Condensed Trip Report

mit43 · Post by **mit43** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:56 pm

I can't remember if I have ever given a trip report before, but thought I would share some pictures and a few comments about this year's trip. I thought about giving a day by day, but really, who wants to read: "Woke up, went to a beach, snorkeled, came to town for lunch, relaxed by the Gallows Pool, went into town to eat, and finally back to Gallows to watch the sunset from the Jacuzzi" repeat 14 times.... We are pretty boring people and keep to ourselves, but here goes:

Pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1035016822 ... 96/STJ2012

Travel Day went smoothly. US Airways from our regional Airport, Charlotte, to STT. Rachel gave us a ride as usual and made it on the 2pm Ferry. Picked up by Gallows Point truck and given a ride to check in.

Gallows Point: We chose Unit 10A again. I think it is the best value for the money. Lower Harbor rates, but still a great view. The staff was amazing again this visit. Everything was in great conditions and didn't have any problems. Love being able to snorkel right from the grounds without having to drive somewhere. There was some renovations going on, but never a bother.

St John Car Rental: Picked up the Jeep and no issues. It ran well the entire 2 weeks. Thankful we didn't have to use the spare. I've never seen so many plugs in one tire!

Food: We had a mission to eat at some new places this visit. I really can't think of a bad meal the entire time. I hit up Hercules Pate several times. Love that place! Believe it or not, we had never eaten at The Beach Bar, but this time we ate there several times and enjoyed it. We ended up at High Tide many times as well and loved their Terryaki steak. The best thing we ate the entire time was the ribs at Driftwood Davids! Holy Cow! Those things are crazy Good! A big shout out to Cafe Livin for being open for dinner in the off-season. VERY good home cooked meals! We had the specials at Spyglass one night and they were very good also. Hit the usual low-season places, Joe's BBQ, La Plancha, Morgan's Mango, Jakes, etc...

Beaches: The beaches were all fairly deserted as usual for this time of the year. There were a few more people than past low-seasons, but not too bad. The water was a bit rough the first few days, but settled down as the days went by. One day on Trunk, S-babe and I had to rescue a cruise ship lady from the surf. She could not get up after being knocked down by a wave and by the time we got to her she was face down and couldn't roll over. Meanwhile all her friends were in the water oblivious to her struggle to get out. I may have hurt their feelings a little, but you really need to keep an eye on each other when the waves are larger than usual. Hansen's Bay (Vies) was a really nice morning. Pretty good snorkeling this year. Also enjoyed Haulover for the first time this year.

We hiked the trail from Little Lameshur to the Reef Bay trail. We enjoyed it, but it really kicked our tail! It was REALLY a long hike there and back. Saw lots of deer this year. Warning, This route to the Reef Bay ruins is much steeper than the trail down from Centerline.

Kekoa: We arranged (through Pia) to go on a Sunset Cruise on Kekoa. It was amazing! Great boat and crew. They were filling in for the St Thomas Ritz that night, so we got to have the boat all to ourselves on the sail over and back that night. Thanks Pia!

Celebrity Sighting: We saw StjohnJulie!!! Thanks for all the helpful suggestions! We tried to find Pia, but she is obviously too famous to sit in the booth now without security.....

Entertainment: No entertainment on STJ you say? There were at least 2 great entertainment venues this year. 1. Sitting on Trunk Bay watching the Cruise Ship folks trying to back into the water with snorkel gear on! Bonus: Watching them all come back out of the water and yelling about the Sharks! um....they're called Tarpon and unless you are a small fish, you are safe....2. Sitting at Joe's BBQ on a weekend night watching the floor show across the street at Caps! Amazing........

Trip home was uneventful. Rachel picked us up for the ride to the airport. Used a porter even though it probably wasn't necessary. The food at the airport was actually ok this year. Flights all on time.

ps: Genips were in season!!! We may or may not have spent way too much time at Francis Bay throwing sticks into the tree to fill our cooler with those things. Yum!

I'm going to go delete my ticker now, The final depressing step.......

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:14 pm

That excitement at Trunk was more than you needed! Was it an elderly person? Or just someone that had no swimming skills? My husband has fished at least 6 elderly people out of rough water/challenging exits on STJ and VG.

We are going to try to do a Kekoa sail in February.

mit43 · Post by **mit43** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:20 pm

Both! She was the oldest one in the group and obviously had no idea how to handle the waves. We spotted her earlier in almost the same situation. You would think her friends would have kept an eye on her. She didn't have enough strength to even turn over once she was down.

You will LOVE Kekoa!

EagleRayLover · Post by **EagleRayLover** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:52 pm

Sounds like a great trip! I couldn't open your pictures

Not sure why, but I tries three times!

LynnieGirl · Post by **LynnieGirl** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 4:19 pm

I tried and couldn't open them either

Just another day for you, you and me in Paradise...

Pia · Post by **Pia** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 4:47 pm

Thanks again for allowing me to book your excursions - glad you had a fabulous time

Pia

mit43 · Post by **mit43** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 5:13 pm

Oops. I'll see if maybe they will work better on another picture hosting site. Picassa may be secure.

DonnaM · Post by **DonnaM** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 5:27 pm

Good to know about Driftwood David's! It was recommended to us in August for lunch but we were only down for 4 nights with a newbie so we went to the Beach Bar instead for the water view ( and good food! ). We will have to try it next time.

mit43 · Post by **mit43** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 5:41 pm

I think the photo album has been shared now. Let me know if it still doesn't work.

Beth Cruz · Post by **Beth Cruz** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:11 pm

Great pictures! We must try the ribs. They look fantastic in the picture!

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:13 pm

Great pictures! Do you have any of the interior of 10a? We stayed there before several years ago.

mit43 · Post by **mit43** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:25 pm

I only have some of the Shower. It looks like it has been updated and we are going to do something similar at our house. I will add them to the album. Besides that, the unit looks almost the same as the last time we stayed in it.

LynnieGirl · Post by **LynnieGirl** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:32 pm

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pictures! I'm so excited I can't stand it. My mother always said, "don't wish your life away" but it is gonna be a long 9 months and 13 days! I need to start making lists of all these places so that I won't forget them. And may I say you are a very beautiful couple! Thanks so much for sharing

It's just another day for you, you and me in Paradise...

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 7:38 pm

Thank God someone was watching that lady! Good job!!! We helped one out on Lameshur once....scary to think what would have happened if good people weren't keeping their eyes peeled!
I've heard great things about Driftwood Dave's. Surely going to try to catch them open, next trip!
Thanks for the report. Going to check the pics now

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