We decided to take a break from the beach on our third day of vacation (even though the girls would have been quite content spending our entire trip there). We gave them the choice of visiting either Ripley’s Aquarium or Alligator Adventure. They decided on Alligator Adventure since we had never been to an alligator park before. It was pretty cool seeing all of the alligators and other animals up close, but it was a very hot and humid day, so we ended up staying for only a couple of hours.
The girls had fun playing in the sand on our second day at the beach.
The resort we stayed at had several different pools and hot tubs, including 2 lazy rivers. This one was quite narrow, so the girls made up a “bumper boat” game.
A nighttime walk along the shore the night we arrived turned more into a dip in the ocean. Is it obvious that the girls can’t wait to play in the ocean? Especially Megan!
Our first day at the beach was overcast, but in never rained. The temperature stayed in the low 90’s the whole week we were there, and it never rained once. I can’t remember the last trip I took where it never rained at all. The humidity fogged up the lens in some of our pictures.
The girls had fun catching mole crabs as they tried to burry themselves into the sand during low tide.
Megan and Alyssa catching some waves on the boogie board:
Our final stop on the way to Myrtle Beach was at Lost World Caverns in West Virginia. It is an expansive underground cave which remains at a constant 52 degrees year round. On our self-guided walking tour we got to see several unique formations – stalagmites, stalactites, underground waterfalls… We can now also say that we visited the home of “Bat boy”, the fictitious character created by Weekly World News in 1992.
Our next stop was at a roadside attraction called Mystery Hole. It is in West Virginia, as well. I found out about it online when I was searching for places to visit on the way to Myrtle Beach, and it sounded intriguing to both me and the girls. Their website describes it as a weird, offbeat attraction where the laws of gravity seem to have gone berserk. No cameras or recording devices are allowed inside, which only adds to the mystery of the attraction, and it is recommended that people who suffer from vertigo or high blood pressure not partake in the tour. Needless to say, we were pretty pumped to experience the Mystery Hole.
As soon as we got into the “hole” I became very dizzy. It is the same feeling I get from riding amusement park rides that spin you around, or roller coasters that have loops. This was weird, though, because I was just standing still. My mind was obviously playing tricks on me. I felt this way for the entire 10 minutes we were in the “hole”.
The couple who run the gift shop, and provide the tour are quite proud of their attraction. It is inexpensive, and pretty cool. I would definitely recommend a stop to anyone passing by.
Our first stop on our journey to Myrtle Beach was an unplanned one at Cathedral Falls in West Virginia. We noticed the Falls from the road as we drove by, and turned around to get a better view.
We chose Myrtle Beach as our vacation destination this year. It had been 8 years since we were last there. Jenna was not quite 5 and Alyssa was just a baby at about 20 months old. As we were loading up the van to leave, Libby kept jumping in. She desperately wanted to come with us, not realizing how miserable she would have been in the van for the 12 hour trip.
Jenna was once again selected to be an all star in her softball league, as was Megan in her first year playing. Their selection was even more special this year, because they were elected all stars by their teammates, and in Jenna’s case, her teammates’ parents, as well. Even though she didn’t provide much offense, Jenna was responsible for recording an out while playing 2nd base, and ultimately helping her team win 9-8. Megan had a couple of hits and had a lot of fun playing in her first all star game.
Megan and her coach (Coach Brian):
Jenna and her fellow teammate/all stars with their coach (Coach Dana):
Megan and her teammate/all stars:
The girls spent 4 nights and 5 days with their grandparents, giving Dana and I some time to ourselves for the first time in years. They had a great time fishing, bowling, creeking, hot tubbing, and visiting a local garden and Serpent Mound. Dana and I visited the new Hollywood Casino (where I won $29 at blackjack!), ate out at a Chinese Restaurant (something that is unheard of if the girls are with us), and got closer to being caught up with “Dexter” by watching the entire season 4 and some of season 5. A great time was had by all.
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