Huntington Beach State Park.....and COLD Weather!

We made a quick trip down to Myrtle Beach in January while we were having a little spurt of warmer weather.  We had reservations at Huntington Beach State Park. We have visited this park many times but never camped here.  It is a beautiful campground with lots of trees, wildlife, trails and more. Of course the beach is the main attraction here and it is absolutely beautiful.

Unfortunately the day we left home, it was rainy but that normally doesn't slow us down.  When we arrived at the campground it was so dark and we had a little trouble finding our site.  After rounding all of the loops about 10 times I talked Greg into talking to one of the campground hosts.  They were awesome and actually had an extra site map that we used and quickly found the spot.  The temperatures had dropped considerably and getting into our site in the cold rain with me on flashlight duty was not exactly fun.  However, it made our cozy little camper with some tasty homemade vegetable soup that much more appealing.  Those frozen meals sure do come in handy.  Miss Lucy was so happy to snuggle and get warm.  She did good on the ride down but as always it's not her favorite thing to do. I can't recommend the car seat and seat belt enough for those who have puppers who don't like riding in cars.  It keeps her from pacing and climbing all over the car.  The most important part of this is the seat belt clip.  We clip it to her harness and she is safe and sound. 

The next morning it was beautiful and sunny although very cold and brisk outside.  I'll take dry cold any day.  Miss Lucy stayed behind in the warm camper while we ventured out and about.  We rode down to an RV store and looked at a little larger camper made by Gulf Stream and checked out the Vintage again as well.  Sadly neither can match the quality of craftsmanship of the Retro so we will be working to figure out how we will order one when we are ready to move up to a bigger size.  The closest place to find one near us is Florida.  I surely don't mind venturing down that way to camper shop.  (Big smile!)  We are thinking 180 or in the 190 range but we are researching models before we make a decision.

Next we dropped off the deposit for a summer rental for the family vacation in July.  There are 10 of us and by then we will be 11 when our sweet little Grandson will have arrived.  We plan to take Little Red and we will use that space as necessary.

For dinner that night we rode down to Murrels Inlet where we found many of our favorite restaurants were closed until February or March.  We didn't think of that as we haven't been to this area in January before.  We finally found a great choice - Wahoo Fish House.  Oh my gosh - this restaurant was excellent.  It has a very cozy rustic atmosphere and we were able to sit on the side by the water and watch wildlife as we ate.  The food was excellent and we enjoyed every bite with the exception of the few morsels we saved for Lucy Loo.  I ordered the seared scallops over cheese grits and Greg had a stuffed fish special that they featured that night.  Although this restaurant was a little more expensive that we would normally try, it was well worth it.  We thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

We will definitely visit this campground again when it's warmer.  The only drawback we saw is that many of the sites don't have shade so you will need to choose wisely in the summer months.  There are shady spots available.  This is a great campground for all ages and is very senior friendly.  The bathhouses were clean and well kept.  WIFI is available and this state park is pet friendly. They have a very nice gift shop and store with a gigantic Adirondack chair out front which makes a great picture prop.  This park is also the home of a National Historic Landmark, Atalaya, the winter home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington.  There is an arts festival held here each year in September.  If you like the Myrtle Beach area, I would put this one on your bucket list for sure.

December Trip Planned

 Well - we have booked our December trip and I am so excited!  We plan to roll down to Myrtle Beach and camp at Myrtle Beach State Park and Campground!   I haven't been to this campground in many years and we have never camped there before.  I remember it as being fairly rustic but I'm sure much of it has changed over the years.  The exciting part about this area in December is that they do Christmas really big and we hope to get lots of shopping done while we are there.  I am working on some little Christmas Decorations for the camper too.  Pictures to come.

Additionally this will be our first time ever camping with a full hook-up.  I for one am really looking forward to trying that.  Hubby is excited not to have to dump the gray water so often.   We will let you know how that goes and I know other Retro owners do this regularly and it does make life easier.

Another great thing about visiting our beaches in fall and winter is that the bug population has moved on and you can stroll the beautiful shores with a sweater.  It is awesome and we love that time of the year on the beach.  A camp fire is that much better when there is a chill in the air.

Check this campground out if you are ever in the area.  As with all of state campgrounds, the cost is just so reasonable and makes camping that much more affordable. The pier here is a must see experience.  This picture was taken at sunrise on the beach.  There is also the Snowbird Coastal Camping Specials ~ more info on this on the site linked above.

More to come.....