USVI-On-Line

part one
part two
part three
part four
part five
part six
part seven

June 8, 2010

At this point in the trip, I can't believe it's almost over and I'm also looking forward to getting home. A week of humid 'camping' plus mosquito attacks every night will get to you. But this morning view makes it all worth it.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4780551590/" title="Eco-tent Morning by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/478 ... c4b0_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Eco-tent Morning"></a>

Today's plan: Get up early, hike the Ram Head trail and then snorkel Blue Cobblestone. Sounds great right? Well we drove our Jeep down to the registration/store area (a trail down to Salt Pond starts there) and walked up to the store to get some pre-hike food items. Got back to the Jeep and when I opened the door I noticed the gauges going nuts, flickering all over the place. WTF.

I tried starting it but absolutely nothing happened. Just more flickering. Opened the hood and the battery looks dirty but no connections are loose. Damn. So I ran back up to the store and told them what was up and asked if anyone there could help us out. First question that got asked was, "Did you rent on St. John or St. Thomas?" Thankfully St. John. The head of maintenance meets me down at my Jeep (amazingly awesome and nice guy) and he sees the gauges and says, WTF.

We pushed the Jeep out of its spot and he pulled his truck up to try and jump it. After a few minutes we realized that just wasn't working. So the next plan was to take the batter out of his truck and see if that will start the Jeep. I was not expecting him to do that at all. So we put it in and the Jeep fires up right away. Then while it was running we swapped the batteries again. The only thing we could do then was drive to Cruz Bay to the Paris rental office and tell them what's going on. Maybe the drive would charge the battery, but I wasn't counting on it. There goes our early morning hike plans. But the good news is we have all our beach gear packed so the day can't be a total loss.

We made our way over to Cruz Bay and the Paris office. I shut off the Jeep and tried to start it again in front of their office. No luck. Same thing. The battery is just toast and needs to be replaced. I explained everything we did to the lady working at Paris. She calls one of the guys and he comes down a few minutes later. Immediately they start trying to jump it. I just told you guys what happened, and if it only needed a jump then the 40 minute drive over here from Concordia would have charged the battery. But whatever. We sat in their (air conditioned) office and watched TV for the first time in a week. Man CNN SUCKS. Oil spill this, oil spill that, BP this, BP that. There's gotta be some other news going on right? ugh.

Anyways, the guy eventually realizes it needs a new battery and goes to get one. Ten minutes later we were finally on our way. But since we're in Cruz Bay we might as well just go to a north shore beach. So we start driving out of town, relieved that it was just a dead battery and nothing more. Lets put it behind us and enjoy the rest of the day. It was only about 10am at this point so we've still got plenty of time.

We get to the water truck area around Caneel Bay when I start hearing what sounds like a lot of gravel kicking up under the car. Then the dash starts flickering...oh man. That's not gravel, that's sparks coming from the Jeep. It goes dead and I pull over to the side as much as I can right by that truck entrance. Open the hood and the positive terminal is loose and touching the side of the Jeep. The battery is tilted forward because it didn't get put in properly. At this point I'm thinking I should have just replaced the battery myself. But I'm a tourist so I had no tools or anything, not even a small leatherman (that's what I get for doing carryon only). So being the idiot I am, I grabbed the battery and shoved it back into it's spot, locking it in place. Meanwhile the wire makes contact again, causing another shower of sparks. I suppose that could've started a fire...We see another Paris rental Jeep going the opposite way and flag it down. They pulled over and my gf went to go talk to them about getting a ride. Meanwhile another couple in a car pulls over and I explain the battery issues.

My gf gets a ride to Paris with the other Jeep while I decided to wait with our Jeep and see what I can do. Me and the guy from the car get the positive wire moved out of the way so it won't make contact with metal anymore. Then we found a rock and hammered the loose connection back onto the battery terminal. It still needs to be tightened though. I wish I had just one thing resembling pliers. But even if I did, my gf is on her way to get the people at Paris so I have to sit and wait. I'm glad St. John is an awesome place where even other tourists stop to help out. I think it just attracts good people.

To pass the time I watched some birds hopping around the trees next to where I was parked. Listened to the radio a bit since the batter was all hooked up again. Also took this photo of an orchid that was right out the window.



Finally the Paris guy shows up and tightens everything the way it should be, apologizing the whole time. It's really not a huge deal. Some people would be furious and start yelling or something, but I just don't see what that would do besides getting me all worked up. So we just get going and decide to stop at whatever beach looks like it has parking.

Surprisingly, Gibney/Oppenheimer has a spot open so I grabbed it. I wanted to go to this beach all week but never had a chance to. It's awesome!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4782439619/" title="Gibney by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/478 ... 923e_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Gibney"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4780551656/" title="Oppenheimer Beach by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/478 ... 0e21_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Oppenheimer Beach"></a>

We grabbed the first spot we saw, right in front of the old house.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4783074234/" title="Old Oppenheimer House by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/478 ... ce62_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Old Oppenheimer House"></a>

Then got in the water to do some snorkeling. Our sun burn from a few days before was cleared up so I was pretty excited to get back out in the water. The snorkeling here is definitely great and the sandy bottom is so nice. We took a lot of photos.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786041683/" title="Out in the open by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/478 ... d81209.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Out in the open"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786041767/" title="Damselfish by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/478 ... 7d6717.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Damselfish"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786673440/" title="Rock Hind by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/478 ... 1d8896.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Rock Hind"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786673526/" title="Feather Duster by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/478 ... 97f252.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Feather Duster"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786042041/" title="Split-Crown Feather Duster by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/478 ... 135cd6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Split-Crown Feather Duster"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786673698/" title="Brain Coral and Sponges by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/478 ... 28833a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Brain Coral and Sponges"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786673764/" title="Weird Brain Coral by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/478 ... b39155.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Weird Brain Coral"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786042335/" title="Coral by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/478 ... 570c80.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Coral"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786673896/" title="Flamingo Tongue Snail by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/478 ... 51b3ff.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Flamingo Tongue Snail"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786673964/" title="Reef Fish by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/478 ... 924b64.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Reef Fish"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786042601/" title="Caribbean Reef Squid + Parrotfish by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/478 ... eb8958.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Caribbean Reef Squid + Parrotfish"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786042677/" title="Caribbean Reef Squid by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/478 ... d53d96.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Caribbean Reef Squid"></a>

Definitely the highlight of the snorkel for us. Such a cool sight to see these guys all lined up.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786042775/" title="Caribbean Reef Squid by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/478 ... b9f82d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Caribbean Reef Squid"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4786674318/" title="Caribbean Reef Squid by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/478 ... bc00ef.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Caribbean Reef Squid"></a>

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I snorkeled pretty far out on the right side of the bay. It's a really fun place to explore with a lot of little crevasses where things can be hiding. Of course I stayed out too long and got more sunburn But I didn't really care. The beach was so relaxing after such a crazy morning.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4780551764/" title="Hawksnest Bay by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/478 ... 57b5_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Hawksnest Bay"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4780551718/" title="Gibney/Oppenheimer by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/478 ... 39d1_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Gibney/Oppenheimer"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmhouse/4782439795/" title="Hawksnest Bay by matt house, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/478 ... e0d0_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Hawksnest Bay"></a>

I put a shirt on and just hung out in the water for a little longer. I didn't really want to leave at all but my stomach was telling me I should eat something. But first it was smoothie truck time. Then we got back towards Concordia and grabbed lunch at The Tourist Trap again. That food is so good. A pretty heavy storm came through while we were there, but thankfully they have that big white tent to sit under. You learn pretty quickly where the leaks are though.

After this it was just another afternoon at the pool before getting dinner at Cafe Concordia. Got some of Josephine's Greens as well as some other delicious things (including dessert). I really liked this place so if you happen to be in that area around dinner (such as an afternoon at Salt Pond, or before a Full Moon Ram Head hike), definitely stop in.

With full bellies, and a long day behind us, we went straight to bed. The next morning would be our last snorkel (rentals due back by noon) so we had to get up early. The plan was to go back to Francis because we heard of large turtles and a spotted eagle ray we didn't see last time...

Lovely pictures of Gibney. I have only visited in the winter and have not seen water that flat!

Thanks! The two times I've been have been in May/June so I have no experience with the swells people talk about.

A perfect example of why I recommend renting a car on STJ vs. STT.

Glad it all worked out.

Loving your pics.

Gorgeous shots again! Gibney looks beautiful- that's another one we are going to try out next month. What a fantastic attitude you have too- I love that easy going vibe even when things go wrong!

Your pictures are fantastic! The jeep thing with the gauges happened to us exactly as you described. Right down to the battery change out. We were renting from Cool Breeze and after the battery swap everything was well for the rest of the week. My reaction was the same as yours.

Matt,

Thanks for the jeep story and the pics. Terrific.

Your shot of "the old house" brings up a question. I've seen several pictures of a gaunt Robert Oppenheimer standing on the porch of his house on Gibney Beach. This house, however, doesn't have the white walls fronting the house that I see in your photo and several other photos of what is now the community center.

I read that, after Oppenheimer's death, his daughter built the house (aka "shed") that the Gibneys objected to because of its proximity to the beach and their lot line. This must be the house you've photographed, right?

So what happened to the earlier house that's in the pictures with Oppenheimer? Does it still exist? If so, where is it?

Curious minds want to know!

Thanks.

TM

PS: That horizontal palm tree trunk in front of the house seems to sink lower and lower into the sand with every succeeding photo.

I am glad I rented on STJ. Worst case in this situation if I had rented on STT would be having to buy my own battery and then getting the rental company to reimburse me. But luckily it was just a battery. If it were something bigger then I would've been SOL.

SOonthebeach wrote:Gorgeous shots again! Gibney looks beautiful- that's another one we are going to try out next month. What a fantastic attitude you have too- I love that easy going vibe even when things go wrong!

toes in the sand wrote:Your pictures are fantastic! The jeep thing with the gauges happened to us exactly as you described. Right down to the battery change out. We were renting from Cool Breeze and after the battery swap everything was well for the rest of the week. My reaction was the same as yours.

Thanks! It's hard to get worked up when you know that things do fail on cars, especially batteries. It definitely wasn't the newest Jeep I've seen either. So I was half expecting something to go wrong over the 10 days I was driving it.

ToonMann wrote:Matt,

Thanks for the jeep story and the pics. Terrific.

Your shot of "the old house" brings up a question. I've seen several pictures of a gaunt Robert Oppenheimer standing on the porch of his house on Gibney Beach. This house, however, doesn't have the white walls fronting the house that I see in your photo and several other photos of what is now the community center.

I read that, after Oppenheimer's death, his daughter built the house (aka "shed") that the Gibneys objected to because of its proximity to the beach and their lot line. This must be the house you've photographed, right?

So what happened to the earlier house that's in the pictures with Oppenheimer? Does it still exist? If so, where is it?

Curious minds want to know!

Thanks.

TM

PS: That horizontal palm tree trunk in front of the house seems to sink lower and lower into the sand with every succeeding photo.

I'm not sure what happened to the earlier house. From the little things I've read, it fell into ruin and was vandalized. So I wouldn't be surprised if they demolished it when they built the community center building. Maybe someone with a little more knowledge (a local?) can set us straight.

I think those are different palms in those photos. There are a lot of them lining this beach. So anyone visiting should probably watch for loose coconuts over their heads

@toonman-- the original Oppenheimer place fell into disrepair, was vandalized and has since disappeared or (depending on which source you read) renovated and turned into a community center.

In truth, according to certain sources, it appears that Oppenheimers built the place too close to the water line and according to the stories I've read, started experiencing problems almost from the day it was finished.

Apparently the Gibneys considered the Oppenheimers as reluctant neighbors - a foundation of frustration that was layed early on when the Oppenheimers stayed with the Gibneys through the construction of their place. Apparently the Oppenheimers contiued to violate the agreement of the sale of the property throughout their realtionship with the Gibneys.

If I recall correctly the Oppenheimers place sought to be "thoroughly modern" and "lacked walls." Add to that the unpredictable weather and too-close proximity to the water line, they continued to experience difficulties.

Again, if I recall correctly, I believe this fascinating story and insight into the on again, off again relationship between the Gibney's and Oppenheimers can be found in the book "St John People."

Definitely worth a read if you are at all interested in the modern history of St. John and the characters who have resided on island.

There is also a bit of reference to the Gibney's and Oppenheimer in the St. John Beach Guide and can be found on line here: http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Gibney%20Beach.htm

And another informative history lesson can be found online here: http://www.seestjohn.com/history_oppenheimer_beach.html

It's been awhile since I read St. John People so my apologies if the memory is a bit fuzzy, but this is what I recall about this particular property.

Gromit wrote:
In truth, according to certain sources, it appears that Oppenheimers built the place too close to the water line and according to the stories I've read, started experiencing problems almost from the day it was finished.

More than once (in the winter), we have seen the waterline up to and into that orange house.

Thanks Gromit and PA Girl --

But I'm still not clear. The house that stands isn't the same one where Robert Oppenheimer was photographed, is it?

It seems that the one we see today on Gibney Beach, which has become a community center, is the one built after Oppenhetimer's death by his daughter. My understanding is that this second house is the one that the Gibney's objected to.

TM

Thanks for the trip reports. Great stories, very enjoyable pix as well.

We'll be staying in Concordia July 27 - August 3. First time in STJ, and 1st snorkeling for the boys, aged 15 and 12.

Jess

Thanks! They're gonna love snorkeling. And St. John in general. Hope you enjoy Concordia!

WOW ! Thanks for your Great tr's ! your photo's are FABULOUS !!!!!!!!!

Gibney is a beach I have yet to visit. Your photos are beautiful and now I know I have to go to Gibney on the next trip.