Monday, January 28, 2013

Go There Adventure

Welcome to Go There Adventure! My name is Mark, and I am looking forward to sharing my adventures with you.  I also hope to share some helpful tips along the way. I'll begin with a little about myself. I am married and have three children…two adventurous boys and a beautiful girl.  They love exploring and making the most of life.  They are all under 10 years old. We live in Myrtle Beach, SC.


Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand offer a plethera of activities from enjoying a consistently calm ocean for swimming/relaxing, a nice Boardwalk that streches for 1.2 miles with restaurants, gamerooms, giftshops and host to a variety of summertime concerts. It is also home to the Skywheel, a 187 foot tall ferris wheel.  When it was built in 2011, it was tallest wheel in the United States east of the Mississippi River. The Skywheel has 42 glass-enclosed, temperature controlled gondolas that seat six.





There are also jet ski rentals, pier and offshore fishing adventures to fill your day.   Something that I really enjoy doing with family and friends is kayaking in Murrells Inlet. 

 
By kayak or boat you can explore the beautiful inlet side beaches of Huntington Beach State Park.  You can observe birds, crabs, and baitfish...or just sit back and watch the other boaters on a busy summer afternoon...  If you happen to be here in the off season, you could claim the beach as your own!
 
 

You might also catch a glimpse of dolphins and sea turtles swimming in the inlet and protected waters of the estuaries.  So, pack a cooler with some drinks and sandwiches, grab your camera, put on a swimsuit, and find out what is so Grand about the Grand Strand!
  


The picture on the right is an area where we like to anchor the boat or land the kayaks. It's a great place to let the kids dive off the boat or float the coastline with their lifejackets on...natures version of the Lazy River.

 

Living here also allows us to enjoy a wide range of adventures within a close proximity to home such as Charleston including her beautiful Harbor, Fort Sumter, Patriots Point and picturesque homes of Rainbow Row.
One of our favorite weekend trips to Charleston was to watch the Blue Angels performing an Air Show over the harbor at Patriots Point.  At Patriots Point, you can tour the USS Yorktown, a WW2 Essex-class Aircraft Carrier which served in the Pacific Theater. She also served as a recovery ship for the Apollo 8 space mission and used in the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!
You can also tour the USS Laffey, a destroyer and the USS Clamagore, a submarine at Patriots Point. There is a nice gift shop here as well.


 



I'm originally from the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, born in Elizabeth City.  My Mom and Dad were living at Cape Hatteras where my Dad pastored a church on the island.

The view from atop the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is spectacular. As you look out into the Graveyard of the Atlantic, you try to imagine what it was like for the many ships that were lost on these treacherous waters.  Then imagine the vessels and lives that were saved by the lighthouse! You are also in Blackbeard country!  If you close your eyes and listen closely you can almost hear the explosions and smell the smoke from the cannon fire.

While on the Outer Banks, or OBX as its called, be sure to go to Kitty Hawk and visit the Wright Brothers museum. Also make the time to go to Jockey's Ridge and watch the hangliders or roll down the dunes. The OBX is a great family Go There Adv'nture destination whether you desire to land some fish while surf fishing, taking in The Lost Colony Play in Manteo, or if you just want to go lighthouse hopping. So what are you waiting for?

I've also lived in Texas and Tennessee along the way and have experienced much of those states as well.


 
So, From the Coast of the Carolinas




to the wide open skies of west Texas and the Big Bend area,                                                        



to San Antonio home of the Alamo (which happens to be one of my favorite cities),
to the Golden Gate of San Francisco,
I will share my thoughts, likes, and places of interest along the way. My hope is to bring to life cities that you may never visit or to assist in your own personal journey.
What will be your next "Go There" Adventure?

4 comments:

  1. Very nice Mark. It is appealing, interesting and informative. I am looking forward to more installments.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Dad. I look forward to adding more exciting posts along the way. I really enjoy the adventures we share and plan on posting those as an inspiration to others.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like this. It looks really good! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lydia. There's more on the way. It's fun for me because it brings back memories of the excitement, especially amongst the children. Plus I hope it will be helpful to anyone that plans on a trip to any of these locations. I know there are things that I would do differently when I go again but some learning is experiential. :)

      Delete