Our last full day started with brunch at the Beach Club. If you’re going to begin your final day on an island, a sausage and egg burrito is the way to do it. It was so yum.

Then we had unfinished business. Y’all remember the cemetery…

For TWO DAYS we tried to find one of Daufuskie’s oldest cemeteries. We drove dirt roads, questioned directions, ignored “No Trespassing” signs (I’m looking at you Pam), and passed landmarks over and over again only to get stuck in the mud.

But on Day Four? WE FOUND IT. It didn’t disappoint. That’s part of Daufuskie, too. Nothing here seems to be in a hurry to reveal itself to you. You have to look. You have to wander. Sometimes, I guess you have to get lost.

We’ve learned that lots of people visit Daufuskie as a day trip. Now that I’m a local (haha), I don’t really understand that. There’s no tourist attraction waiting at the end of the road. Daufuskie isn’t really a place you check off a travel list.

You have to stay long enough for the island to introduce itself.

After our cemetery victory, we checked into the Beach Club to use the pool for the afternoon. It was perfect.

We met Louie and Janice. They were here for the day, and had absolutely no idea where they were sleeping that night. They travel with no plan. They go where the wind blows, figuring things out as they go along.

I want to be Louie and Janice when I grow up.

Eventually, we headed back to the Crab House for dinner. Yes, again. The fried Mahi Mahi was that good. This time, we got to meet our Airbnb host, who sings there on the weekends. She was adorable, just like her condo room. Now we obviously have to book with her again.

By 9:33 pm, I was showered and in bed. Exhausted in the best possible way.

None of us wanted to go to sleep, because it meant we would eventually wake up and have to leave.

Four days ago, I stepped off a ferry onto Daufuskie Island and wondered what in the world we’d gotten ourselves into. Today, I cried because I had to leave. Not really, but almost.

My, how things change.

I remember, when we first got here, looking around at buildings that seemed abandoned and wondering if we were in the right place. I remember trying to reconcile the Daufuskie I’d imagined with what was in front of me. I’d expected something bougie, but Daufuskie had other plans.

There are dirt roads, deer, old cemeteries, Gullah history, people with stories to tell, strangers willing to help and an island that is not concerned with whether or not you understand it.

We just had to stay long enough.

This morning, we packed our things and boarded the ferry back to the mainland. Sallie Ann was on our ferry. The same Sallie Ann we met day one of our trip. She personalized our cookbooks! We promised to see her again our next visit – the one we’re already planning, in case you’re wondering.

Captain Robert let me come up front and see where he drives the ferry. He even took pictures of me at the wheel. New retirement career? Hmmmm. I’ll keep my options open.

As the ferry carried us away, I kept thinking about how misunderstood the island can be. There’s so much there. You just can’t see it from the ferry dock. You have to drink coffee, or Lavender Lemonade, with Brian. Learn the history with Sallie Ann. Travel the dirt roads in your golf cart that doesn’t go fast enough. Get lost. Eat the food with bartender, Jamie. Sit in conversations with Jen and Joe. Pay attention.

Daufuskie doesn’t perform for you. It waits for you to slow down and notice it.

Four days ago, I wasn’t sure what to think. Today, I think I cannot wait to come back!

Real life is going to hit hard.