USVI-On-Line

Day 7: Ram Head Hike w/ LMG, Gram's Beach Choice (MAHO) & ZOZO's!

Mr. Flip-Flop & I (and GROMIT was supposed to come too but bailed on us!) decided to head out to hike to Ram Head this morning early early. When I bumped into Pia the day prior, she'd mentioned LMG wanted to do the hike so we'd exchanged numbers and the evening prior set up a time to meet up and grab her on our way to Salt Pond. Since Gram had arrived I felt good leaving the kids in her care until we returned. We were aiming to be home around the time everyone else was waking up!

Maybe we are crazy, but we set the time for 6:30 pick-up. Little did I know that she was staying probably 2 minutes from us the entire time!

On the way down the mountain to grab LMG our car made this crazy scraping sound. I thought part of the exhaust had fallen off, so Mr F-F hops out and looks under the car. Nothing. So we set off again, the sound goes away. Hmmmmm....

2 minutes later we have LMG in the car and we are off to Salt Pond. We arrived around 6:45 or so. Beautiful breezy day, very low humidity and no full sun! YAY, us!

Early Morning at Ram Head



For the record, Flipper is NOT a hiker. NOT NOT NOT. Actually, Flipper is not much of an outdoors girl, but I have these damn keens that the forum conspired to make me buy and I am going to get my money's worth out of them. (Remember last year I forgot actual shoes and only my hubby's oversized tevas saved me from taking this hike in Flip-Flops - Hi CAT! LOL. Nothingtolose would have had to scold me the next time I stalked her).

I realized on this hike that its not exercise I mind so much, it is meaningless, unrewarding exercise. This hike is so not that. Walking across the beach that early in the morning, without a soul in sight and just one sailboat in the harbor, in a word, perfection!





And we head up the trail



Heading onto Blue Cobblestone to Ram Head in the distance



Such a cool beach, it seems impossible that its all natural



Now this was the point in the hike last time that I started thinking, "No way I will make it all the way there!" Two things: 1) we were in a time crunch and hoofing it and 2) it was just ever so slightly later in the day - I am talking no more than an hour later ... MUCH hotter! Ok and a 3rd thing, once you've done it you know you can and thus mentally it is easier. At least for me.



Heading up from Blue Cobblestone back onto the trail



And this is where you start to get the really stunning payoffs



And finally we summit. Again, NOT a mountain climber here. I have no idea how those guys and gals do it!







A shot of the "trail" for those who may be wondering



LMG said Pia said these were edible. The little bright pink things, not the whole plant. She tried them and declared them "peppery", I am not that adventurous so I took her word for it.



This guy was sunning himself and stared us down on our way back down the trail



We head back home and drop of LMG and arrive home to find people just barely starting to move around. I think they'd been up about 20 minutes. Since this was Gram's first full day we decided to let her choose our beach. She choose, ever so wisely, Maho. MA HO. That's right. Maho again.

A view that NEVER gets old.



A daddy and his girl get their relaxation on...($5 walmart float was AWESOME and totally worth bringing!)



Though we didn't get there super early (maybe 9:30 or so) it was empty!



So we set up camp, Clampet Style



And someone is getting AWFULLY brave on day 7.







The many faces of Maho...





Being totally relaxed and useless commences once again...



I had grand intentions of getting MANY pictures of my two wee ones on the beach while we were there. This is one of the very few of both of them actually looking at the camera.



Where did my baby girl go?

Mini on her first trip



And NOW...all grown up (she's still singing 3 Little Birds to herself by the way)



Soon it is snack/lunch time. We'd packed PB&J's and some snacks so that we could stay a little longer at the beach today. Goldfish, anyone?



My happy sherpa



Before we knew it we had wasted an entire 1/2 a day. So we packed up and decided to head back to the house. As we were leaving Maho, the dad of 3 little girls found this conch shell with a GIANT hermit crab. Mini Flip drew the circle around it. They would wait for it to come out and then all the girls would SCREAM and run away, Belly Flop was a bit delayed, he would look at the girls and then at the crab and yell "AHHHHHH" in solidarity, not in fear. Boys & Girls ... SO different.





Back to the house for afternoon naps and pool time. I was steadily working my way through my book. That's right .. 1 book! And I didn't even get that finished. But it was a great one. Finding Manana about the Cuban boat exodus. Very very good read for the islands.

Tonight we had planned on Zozo's for our evening out.

As we are headed from Coral Bay over we notice the car is making "THAT sound" again. It FREAKED me out. So on the way I have Mr. Flip-Flop call the Suttons, tell them what's happening and that we're on our way to dinner in Cruz Bay if by chance, Mr. Sutton can take a look at the car. Mrs. Sutton tells us he is not available, but by the time we arrive at the lot, he's pulling in behind us. We give him the lowdown tell him where we'll be and he says not to worry, he'll take care of it and we'll either have a new car when we return or a fixed one. Fair enough....and off we go to dinner.

Zozo's ... Ah Zozo's. While not cheap, this is always consistently the best meal we have in St. John. Not sure who said it, maybe JMQ, but it is in the top 5 restaurant experiences for us, anywhere, not just on St. John. The atmosphere, the service and the food are on point. We arrived in time for sunset though the Sahara Dust was coming in and we didn't get much of one. It was a bit warm at first but soon it became a comfortable temperature.



We started with the bruschetta of the day, mozzerella, roasted peppers and some form of italian meat. YUM.



Gram had the lobster



Mr. Flip-Flop had the shrimp with risotto



And I had the ribeye.



About 1/2 way through dinner my husband leaned over to me and said, "Do you see that guy over there? I think I know him. I think he was in my fraternity pledge class. Doesn't that look like him?" Me, being the smart ass I am, said "Go over and give him the secret handshake to know for sure!" I did recognize him but not definitely enough to commit to it! A few minutes later it was confirmed and sure enough, it was one of his fraternity brothers from way back in the day. They hadn't seen each other in probably 14 years or so. A reminder that it is indeed a very small world!



The meal was so out of this world, that I had totally forgotten about our car situation until we were paying the bill. No worries. I am sure it will be all sorted. We head back toward Sutton's around 9:30 or so and find him still there, with the keys to a new car. He suspects, as do we, that it is a brake pad issue. I tell him to please charge us for the used gas and he just waves us off and sends us on our way. He is a dear, dear man who I think at this point I actually love. I know it may sound strange, but considering the beating that cars take on that island I am just glad that no matter what, he is there to help you out and rectify the situation. I have no idea what other rental places would have done, but without a doubt, it doesn't matter what time it is, he won't leave you hanging. That is worth a lot to me! Reason #234 I am too chicken to ever rent on St. Thomas! But that is just me!

We head home in our new 7000 mile Liberty and hit the hay for tomorrow comes Jost Van Dyke!

Tomorrow: Jost, Donkeys, Flip-Flop and Gram escape for a quiet dinner in Town

That spot at Maho is my favorite. Right under that tree!

I just love your report Amy! And I couldn't agree more about renting on STJ...The "what-ifs" scare the crap out of me..Can't believe your husband ran in to an old fraternity buddy! How cool was that?? And the crab was so exciting for your kids, who I might add, are so darn cute!

Great pictures, great report!

I always throw a cheapy Walmart inflatable in our luggage too.

Hiking, Maho, napping, sunset & Zozo's all in one day?
Perfection!

Great pictures of the Rams head hike. I have to do that with hubby in April. It looks beautiful.

Agree that Maho is special.

Blue Cobble Beach! Man, I love that place. I've just sat for an hour, [or was it a month?], listening to the sea play it's sonata on the stones as the waves come and go.
For those that feel confident, the snorkel around the right side is pretty cool, too.
Great reports, Flipper!

Thanks ya'll. It was a great day! Probably 2nd only to our day on Jost...hopefully that trip report will come at some point.

Usually I am a "I've been there/done that" kind of girl, but the hike to Ram Head is one I would happily make every trip. It is magical.

The pictures of your son are just priceless!

Is it wrong that I want shrimp risotto at 10:30 AM?

liamsaunt wrote:The pictures of your son are just priceless!

Is it wrong that I want shrimp risotto at 10:30 AM?

Thanks ... he's pretty rotten!

And on the 2nd point, NO, as long as its not wrong for me to want a painkiller!

Hi Flip!

Thanks for the wonderful trip reports! I was a little anxious about hiking Ram Head, but after your post I think I can do it and I'm actually looking forward to it! I'm so glad that you included a photo of the trail. Are there many flowers along the path? I read in one of the travel books that there were wild orchids and was wondering if you saw any? I need a few flowers for my son's wedding there in a couple of weeks and one of the residents on SJ suggested using some of the wild foliage growing there.

Thanks again for all the great reports! Your kids are precious! I'm kinda wishin we were taking my granddaughter. Maybe next trip.

TravelinTexasGal wrote:Hi Flip!

Thanks for the wonderful trip reports! I was a little anxious about hiking Ram Head, but after your post I think I can do it and I'm actually looking forward to it! I'm so glad that you included a photo of the trail. Are there many flowers along the path? I read in one of the travel books that there were wild orchids and was wondering if you saw any? I need a few flowers for my son's wedding there in a couple of weeks and one of the residents on SJ suggested using some of the wild foliage growing there.

Thanks again for all the great reports! Your kids are precious! I'm kinda wishin we were taking my granddaughter. Maybe next trip.

LMG??? Can you chime in? I do not specifically remember seeing a lot of wildflowers along the trail. Cactus and critters yes. It probably depends on the time of year. There are beautiful red trees (not along the path but around STJ) that might make a nice gathering of color.

The hike is moderate. It isn't long but the trick, at least for me, really is to do it as early as possible. We were up and back by 8am. Even the path back up from Salt Pond to the parking lot was shady still. Made it very very pleasant.

The "trail" is open like in that picture in some places and in other places more narrow, rocky, and has a few steep switchbacks but nothing you can't manage by holding onto a tree. Basically if you can walk you can do the hike if you take it easy. Now if you get out of breath going up a couple flights of stairs or walking more than say 3-4 normal flat miles, I'd say its not for you.

The thing is even if you make it to Blue Cobblestone and are tired out you can just hang there and not go all the way up to Ram Head and it would still be a great experience!

Eeeeee! I had so much fun hiking with you guys in those early morning hours! Was that not one of the most peaceful times ever? Ahhhhhh!

And anyone who's traveling with kiddos and reading your reports should feel so much more reassured now. You guys really know what you're doing!


As for wild flowers on the Ram Head trail, I would say no. There are cactus and green foliage, but that's it. Not even bougainvilla that I can reacall, which is probably because it's a lot more arid on that trail than other parts of the island. Elevation, you know.
I'd caution anyone that plans on "picking" or cutting wild foliage on the island to know where you're getting it from (i.e. someone's property or National Park land).

First off, let me assure you all that I DO NOT intend to pick flowers from someone's yard! I can't believe that anyone would do such a thing! We have guns here in Texas for thieves on our property.

Someone on St John suggested that we just pick a few flowers for the bouquet after I had tried to purchase orchids there... the shop closed. We have friends that have a second home there and they have given permission to have some of theirs. I believe its bougainvillea. I read about wild orchids growing along the trail at Rams Head in a book and had just wondered if they were there at this time of year... believe me, I would not just pick any! I would definitely ask the park rangers before doing anything like that!

We had been thinking about purchasing property there possibly close to our friends home. We are going there to enjoy the pristine nature and beauty of the island and not to take away from it.