Pawleys Island, South Carolina: Riding to James Dickey’s Grave

My favorite day trips usually involve food, not the deceased. But All Saints Church in Pawleys Island, SC, offers too much to ignore: the grave of poet and novelist James Dickey, a famous ghost, and other Southern historical gems. And to make this destination even more desirable, it is close to good food and excellent coastal views.

A Honda CTX1300 is my ride. See one and you’ll likely have questions. It shuns categories and begs for destinations off the grid, which brings me to Dickey. If you don’t know him, rent Deliverance, read the book of the same name, then listen to Dickey recite poems at Jimmy Carter’s 1977 inauguration. Now you understand at least a part of it. Dickey died in 1997. His grave and that of his first wife lie just a short distance from my home in Myrtle Beach.

The CTX looks like a hungry dragon ready to hunt. It seems to know that I briefly met James Dickey in 1980 when he spoke at Duke University. After his bourbon-infused words were delivered, I hurried to the front of the room and said, “I really enjoyed that.” He smiled and replied, “Why, thank you.” We shook hands and that was it. Another meeting is in order.