Piper's Blog
Just One More Person's Thoughts Cluttering Up the NetMyrtle Beach Adventures Club
Ben and I thought it would be a good idea to try to capture all of our vacations in journal form like we did for the Hocking Hills Chronicles. Our summer adventure started on 6/24 and today is 6/27 so I am a little behind but will quickly catch up.
The Players:Â Steve Henke and Gina Berila (*now engaged!*), Andy and Nicole, Dusty and Sammy, Yost, Ben and me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~6/24~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday was a big day. I had an ultrasound (*I’ve been having some tummy troubles*), then went to work, then went home to finish packing, and THEN went to the rendevous location of Steve’s house. After Yost, Andy and Nicole, and Gina arrived we loaded up Tonka and Andy’s car and were on our way. Dusty and Sammy weren’t with us yet because they left before us to go to a family reunion in Tennesee and would catch up with us later this trip. Our first stop was a Cracker Barrel and I thought it was a great first meal to our trip. Afterward, I took some Dramamine and was pretty much out of it for the rest of the night. We stopped in Virginia at about 2:30 AM at a Best Western to recharge for the next leg of the trip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~6/25~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 2 of traveling. We all managed to be up and about in a good time and were back on the road with McDonald’s in hand by about 10:00 AM! The scenery was goreous and we tried to take pictures of the mountains but it was a little tricky in a moving vehicle. One of the MOST excited things was traveling past billboards showcasing yummy peaches, peach ice cream, and peach cobbler! I wanted to go so bad but Ben said maybe on the way back. I’m a litlle worried that we won’t make it though because our GPS was acting strange when we got to the Carolinas so I’m not sure we can refind the peach stand. 
 Anywho, when we were only about an hour away from Myrtle beach we stopped at ANOTHER McDonalds for a snack. Needless to say we declared no more McDonals for a little while LOL. Sadly, traffic getting into the beach area was AWFUL and it extended our journey by about 2 hours. Yuck.
We arrived at the main office for the rental house and they promptly gave us the keys and directions. The house was easy to find and is nestled at the end of a private drive. The inside looks like it is from an HGTV episode! Fantastic country cottage with some modern touches. Ben and I got the master bedroom (*which we thought was fitting because we were the only married couple here 
*) After we unloaded the vehicles, Ben and I went to my parents Holiday Inn hotel to eat and get our 2011 family reunion t-shirts. They were so happy to see us!
The familly reunion was in Myrtle Beach State Park and it was amazing that it was right in the middle of everything but felt so secluded and quiet.
-Talk about gma
-Talk about boardwalk, beach, pier
-Talk about cousin (Hans, Roger, Jade, Mary)
-Talk about first night on the closed in porch drinking wine and talking with Ben, Gina, Steve, Yost stayed up to 2:00
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~6/26~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Successsful yummy breakfast followed by a trip to the beach
-At beach for 3 to 4 hours. Perfect day. Talked with the girls and read
-Got cleaned up to go to late lunch at Sticky Fingers REALLY YUMMY
-Went to Cold Stone Creamery for dessert the cake batter really does tast like cake. Love it!
-Piggly Wiggly adventure for wine, Sunday night snacks, and breakfast fixins
-Watched the Guild sesaon 1 and 2
-Dusty and Sammy arrived
-Went to beach at dusk
-Finished Guild 2 and started Blazing Saddles
-bed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~6/27~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All caught up and will write about the day after it is over!
-went to local beach shop. bought awesome hat and pirate necklace
-went back to the house and dressed for the beach!
-jumped in the waves for a while and then sat under my fortress
-went back to the house before everyone to get cleaned up and start a midday lunch/snack of pizza bites and spinach dip
-gina and i went to the store while the men went to get meat and liquor. they met up with us at the store
-had amazing burgers and hot dogs for dinner
-the girls watched wedding daze and the boys played cards
-i think guild 3 was watched
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~6/28~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-i woke up to drive ben yost adn steve to golf
-went back to bed
-got cleaned up and gina and i went to explore myrtle beach proper. went to the gay dolphin and landshark
-picked up the boys and went to get liquor (*finally bought that nuvo pink stuff that looks like perfume*)
-went to Badd Kitty for a laugh adn gina and i got sleazy little tank tops
-went to buy steak
-returned to the house to start the bbq chicken for dinner
-watched the guild 4
-gina cleaned kitchen and I tried to make side dishes of rice and carrots
-had piperitas and that nuvo stuff which made for a fun Uno game
-watched a little of Jim Gaffigan before everyone got sleepy and went to bed
(*It is now October 13 and I haven’t finished this entry and I’m mad at myself for letting so much time pass that I forgot more details but i will finish up what i DO remember.*)
6/29
I DO remember that Wednesday was a big day. Â We went to Ripley’s Aquarium and I loved it. Â They had a really neat exhibit about sharks and I touched a horseshoe crab! Â Unfortunately Nicole wasn’t feeling too great so Dusty, Sammy, Andy, and she went back to the house.
The rest of us went to a neat seafood restaurant called Pier 19 because it was on Pier 19. Â It was perfect! More local and authentic than a Red Lobster but not so fancy we were underdressed. Â Gina and I shared a bottle of wine. Â I had delicious stuffed flounder. Â After we ate we perused the attached gift shop and then went out on the pier. Â It was really windy but a beautiful night.
That night there were fireworks on the beach so after the seafood dinner we walked to an old school ice cream shoppe and then found a good spot on the beach. Â My favorite firework was a smilely face that accidentally was exploded upside down. Â 
6/30 -
I think this was the day that Gina and I went to get massages and mani/pedi’s at a local spa.  I had never had an hour long Swedish massage before and it was truly amazing.  I was so relaxed and my body felt great.  The masseuse was a really neat older woman who discovered she loved giving massages and making people feel better when she was around 40.  So, a little bit of a late bloomer but somewhat of an icon to me because it is never too late to find and do what you love.  I loved the color I picked for my nails it was OPI Ski Teal You Drop.  (*now I own a very similar color *)
While the women were getting pampered, Yost, Steve, and Ben went for a helicopter ride out over the ocean. Â They took some neat pictures!
Friday and Saturday were more quiet and relaxing. Â I think Ben and I went on our great watch hunting adventure. Â We wanted to go to a Fossil store but it has moved out of the shopping center we were checking so we made some calls and found another one in an up and coming neighborhood. Â We both bought watches and wear them almost everyday.
The trip home was long but I DID get to stop at a great peach stand for homemade peach ice cream. Â It was truly amazing!
On the way back there was quite a back up going into the tunnels of West Virginia. Â Dustin and Andy’s cars were stuck for hours in Virginia. Â The best quote of the trip was receiving a text from Dusty saying, “I’M GOING TO NUKE VIRGINIA!”
When we arrived in Cleveland there was a particularly bad lightning storm. Â I had never seen that much lightning at once NOR have it somewhat hang in the air for as long as it did. Â It was as if someone was breaking the sky and there were stress fractures.
(*Well that is all I can remember but if I ever think of something else I will add it.*)
The End.
Tags: Myrtle Beach, Vacation
The Hocking Hills Chronicles
~*~*~Sunday~*~*~
Ben, Revan, and I arrived at our Getaway Cabin in Hocking Hills. After completely moving all of our stuff into the cabin and finally sitting down to catch our breath, we were able to explore our new BEAUTIFUL home for the next 5 nights and days. The cabin is called “The Shawnee” and is set back into the woods. It isn’t far from other cabins but we can’t see any of them so it does create the feeling of being totally secluded. Probably my favorite discovery at the cabin was finding the the game and puzzle stash in the coffee table. There is a lit “feeding station” outside where one can put food out to see if deer come to eat at night and food is sold at the front office. Ben and I definitely bought enough food for us to enjoy the wildlife for the rest of the week. I feel as though there will be fat animals loafing around in the forest…
For our first night in we are having Mexican Hamburger Helper. Hopefully, there will be enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
I set up the XBox and of course the TV is a little too out of focus for us to truly enjoy it. I managed to make it a little better if we want to play single player games but there will be no movie watching or killing marathons.
Tonight, we are going to plan some of our activities for the next week whilst soaking in the hot tub!!!!
~*~*~Monday~*~*~
Ben and I woke up excited to go kayaking. But, we knew we needed to run to Wal-mart for water shoes and a swimsuit (because I forgot mine). We couldn’t find water shoes at Wally World so we went next door to a Shoe Show and both ended up getting Tevas. LOL Now we are shoe buddies!
Sadly, when we got to the kayak place it was closed and won’t be open until Wednesday. Oh well…it gives us something to look forward to later.
We went home for a quick lunch (we did have those leftovers) and to pick up Revan. We traveled to Cedar Falls, Old Man Cave, and Lower Falls. There were lots of stairs and Revan kept running ahead and looking back at us like we were slowpokes. Of course, all the little girls we passed LOVED Revan and called him a baby puppy. He is sort of a Hocking Hills rockstar!
After a quick dip in the hot tub, Ben made hummingbird nectar to put in a feeder that was here. Then we had delicious brats we brought here from Miller’s Meats in Findlay. I took a nap and then woke up to bake some cookies.
Going to go read some before bed. Couldn’t ask for a better first full vacation! Ben has been so sweet and I’m so happy we finally took the time to honeymoon together.
~*~*~Tuesday~*~*~
We tried to get an early start to beat the heat and people at Ash Cave and Rock House. It definitely worked! Ash Cave is absolutely staggering in sheer size and stillness. It felt like you had stepped into a time machine and were discovering the perfect location to house your tribe. On the way to Rock House, we stopped by the Ash Cave Fire Tower. Ben was brave and climbed almost to the top, while I decided to stay on the ground. There was a small field full of butterflies next to the fire tower. Ben claimed that the butterflies were taunting him because they kept flying close and landing, but then running away right when he tried to take a picture. He managed to capture some…just barely.
Rock House was the trickiest spot to get to. It was all steep switchbacks down hill and then an open staircase carved into the rock. It was rather daunting but worth it! The cave wasn’t big (*granted we didn’t continue on the path, there could have been more*) but it was easy to stand in and move around. A flock of pigeons decided to make it their home. When a bunch of pigeons coo at once it sorta sounds like a large animal is growling.
We decided to have lunch at a local favorite tourist spot called Grandma Faye’s. It was a small deli, general store, and souvenir shop. We bought some local wine and will try it with dinner tomorrow.
For lunch dessert, we went to another tourist spot for ice cream. It was much smaller than Faye’s, but you could order soft serve ice cream and have flavor syrups blended into it. I had white cake batter and Ben had cheesecake!
We went back to the cabin for a dip in the hot tub followed by a nap.
Ben then grilled some scrumptious chicken for dinner which we ate on our deck. Dinner was followed by a nice walk around our cabin area. A black cat, named Misty, that lives in the area and is a bit of a celebrity RAN to us when we were about to start the trail. Ben and I said hi to her and petted her and then preceded to walk on. Well, she followed us! She kept pace with us for a while then began to slow down. We called to her and she ran ahead of us and promptly threw herself on the ground for us to pet her some more! We did….then moved on again. She kept following until we could tell she was a little unsure. Then I picked her up and carried her for a long time. Ben spotted a deer and the three of us were still. Ben with his arm around me and me holding Misty. LOL! It was too cute. The deer ran away and we continued on our journey. Misty got tired of being held when we were close to the end of our trip but she did stay with us to the end. One sad thing though was that she did sort of try to follow us towards our cabin but she didn’t cry or try to come in or anything.
Ben and I ended the day back in the hot tub because it was such a gorgeous night! This has been my favorite day thus far!
~*~*~Wednesday~*~*~
Today was all about the kayaking. Due to the trip to Wal-mart earlier in the week for all our kayaking stuff, we were already prepared for leaving! We woke up, got dressed, and left! (*After morning bagels of course.*) I also think the cat Misty slept on top of our truck because there were little paw prints on the windshield. We received a discount at the kayak place, Hocking Hills Canoe Livery, because it had been closed the past two days. So YAY! It was nice getting there right when the place opened because there was no waiting. We got our paddles/lifevests and then immediately went to the vans that take you to the launch site. We were the first group launched that day! Ben and I quickly paddled ahead of the group and lost them.
We got to be alone on the river almost the entire time. It was so pleasant! The river is a little shallow though and you tend to get stuck on the bottom a lot. Also, because the current isn’t very strong you end up paddling the whole way and use a lot of energy. Sometimes you just wanna coast ya know? We stopped once along the way for a local photo op called the Rock Bridge. You have to hike a little from the river but it was well worth it. It looked like something in Lord of the Rings.
When we walked back to the river, a family that had launched with us but was in a canoe arrived. Ben helped them get to shore because they were having trouble getting onto the bank. Isn’t Ben dreamy?
Anywho, the only other notable thing about the kayak trip was that we accidentally stopped at a different canoe/kayak livery. We thought it was the end of our trip. Well, I fell getting out of the kayak. Ben and I were sort of annoyed because the “dock” was extraordinarily difficult to get to, it was hard to get out of the river, and no one was around to help. It was asking for someone to fall. It wasn’t serious and all I have are bruises but it was still frustrating. Once we confirmed that this was the wrong place, we got back in our kayaks and paddled the 1/3 of a mile to our place. It was a night and day difference! You can easily paddle right onto the FLAT bank and there was a man to help everyone. So if anyone reads this and goes to Hocking Hills, you need to use the Hocking Hills Canoe Livery and NOT the Hocking Valley Canoe Livery.
We stopped by a Christmas store, Candle store, and Wind Chime store on the way back to the cabin. Of the three, the wind chime store was the most interesting and fun. They was a wind chime set the size of me!
We got to the cabin and had a dip in the hot tub (*as usual*). We ran to the office to get some DVD’s for the coming nights and returned to the cabin for a nap. Now, we are getting ready to have our dinner of crackers, meat, cheese, and the local wine (Raven’s Glenn) we bought yesterday.
Tomorrow, we were going to do more exciting things! BUT, seeing as it’s our last day, we kinda just wanna sit and do nothing. So we are going to hang out at the cabin and enjoy each others company.
~*~*~Thursday~*~*~
We did exactly what we said we would. We had a nice time staying in the cabin. Ben played Starcraft II and I read my book. Ben grilled some delicious steak (*again from Miller’s Meats*) for dinner. We watched a movie, Evan Almighty, then soaked in the hot tub under the stars. We talked about our favorite parts of the trip and had the perfect ending to a perfect vacation.
~*~*~Friday~*~*~
Got up! Cleaned up! Left!
Tags: Cabin, Canoe, HHCL, Hocking Hills, Hocking Hills Canoe Livery, Hocking Valley Canoe Livery, HVCL, Kayak, Raven's Glenn Wine, Vacation