USVI-On-Line

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Found this on youtube...

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Help me out...this is one of the areas I want to go to next summer.

How do I get to those beaches? Are the ones accessible from the little roadside staircase?

I feel I should know, but can't picture it

pipanale wrote:Help me out...this is one of the areas I want to go to next summer.

How do I get to those beaches? Are the ones accessible from the little roadside staircase?

I feel I should know, but can't picture it

Pip - no, not the staircase...I think that is Jumbie. A little further down from there going in the direction of Maho, on the left you will see an old iron gate. There's only enough room there for two cars...If you can get a spot, you can walk through the iron gate and on down to Oppenheimer Beach. The "cottage" (rebuilt version) is down the bottom...Can't miss it...It is bright yellow. Hugo can speak to this better than I, but I think the building is now used as somewhat of a community center.

Anyway, take the walk down...It's well worth it!

Here are a couple of shots I took of the Oppenheimer last July. The first one is obviously from the beach, I believe looking over in the direction of Gibney. The second is from the top of Peace Hill of the bay...In that one, Oppenheimer would be in the bottom left hand corner.


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Beautiful pictures, Sox!

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Very pretty pictures of one of my favorite beaches, soxfan.

To clarify for pipinale, Gibney/Oppenheimer comes before Jumbie (and yes, that is the beach with the staircase). It's the next beach after Hawksnest as you come from Cruz Bay.

When you see the white picket fence on the left, you'll know the gate where you park is coming up soon.

Basically, Oppenheimer and Gibney are the same stretch of beach. If you are on the beach looking at the water, the right side is Oppenheimer, and the left is Gibney. I'm not sure where the actual dividing line is, but it must be before the Gibney Beach cottages.

Very interesting that you found that video of Ivan. It was a true pleasure to know both Ivan and Doris.
Doris wrote for the newspaper, wrote a couple of books(they used to be on sale at the Museum). I think that she taught writing or English and was a unique lady. She was famous for her golf cart driving around Cruz Bay with her little white dog next to her.

Soxfan-
Unbelievable pix, thanx!
Didn't Mr. Oppenheimer have an estranged daughter that I read about somewhere?
It was a remarkably passionate story, if I recall correctly.
I've got to look this one up again, I remember posting about it a while back...
If only I could remember her name...
Smiles-
Jimmy

Pipanale-

Also depending on the beach experience you want...just know that on Sundays there is often a large local crowd that hangs out there and has parties at the center. Kids running around and music.

You wouldn't be able to park there once it starts, but we have been there early and then they start setting up.

So if you are an early beach person (which you have to be to get a parking spot there), it is good to know.

It is kind of cool to watch. It can also be noisy and annoying if you want a real peaceful beach.

Just depends on how you feel about that sort of thing.

Jimmy, Becky, and CG...Thanks for the compliments on the pics. I had a lot of help from Picasa!

When the spaces in front of the gate are full, just past on the right shoulder can fit 2/3 more cars. We have parked there plenty of times.

soxfan22 wrote:For some reason, the water there always strikes me as more blue, more clear than elsewhere.

I have to agree with you soxfan, the water there (and at Hawksnest) do seem to be more blue to me as well.

We have never actually walked to Gibney/Oppenheimer; we always just snorkel over from Hawksnest's far right side. We like to snorkel the Oppenheimer side. We just leave our stuff on the far right at Hawksnest and swim around the point checking out all of the stuff in the rocks on our way. The beach has never seemed crowded...especially compared to Hawksnest.

Jim--The Oppenheimer's daughter, Toni, was never estranged, but she did have a very hard life . She was the only member of the family who ever actually lived on St. John,after both her parents were dead, since the house had been purely a vacation retreat. She committed suicide there when she was in her early thirties, and left the property to the people of St. John, which ended up being the VI Government ( not quite the same thing). She was well-liked, very smart, very quiet--trying hard to overcome the dysfunctional family childhood that did lead her brother to leave home at 16---rest in peace.