Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Daufuskie Island

On Saturday, we took a trip to Daufuskie Island, which is something you have to book in advance unless you own a boat or know someone with a boat.  We booked a seat on a water taxi, a speed boat, that took us there from near our house in 30 minutes.
The boat ride was chilly and very fast. The three dolphins we saw zoomed by and the bald eagle Daniel sighted was gone before I could turn my head. Still, the sky was blue and it was gorgeous!
The island itself is a residential island between Savannah and Hilton Head. It is fairly small, only eight square miles.
Our mode of transportation while there was this roomy golf cart. I only wished that it hadn't been gasoline powered - that made it really loud and stinky. I drove it for a while until it backfired and I almost fell out, it scared me so bad. It also really startled the kids who were riding by on their bikes...
Of course, we always make friends with the furry population of places with visit and this time that beautiful (and huge) great dane stole my heart! He was such a gentle dog.
The views from the island were gorgeous, the vegetation much like we know it from here.
We visited many historic sites, among them this old cemetery, which still seems to be in use today.

There were only a few historic buildings we could get close to. Many of them are private residences and sport No Trespassing signs.
Daniel peeking in the window - this house stood empty.
Can you see the lizard in the photo below? He was fairly large and really pretty!
Ok, here I am trying to figure out which route to take. With our golf cart came the WORST map I have ever seen. The street names were printed black on dark color and with such incredibly tiny font that we had to stop the golf cart and get out into the sunlight to be able to read any of it.
Luckily, with a small island like that, eventually you come to the water and then you turn around again. At this spot (in the photo below), we could see Tybee Island, which is the next island over from where we live.
Just look at those beaches. There even were a few brave souls trying to catch some sun, but it was pretty breezy and chilly that day.


On School Road we came upon this old Baptist church. Just as we got there, the pastor had opened it up to show to a couple of other people and so we got to have a glimpse inside.

On the same road was the house where the local undertaker used to live. It's now a private residence, but I couldn't keep from taking a photo. Especially with that huge oak tree in the picture!
And still on the same road we saw this one-room-school house that is no longer used as a school. This is where the author Pat Conroy taught in the 1960s, which is an experience he writes about in his book The Water is Wide.
Anything that is brought to the island arrives by boat or barge. And I have a feeling that most everything then stays on the island, like this old tractor.
Another historic church,
next to another former one-room school house, which is now a public library.
After four hours of driving around and seeing most of what there was to see, we headed back to the dock to wait for our boat taxi back to Savannah, which was another very fast and this time quite bumpy ride - at times I felt like I was on an amusement park ride...
One of the things I found most interesting was talking with one of the locals who has been living on the island for many years, about what it means to live on an island where most everything you need is a boat ride away. Where nothing really is convenient. Where there isn't any public ferry going to the mainland. It really made me appreciate all those little conveniences I often take for granted.
Next weekend, we are planning a trip to Hunting Island (near Beaufort, SC), which we can reach by car and - this is most exciting - where dogs are allowed on the trails and the beaches, so Winslow will be coming with us.

On to the next adventure!

29 comments:

  1. Dear Silke,
    Thank you for taking me on this lovely island visit! Looking foward to the next adventure!
    I love Pat Conroy's books! Have you ever read this one: "The Pat Conroy Cookbook:Recipes of My Life"? It has recipes, of course, but lots of good stories from his life too, just as title tells you!
    Hope you have a lovely creative week!
    Love,
    KAY

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    1. I haven't seen that one, Kay! I bet our local library would have a copy though. I'll have to look for it next time I'm there. I still have to read The Water is Wide - Daniel says it's really good. Last book of his I read was South of Broad, which I enjoyed!

      Have a great week, Kay!! Love, Silke

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  2. Oh Silke, das sieht ja traumhaft aus. Wir hier hatten in Teilen Deutschlands sogar Schnee über Ostern. Furchtbar...

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    1. Schnee! Oh, wie kalt und nicht so schoen im April. Hier ist zur Zeit fantastisches Wetter - nicht zu warm, nicht zu kalt und sonnig! So koennte es bleiben... Alles Liebe, Silke

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  3. Liebe Silke,

    traumhaft, das ist der richtige Ausdruck.

    In Liebe

    Elisabeth

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    1. Liebe Elisabeth,

      Ja, es war schon traumhaft. Nur bei der schnellen und holprigen Bootsfahrt am Ende bin ich wieder vom Traum aufgewacht... :-)

      Alles Liebe, Silke

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  4. What fun, Silke. I really enjoyed your tour. Isn't it wonderful how many exciting things there are to see if only we take the time to venture out? I wanted to go to many places the year we lived in Charleston. However, you can spend an entire year downtown and still not see everything just there. I spent months unpacking once there and then months repacking to move back to Virginia. It was more or less a wasted year. I'm lucky my son still lives there so I can visit him and still see some things I loved about the area.
    Looking forward to the Hunting Island tour.
    ♥ audrey

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    1. Thanks, Audrey! Yes, we are trying to see what we can of this area during the months when it's not so incredibly hot and humid. Right now the weather is perfect for being outside and the bugs are minimal... This is a gorgeous area and I'm glad you still get to visit!! Hugs, Silke

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  5. What a fascinating place. Thanks so much for the pics and the tour. I love exploring like that and you make it armchair easy! xox

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    1. I know, Corrine - that's why I love the blog world - I get to learn about so many different things and places. Thanks for visiting me!! xoxo Silke

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  6. Silke, this was fun to hear about, read about and see in photos (especially those glorious OAKS!) but I cannot imagine living there. Maybe having a nice sabbatical in the quiet, but to live there all the time?
    It must take a lot of adjustment.
    Thanks for the tour, and your expression in the *map reading* photo says it all about the map! LOL!!!

    XXOO~~♥
    Anne

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    1. I hear you! I need to be close to my conveniences... :) Yes, that map was not the best! :) xoxo Silke

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  7. How cool! I'd love to hear the stories of the old buildings...but the living there part...with no convenient 24 hour stores and stuff...No! ^_^

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    1. Yes! I'm with you! I love my conveniences! But it was a fun place to visit... xoxo Silke

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  8. Apart from the golf cart (such a shame they are not using anything else, such as electricity-powered carts), it looks all very picturesque and like a great place to visit... although maybe not such a great place to live there, unless you are used to this way of life. I think I would miss the ability to hop into town anytime I choose.

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    1. It's just the rental company that's using the gas-powered golf carts. On the roads, we saw plenty of quiet, electric carts - and wished we had one of those... Yes, a great place to visit! xoxo Silke

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  9. Please forgive me for giggling uncontrollably at you almost falling out of the cart. Poor Herman had quite a short life. Beeeeeeutiful photos. The models are pretty hot too! **kisses** Deb

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    1. I know, Deb, it was quite funny after I realized that nobody was shooting at us - it was just the golf cart backfiring... Hugs, Silke

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  10. What a super place - a real adventure. Thanks for taking us with you!

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  11. So ein schönes Fleckchen und so idyllisch. Die Seebrücke gefällt mir.
    LG Sabine

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    1. Ich musste erstmal schauen, welche Seebruecke du meintest... :) Ja, es war eine schoene Insel! Vor allem zum Besuchen... xoxo Silke

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  12. I have lived on this gorgous island for 17 years, and want to tell you that gas powered carts are really comparatively rare. We use electric carts, bicycles, feet, and the occasional horse or mule.

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    1. Dear Anonymous!

      I know! We saw plenty of electric carts while on the island and wished that the rental company would use those as well. It would have made our visit to your beautiful island so much more peaceful!

      :-) Silke

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  13. Liebe Silke! So tolle Bilder sind das! Ich freue mich, dass ihr so tolle Reisen machen könnt! Sieht wirklich fantastisch aus! Caro

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    1. War auch toll, Caro! Wir wohnen nun schon sechs Jahre hier uns immernoch kommt es mir total exotisch vor! Ich hoffe, ihr geniesst die Ferien!! xoxo Silke

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  14. Wie schön, das du uns immer mit auf deine Reisen nimmst. Ich schau mir deine Fotos immer so gerne an.

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  15. Looks like you had a great time! Thanks for sharing all these awesome photos!

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  16. What an interesting trip! I guess it's all about what you are used to but it does seem romantic ! Look forward to your next trip.

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