A Tale of Two Beaches

Lee and I are not the kind of people that sit on the beach all day, but we do like to walk on beaches.  I wanted to see Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, because of all the hype, so off we went from Charleston.

It was not what I expected.  I envisioned broad expanses of green golf courses next to broad beaches.  But the golf courses are inland, separated from the beaches by dozens of miniature golf courses and amusement parks.  It seems there are the beach people and the golf course people, and they don't necessarily overlap.

The other thing that surprised me was the canyon created by highrise hotels right on the beach.  It's bizarre, I think.  Plus the hotels pretty much destroy the dunes.  I guess, in a way, they act as dunes but they aren't as pretty.  On the other side of the street are stores, restaurants, and amusement parks.  I would have to say it was more tacky then I expected.  But that's okay.  Now that I know what Myrtle Beach is all about, I would probably not return.  Athough, Murrell's Inlet and Pawley's Island, both south of Myrtle Beach, looked interesting.  In each place we have stopped along the way, there has always been more to see than we had time for!

   

Our campground was south of most of the highrises, and our motorhome was within steps of the beach, which was a very nice beach, I have to admit.  On Friday night, there was hardly anyone on the beach.

The next day, Saturday, there were more people.  Although the day started out cold, it warmed up quickly and was hot by Sunday.

We shared the beach with several of our smallest of the terns, the least tern:

Our next stop was Emerald Isle, North Carolina, a barrier island near Beaufort.

And why did we decide on the Emerald Isle?  It was north, in the general direction we were headed; we had never been there before and knew nothing about it; I liked the name; and the main reason, the campground there received a rating of 10/10/10 in the Good Sam camping directory.  Yes, we wanted to see what a 10/10/10 campground was like.  And the final reason, the best of all, because we could! Ha!

The campground was very nice.  All sites were grass, and we were steps away from the dunes.  On Emerald Isle, people seemed to be very aware of the importance of dunes.  All buildings were on the back side of the dunes, and wooden steps up and over the tops of the dunes were built to protect them.  People are beginning to understand the importance of dunes, especially in hurricane-prone areas.  The vegetation protects the dunes, and the dunes protect against storm surges.

Nice beach!!  It was a little windy though in the afternoons, much like Kitty Hawk which is further north, but gorgeous!  This is the beach where, as I walked along collecting trash (as I always do), I found a $20 bill and no one around to claim it.  I kept it, deciding that it was karma's way of paying me for helping out.

Emerald Isle has a recent history.  Algonquin Indians lived here hundreds of years ago.  The first white inhabitants were fifteen families of whalers.  In the early 1900's, a wealthy man from Philadelphia purchased the western half of the island, hoping to develop it, but it never quite happened.  Finally, in the 1950's a group of seven investors purchased the island and created ordinances that would not allow buildings over a certain height.  Today, it is mostly beach houses that populate the island, and, as noted above, the dunes are methodically protected.  It is a relatively quiet place, especially compared to Myrtle Beach.  In terms of beach destinations, the two locations are as opposite as can be.

The barrier island has a very nice aquarium, one of several state aquariums.  It is small, but attractive and informative.

These alligators are real, and relatively young.  You can tell by the yellow stripes which fade away as the alligators age.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the museum is that it was not crowded, and I could get right next to the glass and see the animals close up, even the less attractive ones.

And more friendly ones:

Have you ever seen the eye of a lobster this close?

Or the lionfish?  The lionfish, by the way, is the non-native that is taking over in the Caribbean.

There was a wonderful exhibit of three male river otters that were incredibly active while we were there.  I have never seen such a playful group! Click here for a video of the otters.

Behind the museum was a boardwalk and small inlet that provided shelter for small fish and wetland birds.  It was a beautiful spot.

Lee took a few photos of birds that are worth including.  Below are two greater yellowlegs and a tri-colored heron.

Here is a closeup of the greater yellowlegs:

And yet another white ibis.  I didn't realize they could be found this far north.

Note to kayakers: the bay between the mainland and barrier island looks perfect for kayaking! 

As I said, we never have enough time to see everything.  North of Emerald Isle is the town of Beaufort, which I would have loved to see.  It seems to be a smaller version of Charleston, with the added bonus of a home once lived in by Blackbeard the pirate!  But I have a basic philosophy of not rushing around to see everything, but rather focusing on a few things and getting to know them well.  It seems more sensible to me.