Signs We're Moving North

We've seen a few things in the last couple of days that tell us we are definitely moving north: (1) yesterday we saw a loon in the ICW soon after we left McClellanville; (2) today we saw Canadian geese in the ICW as we approached the Myrtle Beach, SC area; and (3) after annoying us this morning, the love bugs disappeared from the boat.  Best. News. Ever. The strange thing though, is that when we were walking the beach today, we saw millions of dead love bugs washed up on shore. Sorry about the next photo, but the former crime scene photographer in me would not be denied.

Love bug crime scene?

The landscape has been transitioning from grassy marshland to cypress swamps along the Waccamaw River. Last evening we stayed at a marina on Pawley's Island.  Although associated with a rather grand housing development and golf course, the marina felt very "away from it all" and we were treated to a gorgeous sunset over the river.

Beautiful river cruising today as we made our way to the resort area of Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.  The banks were thickly lined with trees, the osprey were nesting everywhere, and for a while it was easy to forget how close we were to a relatively populated area of South Carolina.

Waccamaw River

As we started seeing more signs of people, houses ranged from modest to huge. And because Myrtle Beach is a big golfing mecca, it seems only natural that one of the local courses--Waterway Hills Golf Club--would come complete with something literally "over-the-top":  a tram system to bring their golfers from the parking lot on one side of the ICW to the golf course on the opposite side.

Golf course parking shuttle

This afternoon and evening has been all about trying to relax. Lon is currently working, but this afternoon we took a quick bike ride to the beach (heavily developed with condos and hotels, but the water was great for wading), then had an early dinner. I'm fighting a case of laryngitis that I probably picked up during our trip to Minnesota last week, so R & R seems like the best medicine for me. Tomorrow we enter North Carolina.

Barefoot Marina

Dinner at Dirty Don's Oyster Bar & Grill

Pat on Windy Hill Beach