Goin' to Myrtle Beach for a Looper Rendezvous!

O.K. We wanted to go the the America's Great Loop Association's (AGLCA) rendezvous last fall in Rogersville, AL. We were new members and just figured that we would show up and register on-sight. We had reservations for lodging at the state park and felt we were all set. About a month before the meeting we saw on the website that the event was "sold out." Dumbfounded, we innocently called the association only to have them laugh at us on the phone and inform us that there was a limited number of attendees and there was no space for us! So, we were left out in the cold. Larry figured, incorrectly, that when you are a member of a group, all members would be welcome to the association's major meetings. At least he was never shut out of a pharmacy association meeting his entire career. These boaters are in a class by themselves.

Well, the AGLCA also has a spring rendezvous and this year it was in Myrtle Beach, SC for the first time. Not wanting to be left out again, we reserved our spots in October of last year. We called the resort and reserved lodging. We are so smart! So off we head to Myrtle Beach last week. The trip over was just that, a real trip. We got caught in all of that lousy weather that roared through Mississippi and caused so much devastation. We stopped for gas in Meridian, MS on our way to Atlanta. It was raining hard, when suddenly everyone started running out of the convenience store screaming that a tornado was coming our way. We probably should have sat tight until the squall line passed, but Larry turned on the radio and learned that it was 17 miles southwest of use, heading northeast. He figured that we would be heading east so we jumped in the car and headed out to the interstate. What is it about men and direction? We were heading northeast for Tuscaloosa and the storm was right on our tail. Very little chance of running out of its path. We listened to the radio and as we passed various exits the announcer proclaimed that the worst of it was 3-5 miles behind us. We could only do about 60 mph, because of the rain, and found out later that the storm was running up to 70 mph! Every time the announcer announced a town the storm was directly over, Jane would say that was the town we just passed. It went on like that for almost an hour and then we finally rode out of it's path. All the time we were running from it, we saw traffic heading directly into it in the opposite direction. That night we saw a lot of video about some of the traveler's encounters, and it wasn't pretty! We were so lucky.

We spent the night in Augusta, GA. Our highlight there was a really great Mexican restaurant that we thoroughly enjoyed. The next morning we headed for Myrtle Beach. We arrived early for check in with the registration and reception starting around mid-afternoon. Remember how smart we were for registering back in October? Well, Jane went in to get our room only to come out and say that they didn't have any record of us and thought we were in the wrong place! We were sent over to the meeting sight to talk with the head of the AGLCA. Jane had all of our confirmation info, and started talking to various people to sort things out. The resort coordinator finally put it all together. Seems our early registration was with the company that previously owned the resort but went bankrupt. When Jane pointed out that we had already paid the first night's lodging rate as a deposit, the coordinator called the registration desk and told them to find us a room and comp the first night. When Jane arrived back at registration, she found the clerk on the phone talking to a superior about whether the coordinator had the authority to authorize such action. When she turned around and saw Jane, things were resolved in a hurry. We were not given a room in the high rises that we expected, but a two-bedroom villa on one of the holes on the golf course! This place was huge with an enclosed patio, king-sized master bed (room for Jane to romp!) and very nicely decorated. So, we were happy campers.