My family didn't travel much when I was young, and my first visit to the Jersey shore didn't occur until I was 16-years old. Although I enjoyed the beach, I felt an attraction to the sea and the sand in a more southerly climate.
In 1990, I planned my first trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For the past 24 years, not a summer has gone by without a trip to the Palmetto State.
During the summer of 1992, on a family trip to Myrtle Beach, I ran into a rival runner. He and I had battled in numerous road races. If we competed against each other fifty times, we each prevailed twenty five times. Our rivalry extended from the Boston Marathon to the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in Washington, D.C. John Ausherman, from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and I, had spoken only briefly after our races, but after a chance meeting at a tourist shopping area built over a swamp, called Barefoot Landing, our friendship developed. He and his family have become dearest friends with mine.
It just so happened that John and his family stayed in a condo about a quarter mile south of us on the beach. Soon, at 8:00 a.m. each morning, we met to run the 'Arcadian Loop,' a 7-mile course that went from the beach, through the Plantation Resort, and around the Arcadian Golf Course.
As a senior in high school, on a trip to Myrtle Beach, my oldest daughter, Kelly, decided she wanted to take a trip to Columbia, to visit the campus of the University of South Carolina. She eventually earned both her Bachelor and Master's degrees from USC.
Nearly two years ago, my youngest daughter, Megan, upon graduating from West Virginia University, decided to strike out on her own. She currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina.
Although most of our visits to South Carolina have been for pleasure, three years ago, my son took a bus to Parris Island, where Marine Corps boot camp was, I imagine, anything but a vacation. After we proudly viewed his graduation ceremony, my wife and I vacationed at the Isle of Palms.
There is little doubt, then, that this product of the Pennsylvania hills is drawn to the Low Country of the beautiful state of South Carolina.
There are many reasons, and here are a few.
The people: Warm, friendly, "How y'all doin'." For years, we rented a magnificent condo, a stone's throw from the ocean, from a woman who would allow us to stay a few extra days at no additional charge. We became like family, although we never met face-to-face. During a visit to my daughter for a South Carolina football game, a gentleman in a restaurant parking lot had car problems. I offered my jumper cables, and we got his car started. He was an aide to a South Carolina state senator. Because I helped him out, my daughter was hired as an intern for the senator.
The weather: My wife and I like it warm. We also like the ocean water to be warm. The Gulf Stream does that. Last week, the water at Isle of Palms was like bath water. In February 2012, I ran the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon, then went to the beach in 70-degree weather.
The food: An abundance of seafood, she-crab soup, rice, grown right down the road, and key lime pie. The oysters are magnificent.
Running: There are plenty of trails, not many hills, but I've had a lifetime of hills. Beaches are wide, not pitched, and the sand is firm. Beach running in South Carolina is a pleasure. Active running clubs in Myrtle Beach and Charleston, and just an overall attitude of fitness. Charleston's Cooper River Bridge Run is one of the country's biggest 10K races, and the Myrtle Beach Marathon is a first-class event.
The pace: Slower than the north, and that's just fine.
History: I could explore Charleston's history forever. The architecture and the rich history of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars is magnificent.
Since we returned from latest our trip to Charleston, the computer is burning up, as my wife searches for our dream home, which we hope will become a reality within a year or two. In her words, we have spent the first half of our lives looking oak and maple trees, it's time to spend the second half looking at palm trees.
For us, South Carolina is the place.
ISLE OF PALMS, SC
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