USVI-On-Line

Today was Waterlemon Cay day, and we woke up to another lovely sunrise:



Pretty gardens:


I noticed a big millipede on the porch:





We had eggs and bacon for breakfast, then I packed the cooler with sandwiches made with leftover chicken and bacon for lunch. Headed to the Annaberg parking lot (only one other car) and we started the hike out to Leinster Bay:







When we'd done this before we swam to the cay from the beach, but after realizing that there were a lot of jellies in the bay and no starfish that we could see, we decided to walk out to the closest point to the cay and swim from there.



This was the first time we swam all the way around the cay, and it was marvelous.











A couple of dinghys full of people showed up while we were snorkeling, so the little sandy beach on the cay was a tad crowded, but they all left shortly after we got there.

Photo taken from the cay (sorry for the water droplets--didn't have anything to wipe them off!):






I posted this before, but I can't get over how much this looks like a person!:


One of the best snorkels I've done on STJ! We had lunch and hiked back to the car.

It was still fairly early by the time we got back to the house, and I was ready for more beach time, but the boys were ready to relax. This started a new routine for the rest of the week: all of us would go to one main beach for the day, then we'd go back to the house and I would then head out on my own for my own private adventure. I am a pretty independent person and I actually love traveling by myself, but I don't get the chance to do it too often. I loved having this alone-time and deciding where to go each day! Plus, all you moms out there know how rare it is to have time all to yourself. It was so wonderful! So this day, I decided to go to Maho since it was so close to the house.



Yes, it was later in the afternoon and the bugs were bad, but I really just wanted to go for a quick snorkel. I went to the rocks on the right and it was pretty good. Right before I got back to shore I saw this guy, who was just hanging out glaring at me:



I hurried along, wishing I didn't have my shiny 10th anniversary ring on!



I took my time driving back, stopping at Lilly's in Coral Bay (great store, like flip-flop said!) for some supplies, and taking some more photos.



Dinner was grilled shrimp, coconut rice, and yes, more salad! (most of the produce on-island was pretty bad, but the salad greens were great!). Played more Scrabble and watched the Democratic convention on TV for a while.

Day 7: Gibney!

I am getting homesick for Luna Vista and the beaches. I think it's great that everyone had such a good time.

Tell me about the hike out to Waterlemon and swim around the cay. Was it much of a challenge?

It looks like you were standing in the same place as I was when you shot your photos.

JIM

Hey Jim! You were absolutely right about Luna Vista and we loved it there. The driveway was....interesting, but we got used to it quickly. It sounds like it's not quite as bad as Jorge's.

The hike out to Waterlemon is flat but hot, and seems a little longer than it is when you are toting lots of snorkeling gear and a cooler. Does anyone know what the distance is? I would guess just under a mile. We hiked a little further out to where you get to the Johnny Horn Trail sign, then you bear left along the water and start swimming when you can't walk any more. There are lots of rocks and sea urchin in that area, so you have to be careful. I wore my new Keens and they were great for this trek. The day that we went the currents weren't very strong, and we had no trouble swimming around the cay (we went counter-clockwise, and rested on the sandy beach on the cay--again, watch the coral and urchin on the approach). It did get a little bit choppy on the far side of the cay, but it was not at all treacherous. I think the moon phases have a lot to do with the currents, so I'd check that before you go to find the best time.

I can't beleive how much the underwater rock looks like a brother to "Wilson" on Castaway with Tom Hanks.