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!