USVI-On-Line

chrisn wrote:Could the Pam you're referring to be the author of Feet, Fins, & Four Wheel Drive? I think she does island tours and her book is a must! Do yourself a favor and get one.

I posed the question, "Who is Pam?" in a post last night. I knew that she gave tours from a post I had recently read. I didn't know she wrote this book. It sounds like I need to get a copy soon! Can anyone tell me more about her and what her tour is like?

-Thanks!

Get the book!! The are two other books that were great: one was called St. John Beaches and the other was St. John off the beaten path (something like that anyway).

I booked a full day tour with Pam Gaffin, who wrote the book Feet, Fins, and Four-wheel Drive. What a great way to get a feel for the island and learn a little more about the locals. Pam picked us up at Altamira and started the tour on the North Shore. The first beach she brought us to was Caneel Beach. We were shocked to see a white tailed buck deer! We have those in Iowa and just were shocked to see one in St. John!! Pam told us that the deer were brought to the island 50 years ago as a food source and to irrigate the land. She also told us that the deer have been seen swimming in the ocean. What a sight that would be!

Next we went to Cinnamon and Pam showed us where the wrecked airplane was so that we could come back and explore it during the week. We really looked forward to seeing it but we didn’t make it back.

Finally at Maho beach we got to do some snorkeling. Pam went with us and showed us a lot about the ocean life. First she brought us to a place where an octopus is normally hanging out. He wasn’t there and I can’t say that I was too disappointed. I saw a turtle and followed him for a while—I tried to get everyone to come over but unfortunately when I poke my head out and got their attention I lost the turtle! We all saw a sting ray, conch, coral, and some fish. We were hoping that St. John would have the abundant colorful fish we saw in Cozumel and we were a little bit disappointed.

Next Pam took us for a tour of the “Millionaires Ghetto”, also known as Peter’s Bay, where the wealthy are building mansions. We went as close to the top as we could and had an amazing view!

We did the Peace Trail where the ruin of “Christ of the Caribbean” was destroyed by a hurricane. It was put there by Colonel Wadsworth and donated to the national park. There was also a ruin of a windmill.

Our next stop was at Skinny Legs. We saw a herd of goats just roaming—ungated. Pam told us that people who own a goat do not have to pay property taxes. How is that for a loophole?? The owners do not take care of their goats and because the reproduce so quickly they have become a problem and are wreaking havoc on the land. I can’t help but think they are adorable! From a tourist perspective only—I enjoyed seeing them.

After lunch we went to Little Lameshur Beach. I am not sure why Pam picked that beach. I really wanted to go to Salt Pond Beach. We still didn’t see a lot of fish but we did see a sting ray, squid, lobster, conch, eel (brown with yellow markings) and a barracuda. What we saw certainly made up for the sparing reef fish and I was glad that Pam brought us there.

Pam was full of information and took us on every road in St. John. We were so well orientated with the island because of the tour. I am so glad we did this on our first day and recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the place they are visiting beyond just the best beaches. It is such a beautiful island!

We did a half day tour with Pam one of our first trips. She is a wealth of information and it is a good way to get a feel of the lay of the land and learn about STJ for first timers. She will customize the tour to whatever you want to do. Definitely get her book. We still take it with us in the jeep for referencing or trying to find new things to do/explore.

Just so the wrong information doesn't keep getting passed on:
The white-tail deer were introduced in the late 1700's for the hunting pleasure of the European colonists. The numbers remained very low until the last 10 years, now we have an alarming population explosion. Caneel Bay has been encouraging them to browse on their grounds, a really ecologically reckless move.
I know Pam Gaffin won't have said "50 years ago", but sometimes things get lost in translation!