Chicagoans Trip Report (Final)
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:41 am
A continuation from Part 1:
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=15012
And Part 2:
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=15013
Thursday: Salt Pond, Ram Head and Happy New Year!
We got to Salt Pond early enough that the beach was fairly empty. I love that. (It got really crowded later.)
It was gray but still beautiful. We watched this guy catch a big fish – tarpon, he said. He let it go after the pictures were taken.
Forumite Loria and her family met us there, and Mr Loria, Loria Jr, and the Chicagoans did the Ram Head hike.
Blue Cobblestone beach. I love the sound of the water when it moves over the stones:
The views you see in STJ never fail to leave me awestruck. Seen from the trail:
Hold on to your hat! A windy spot on the trail – Mr Loria, Mr Chicagoans, and Ms Chicagoans:
We went way out to the tip, and Mr Loria snapped our photo for us:
Mr Loria and Loria Jr:
Loria Jr, Mr Loria and Chicagoans Jr. Yes, I said “not too close to the edge!!” about a hundred times:
Don’t lose your footing… it’s a rough landing:
Mr Chicagoans enjoying the breeze; he’s on the big hill before the tip and I’m on the tip. It didn’t seem that far but here he looks far away:
After our hike we did some snorkeling. Mr Chicagoans and I went out the left side of the bay along the reef, then cut over to the rocks/reefs near the center of the bay. We had the best clarity and saw some great coral and fish at the farthest rock/reef, and then again at the closer in rocks/reefs. We spent some more time at the beach, which was really crowded at this point, and then headed to the Tourist Trap. Mr and Mrs Loria still looking cute after a day at the beach:
We enjoyed some laughs with them while the kids played freeze tag or some kind of game:
Later that evening we celebrated New Years Eve with the Loria family at Rhumb Runners! While the kids played games, Lori and I laughed and drank wine (and made some food) while the men folk manned the grill. They grilled up some steak and salmon (brought from home) and the Loria’s brought some red snapper bought on island. Lori’s lovely friend Mary gave us bags of greens from Josephine’s, and Lori made a delicious salad. They also brought plenty of wine, snacks and goodies, and we picked up a bottle of Veuve Cliquot at Lily’s Market. Brownies for dessert. All in all we were well fed and a bit sauced up too. No food pix because we were laughing too much and eating too fast. Everything was absolutely delicious!
Here is a picture of the manly men (the picture of the hot babes is in Lori’s camera.) I think they’re all quite handsome, and I’m not biased at all:
The full moon over Coral Bay was so beautiful. I didn’t have a tripod and my camera is new enough that I clearly didn’t know what I was doing. But I’m posting this picture anyway to try to give a sense of how stunning the moonlight on the water was:
Here’s a shot from the next night. You can’t see the moon, but the picture is clearer:
It was great to toast the New Year with new friends on St. John! Happy 2010!
Friday: Hansen, Jellies and the East End
Friday morning we headed over to Hansen Bay. On the way there we met these guys (or gals, who knows? We didn’t bother to check):
At Hansen we sat under a lovely palm tree. Ms Chicagoans took this picture from below it:
The beach seemed to have a fair amount of sea debris by the right side, but clearer on the left:
Ms Chicagoans checking out the water:
Ms Chicagoans and I hopped in for a snorkel at the right end of the beach. Right away we saw some jelly fish. Ms C was NOT happy about those and made a bee line straight for shore. I decided to try my luck over along the left end. About half way there I ran into a big cloud of jelly fish. They were small, but there were dozens of them, at least. I don’t know enough about them to know if they would have a painful sting, but I didn’t want to find out the hard way. I high-tailed it back to shore.
We had seen jellies at Little Lameshur and Salt Pond too, so we were a bit disappointed to see them again (and so many.) We hung out on the beach for awhile, but were feeling restless. Big swells on the north shore, jellies on the south shore… so we decided to take a drive around the east end before heading back to hang by the pool.
First, a stop at Vie’s for some conch fritters. Ooo wee, those are good!
We drove around the east end as far as the road let us, then came back and took a ride through the Dreekets Bay development area. That road with the stone wall goes on and on… until it just ends. It seems quite deserted (although the road is in good shape) and so a bit eerie. But the views! Just amazing. Here are a couple – I got a bit turned around on the roads and don’t know what bay this is, so if you recognize it, please let me know!
We eventually headed back to our villa and enjoyed some pool time…
… and checked out the boats in Coral Harbor:
Then we decided to do something we hadn’t done before: have dinner in Cruz Bay. We took a drive along the North Shore Road and snapped some photos en route:
A lovely family was at the over look and snapped our photo for us. (Note to self… lay off the burgers!):
We had seen them earlier in the week at Salt Pond and asked how they were doing in their very small car. (They rented it on STT and laughed that it was the smallest car on the islands.) I can’t remember what it was, but it was small and definitely not 4WD. Heck it didn’t even look like it had 4 wheels. (OK maybe I’m exaggerating.) We were mightily impressed when they said they took it to Little Lameshur! Apparently it was a rather hair raising experience; he said next time they’re definitely getting a 4WD.
Sunset en route to Cruz Bay:
We parked by Mongoose Junction and did some browsing. I really like that building complex. It’s lovely walking between stores and some of the stores have very cool interior spaces.
Since we stick to Coral Bay, I never paid much attention to restaurant reviews for Cruz Bay. I knew a few places were highly regarded but pricey, and we wanted something middle of the road so we decided to try Morgan’s Mango. We had a very nice meal with friendly service:
After dinner, we reluctantly returned to the villa to pack.
Saturday: Petro-bling, Spice Shop and Walk of Woe
Saturday morning we sadly said good bye to Rhumb Runners… but only after we did a ‘Suzuki-cam’ recording of the drive up and down. Eventually I’ll upload that and post it.
We spent some time shopping in Cruz Bay. I had been on the lookout for a cool petroglyph bracelet – I wanted one that was kind of big and fun – and found exactly what I wanted:
I also wanted to bring something back for my parents, who did us a huge favor by taking care of our puppy while we were gone. I knew that Ruth would have something great, and of course she did. I picked up some really pretty salt and pepper shakers, bath salts, spices, and some other things. Ruth is wonderful of course, and came down to take our walk of woe picture by the ferry dock.
We wrote a final love note to STJ before we boarded the ferry:
Postlude
We enjoyed a pleasant conversation with other folks on the taxi ride from Red Hook to the airport. But we all suddenly got very quiet when the van stalled between two hills about half way there. Several cranks of the key and honks from other cars later, it did start up again. Phew!
STT airport was pretty busy. A porter helped speed up the process for us and was well worth the tip. Flight to SJU was uneventful, but SJU > ORD was a bit of a mess. Many people had boarding passes for the same seats (how does that happen?) and there was a lot of shuffling around and angst. One couple was ushered away from their seats and back again 3 times. Another family was removed from the plan and later returned. I was pretty darn happy that no one else was booked for our seats. We were far in the back, and the food cart was completely out of food several rows before it reached us. Not a crumb left. I was glad that we bought sandwiches in STT before leaving.
We reached O’Hare at about 9pm. It was 3 degrees! My shorts and sandals weren’t cutting it. Neither did the footwear I switched to in an effort to be a bit warmer. (Note to self: slightly damp Keens with little gym socks are not warm enough to make up for the dorkiness factor.)
Got home at about 10pm, dropped the bags, and headed off to pick up Hendrix the puppy. He was even bigger than when we left! Apparently his diet at my folks’ house (some newspapers, a TV guide, and a pair of Grandpa’s slippers) suited him. He was so happy to see the kids and we were so happy to see him! And I know my parents are happy to have their house back in order.
Now we’re all back home, back to work and school, the driveway has been shoveled and the laundry done. Time to start dreaming about the next trip!
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=15012
And Part 2:
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=15013
Thursday: Salt Pond, Ram Head and Happy New Year!
We got to Salt Pond early enough that the beach was fairly empty. I love that. (It got really crowded later.)
It was gray but still beautiful. We watched this guy catch a big fish – tarpon, he said. He let it go after the pictures were taken.
Forumite Loria and her family met us there, and Mr Loria, Loria Jr, and the Chicagoans did the Ram Head hike.
Blue Cobblestone beach. I love the sound of the water when it moves over the stones:
The views you see in STJ never fail to leave me awestruck. Seen from the trail:
Hold on to your hat! A windy spot on the trail – Mr Loria, Mr Chicagoans, and Ms Chicagoans:
We went way out to the tip, and Mr Loria snapped our photo for us:
Mr Loria and Loria Jr:
Loria Jr, Mr Loria and Chicagoans Jr. Yes, I said “not too close to the edge!!” about a hundred times:
Don’t lose your footing… it’s a rough landing:
Mr Chicagoans enjoying the breeze; he’s on the big hill before the tip and I’m on the tip. It didn’t seem that far but here he looks far away:
After our hike we did some snorkeling. Mr Chicagoans and I went out the left side of the bay along the reef, then cut over to the rocks/reefs near the center of the bay. We had the best clarity and saw some great coral and fish at the farthest rock/reef, and then again at the closer in rocks/reefs. We spent some more time at the beach, which was really crowded at this point, and then headed to the Tourist Trap. Mr and Mrs Loria still looking cute after a day at the beach:
We enjoyed some laughs with them while the kids played freeze tag or some kind of game:
Later that evening we celebrated New Years Eve with the Loria family at Rhumb Runners! While the kids played games, Lori and I laughed and drank wine (and made some food) while the men folk manned the grill. They grilled up some steak and salmon (brought from home) and the Loria’s brought some red snapper bought on island. Lori’s lovely friend Mary gave us bags of greens from Josephine’s, and Lori made a delicious salad. They also brought plenty of wine, snacks and goodies, and we picked up a bottle of Veuve Cliquot at Lily’s Market. Brownies for dessert. All in all we were well fed and a bit sauced up too. No food pix because we were laughing too much and eating too fast. Everything was absolutely delicious!
Here is a picture of the manly men (the picture of the hot babes is in Lori’s camera.) I think they’re all quite handsome, and I’m not biased at all:
The full moon over Coral Bay was so beautiful. I didn’t have a tripod and my camera is new enough that I clearly didn’t know what I was doing. But I’m posting this picture anyway to try to give a sense of how stunning the moonlight on the water was:
Here’s a shot from the next night. You can’t see the moon, but the picture is clearer:
It was great to toast the New Year with new friends on St. John! Happy 2010!
Friday: Hansen, Jellies and the East End
Friday morning we headed over to Hansen Bay. On the way there we met these guys (or gals, who knows? We didn’t bother to check):
At Hansen we sat under a lovely palm tree. Ms Chicagoans took this picture from below it:
The beach seemed to have a fair amount of sea debris by the right side, but clearer on the left:
Ms Chicagoans checking out the water:
Ms Chicagoans and I hopped in for a snorkel at the right end of the beach. Right away we saw some jelly fish. Ms C was NOT happy about those and made a bee line straight for shore. I decided to try my luck over along the left end. About half way there I ran into a big cloud of jelly fish. They were small, but there were dozens of them, at least. I don’t know enough about them to know if they would have a painful sting, but I didn’t want to find out the hard way. I high-tailed it back to shore.
We had seen jellies at Little Lameshur and Salt Pond too, so we were a bit disappointed to see them again (and so many.) We hung out on the beach for awhile, but were feeling restless. Big swells on the north shore, jellies on the south shore… so we decided to take a drive around the east end before heading back to hang by the pool.
First, a stop at Vie’s for some conch fritters. Ooo wee, those are good!
We drove around the east end as far as the road let us, then came back and took a ride through the Dreekets Bay development area. That road with the stone wall goes on and on… until it just ends. It seems quite deserted (although the road is in good shape) and so a bit eerie. But the views! Just amazing. Here are a couple – I got a bit turned around on the roads and don’t know what bay this is, so if you recognize it, please let me know!
We eventually headed back to our villa and enjoyed some pool time…
… and checked out the boats in Coral Harbor:
Then we decided to do something we hadn’t done before: have dinner in Cruz Bay. We took a drive along the North Shore Road and snapped some photos en route:
A lovely family was at the over look and snapped our photo for us. (Note to self… lay off the burgers!):
We had seen them earlier in the week at Salt Pond and asked how they were doing in their very small car. (They rented it on STT and laughed that it was the smallest car on the islands.) I can’t remember what it was, but it was small and definitely not 4WD. Heck it didn’t even look like it had 4 wheels. (OK maybe I’m exaggerating.) We were mightily impressed when they said they took it to Little Lameshur! Apparently it was a rather hair raising experience; he said next time they’re definitely getting a 4WD.
Sunset en route to Cruz Bay:
We parked by Mongoose Junction and did some browsing. I really like that building complex. It’s lovely walking between stores and some of the stores have very cool interior spaces.
Since we stick to Coral Bay, I never paid much attention to restaurant reviews for Cruz Bay. I knew a few places were highly regarded but pricey, and we wanted something middle of the road so we decided to try Morgan’s Mango. We had a very nice meal with friendly service:
After dinner, we reluctantly returned to the villa to pack.
Saturday: Petro-bling, Spice Shop and Walk of Woe
Saturday morning we sadly said good bye to Rhumb Runners… but only after we did a ‘Suzuki-cam’ recording of the drive up and down. Eventually I’ll upload that and post it.
We spent some time shopping in Cruz Bay. I had been on the lookout for a cool petroglyph bracelet – I wanted one that was kind of big and fun – and found exactly what I wanted:
I also wanted to bring something back for my parents, who did us a huge favor by taking care of our puppy while we were gone. I knew that Ruth would have something great, and of course she did. I picked up some really pretty salt and pepper shakers, bath salts, spices, and some other things. Ruth is wonderful of course, and came down to take our walk of woe picture by the ferry dock.
We wrote a final love note to STJ before we boarded the ferry:
Postlude
We enjoyed a pleasant conversation with other folks on the taxi ride from Red Hook to the airport. But we all suddenly got very quiet when the van stalled between two hills about half way there. Several cranks of the key and honks from other cars later, it did start up again. Phew!
STT airport was pretty busy. A porter helped speed up the process for us and was well worth the tip. Flight to SJU was uneventful, but SJU > ORD was a bit of a mess. Many people had boarding passes for the same seats (how does that happen?) and there was a lot of shuffling around and angst. One couple was ushered away from their seats and back again 3 times. Another family was removed from the plan and later returned. I was pretty darn happy that no one else was booked for our seats. We were far in the back, and the food cart was completely out of food several rows before it reached us. Not a crumb left. I was glad that we bought sandwiches in STT before leaving.
We reached O’Hare at about 9pm. It was 3 degrees! My shorts and sandals weren’t cutting it. Neither did the footwear I switched to in an effort to be a bit warmer. (Note to self: slightly damp Keens with little gym socks are not warm enough to make up for the dorkiness factor.)
Got home at about 10pm, dropped the bags, and headed off to pick up Hendrix the puppy. He was even bigger than when we left! Apparently his diet at my folks’ house (some newspapers, a TV guide, and a pair of Grandpa’s slippers) suited him. He was so happy to see the kids and we were so happy to see him! And I know my parents are happy to have their house back in order.
Now we’re all back home, back to work and school, the driveway has been shoveled and the laundry done. Time to start dreaming about the next trip!
