Tracy and Juice's Trip Report - part 4 (last one)
Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:27 pm
Wednesday
Since we had the entire pool area to ourselves for the week, we decided to hang out there for the morning. This is rare for us. We are usually up and out to a different beach each day. It was very relaxing and after we enjoyed our leftover pasta from the night before, we decided to go to Hawksnest Bay for the remainder of the day. The waves were a bit high, but it was another beautiful day. I had seen a few squid here on our last trip and was eager to try and see some more. I turned out to be lucky today. I saw a single squid over one reef but he swam away faster than I was able to chase him. I swam to another section of the reef and came across two squid who seemed happy to have me hover above them and take their picture. This made my day! I also saw a trunk fish and a stingray on my way back to shore.
Squid
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 1682"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 1.jpg"></a>
Trunkfish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 5394"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
Stingray
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 1314"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 4.jpg"></a>
We wanted to get down to the Beach Bar and see at least some of the Blues Cruise artists that were performing so we hurried home to clean up and made our way there. It was certainly busy all around Cruz Bay and this was a fun event. We went to the Beach Bar and the beach was packed as was the bar itself. We were a bit late, but were able to find two chairs on the beach. We never actually saw Joey Gilmore but heard him sing two songs and enjoyed our time there.
Busy at the Beach Bar
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 9666"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
Next, we went up to the Balcony for a drink at the bar. They have a great view of the lights on St. Thomas and also the sunset if you’re early enough. We enjoyed our drinks and then went off to the Fish Trap for dinner. I chose lobster and Juice had a blackened mahi sandwich. His was good, mine was average. And my lobster review is from a Midwesterner who isn’t even sure how you’re supposed to eat the silly thing! I have definitely had better. We had a great waitress though who was full of energy.
Thursday
We had a very early start and made it to Cinammon Bay as it started drizzling. We were the only ones on the entire stretch of beach. I walked all the way up and down the beach and took in the sights and sounds. It was incredibly peaceful and I wish I could bring that feeling home with me. We found a place to sit and relaxed for a bit before heading off to snorkel.
Juice – the only one on Cinnamon Bay Beach!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 2370"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 2.jpg"></a>
We hoped to snorkel over to Little Cinammon where there is supposedly the remains of an airplane that crashed a number of years ago. The waves were crashing and it was a bit rough, but we made it to Little Cinnamon all the way, we didn’t see much. We then snorkeled over to Peter Bay and walked along the beach admiring the huge and expensive homes. On the snorkel back, we swam out a bit further hoping to see that airplane, but had no luck. It was very wavy and we got a very good workout on the swim over and back.
Snorkeling – it was a bit choppy!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 2322"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 5.jpg"></a>
Peter Bay
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 5842"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 6.jpg"></a>
Baby Donkey at Cinnamon Bay
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 4738"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 3.jpg"></a>
We were very hungry after this and decided to try Island Blues. We had been there before for drinks, but never had food. I ordered a blackened mahi sandwich and Juice had their chili special. His was very good and I saw sweat beads from his forehead so it must have been spicy. My mahi was probably the worst we had all week, small pieces of fish, not much spice, and the roll was too large. So, I basically had bread. The beer washed it down nicely! I do enjoy the atmosphere here though and love the view of Coral Bay.
Bird at Island Blues
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 6610"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... %20283.jpg">
We then headed over to Francis Bay again for another try at snorkeling. We headed out to the middle in hopes of spotting a turtle. We had no luck which is unusual for us at Francis. I wonder if this is typical for January. While on the way over to the right side of the bay, I came across a spotted eagle ray. I had never seen one before and although it was a bit cloudy in the water, I was able to see it perfectly. What an amazing creature!
We then snorkeled all along the right side of the bay which was filled with fry and all kinds of fish.
Spotted Eagle Ray
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 8866"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 9.jpg"></a>
Sea Worm at Francis Bay
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 0690"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
After our long day, we weren’t in for much else but headed to town to order Uncle Joe’s BBQ. We both ordered the ribs and took them to go and sat along the dinghy dock in front of St. John Spice. It was fun to watch all the people in the area and listen to the live music at High Tide. We were wiped out and headed in after dinner.
Friday
We thought about heading back over the Haulover North today to see if the waves were down, but chose to go to Salt Pond instead and snorkel. We knew it would be calm there and we hadn’t snorkeled there in several trips. We brought in only the essentials and headed out right away along the right hand shore. The snorkeling was incredible. We saw many fish and many different types. After heading along the shore, we went out to the coral reef a bit out in the center of the bay. The snorkeling here was very good as well. After about 1 to 1 ½ hours, Juice was done but I really wanted to see a turtle and swam towards the grassy area in the middle of the bay. I didn’t have any luck, but did enjoy my remaining time there.
Elusive Tire Fish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 2786"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 6.jpg"></a>
Dog Snapper (I think)
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 7074"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 9.jpg"></a>
Some sort of Filefish (I think?)
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 7026"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 0.jpg"></a>
Scrawled Filefish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 9714"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 2.jpg"></a>
Once we finished, we decided to go back to Francis for our last day. We first stopped at the Love City Mini Mart for a few essentials (Beer!). I was on a mission to see a turtle today so I sat and watched the water looking for the head to pop up. There was one turtle that kept coming up for air a short distance from us. As I snorkeled out, Juice would point me in the direction I needed to go. Finally, after 30 minutes, I was able to spot a turtle. He decided that he wanted to swim quickly out into deeper water so I followed as best as I could. I trailed him for a few minutes before I realized how deep it was and how far I would have to swim back to shore. By the time I returned, I was wiped out.
Francis Bay Turtle
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 6530"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
I ended up swimming in the water for a long time and began a conversation with two other ladies visiting St. John. We shared information on the island and stories from home and I soon realized that Juice had packed up most of our stuff and headed to the car. He came back for the rest and told me we needed to leave. As it turns out, it was no see um feeding hour and since he was on the beach, he was dinner. He ended up with well over 50 bites on his arms and back. I felt so bad since it is usually me who is severely attacked. So we left our favorite beach in a hurry.
We weren’t sure what we wanted for dinner so we looked at a bunch of menus and nothing looked too good. We stopped at the little cart/trailer/store? Just past Woody’s and sat at a bar stool for some beers. This was a great idea. We hesitated at first because we weren’t sure if many tourists stopped there. The lady behind the counter was so friendly and welcoming. We met a very nice West Indian man and although we spoke with him for over an hour, once we left, we realized that neither of us could really understand what he was talking about! We also met a very nice man named Pappy who was very intoxicated. He is from the east coast and now lives on St. John. He was telling us about a funeral earlier in the day that we had driven by. We really enjoyed each of these people and will stop there again.
We needed food at this point and headed to the Beach Bar for another blackened mahi sandwich for each of us. I hope no one is counting how many of these sandwiches we had…….!
Our plan for the night was to go to Fred’s since we read in the local paper that there would be live music at 9:00. We had hoped it would be Inner Visions. We walked by a few times and did see them setting up instruments and such so after dinner we went back and still no music had started. We then learned that it would be a brass band. I’m sure they would have been very good, but it was close to 10:00 now and there was no sign of the starting soon. We decided to end our evening early.
Saturday
Our last morning on island was very enjoyable. We were able to extend our departure from rendezvous since there were no new guests coming in. We also were given a late return by Denzil Clyne car rental. We took full advantage of the opportunity and went to Hawksnest Beach for one last time. The waves were crashing up the shoreline and there was only one other couple there. Juice decided to get one last run in and I sat there watching the waves and tried to bring some of the island home with me in my mind. Once again it was very peaceful.
Crab at Hawksnest
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 8274"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
Hawksnest Bay
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 9890"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 4.jpg"></a>
Then it was off to the villa to pack up and head out. We headed to the Beach Bar again for a last lunch of… blackened mahi sandwiches – actually Juice ordered a cheeseburger. I stopped in by Ruth for some last minute purchases and to say good-bye to her and Ron. Then it was off on the ferry to Red Hook and off to the airport for our trip home.
All in all, it was an amazing trip. We love the island more each time even though we do the same things. We truly enjoyed meeting the other forumites and consider them each friends. I highly encourage you to do the same on your visits. It was fun running into Tom at different times on the island and we look forward to meeting more of you at this summer’s Wisconsin gathering.
Farewell!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 0562"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 3.jpg"></a>
We know we are fortunate that we were able to get the time away without our kids (even though we love them!). We are also fortunate that we are able to go back in June with them. Thanks for taking the time to read this and share your comments. I went a bit crazy with my pictures this year and the entire albums can be found at the following links. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp
Since we had the entire pool area to ourselves for the week, we decided to hang out there for the morning. This is rare for us. We are usually up and out to a different beach each day. It was very relaxing and after we enjoyed our leftover pasta from the night before, we decided to go to Hawksnest Bay for the remainder of the day. The waves were a bit high, but it was another beautiful day. I had seen a few squid here on our last trip and was eager to try and see some more. I turned out to be lucky today. I saw a single squid over one reef but he swam away faster than I was able to chase him. I swam to another section of the reef and came across two squid who seemed happy to have me hover above them and take their picture. This made my day! I also saw a trunk fish and a stingray on my way back to shore.
Squid
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 1682"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 1.jpg"></a>
Trunkfish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 5394"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
Stingray
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 1314"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 4.jpg"></a>
We wanted to get down to the Beach Bar and see at least some of the Blues Cruise artists that were performing so we hurried home to clean up and made our way there. It was certainly busy all around Cruz Bay and this was a fun event. We went to the Beach Bar and the beach was packed as was the bar itself. We were a bit late, but were able to find two chairs on the beach. We never actually saw Joey Gilmore but heard him sing two songs and enjoyed our time there.
Busy at the Beach Bar
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 9666"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
Next, we went up to the Balcony for a drink at the bar. They have a great view of the lights on St. Thomas and also the sunset if you’re early enough. We enjoyed our drinks and then went off to the Fish Trap for dinner. I chose lobster and Juice had a blackened mahi sandwich. His was good, mine was average. And my lobster review is from a Midwesterner who isn’t even sure how you’re supposed to eat the silly thing! I have definitely had better. We had a great waitress though who was full of energy.
Thursday
We had a very early start and made it to Cinammon Bay as it started drizzling. We were the only ones on the entire stretch of beach. I walked all the way up and down the beach and took in the sights and sounds. It was incredibly peaceful and I wish I could bring that feeling home with me. We found a place to sit and relaxed for a bit before heading off to snorkel.
Juice – the only one on Cinnamon Bay Beach!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 2370"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 2.jpg"></a>
We hoped to snorkel over to Little Cinammon where there is supposedly the remains of an airplane that crashed a number of years ago. The waves were crashing and it was a bit rough, but we made it to Little Cinnamon all the way, we didn’t see much. We then snorkeled over to Peter Bay and walked along the beach admiring the huge and expensive homes. On the snorkel back, we swam out a bit further hoping to see that airplane, but had no luck. It was very wavy and we got a very good workout on the swim over and back.
Snorkeling – it was a bit choppy!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 2322"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 5.jpg"></a>
Peter Bay
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 5842"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 6.jpg"></a>
Baby Donkey at Cinnamon Bay
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 4738"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 3.jpg"></a>
We were very hungry after this and decided to try Island Blues. We had been there before for drinks, but never had food. I ordered a blackened mahi sandwich and Juice had their chili special. His was very good and I saw sweat beads from his forehead so it must have been spicy. My mahi was probably the worst we had all week, small pieces of fish, not much spice, and the roll was too large. So, I basically had bread. The beer washed it down nicely! I do enjoy the atmosphere here though and love the view of Coral Bay.
Bird at Island Blues
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 6610"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... %20283.jpg">
We then headed over to Francis Bay again for another try at snorkeling. We headed out to the middle in hopes of spotting a turtle. We had no luck which is unusual for us at Francis. I wonder if this is typical for January. While on the way over to the right side of the bay, I came across a spotted eagle ray. I had never seen one before and although it was a bit cloudy in the water, I was able to see it perfectly. What an amazing creature!
We then snorkeled all along the right side of the bay which was filled with fry and all kinds of fish.
Spotted Eagle Ray
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 8866"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 9.jpg"></a>
Sea Worm at Francis Bay
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 0690"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
After our long day, we weren’t in for much else but headed to town to order Uncle Joe’s BBQ. We both ordered the ribs and took them to go and sat along the dinghy dock in front of St. John Spice. It was fun to watch all the people in the area and listen to the live music at High Tide. We were wiped out and headed in after dinner.
Friday
We thought about heading back over the Haulover North today to see if the waves were down, but chose to go to Salt Pond instead and snorkel. We knew it would be calm there and we hadn’t snorkeled there in several trips. We brought in only the essentials and headed out right away along the right hand shore. The snorkeling was incredible. We saw many fish and many different types. After heading along the shore, we went out to the coral reef a bit out in the center of the bay. The snorkeling here was very good as well. After about 1 to 1 ½ hours, Juice was done but I really wanted to see a turtle and swam towards the grassy area in the middle of the bay. I didn’t have any luck, but did enjoy my remaining time there.
Elusive Tire Fish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 2786"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 6.jpg"></a>
Dog Snapper (I think)
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 7074"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 9.jpg"></a>
Some sort of Filefish (I think?)
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 7026"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 0.jpg"></a>
Scrawled Filefish
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 9714"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 2.jpg"></a>
Once we finished, we decided to go back to Francis for our last day. We first stopped at the Love City Mini Mart for a few essentials (Beer!). I was on a mission to see a turtle today so I sat and watched the water looking for the head to pop up. There was one turtle that kept coming up for air a short distance from us. As I snorkeled out, Juice would point me in the direction I needed to go. Finally, after 30 minutes, I was able to spot a turtle. He decided that he wanted to swim quickly out into deeper water so I followed as best as I could. I trailed him for a few minutes before I realized how deep it was and how far I would have to swim back to shore. By the time I returned, I was wiped out.
Francis Bay Turtle
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 6530"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
I ended up swimming in the water for a long time and began a conversation with two other ladies visiting St. John. We shared information on the island and stories from home and I soon realized that Juice had packed up most of our stuff and headed to the car. He came back for the rest and told me we needed to leave. As it turns out, it was no see um feeding hour and since he was on the beach, he was dinner. He ended up with well over 50 bites on his arms and back. I felt so bad since it is usually me who is severely attacked. So we left our favorite beach in a hurry.
We weren’t sure what we wanted for dinner so we looked at a bunch of menus and nothing looked too good. We stopped at the little cart/trailer/store? Just past Woody’s and sat at a bar stool for some beers. This was a great idea. We hesitated at first because we weren’t sure if many tourists stopped there. The lady behind the counter was so friendly and welcoming. We met a very nice West Indian man and although we spoke with him for over an hour, once we left, we realized that neither of us could really understand what he was talking about! We also met a very nice man named Pappy who was very intoxicated. He is from the east coast and now lives on St. John. He was telling us about a funeral earlier in the day that we had driven by. We really enjoyed each of these people and will stop there again.
We needed food at this point and headed to the Beach Bar for another blackened mahi sandwich for each of us. I hope no one is counting how many of these sandwiches we had…….!
Our plan for the night was to go to Fred’s since we read in the local paper that there would be live music at 9:00. We had hoped it would be Inner Visions. We walked by a few times and did see them setting up instruments and such so after dinner we went back and still no music had started. We then learned that it would be a brass band. I’m sure they would have been very good, but it was close to 10:00 now and there was no sign of the starting soon. We decided to end our evening early.
Saturday
Our last morning on island was very enjoyable. We were able to extend our departure from rendezvous since there were no new guests coming in. We also were given a late return by Denzil Clyne car rental. We took full advantage of the opportunity and went to Hawksnest Beach for one last time. The waves were crashing up the shoreline and there was only one other couple there. Juice decided to get one last run in and I sat there watching the waves and tried to bring some of the island home with me in my mind. Once again it was very peaceful.
Crab at Hawksnest
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 8274"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 8.jpg"></a>
Hawksnest Bay
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 9890"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 4.jpg"></a>
Then it was off to the villa to pack up and head out. We headed to the Beach Bar again for a last lunch of… blackened mahi sandwiches – actually Juice ordered a cheeseburger. I stopped in by Ruth for some last minute purchases and to say good-bye to her and Ron. Then it was off on the ferry to Red Hook and off to the airport for our trip home.
All in all, it was an amazing trip. We love the island more each time even though we do the same things. We truly enjoyed meeting the other forumites and consider them each friends. I highly encourage you to do the same on your visits. It was fun running into Tom at different times on the island and we look forward to meeting more of you at this summer’s Wisconsin gathering.
Farewell!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp/S ... 0562"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/gofishtlp/R ... 3.jpg"></a>
We know we are fortunate that we were able to get the time away without our kids (even though we love them!). We are also fortunate that we are able to go back in June with them. Thanks for taking the time to read this and share your comments. I went a bit crazy with my pictures this year and the entire albums can be found at the following links. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/gofishtlp
