RickG Trip Report - April 27-May 4 - Part 3
Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 2:56 pm
Day 3 - Monday - Kiddel Bay, Grootpan Bay, Maho Bay, Shipwreck Landing Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast at the house we headed off to visit some snorkel spots that we had never been to. Kiddel Bay and Grootpan Bay are waaay off the beaten track. The road to Kiddel Bay is the first left after Salt Pond Bay. It's an ungraded unpaved road that has some obvious oil pan punishing spots at washouts. The road to Grootpan Bay is the second dirt road on the left after Salt Pond Bay - oddly enough they form a loop. I think that the second left is rather better, but that's after taking the first road. I'm always amused when folks ask about the best places to go 4 Wheelin' on St. John. This may be one of them, but I vote for the switch back going East from Cinnamon Bay in the rain.
After a bit of bump, we drove past villa La Sirena and down to the beach at Kiddel Bay. This is a beautiful and dramatic spot. It's not a sandy beach, but the rocks are reasonably sized and swimming with reef shoes would be reasonable. The wind was up and so were the waves, so we hung out for a while. I was rather disappointed to miss the snorkeling, from all reports it is very dramatic hear. This is also a favored spot for shore dives. I understand from friends on the island that this is not a National Park beach and, ahem, working on the tan lines is an option.
After we got REALLY hot we hopped in the Jeep and headed over to Grootpan Bay, past the driveway for villa Sea Spirit. The road down to Grootpan is very tight. If you have a shiny new vehicle it WILL get scratched up. Thankfully, our Jeep looked like it had been down this road repeatedly. If we get a shiny new vehicle from Mr. Sutton I always ask for something older, so I won't get busted for scratches. This was another idyllic setting, without much shade. The waves were up, so no swimming for us.
Lunch was Island Blues. Jeanie, the bartender, was surprised to hear a couple of tourists talking about Grootpan Bay. She mentioned that it was a locals place and one of her favorites. We had another great lunch and great service here. My blackened red snapper was rather not blackened, but a great piece of fish. Sweet Christine had a prime rib quesadilla that really tasted of beef, with mushrooms, caramelized onions and horseradish sauce.
After lunch we headed to Maho Bay. The guavaberries were starting to come in. These red berries on green shrubs are delightfully citric and perfumy. Maho Bay is sooo relaxing that we just floated in the water with a beer in our hand. It was a delightful afternoon with that pinkish afternoon sun that makes everything perfect. We headed back to the villa when the beer ran out.
At the villa, we enjoyed some cocktails while staring out across the Coral Bay valley. It's rather impossible to become inured to the fractal carpet of green. The level of detail is endless - look closely and there's more to see, grab the binoculars and the level of detail is still higher than you can comprehend. Leaning back and letting your eyes defocus a bit, you can see the totality - a bigger field of view than a camera can encompass and an infinite level of detail. Immanent.
We headed over to Shipwreck to have dinner at the bar. Donna was working and it was nice to catch up with her a bit. The couple staying on East End from the other evening were there as well. They mentioned the mosquitoes were swarming out at East End. "Really, we haven't had a problem." Portentious prattle, mosquito get thee behind me.
Dinner was a tasting menu of most of Shipwreck Landings appetizers. The corn and poblano chowder was delightful - earthy/smoky roasted poblanos with sweet corn with some crunchy corn texture. We had the blackened shrimp again along with mussels and Caesar salad. There was more, but I was too relaxed to right it down or take pictures.
Back at the villa to enjoy a Ponche Kuba night cap, we noticed the mosquitos were starting to come out rather more aggressively. We retreated to the bedroom mosquito netting, secure in our knowledge that we were invulnerable, to imitate howler monkeys.
Day 4 - Tuesday - Rain, Satyamuna Lunch, The Tap Room, Beach Bar, Woody's...
Bad dreams all night - a persistent stereo whining - ominous (H)itchcock theme. I awoke before dawn to a mosquito net full of mosquitoes. This was the morning that they emerged, like the villains of a bad Gary Jones movie. I gave up and moved to the one screened bedroom, below the main bedroom, and there we slept the rest of our visit. Breakfast was, literally, a dance. The moment I stopped moving dozens (no exaggeration) of mosquitoes landed on my exposed skin. Well, that didn't last long, we escaped towards Caneel Bay.
We had never spent the day at Caneel before, so it was on our list for this trip. Our timing was perfect, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot the clouds opened up. Not one of this wimpy 1 inch per hour rains like we get in Washington, DC in August with the sky black and 50 mile per hour winds, this was serious - like swimming pools falling from the sky. Well, the parking lot was nice. We headed to Cruz Bay.
First stop in Cruz Bay was the Marketplace. We figured the parking would be easy and the shopkeepers would be tolerant of our ragged wet butts. Just looking around, Chelsea Drug had a good selection of sun screen and DEET (no non-DEET sprays). Baked in the Sun looked wonderful, but we were saving ourselves for something more interesting.
We hit Satyamuna for some Falafel sandwiches. This was a great idea, the sandwiches were as good as I've had in Israel and very nicely put together. Ofer was working and happily chatting with a West Indian woman who sounded like she stops by to tell him the news of the day. When we thanked Ofer and told him how much we liked his cooking, he opined about the state of the pita bread he could get on STJ. When I commented that pita was not that hard to make he grinned and suggested I become his supplier.
Off to Mongoose Junction and The Tap Room. I had corresponded with Cheech from St. John Brewers a few times. I new they had a new brewery, but he was coy regarding the details. When we walked in I was rather surprised to see the 200L version of the 100L morebeer.com brewery I have at home. That gives them a 1 1/2 barrel capacity, about 3 15 gallon kegs. They'll be able to make and serve beer, but most of there beer will need to continue being contract brewed. Megan took care of us and we enjoyed some draught beers. They had on the Virgin Islands Pale Ale along with Shipyard's IPA, Export and the Sea Dog Wheat Beer. The draught version of the VIPA was more balanced with enough bitterness to keep the mango from cloying. They did not have any of the house brewed beers on. This is a nice air conditioned spot with lots of light, definitely a good stop on the rainy day pub crawl.
Onward to the Beach Bar. This is always a great stop. We just lounged about and counted rain drops. It stopped raining before too long. Some blackened sushi grade tuna helped chase away the rainy day blues and the sun came out. Guessing that we could find Canadian Ruth and her gang at Woody's, we sauntered over and got a table inside. No sooner than our beers hit the table Ruth, Larry, Woody and Deb came walking in. They had spent the day shopping in Charlotte Amalie. We worked our way through happy hour and some snacks and made plans to meet the Canadians at Honeymoon Bay the next day.
We stopped back by the villa before dinner time. The mosquitoes were swarming in the house. It was almost funny. After a few minutes of doing the "Mosquito Dance" we popped down into Coral Bay. We were running low on the DEET-free bug spray and never did find more. Love City Mini Mart was even out of OFF. We optimistically picked up some mosquito coils.
We finished the evening at Island Blues with some more Disc Fries, blackened shrimp and some tasty treats. Back at the house, we placed mosquito coils around us and sat under a fast-moving ceiling fan. We were able to relax and lounge about a bit before retreating to our screen room. The screened bedroom would have been our last choice if it was not for the mosquitoes. It was nice enough and well ventilated, but did not have a great view. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in peace on a comfortable bed.
After a relaxed breakfast at the house we headed off to visit some snorkel spots that we had never been to. Kiddel Bay and Grootpan Bay are waaay off the beaten track. The road to Kiddel Bay is the first left after Salt Pond Bay. It's an ungraded unpaved road that has some obvious oil pan punishing spots at washouts. The road to Grootpan Bay is the second dirt road on the left after Salt Pond Bay - oddly enough they form a loop. I think that the second left is rather better, but that's after taking the first road. I'm always amused when folks ask about the best places to go 4 Wheelin' on St. John. This may be one of them, but I vote for the switch back going East from Cinnamon Bay in the rain.
After a bit of bump, we drove past villa La Sirena and down to the beach at Kiddel Bay. This is a beautiful and dramatic spot. It's not a sandy beach, but the rocks are reasonably sized and swimming with reef shoes would be reasonable. The wind was up and so were the waves, so we hung out for a while. I was rather disappointed to miss the snorkeling, from all reports it is very dramatic hear. This is also a favored spot for shore dives. I understand from friends on the island that this is not a National Park beach and, ahem, working on the tan lines is an option.
After we got REALLY hot we hopped in the Jeep and headed over to Grootpan Bay, past the driveway for villa Sea Spirit. The road down to Grootpan is very tight. If you have a shiny new vehicle it WILL get scratched up. Thankfully, our Jeep looked like it had been down this road repeatedly. If we get a shiny new vehicle from Mr. Sutton I always ask for something older, so I won't get busted for scratches. This was another idyllic setting, without much shade. The waves were up, so no swimming for us.
Lunch was Island Blues. Jeanie, the bartender, was surprised to hear a couple of tourists talking about Grootpan Bay. She mentioned that it was a locals place and one of her favorites. We had another great lunch and great service here. My blackened red snapper was rather not blackened, but a great piece of fish. Sweet Christine had a prime rib quesadilla that really tasted of beef, with mushrooms, caramelized onions and horseradish sauce.
After lunch we headed to Maho Bay. The guavaberries were starting to come in. These red berries on green shrubs are delightfully citric and perfumy. Maho Bay is sooo relaxing that we just floated in the water with a beer in our hand. It was a delightful afternoon with that pinkish afternoon sun that makes everything perfect. We headed back to the villa when the beer ran out.
At the villa, we enjoyed some cocktails while staring out across the Coral Bay valley. It's rather impossible to become inured to the fractal carpet of green. The level of detail is endless - look closely and there's more to see, grab the binoculars and the level of detail is still higher than you can comprehend. Leaning back and letting your eyes defocus a bit, you can see the totality - a bigger field of view than a camera can encompass and an infinite level of detail. Immanent.
We headed over to Shipwreck to have dinner at the bar. Donna was working and it was nice to catch up with her a bit. The couple staying on East End from the other evening were there as well. They mentioned the mosquitoes were swarming out at East End. "Really, we haven't had a problem." Portentious prattle, mosquito get thee behind me.
Dinner was a tasting menu of most of Shipwreck Landings appetizers. The corn and poblano chowder was delightful - earthy/smoky roasted poblanos with sweet corn with some crunchy corn texture. We had the blackened shrimp again along with mussels and Caesar salad. There was more, but I was too relaxed to right it down or take pictures.
Back at the villa to enjoy a Ponche Kuba night cap, we noticed the mosquitos were starting to come out rather more aggressively. We retreated to the bedroom mosquito netting, secure in our knowledge that we were invulnerable, to imitate howler monkeys.
Day 4 - Tuesday - Rain, Satyamuna Lunch, The Tap Room, Beach Bar, Woody's...
Bad dreams all night - a persistent stereo whining - ominous (H)itchcock theme. I awoke before dawn to a mosquito net full of mosquitoes. This was the morning that they emerged, like the villains of a bad Gary Jones movie. I gave up and moved to the one screened bedroom, below the main bedroom, and there we slept the rest of our visit. Breakfast was, literally, a dance. The moment I stopped moving dozens (no exaggeration) of mosquitoes landed on my exposed skin. Well, that didn't last long, we escaped towards Caneel Bay.
We had never spent the day at Caneel before, so it was on our list for this trip. Our timing was perfect, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot the clouds opened up. Not one of this wimpy 1 inch per hour rains like we get in Washington, DC in August with the sky black and 50 mile per hour winds, this was serious - like swimming pools falling from the sky. Well, the parking lot was nice. We headed to Cruz Bay.
First stop in Cruz Bay was the Marketplace. We figured the parking would be easy and the shopkeepers would be tolerant of our ragged wet butts. Just looking around, Chelsea Drug had a good selection of sun screen and DEET (no non-DEET sprays). Baked in the Sun looked wonderful, but we were saving ourselves for something more interesting.
We hit Satyamuna for some Falafel sandwiches. This was a great idea, the sandwiches were as good as I've had in Israel and very nicely put together. Ofer was working and happily chatting with a West Indian woman who sounded like she stops by to tell him the news of the day. When we thanked Ofer and told him how much we liked his cooking, he opined about the state of the pita bread he could get on STJ. When I commented that pita was not that hard to make he grinned and suggested I become his supplier.
Off to Mongoose Junction and The Tap Room. I had corresponded with Cheech from St. John Brewers a few times. I new they had a new brewery, but he was coy regarding the details. When we walked in I was rather surprised to see the 200L version of the 100L morebeer.com brewery I have at home. That gives them a 1 1/2 barrel capacity, about 3 15 gallon kegs. They'll be able to make and serve beer, but most of there beer will need to continue being contract brewed. Megan took care of us and we enjoyed some draught beers. They had on the Virgin Islands Pale Ale along with Shipyard's IPA, Export and the Sea Dog Wheat Beer. The draught version of the VIPA was more balanced with enough bitterness to keep the mango from cloying. They did not have any of the house brewed beers on. This is a nice air conditioned spot with lots of light, definitely a good stop on the rainy day pub crawl.
Onward to the Beach Bar. This is always a great stop. We just lounged about and counted rain drops. It stopped raining before too long. Some blackened sushi grade tuna helped chase away the rainy day blues and the sun came out. Guessing that we could find Canadian Ruth and her gang at Woody's, we sauntered over and got a table inside. No sooner than our beers hit the table Ruth, Larry, Woody and Deb came walking in. They had spent the day shopping in Charlotte Amalie. We worked our way through happy hour and some snacks and made plans to meet the Canadians at Honeymoon Bay the next day.
We stopped back by the villa before dinner time. The mosquitoes were swarming in the house. It was almost funny. After a few minutes of doing the "Mosquito Dance" we popped down into Coral Bay. We were running low on the DEET-free bug spray and never did find more. Love City Mini Mart was even out of OFF. We optimistically picked up some mosquito coils.
We finished the evening at Island Blues with some more Disc Fries, blackened shrimp and some tasty treats. Back at the house, we placed mosquito coils around us and sat under a fast-moving ceiling fan. We were able to relax and lounge about a bit before retreating to our screen room. The screened bedroom would have been our last choice if it was not for the mosquitoes. It was nice enough and well ventilated, but did not have a great view. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in peace on a comfortable bed.
). I keep meaning to write my trip report and post pictures, but today we spend the day getting the pool open and cutting the grass, which is growing way to fast. Trying to keep the vacation high going with Coke and vanilla rum happy hour after work each day....somehow it's just not enough. I think we're planning another STJ trek for early November since April's trip had too many days of rain.
