US Virgin Islands--Part 3

Thursday we all agreed to get up and get moving so that we could spend time at the busiest, most developed area in the Park, Trunk Bay. We were warned that we had to get there well before 10:00 to find a parking place and a spot on the beach with some shade. We arrived about 9:30 and got one of the last spaces. This is the beach to which the cruise ships on St. Thomas offer excursions for their passengers so it can get crazy crowded.  But they don't come on Thursdays so this was a good day for our visit.  We had a shady place under the trees to read and relax and took turns as couples snorkeling along the marked underwater trail beside a small key very near shore. Kris and Heidi did the trail first and they were pretty disappointed by what they saw. So when Marv and I did the trail we chose to go all the way around the island. We saw some huge brain corals but not that much in the way of fish. I just loved swimming in the sandy bottomed, clear water and spent a long time by myself playing in the water. We bought hot dogs with sauerkraut from the snack shop for lunch and Kris & Heidi had Fish & Chips, which turned out to be a fish stick sandwich and a big serving of fries. 

Trunk Bay with the underwater trail by the island in the distance

Shade seekers

By then the sun had crept all the way into the trees, affording no shade at all so we left Trunk Bay and drove to nearby Maho Bay. Shade was pretty scarce there too but we managed to find some up into the trees. Watching snorkelers we soon found that we were seeing frequent snouts poking up as green turtles came up to breathe. Marv was tired of salt water but the three others of us got on our snorkeling gear and spent a long time watching as many as half a dozen turtles grazing on the sea grass right near the shore. Kris ventured over to the rocks on the right side of the shore where a fellow snorkeler said there was a big variety of sea life. He saw more than where we were but not as much as he'd hoped. On my way back to shore I saw a long silvery barracuda hovering eerily but it ignored me as I gave it a wide berth. When we had all had enough we headed back to the house to relax and clean-up before Marv grilled pork chops, I made black beans and rice and we made a salad for a good dinner.

Maho Bay

Maho Bay

Maho Bay

After the hottest night we've had we woke on Friday morning to a sultry, sticky day. Marv and Kris had both gotten too much sun on Thursday so we all just took it easy in the morning, reading, relaxing and solving all the world's problems. John brought us some yummy chocolate chip cookies, still warm from Linda's oven. When it was close to noon we decided to eat lunch with leftovers at the house and then begin our day's travels with a shortening list of "must sees" on St. John that weren't beaches. We got to the Elaine Ione Sprauve Library and Museum around 1:15 only to find that it is closed from 1:00-2:00 every day. So instead we went to the nearby National Park Visitor Center and took time to really read all the displays. When we returned to the Library we found it open but learned that there is no Museum there anymore. There is a collection of historic photographs running as a screensaver on the card catalog computer that showed various points on the island, including how the plantation house overlooking Cruz Bay looked before it was restored in 1992 to serve as the Library. It's lovely inside with brick arches supporting stone and mortar walls and lots of gleaming wood bookshelves. And the air conditioning felt great on this hot humid day. 

Cruz Bay overlook

Plantation House turned Library

Main floor of Library

Downstairs Children's area of Library

"Drive" up to the Library

From the Library we drove up Centerline Road/Hwy. 10 to the Catherineberg ruins. Built in 1718, the historic ruins include an old sugar factory and rum still, an old stone warehouse and a partially restored windmill (no sails or grinding apparatus). It was .1 of a mile up a really rough unpaved road which we could have continued on to the north shore and Annaberg but we opted instead to take Centerline back to 20, which follows the north coast.

Catherineberg Windmill with "our" Jeep in the foreground

Unusual storerooms under the windmill.

Look who's in the doorway up there!

We took it to Francis Bay where there is a handicap accessible nature boardwalk along a salt pond. The pond is nearly dry this time of year and very stinky so, when the boardwalk curved around to the Bay shore, we walked up the beach to return to the Jeep. The beach is very secluded and wasn't crowded around 4:00, when we were there. A few people were snorkeling and we saw several green turtles surface and drop back into the water. We also saw the omni-present feral chickens that are all over the island and one large iguana. Marv drove us back to Maho Bay, where we could now easily park right by the beach. We sat at a picnic table and had a nice cold beer while we watched some hummingbirds in the trees by the water and a large school of fish that were in a feeding frenzy close to shore. Their splashing and churning soon drew three pelicans who had an easy feast. 

Dueling cameras

Misshapen panoramic of Francis Bay

Kris and Heidi walking the beach of Francis Bay

Doesn't she look happy?

Our last stop was at Cinnamon Bay, where there was an African Drumming presentation scheduled at the restaurant. It was too early for dinner so we sat at the nearly deserted beachside and read until 6:00. Then we were the only ones at the restaurant as we chose dinner from four expensive choices: bar-b-que ribs or chicken, blackened salmon, or New York strip steak. Each came with grilled corn, a baked potato or rice, and broccoli and carrots. It wasn't a great meal but the plates were very full so we were satisfied. Deer gathered in the woods beyond the open-air seating area and, with a fan over our table, we were about as comfortable as we had been all day. Just as we finished Mr. Eddie Bruce showed up with some of his students/grandchildren to do the drumming program. That turned out to be a really fun, interactive experience. Eddie feels that if the audience doesn't get a chance to join in he isn't doing his job. So after a brief presentation the small crowd of about a dozen diners each had a drum and began some simple rhythms. This was the last of his 14 weeks of programs he was doing for the Park and so we closed holding hands in a circle and bowing our gratitude to whatever Creator we recognized and to the Park for offering the experience.