EagleRayLover BD Trip Report Part II
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 1:01 pm
Link to Part I: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=23472
Thursday, June 7 - The wind was still howling when we woke up this morning. Looking at the wind direction, then at a map, I convinced myself that Haulover North would *probably* be sheltered enough from the wind to be viable this morning. So we loaded up, drove back towards "downtown Coral Bay", and then headed in the direction of the East End. Found a place to back into on the north side of the road, then took an adventurous, on-and-off-then-back-on-the-trail path to the water!
Haulover Bay North - looking left from the trailhead.
We had the rocky expanse all to ourselves, so we walked to the right to set up base camp under the tree there. There was some minor chop close to shore, but nothing that looked too daunting, so after gearing up, we walked back to the left a bit, to where we could see there was a patch of sand that would be suitable for putting our fins on. Despite the fact that the skies were overcast on and off, and the wind caused a little bit of surge in the water, we had a very nice snorkel here.
These little guys were just off of the beach where we entered the water...
As usual, the coral formations here were outstanding:
And some of the animal life was interesting as well...
We ended up staying in the water for about two hours before the surge and slowly decreasing body core temps forced us back ashore. The path back was much easier than the one we took in, and, in fact, ended within a few yards of where we'd parked! By this time we were ready for lunch, so we headed back to the villa for leftovers, and to rinse off in the pool. Neither of the boys had ever been out to Ram Head, so I thought that might be a good activity for the afternoon. Leslie wasn't feeling that hike, so she brought her snorkel gear with her on the chance that Salt Pond Bay wouldn't be too blown out. We left her at the far end of the beach and hit the trail...
Looking back towards Blue Cobblestone and Salt Pond Bay from Ram Head
Shane at Ram Head
We could see that the wind had the waves kicked up a bit on Salt Pond Bay - at least out by the rocks and at the points on either side, but apparently, closer to shore, where Leslie was snorkeling, it was OK!
Peacock Flounder
She said that she saw five or so turtles that were just hanging around
Leslie was on her way back in by the time the boys and I made it back to where we had left her, so in short order we walked back up the hill for the drive home. This guy decided that we could wait for him to cross the road:
While we rinsed our gear off and started dinner preparations (tonight - pulled pork and corn on the cob!) Leslie got caught up on...well, she had her IPad with her, but I'm not sure how much use it got on this occasion!
OK - big news! Some of you may recall, from my ramblings from our other trips, that the fates have conspired to keep me from getting to see Inner Visions play live - either on island or even back home. We knew from their Facebook page that they had been touring on the mainland, but there was a blurb in a local paper/newsletter in the villa that seemed to indicate that they were playing at High Tide - tonight! Leslie had called, and the person she spoke to told her that she believed that they were indeed touring on the mainland, but she went and asked the manager anyway. I knew, from Leslie's reaction that we had scored! Inner Visions baby! Tonight! They were scheduled to play from 8:00-11:00, and even though we'd have to make that cross island trek back to town again the next morning (boat day!!!), there was no way we were going to miss this.
Just as the owner told us, they began at 8:00 sharp, West Indies time, which was 8:30 or so, depending on when the sound check ended and the set began! We really enjoyed their performance, as well as all of the bonus entertainment provided by the audience, both locals and visitors!
It's a fairly long drive from Cruz Bay to Amarilla Villa, particularly at night and after a long day, and a reggae show, but it was worth every curve, bump, twist, and turn! And tomorrow....boat day with Captain John (teaser alert!)
Thursday, June 7 - The wind was still howling when we woke up this morning. Looking at the wind direction, then at a map, I convinced myself that Haulover North would *probably* be sheltered enough from the wind to be viable this morning. So we loaded up, drove back towards "downtown Coral Bay", and then headed in the direction of the East End. Found a place to back into on the north side of the road, then took an adventurous, on-and-off-then-back-on-the-trail path to the water!
Haulover Bay North - looking left from the trailhead.
We had the rocky expanse all to ourselves, so we walked to the right to set up base camp under the tree there. There was some minor chop close to shore, but nothing that looked too daunting, so after gearing up, we walked back to the left a bit, to where we could see there was a patch of sand that would be suitable for putting our fins on. Despite the fact that the skies were overcast on and off, and the wind caused a little bit of surge in the water, we had a very nice snorkel here.
These little guys were just off of the beach where we entered the water...
As usual, the coral formations here were outstanding:
And some of the animal life was interesting as well...
We ended up staying in the water for about two hours before the surge and slowly decreasing body core temps forced us back ashore. The path back was much easier than the one we took in, and, in fact, ended within a few yards of where we'd parked! By this time we were ready for lunch, so we headed back to the villa for leftovers, and to rinse off in the pool. Neither of the boys had ever been out to Ram Head, so I thought that might be a good activity for the afternoon. Leslie wasn't feeling that hike, so she brought her snorkel gear with her on the chance that Salt Pond Bay wouldn't be too blown out. We left her at the far end of the beach and hit the trail...
Looking back towards Blue Cobblestone and Salt Pond Bay from Ram Head
Shane at Ram Head
We could see that the wind had the waves kicked up a bit on Salt Pond Bay - at least out by the rocks and at the points on either side, but apparently, closer to shore, where Leslie was snorkeling, it was OK!
Peacock Flounder
She said that she saw five or so turtles that were just hanging around
Leslie was on her way back in by the time the boys and I made it back to where we had left her, so in short order we walked back up the hill for the drive home. This guy decided that we could wait for him to cross the road:
While we rinsed our gear off and started dinner preparations (tonight - pulled pork and corn on the cob!) Leslie got caught up on...well, she had her IPad with her, but I'm not sure how much use it got on this occasion!
OK - big news! Some of you may recall, from my ramblings from our other trips, that the fates have conspired to keep me from getting to see Inner Visions play live - either on island or even back home. We knew from their Facebook page that they had been touring on the mainland, but there was a blurb in a local paper/newsletter in the villa that seemed to indicate that they were playing at High Tide - tonight! Leslie had called, and the person she spoke to told her that she believed that they were indeed touring on the mainland, but she went and asked the manager anyway. I knew, from Leslie's reaction that we had scored! Inner Visions baby! Tonight! They were scheduled to play from 8:00-11:00, and even though we'd have to make that cross island trek back to town again the next morning (boat day!!!), there was no way we were going to miss this.
Just as the owner told us, they began at 8:00 sharp, West Indies time, which was 8:30 or so, depending on when the sound check ended and the set began! We really enjoyed their performance, as well as all of the bonus entertainment provided by the audience, both locals and visitors!
It's a fairly long drive from Cruz Bay to Amarilla Villa, particularly at night and after a long day, and a reggae show, but it was worth every curve, bump, twist, and turn! And tomorrow....boat day with Captain John (teaser alert!)
