July 8                                       Little River, South Carolina

The cool and pleasant weather we have enjoyed for the past week ended today as South Carolina experienced some of the heat wave that is sweeping the Eastern coast from Maine to Florida. Before leaving Georgetown, I rode my bike the short distance to the ATM four blocks away and was almost overcome by the heat.  Fortunately, the AC on the boat works well and we stayed cool and comfortable as we proceeded up the ICW and the Waccamaw River toward the Myrtle Beach area.  The marshlands, which we had traveled through from Beaufort and Charleston, disappeared. We were surrounded by forests of cypress trees sitting atop pedestals of exposed roots sunk into the mud of the riverbanks.  Often the waterways were twisted and narrow.  Fortunately, they were deep and we did not fear becoming grounded.  It was very tranquil and beautiful.  Homes, mostly modest, were frequent and we passed numerous boaters who were fishing, cruising, or indulging in recreational fun. 

A long, straight canal led us through Myrtle Beach. Our route actually paralleled the main street.  In January, we had been there on one of our boat-shopping trips and traveled that street many times.  Today, we saw the “backdoors” as we literally passed behind numerous businesses lining the main street and backing up to the ICW.  We had earlier decided that Myrtle Beach was rather tawdry and commercialized so we passed it by to come too little River.  This area boasts several excellent marinas and reflects some of the Southern charm of South Carolina.  A nearby Italian restaurant was very inviting and we decided to leave the cooking to others this evening.  It was a wise choice.  Although the clientele was casually dressed, Umberto’s had excellent food, good service, and surprisingly sophisticated décor with soft lighting.  A pianist played and sang favorite songs from “our era” and we had a great “date night.”