The Beauty Around Us

South Carolina Vacation: Warren PA to Surfside Beach SC

By Linda G. on February 18, 2022

We returned home from vacation the afternoon of February 17th. This blog post and several that follow provide written and photographic details of our South Carolina vacation.

We were on our way out of Warren at 6:30 am on Tuesday, February 8th. When we left home, snow was falling, possibly mixed with sleet or freezing rain.  The temperature was 19 degrees.

We ate breakfast at Station 61 Family Restaurant in Youngsville PA. At  7:20 am, after a hearty breakfast, we were back on the road.

It was still snowing when we hopped onto I-80 in Barkeyville PA.  It was still snowing when we hopped onto I-79.  Thankfully each road surface was good, clear of snow and ice.

The snow essentially stopped falling near Pittsburgh PA, although there were short bursts of snow flurries and spitting snow for several miles afterward. 

We had snow flurries in Morgantown WV, with very little snow on the ground.  There was a little bit of snow on the ground, mostly wooded areas, as we drove through the WV mountains.

At 1:00 pm we stopped briefly at Young’s Monument Scenic Overlook. The overlook is on the northbound side of Route 19, a few miles north of Summersville, WV. The overlook is located on Powell Mountain, south of Birch River, with a view of the Powell Creek Valley to the east and further north, the Birch River Valley can be seen. 

Look at that blue sky!  It was still chilly here (37 degrees), but was nice to feel the sunshine.

There is an official West Virginia Historical Marker that stands near the entrance to a rest area at the overlook. The marker reads: “Off Young’s Monument Rd. (.3M) is grave site of Henry & Lucinda Young. A Confed. militiaman or sympathizer, he was killed by Union troops nearby on 8 Sept. 1861. Details of Young’s life and death are scant and confused, symbolizing divided loyalties, tragic times and enduring saga of Civil War in WV, when state was pitted against state and brother against brother. New road in 1970 required reburial.”

We stopped at the Northside Drive Car Wash in Summersville, WV.  Bob says it was the best self serve car wash he has ever used.   The water pressure was strong; the soap suds were plentiful; and he had enough time to do a spotless rinse, spending less money than he does at home.

We arrived at Comfort Suites in Wytheville, VA around 4:00 pm in the afternoon.  We will spend the night here and continue our drive to Surfside Beach, SC tomorrow.

We checked into our room.  Bob set up the Internet.  Then we went out to dinner.  

We ate dinner at Cracker Barrel, which was located about 2 miles from the hotel and easy to drive to.

Bob ordered grilled catfish with hash brown casserole, broccoli and biscuits.  I ordered meatloaf with hash brown casserole, fried apples and corn bread muffins.  Both meals were delicious.  After dinner we returned to our hotel, where we stayed for rest of the evening.

The next day we ate a complimentary hot breakfast at our hotel.  Because of COVID precautions implemented by the hotel we were not free to get desired foods ourselves.  An attendant got the food we desired.  Bob had eggs, bacon and a muffin with coffee and OJ.  I got a waffle with diced peaches with tea and OJ.  

We departed Comfort Suites Wytheville at 8:15 am, en route Surfside Beach, SC.  The temperature was 27 degrees.

I saw a few snow patches near Wytheville.

Approaching the VA/NC state line, we lost a lot of elevation and saw the last of snow patches.

We ate lunch at Magnolia on Main Cafe in Bennettsville, SC. Bob ordered homemade chicken salad on a bed of lettuce served with pita chips, pasta salad and a frozen fruit cup. I ordered turkey, lettuce and tomato in flat bread … like a turkey wrap but toasted … with pasta salad. We shared a slice of pineapple cake. Our meals were delicious.

After lunch, we wandered around the Marlboro County Court House grounds.

We arrived in Surfside Beach around 2:00 pm, with about 2 hours to kill before we could check in to our Airbnb “Seaside Cottage”.  We drove to the nearby Walmart to see the location of their curbside pickup.  We have a scheduled pickup between 7:00 and 8:00 am on Thursday morning.  We, then, took a ride along the ocean to Garden City Beach.  We stopped at the Azalea Ave public access to the beach, where there was free parking.   We walked out on the beach, where we saw the Garden City Pier.

A few minutes past 4:00 pm we checked in at Airbnb “Seaside Cottage”. Bob carried in the stuff from the car.  I organized the kitchen and put away my clothes / toiletries.   Around 5:30 pm I made dinner – Campbell’s Chunky New England Clam Chowder, with crackers,  and fruit cocktail. Neither of us were very hungry.

We went for a short walk in the neighborhood, after dinner.  We walked about 1/3 of a mile.  The neighborhood appears well cared for and quiet. In the evening we watched “The Cleaning Lady” on Hulu TV.