good because the wind picks up the sand and just sandblasts the RV’s.
Including the regular anemities such as heated pools, laundry facilities, recreation centre, the cost of staying here includes free 70 channel cable, Wi-Fi internet access, telephone connection with free local calls (just bring a phone with you), daily garbage pick-up at your site and 24-hour security patrols and dogs are allowed on the beach but they strickly enforce the poup and scoup regualtion which is a good thing! The bathrooms and showers facilities are very clean. You can even get propane gas delivery at your site and we even saw a mobile RV cleaning and polishing service(needed because of sandblasting). They also have a RV and awning centre where you can buy RV parts they will come to your site to service your equipment if required. Finally, you can even rent golf carts to tool around the park! We will definitely return to Ocean Lakes RV Resort again.
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