Deep South Trip Day 8: From Florida to South Carolina and In Between

Day 8 of my Deep South trip started before the sunrise. I got up, cleaned up, and hit the road before the rush hour traffic of Jacksonville would start.

White Ford Focus sedan parked in hotel parking lot at dusk with other vehicles visible in background Dawn view of RV park with travel trailers and trees silhouetted against orange sunrise sky Interstate highway at dawn with street lights illuminated along empty roadway bordered by pine forests Bridge crossing with street lights at sunrise showing lanes of traffic and industrial structures in misty distance Morning highway drive through pine forest with vehicles ahead on multi-lane interstate at sunrise

I beat rush hour traffic, and before you know it, I was leaving Florida and driving into Georgia. We all know Georgia is the land of the many stand-alone minimum speed limit signs.

Florida welcome monument with white columns and palm trees beside highway during early morning Welcome to Georgia highway sign with peach logo visible from interstate during foggy sunrise Foggy interstate highway in Georgia with sparse traffic and pine trees lining both sides of road

I drove to a McDonalds around Savannah to eat breakfast and get my bearings. The wifi was decent, and I could see it was going to be a nice day.

McDonald's restaurant sign advertising $2.99 price visible above Enmark gas station along Georgia roadway McDonald's restaurant exterior with golden arches and Enmark branding in parking lot under blue sky McDonald's breakfast tray with bacon egg and cheese biscuit, hash brown, and receipt number 305 Ookla Speedtest results showing 14.3 Mbps download and 2.75 Mbps upload speeds on AT&T Internet at 9:01 AM Weather app displaying 67°F temperature in Savannah, Georgia at 9:31 AM with sunny conditions and wind speed

I hit the road and headed to Tybee Beach. I had to drive through Savannah. It actually reminded me of driving through Winnipeg. There are a lot of narrow streets and lanes that just end. It's kind of miserable, to be honest. The town itself looked nice, so I could see it being nice to visit if you didn't have the fight the roads.

Highway overpass approach with buildings visible ahead under partly cloudy blue sky in Savannah Tree-lined Savannah street with historic buildings and palm trees flanking roadway on sunny day Canopy of mature live oak trees shading Savannah street with brick buildings and parked vehicles Spanish moss-draped live oak trees creating natural tunnel over Savannah street with red SUV ahead Residential street in Savannah with large oak trees and multi-story apartment buildings under blue sky Two-lane coastal highway with palm trees and utility poles under clear Florida sky

I finally made it to Tybee Beach. I parked the car and walked around.

Island Chill storefront with palm trees along small-town Florida street with parked red SUV

I knew I had to hit the road to stay on schedule. After Tybee Beach, it was off to South Carolina.

Small coastal town street with three-story beachfront hotel featuring balconies and palm trees under blue sky Florida highway with 35 mph speed limit sign and tropical billboard visible among trees and utility poles Elevated bridge roadway with white concrete barriers and red pickup truck ahead under partly cloudy sky Large blue mural depicting sailboats on building exterior wall with green lawn in foreground under cloudy sky

Of course, I wanted to make good time. The train that held up traffic next to the closed lane and construction had something else in mind. Couple this with a merging expressway in the same spot and it was an epic traffic jam where I sat there for a long time.

Traffic stopped on roadway with black Honda SUV ahead under dramatic cloudy sky with palm trees and power lines Heavy traffic congestion near highway overpass with 20 mph speed limit sign and vehicles at standstill Bumper-to-bumper traffic under concrete overpass with 20 mph speed limit and construction equipment visible ahead Stopped traffic in construction zone with orange detour signs and railroad crossing visible ahead

After what seemed like forever, I was finally moving. Off to South Carolina! Not before another pass through the narrow streets of Savannah, GA! It did not take long before I was actually in South Carolina.

Small-town intersection with white colonial building and decorative street lights under partly cloudy blue sky Urban downtown street lined with large live oak trees and brick buildings with moderate traffic Classical bank building with ornate columns and decorative metalwork facade on busy city street Downtown street corner with parking lot, multi-story parking garage, and pedestrians crossing intersection Commercial area intersection with tall business sign and palm tree against dramatic cloudy sky Empty approach to cable-stayed bridge with white suspension towers visible ahead under blue sky Driving across cable-stayed bridge with white suspension towers and cables against partly cloudy sky Highway intersection approach with palm trees and Brunswick Golden Isles Welcome Center sign visible Two-lane rural highway curving through flat terrain with scattered buildings under dramatic cloudy sky Four-lane commercial highway with palm trees, billboards, and various businesses under partly cloudy sky Two-lane highway through dense pine forest with silver sedan ahead on curved road Long causeway bridge over wide bay with vehicles ahead and blue water visible on both sides Wide highway through coastal forest with observation tower visible and gray Dodge Charger in opposite lane

I got an interesting surprise along my route. I went past Parris Island, SC. I got to drive past one of the places they do basic training for the US Marines.

Highway intersection with green directional signs and white military jet aircraft displayed on grass median Close-up of retired Marine Corps fighter jets on display beside highway with dense pine forest background Military jet aircraft memorial display on grass field viewed through car windshield with pine forest backdrop Rural highway with yellow intersection warning sign for Shanklin Road beside open grassland under cloudy sky

After that, it was more driving.

Coastal marsh view from car window showing shallow water with wooden posts and distant treeline under blue sky Multi-lane highway with moderate traffic crossing marshy coastal area with water visible beyond guardrails Interstate highway bordered by bare deciduous trees and pine forest under partly cloudy sky Highway stopped in traffic with road maintenance truck creating smoke or steam ahead under blue sky Empty two-lane road through Spanish moss-draped oak trees and pine forest creating natural tunnel

I finally made it to Folly Beach, SC! I parked the car and took a walk around.

Rural Florida highway with palm trees and roadside business sign under partly cloudy sky Rear view of white Ford Focus with Texas license plate parked in gravel lot beside weathered building

After Folly Beach, I decided I'd hit the interstates and make some better time. The beaches were starting to become more crowded and expensive. I figured I'd start going inland towards Charlotte, NC. I ended up catching some nice colors of the sunset along the way and then hitting up a Subway. I then found another rest stop along the way to sleep the night.

Nearly empty interstate highway through forest of bare trees and pines under afternoon sky Sunset view across parking lot and roadway with pine trees silhouetted against golden orange sky Dramatic sunset with orange and gray clouds behind silhouetted pine forest and passing car on roadway Hand holding Subway sandwich wrapper with yellow and green logo on restaurant table Half-eaten Subway sandwich on wrapper showing bread and filling on restaurant table

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