Saturday, we had breakfast at National House of Pancakes and then headed to
Huntington Beach State Park. Today was the kite festival so it was a good thing we arrived early. The kites were being set up as we headed out to the beach.
We strolled down the beach and then headed around the castle.
Dogs aren't permitted, so we'd have to take turns and came back later.
We first hiked down Atalaya Straight Road.
There were a lot of golf carts shuttling around, so we got on Kerrigan Nature Trail to avoid the traffic.
A boardwalk led out to a overlook on Mullet Pond.
There were some pelicans in the distance close to the causeway.
Blue-winged teal ducks were swimming around the pond.
An osprey flew overhead looking for fish.
We finished up the trail and got back on Atalaya Straight Road. There was a lot of wildlife to see in Mallard Pond.
A couple night herons were perched but all had their backs to me.
There was an alligator in the pond, sunning himself.
I even spotted an anhinga.
We went back to the beach one more time and lots of kites were flying now.
Then we took turns to go around Atalaya Castle.
After Sandy and Harper went through, I took Harper again for second round. The sunroom was a interesting room with a curved hallway.
The Huntington's macaw lived in the sunroom when they were in residence.
Another interesting room was the bathroom. The watchtower (atalaya in Spanish) held a cistern that provided enough pressure for running water in the castle.
After touring the castle, we took off.
Heading back to Myrtle Beach, we stopped at Broadway on the Beach. We had lunch at Voodoo Brewing and then walked around the area.
Most stores were not dog-friendly, but we did take Amaroq into Reigning Cats and Dogs where he picked out some treats. We also got a Call-a-Cab from Wet Willies. Heading back to the hotel, we took an evening stroll down to the beach.
It was very pretty in the evening light.
The sun setting over the dunes was really pretty.
We then headed back and returned to the hotel right as it got dark.
