When the Going gets Tough, the Tough get Going to the Beach

When I changed jobs in March, I knew that we would not be able to take our usual summer vacation, but as the company I had been working for was struggling and things looked grim, I took the new job offer. We planned things out and realized it would be October before I had accrued a week of paid vacation, so we planned accordingly. The beach in October, you exclaim. Sure, why not? Milder temp and enjoyable surroundings with no crowds.

I was laid-off from the new job two weeks before the scheduled vacation (coincidence? I wonder). So with plans in place and no scheduled interviews in the immediate works, we headed to Myrtle Beach, SC. I-85 North, I-20 East, I-95 South, I think we drove every interstate that possibly exist in the state of Georgia and South Carolina and despite the directions were given by a family friend that owns a house in Myrtle Beach and despite that the South Carolina Welcome Center was also passing out directions to Myrtle Beach that matched, it sure seemed odd at times to be traveling west when the final destination was east. But after about 6.5 hours in the cage, we arrived.

I had never been to Myrtle Beach, despite they have an annual bike week event and the band Alabama has mentioned it for years. So, I was unaware that the name is actually and old spanish term that means Minature Golf. Evidentally city and county ordinances require a minature golf course every block. When you ride down Hwy 17 and realize how long the highway ride from North Myrtle Beach to Myrtle Beach actually is, the number of minature golf courses is staggering.


Not wanting to offend the city and county founding fathers, we ventured out and began to try to decide on which course was the one we should play. Despite staying on a really nice Golf Course, minature really is more our playing caliber. My wife settled on MayDay Golf in North Myrtle Beach. I am not sure how she made the final selection, but I do know she ruled out the molten lava flowing location just on appearance from the roadway at 35 mph.

Much to our surprise, we found it to be one of the nicest landscaped minature golf courses that we have ever seen. Everywhere you looked there were blooming flowers, and well maintained shrubbery. I also have to commend them for the cleanest bathrooms of the entire trip. The State Welcome center could take a lesson :)

Of course we made the obligatory two to three walks on the beach a day and collected shells. We both polished off a couple of good books and we hunted down a couple of good places to eat. If you're ever in the area for Bike Week or whatever and you like seafood, drop by Captain Poo's Blue Marlin Yacht and Fishing Club in Little River at the Marina (North Myrtle Beach's best kept secret).