USVI-On-Line

Good morning Coral Bay. It is so nice to have great friends with a great view!! Thanks, Pia!! Best gig ever.

This view just never gets old.



This morning we started by a nice hike to Brown Bay. It was my first time taking this hike. I was a little nervous.

This sign didn't help. Don't worry *I* did not enter!!



To get to the Brown Bay lot, if you don't know, you drive out to the East End, past Donkey Diner and Skinny's. Keep going and it will be on your left. Just a small lot, next to the Firearms Range. LMG reassured me that she had it on good authority that they didn't often use the range. Good to know

The hike is fairly easy. I think 2.5 miles roundtrip. About 45 minutes or so. The beginning is a good steady climb, settles into a nice flat portion and then has another bit of a climb. It doesn't have the payoffs of the Ram Head hike, i.e. the awesome views, but it is a nice hike. Mildly difficult for someone who is out of shape (Flipper), easy for someone in shape (LMG), and the pups were experts! And if you are lucky, you get to see cute puppies on your walk!

Brown Bay is very pretty. Not at all what I expected.



We did a good job wearing out our charges. They liked to cool their bellies on the tile. These girls have the life!!! (I am not sure if I am talking about the human girls or the pups!)



While the pups rested, I enjoyed a bagel and coffee on the deck. The start of a good ritual. I love, Love, LOVE the bagels from Lilly's (you can get them at Pine Peace too). They are REAL NY bagels. They are chewy and delicious. In the fridge section. I also don't know why, but the coffee just tastes better on STJ. LMG had brought some Dunkin Donuts coffee from home and mmmmmm mmmmm good. Such a great way to start the day.

For about the 11th time in 2 days, I told LMG I couldn't believe I was there, with no diapers in my bag, no snacks to pack for everyone, no juice cups or naps to figure out (other than my own). I promised I wouldn't say it all week. I don't think I kept my promise. LMG is a very patient girl!

I mean, just look at this bag. A book? A towel! Just 1 towel. ONE. A magazine. And I actually got to READ on the beach. No sand toys, no changes of clothes in ziplocks, no baby powder to de-sand wee ones.



Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my kids and there is little I love more than sharing STJ with them. Perhaps, nothing other than not sharing STJ with them! I do love taking them to the beach, but I won't lie and say I didn't love having no one to worry about but me.

It was so foreign to me I still found myself packing the cooler for all of us every day and organizing stuff regardless. It might be a sickness.

So, the next order of the day was to figure out which beach. I know, life is full of tough choices. We settled on one I had never visited. One that required a little hike. Now that I've been there I know we could make it down with the kiddos, but I used this trip to do a lot of recon for future trips with them.

LMG, being the genius she is, suggested picking up lunch at Deli Grotto to throw in the cooler for the beach. Sold. As you can see, we had a really difficult time agreeing on anything! We ended up splitting a sandwich - they are HUGE and awesome. I love Deli Grotto. And yes, I got a chocolate coconut crack bar. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Good.

A visual



Soon we were off to Denis to lime the day away. We plopped down and enjoyed the virtually empty beach. A rarity on this trip. Even the beaches that are usually less busy (Lameshur for example) were relatively busy! Soon we heard someone coming down the path. He emerged onto the beach (in a shirt and underwear) closely behind followed another fully clothed man (tennis shoes and all). Straight into the water they went. They had buckets and were obviously seeking something, but when they headed back across the beach we asked and they wouldn't tell. TOP SECRET. I think they thought we were going to report them or something, we weren't, we were just nosey!





GORGEOUS



Time for lunch. That LMG is a smart girl!



And a beverage



We completely mellowed and enjoyed our day.

Before we knew it it was time to pull it together to hike back to the car and head back to check on the pups. My mama was arriving on the 5pm ferry, so we cleaned up and headed to town to pick her up. Then we headed back over to Coral Bay. Took a quick minute to unload her stuff and then headed to Shipwreck for dinner.

I have NEVER actually needed a reservation for dinner at Shipwreck, but again it is in season! Tonight was the exception to that rule. The only available seating was at the bar. We gladly took it and settled in for a drink and dinner. My first VI Mango Ale (love at first sight) and my mama's first Bushwacker of the trip! I had the new york strip with baked potato and veggies. It was delish!! And for dessert, the key lime pie. So good!

Soon we were all pretty tired and headed back to the house to hit the sack!

Tomorrow: Maaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhho, Saying hi to Ruth & Lime Inn Key Lime!

chocolate coconut crack bar

mbw1024 wrote:chocolate coconut crack bar

I know!!!

Later in the week I broke with tradition and got a chocolate peanut butter bar. ALSO contains crack.

Can't eat the whole thing in one sitting. Each takes about 3 days for me to finish and I am so not usually that girl!

Sounds like my kind of day...get a little hike in and then hit the beach. Always love how a little exercise makes things like burgers, beer and Chocolate Coconut Mmmm Bars taste so good.

Love Denis Beach...got a feeling it's going to start getting the Gibney treatment around here if it hasn't already. It's beautiful, the hike's really not bad, and the fact that the trailhead is slightly hidden makes you feel like you're in some secret STJ club. The locals would probably laugh to read that, though I noticed that seemed to be who was there when we went last year...still, only about six of us total on that whole beach all day.

Did you see the ruins just inside the thicket beyond the beach. Not sure if this private property or now owned by the National Park, but they're pretty neat.

Enjoying your trip reports...have not done Brown Bay, may try that one next time.

Have a good one...it goes by fast doesn't it, especially without the little ones. When my wife is away and I've got our little guy, he has this super power of making time stand still at home while he goes into warp speed destroying everything in his path. Good times and no doubt your husband knows exactly what I'm talking about.

I am really missing not hiking alongside a beach with the dogs every morning. Wah. Life is hard.


Also, FYI to all, going to the beach with someone who habitually packs a cooler every morning without thinking is pretty awesome. I highly recommend traveling with a wife! hehe

No kids, no worrying about all the kid essential things, READING A BOOK! The shock of it all would like send me rocking in the corner, mumbling


Ok, I did read two books on vacation but it was at night after everyone was asleep. Reading on the beach is an entirely different pleasure.

LMG - I think you reminded me that I left the part of the story at Soggy's out about us offering to be Mic's sister wives! lol. Good times.

I'll be your sister wife anytime. As long as we live on St. John.

Ahhh Denis, my fave. I think we will check out Brown Bay, that looks different and very pretty.

I have seen people collecting there (Denis)also. I am wondering if it is snails as there were lots when we went.

PA Girl wrote:No kids, no worrying about all the kid essential things, READING A BOOK! The shock of it all would like send me rocking in the corner, mumbling


Ok, I did read two books on vacation but it was at night after everyone was asleep. Reading on the beach is an entirely different pleasure.

LOL it was a bit confusing. I kept looking around for short people and trying to herd LMG. Good thing the pups were there. They helped a lot!

Flip flop - I am LOVING every minute of this trip report. I laughed out loud when I read "It was so foreign to me I still found myself packing the cooler for all of us every day and organizing stuff regardless. It might be a sickness. "

Last year my brother in law joined us for a week or so. He's unmarried / no kids so it was a shock to him when we went to the beach and I pulled out stuff for all 4 of us.

I was amazed that he packed his own stuff! "What, you brought your own towel? How could you, look, right here in my bag, I've got towels, water and snacks, not to mention bandaids and sunscreen,

I need a girls trip to break this beahvior.

Also, FYI to all, going to the beach with someone who habitually packs a cooler every morning without thinking is pretty awesome. I highly recommend traveling with a wife! hehe


Yes, traveling with 8 wives is even better. We had plenty of stuff in the cooler!

You know, I have never been to Brown Bay. I think we'll have to go this time.

And I did not know about the existence of chocolate-coconut-crack bars at the Deli Grotto either. I think I need one. Or two.

Fun reports! Thanks!

Ha! My Sheltie lays like that. Those doggies look like they might have some Sheltie or some kind of collie in them.

And they are 100% awesome! My favorite is that when they walk (except when doing their business) they did it shoulder to shoulder, side by side.