Wytheville VA | The Beauty Around Us

Posts tagged ‘Wytheville VA’

South Carolina Vacation: Warren PA to Surfside Beach SC

We left home shortly after 6:30 am on Monday, February 20th, en route Surfside Beach SC via Wytheville VA.

We vacationed in Surfside Beach last year at this time, as well. Last year, when we left en route South Carolina, snow was falling, possibly mixed with sleet or freezing rain. The temperature was 19 degrees. There was snow on the ground from home and all the way past Pittsburgh. This time there was no precipitation whatsoever; there was no snow on the ground; and the temperature as we are leaving home was 42 degrees.

We stopped for breakfast in Franklin PA, at Linda Lou’s Family Restaurant. This was our first time eating here. The restaurant was recommended to us years ago. We kept saying someday we would eat there. Bob ordered a 3-egg Scrambler that contained home fries and bacon. The Scrambler filled his plate similar to a large pancake.

I ordered a light Western omelette, made with two eggs,
with fruit cup and wheat toast.

Bob said he was sorry that he didn’t order the same as me, as he wasn’t able to eat his entire meal. The food was good, no better no worse than other breakfast eateries. It was noisy, though, with the majority of the noise coming from the kitchen and wait staff. This isn’t a restaurant that you go to, if looking for a peaceful meal! We were on the road again shortly before 8:45 am.

We arrived at Comfort Suites in Wytheville VA shortly before 3:30 pm. The drive there was uneventful. We did see some rain, but it was spotty. The most persistent rain occurred, as we approached Wytheville.

We checked into our room and, then, we left for dinner. We ate dinner at Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel is located about 2 miles from the hotel and easy to drive to. Bob ordered a 1 piece catfish dinner with hash brown casserole and broccoli. I ordered grilled chicken with a smoky seasoning, accompanied by hash brown casserole and fried apples. My dinner came with two pieces of chicken, but I could eat only one piece (the smaller of the two pieces). Our meals came with biscuits or corn muffins. Bob chose biscuits; I chose corn muffins. We each ate only one of our selections. As we left the restaurant, we talked about sharing our meals in the future. We are both eating less, and it would be less expensive to share meals.

We spent the night in Wytheville and continued our drive to Surfside Beach SC the next day.

I awakened at 4:30 am on Tuesday, February 21st. We took our time getting showered and dressed. I read online newspapers and did my Bing searches. I scrolled quickly through Facebook. I checked email. We went downstairs for a complimentary breakfast. Bob had an omelette and sausage. I had a waffle and a fruit cup.

We departed Comfort Suites Wytheville around 7:15 am, en route Surfside Beach SC, after I had photographed that morning’s sunrise.

We arrived at our Airbnb rental, “Nanny & Pops” around 1:15 pm. The rental was as described at the Airbnb site.

After getting settled into the Airbnb, we went for a walk on the beach. The beach is only 0.10 miles from Nanny & Pops. It was an easy and quick walk to the beach.

In the background is the Surfside Pier, which is under construction.
The construction is supposed to be completed this year.

We walked only a short way on the beach. We walked south, until we encountered a small “river” running the width of the beach. A man told us there is a lake about 4 blocks from us, and the lake is where the water flows from. There is a way around the river, but we chose to end our walk on the beach at the “river”.

From the beach we walked to River City Cafe.

We ate a late lunch / early dinner at River City Cafe.

Bob ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger. I ordered Buffalo Chicken Bites with BBQ sauce. We shared a side of cheese fries. Dinner was tasty.

From River City Cafe we walked back to Nanny & Pops, where we spent the evening relaxing.

South Carolina Vacation: Warren PA to Surfside Beach SC

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.

I liked where the hostess seated us — at a table in front of the fireplace.

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.