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Why Did We Wait So Long? Trip Report 10/15-10/22 Part V
Why Did We Wait So Long? Trip Report 10/15-10/22 Part V
Back in the Water Again
Woke up to another beautiful St. John sunrise. tried real hard not to think about it being Friday already.
Had the usual leisurely breakfast and dip in the pool, then decided on a "game plan" for the day. Fortunately, the aloe therapy and day out of the sun have worked wonders on Leslie's sunburned legs. (A word of caution for all - she put waterproof SPF 36 sunscreen on the affected areas twice the day they got burnt so badly, so be very diligent about reapplying/covering up, especially if you will be exposed in the water for extended amounts of time). She had a pair of shorts that are both lightweight enough to wear in the water and long enough to cover the backs of her upper legs, so we were good to go!
I knew that there would be no cruise ships in port at St. Thomas today, so it was going to be our Trunk Bay day. We didn't get there early enough to avoid paying the entry fee, but our jeep was the second car in the parking lot! We found a good spot under the trees, towards the right end of the beach to put our stuff down, then got geared up for snorkeling and were in the water shortly before 9:30.
The water was very calm, we joked with the lifeguard about how he'd have to keep a close eye on us! We slowly made our way out to the cay, and went around it in a clockwise direction. There was a good amount of sea life on display, and the water was very clear. We saw more fry, tarpon, permit, surgeonfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, squirrelfish, and, closer to the rocks, a lot of tiny damsels, tangs, and wrasses. Out away from the rocks a bit, we saw a turtle munching out in the grass beds.
Maybe it's because this beach is so popular with cruise ship visitors, but for whatever reason, in my mind I considered it a less desireable place to go to (although it's hard to argue with the sheer beauty of the place). Being here, with maybe ten other people on the whole beach, certainly dispelled those notions for me. We stayed here for several hours. We talked to the lifeguards and learned some new things, like what "nu-nu" fruit is. There was some of that on the beach and it looked like something that may have been displaced from the water. We were told that it fell from the trees (and in fact saw a number of them around the park once we started looking for them), and that it tasted awful, but according to the lifeguard's father, had "viagra-like" qualities. I decided to stick with the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout instead!
As the day went on, the beach got more "crowdwd" - at one time there may have been 50 or 60 people there! A lot of the people seemed to be day trippers from St. Thomas - we talked to two couples that were staying over there. We sure were happy to be staying on St. John instead!
Trunk Bay is a great people watching spot. You definitely get all kinds. I wish some of the snorkeling newbies would have the chance, and take the time to read the section of "Feet, Fins, and Four Wheel Drive" where Pam Gaffin describes the orientation she gives to cruise ship passengers that have never snorkled before.
Not only do I believe that following her advice would increase their enjoyment of the activity, it would also be safer for them and for the fragile coral that they are so close to. But it is fun (and often funny) to see their reactions to snorkeling for the first time, and to seeing some of the sea life for the first time.
One of the people we were talking to is a long time scuba diver from Connecticut. He had a woman that was nearby convinced that the tiny little fish she was going on about (fry) were sardines. He was telling her all about the thriving St. John sardine industry, and that she should try and buy some of the local product before she took the ferry back to St. Thomas. We were dying trying to keep a straight face!
After we left Trunk we decided to stop at Maho and eat lunch. We had some bread, cheese, and fruit so we just sat in the trees by the side of the road listening to the people having fun on the beach. There was a very loud group there, but they were "fun loud" as oppsed to "obnoxious loud" from what we could gather.
After eating lunch we decided we'd head out to the east end, just to check things out that way, since we hadn't been any further than Skinny Legs in that direction.
We drove until we saw the signs for Sloop Jones, so we decided to go check out his studio/store. Sloop was on the phone so we didn't talk to him, but the conversation was ably filled by Betsy, who was minding the store. Even though the prices were more than we like to spend on souvenirs, we couldn't resist buying some of the original and unique clothes - Leslie bought a top and a dress and I bought a button up shirt.
On the way back to the Coral Bay "triangle" we saw several donkeys hanging out.
We stopped to get a good picture of them and one of them came over to check us out. For a while there I thought he might be coming home with us!
We got home, rinsed the gear off, took a dip in the pool (how I liked being able to do that each morning and evening), then made some drinks and chilled out waiting for the sunset. Tonight's dinner menu was grilled filet mignon, marinated in cabernet and Cruz Bay Grill Rub, rice, steamed brocolli & carrots, and garlic bread.
It was very nice out on the deck, and during and after dinner we just drifted into one of those conversations that you can only seem to have when you're alone, when you've got a full belly, when you've had a nice drink, and when you're at peace with the world. It was just so nice sitting out there, watching the lights of St. Thomas and the stars flickering on and off in the distance, listening to all of the night's nature sounds. Talking about how lucky we are to be able to take such a vacation, how lucky we are to have someone to take the trip with, someone that appreciates the same things. We talked about our boys, we talked about our pasts, both together and before we'd met, we contemplated the future (I'm pretty sure we talked about planning our next trip to STJ - that's my story anyway!). It was just a great ending to a great day!
Woke up to another beautiful St. John sunrise. tried real hard not to think about it being Friday already.
Had the usual leisurely breakfast and dip in the pool, then decided on a "game plan" for the day. Fortunately, the aloe therapy and day out of the sun have worked wonders on Leslie's sunburned legs. (A word of caution for all - she put waterproof SPF 36 sunscreen on the affected areas twice the day they got burnt so badly, so be very diligent about reapplying/covering up, especially if you will be exposed in the water for extended amounts of time). She had a pair of shorts that are both lightweight enough to wear in the water and long enough to cover the backs of her upper legs, so we were good to go!
I knew that there would be no cruise ships in port at St. Thomas today, so it was going to be our Trunk Bay day. We didn't get there early enough to avoid paying the entry fee, but our jeep was the second car in the parking lot! We found a good spot under the trees, towards the right end of the beach to put our stuff down, then got geared up for snorkeling and were in the water shortly before 9:30.
The water was very calm, we joked with the lifeguard about how he'd have to keep a close eye on us! We slowly made our way out to the cay, and went around it in a clockwise direction. There was a good amount of sea life on display, and the water was very clear. We saw more fry, tarpon, permit, surgeonfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, squirrelfish, and, closer to the rocks, a lot of tiny damsels, tangs, and wrasses. Out away from the rocks a bit, we saw a turtle munching out in the grass beds.
Maybe it's because this beach is so popular with cruise ship visitors, but for whatever reason, in my mind I considered it a less desireable place to go to (although it's hard to argue with the sheer beauty of the place). Being here, with maybe ten other people on the whole beach, certainly dispelled those notions for me. We stayed here for several hours. We talked to the lifeguards and learned some new things, like what "nu-nu" fruit is. There was some of that on the beach and it looked like something that may have been displaced from the water. We were told that it fell from the trees (and in fact saw a number of them around the park once we started looking for them), and that it tasted awful, but according to the lifeguard's father, had "viagra-like" qualities. I decided to stick with the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout instead!
As the day went on, the beach got more "crowdwd" - at one time there may have been 50 or 60 people there! A lot of the people seemed to be day trippers from St. Thomas - we talked to two couples that were staying over there. We sure were happy to be staying on St. John instead!
Trunk Bay is a great people watching spot. You definitely get all kinds. I wish some of the snorkeling newbies would have the chance, and take the time to read the section of "Feet, Fins, and Four Wheel Drive" where Pam Gaffin describes the orientation she gives to cruise ship passengers that have never snorkled before.
Not only do I believe that following her advice would increase their enjoyment of the activity, it would also be safer for them and for the fragile coral that they are so close to. But it is fun (and often funny) to see their reactions to snorkeling for the first time, and to seeing some of the sea life for the first time.
One of the people we were talking to is a long time scuba diver from Connecticut. He had a woman that was nearby convinced that the tiny little fish she was going on about (fry) were sardines. He was telling her all about the thriving St. John sardine industry, and that she should try and buy some of the local product before she took the ferry back to St. Thomas. We were dying trying to keep a straight face!
After we left Trunk we decided to stop at Maho and eat lunch. We had some bread, cheese, and fruit so we just sat in the trees by the side of the road listening to the people having fun on the beach. There was a very loud group there, but they were "fun loud" as oppsed to "obnoxious loud" from what we could gather.
After eating lunch we decided we'd head out to the east end, just to check things out that way, since we hadn't been any further than Skinny Legs in that direction.
We drove until we saw the signs for Sloop Jones, so we decided to go check out his studio/store. Sloop was on the phone so we didn't talk to him, but the conversation was ably filled by Betsy, who was minding the store. Even though the prices were more than we like to spend on souvenirs, we couldn't resist buying some of the original and unique clothes - Leslie bought a top and a dress and I bought a button up shirt.
On the way back to the Coral Bay "triangle" we saw several donkeys hanging out.
We stopped to get a good picture of them and one of them came over to check us out. For a while there I thought he might be coming home with us!
We got home, rinsed the gear off, took a dip in the pool (how I liked being able to do that each morning and evening), then made some drinks and chilled out waiting for the sunset. Tonight's dinner menu was grilled filet mignon, marinated in cabernet and Cruz Bay Grill Rub, rice, steamed brocolli & carrots, and garlic bread.
It was very nice out on the deck, and during and after dinner we just drifted into one of those conversations that you can only seem to have when you're alone, when you've got a full belly, when you've had a nice drink, and when you're at peace with the world. It was just so nice sitting out there, watching the lights of St. Thomas and the stars flickering on and off in the distance, listening to all of the night's nature sounds. Talking about how lucky we are to be able to take such a vacation, how lucky we are to have someone to take the trip with, someone that appreciates the same things. We talked about our boys, we talked about our pasts, both together and before we'd met, we contemplated the future (I'm pretty sure we talked about planning our next trip to STJ - that's my story anyway!). It was just a great ending to a great day!
Come see us!
ok I've collected myself now and have some other comments. your dinner sounds great. yum!
I have a similar picture of myself at Trunk, in the water. So beautiful!
I checked our cruise ship schedule while we are on island and there are ships in every day. Oh well, we will just have to wait them out
Last year I was afraid to go up Sloop's drive because it felt like I was invading. I'm going up this year!
Great reports. Your week is going fast.
I have a similar picture of myself at Trunk, in the water. So beautiful!
I checked our cruise ship schedule while we are on island and there are ships in every day. Oh well, we will just have to wait them out
Last year I was afraid to go up Sloop's drive because it felt like I was invading. I'm going up this year!
Great reports. Your week is going fast.
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Kentuckygirl
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:17 am
- Location: Kentucky
We've had a few of those too. 
How blessed we are for these moments and experiences!
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Bob & Anita
- Posts: 611
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:20 pm
- Location: Charlotte, NC
Great report. I totally agree with you about Trunk. We completely avoided it on our first trip thinking it would be "crowded" and full of day trippers. We almost missed it entirely on our 2nd trip too. Until we decided to go there the morning we were leaving the island.
So we got up at 6ish, finalized packing and headed there around 7. We were the only people on the beach. We hung out for about 2 hours, headed back to the house to shower and were on our way by 10 am. It was a great way to wrap up our trip.
Here's a pic of one of my BFFs,Barbo, who was with me on that trip and will be returning for our upcoming jaunt.
I like to call it Sad Barbo. Maybe I can get Kristen to paint it for me. (Don't you love how I am on a first name basis with her. You know, I did buy a painting!)
So we got up at 6ish, finalized packing and headed there around 7. We were the only people on the beach. We hung out for about 2 hours, headed back to the house to shower and were on our way by 10 am. It was a great way to wrap up our trip.
Here's a pic of one of my BFFs,Barbo, who was with me on that trip and will be returning for our upcoming jaunt.
I like to call it Sad Barbo. Maybe I can get Kristen to paint it for me. (Don't you love how I am on a first name basis with her. You know, I did buy a painting!)
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Kentuckygirl
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:17 am
- Location: Kentucky
