usvi-on-line
Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Vol. 1: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... 6nCdRbFv1E
As I've mentioned, we had great weather every single day. If I’m allowed to be picky, I thought the water was a little chilly, especially for a long snorkeling, the entire trip except for the last day. I am a wimp to begin with and I've heard that Sahara Dust affects the water temperature. That being said, the real reason is that I must've gotten used to the warm water of August. If you look at the "Forum members on island" section on the left, you see my name in the list. How can it be? She is just posting her trip report! We just have been fortunate enough to be able to visit St. John in August as well for the past couple of years. Since I can deal with heat much better than cold (exactly opposite of my husband), I have become a fan of August on St. John even with threats of serious storms. I feel like I could snorkel forever. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is… umm… I guess "I am spoiled".
----- Great Lameshur Day -----
We meant to snorkel the left side of the bay all the way to Tektite but I got cold on the way due to my slower-than-snail pace of snorkeling. We swam past Donkey Bight but then I gave my husband an "I'm cold" sign and turned around before reaching Tektite. We also have other mutually understood underwater signs/gestures to let the other know there is/are squid, octopuses, sharks, eels, etc. Disclosure: I am usually the sign giver and my husband is the receiver (his eyesight isn't great). He always says he is the dumb one - but believe me, without him snorkeling with me, I wouldn't be as confident a snorkeler as I am.
Saw several octopuses but they were all in their dens.
I was looking for eels and this guy happened to be in front of me - barely an inch long (guessing from its tiny head) - a Tube Blenny. He was so small that I had to take a very close look to see what it was. Isn't he just the cutest? He never retreated or popped out - just stayed comfortably in his mini doughnut.
Scrawled Filefish in deeper water
Horse-eye Jacks
Spotted Drum
We had a nice late lunch at Shipwreck Landing and then were back at Sunnyledge in time for sunset. It was rather a subdued one but we enjoyed it anyway.
----- Haulover North & South Day -----
Haulover North is one of our favorite snorkeling spots around St. John. The calmer the water, the more we see all kinds of different sea life. The water was a little choppy that day and we didn't come across as many different species as we had there in the past.
r
Sergeant Majors among Fire Coral
Bearded Fireworm on Fire Coral
Snorkeling over corals
Grunts among Staghorn Coral
Elkhorn Coral
Do you see a Peacock Flounder?
Almost luminescencent anemone
After snorkeling the North side, we hiked back and snorkeled the South side. The visibility wasn't good on this side. We came across a lone squid that was lively and entertaining.
Showing its suckers
We hung out on the beach for a while. By the time we packed up, it seemed too late to visit Sloop Jones. We drove back to Sunnyledge for "today's sunset" and dinner. I was cooking quite a bit at Sunnyledge but, since we often ate a late lunch out, I only had to make something light most of the nights. For that Josephine's salad greens, sold at Coral Bay Garden Center, came in very handy. We stocked up with fresh vegetables there when we moved to Sunnyledge. What they have depends on the day. We found petite salad tomatoes (that we don't see often) and bought a bunch.
Close-up of the sunset over Whistling Cay.
----- Francis Day (again) -----
Waking up to the view of Francis Bay every morning, it was hard not to go there. So far, other than our first day at Sunnyledge, we had managed to visit other beaches. But this morning Francis was pulling us in so we made a quick drive down there. Keen no-see-ums didn't fail to find us but we could tell they were getting fewer and fewer. We started snorkeling in the middle of the bay to see turtles and rays and then continued on to the right side towards Mary Point.
Green Turtle
Southern Stingray
On the right side of Francis, inside the reefs and under the rocks, some cool creatures could be seen.
Caribbean Spiny Lobster
Spotted Scorpionfish - This guy was easier to spot than the others seen on this trip.
Black Point Sculling Crab – Very skittish…
Again, none of the octopuses we saw there were active.
Nurse Shark, swimming by
Red Hind - Never cared to move and kept watching us as if trying to figure us out.
After some lounging at Francis we returned to Sunnyledge and cleaned up in time for "Sunset Sail" with Leslie (EagleRayLover) and Steve (augie). The sail was with Cruz Bay Watersports and was leaving from the dock at Westin. As it turned out, Steve could not make it so it was just the three of us. If we were to miss seeing the sunset from Sunnyledge, this was the way to miss.
It was another somewhat subdued sunset but beautiful, nonetheless. Thank you, Leslie, for our precious time together on the boat.
Not quite full moon but close…
When we returned Steve was waiting for us at the dock. Although he still had some work left to do at home, he volunteered as a driver and drove us all the way back to Sunnyledge. Well, I rode with Leslie in their jeep so have no idea what went on in our jeep with my husband and Steve. Wish they could've stayed longer at Sunnyledge but Steve had to go home and work. Anyhow, the bottom-line: Steve = one of the nicest and sweetest men that you could meet on this planet. That is my genuine thought - not that I'm not genuine other times.
----- Honeymoon Day (again) -----
We knew we had 3 full days left on island including this day. We hadn't made it to quite a few beaches yet on this trip and where did we decide to go? Back to Honeymoon.
We just felt like it. That was it.
Yellowtail Damselfish
Grunts
Gray Angelfish
Ballyhoo
We had sushi rolls for our late lunch again at Caneel. The $20 parking fee can be easily waved by eating just one roll (their sushi is more expensive than we are used to).
Back at Sunnyledge… ready for "today's sunset" on the deck.
A nice quiet-orange sunset was enjoyed by us…
----- Maho Day (for the third time) -----
We are not really planners and do what we feel like doing that day. The only thing we were sure was that we wanted to spend our last day at Francis. Being non-beach hoppers, that meant we would have one more beach to enjoy besides Francis. So, where did we end up? Maho…
We could've driven all the way out to Little Lameshur or enjoyed the expansive beach of Cinnamon or something else that we hadn't done on this trip. What can I say… we just felt like Maho. I think it is one of the most loved beaches around St. John and many of you forumites probably understand why.
We snorkeled the right side around the point to Little Maho. Out around the point in deeper water, there was a large barracuda floating.
A lone Tarpon
It still felt strange to see no souls on the beach at Little Maho. It really was deserted. We hung out there for a little while and then snorkeled back to big Maho.
On the way back we decided to snorkel in the middle of the bay instead of back along the shoreline. We happened to come across a school of 100+ baby squid. They were all tiny, smaller than the ones we saw at Vie's earlier on this trip, so the photos didn't turn out well. After taking the shots of Little Maho, I also forgot to set the camera back to the Underwater mode so all the quid shots are blue green with tiny dots.
At least I remembered to set the camera correctly before our snorkeling ended.
We waded and lounged for a long time and that was followed by a late lunch/an early evening meal at Aqua Bistro.
Then once again, we were back at Sunnyledge for sunset. This routine never got old for us (although you might be tired of reading about it by now). The sunset was more dramatic than it had been that evening. The sun was so blindingly bright that we could not possibly sit out on the deck until it calmed down.
Later…
It was the best sunset we saw from Sunnyledge. It was changing every moment and we both couldn't stop taking photos of it - just couldn't get enough. Okay, wait… he is taking my photo. And I'm taking his… but I didn't miss the sunset in my frame!
----- Francis Day (for the third time) -----
We do adore Maho but this is our favorite beach. When we got there early in the morning, I saw a Nurse Shark leisurely swimming by in the shallows parallel to the deserted shore. I stepped into the water a little bit. The Nurse sensed my presence and turned away from the shore.
This was our last snorkeling. We had snorkeled there twice already on this trip but we were looking forward to whatever we might come across.
I like taking photos of Lettuce Sea Slugs. I think they are good models.
Octopuses were all in their dens…
Green Turtle with three Sharksuckers
Yellowtail Parrotfish
This guy was well hidden (can you see his head?). He was covered with sand as if he hadn't moved for a long time. I often get tickled by Spotted Scorpionfish - by the way I find them and how they never ever (except for once) move or flinch even when I get really close to them.
Until this point we hadn't really seen anything we hadn't seen in the previous snorkelings at Francis. And then here they came - a school of about 15 Tarpon swimming all around us among Silversides. We didn't know which way to look. Good thing the water felt warmer that day and I didn't have to give my husband an "I'm cold" sign. He would've been disappointed leaving all those Tarpon behind.
After 3 hours of snorkeling we had our last cocktails out at Sun Dog Cafe.
Then we dropped by at Caravan Gallery. We were looking to find a silver chain for my husband and I didn't mean to buy any jewelry for myself. But, of course, I just happened to find a ring I liked and we ended up buying it. It was inexpensive so I didn't feel so guilty. I do like jewelry but have somewhat lost the desire to buy. I told my husband that I would call this ring "a coupon ring". He looked at me puzzled. "Oh, I mean a Tarpon ring" since they were pretty much the last underwater creatures we enjoyed on this trip. He still calls the ring "a coupon ring" with a grin. Well, English is my second language and I make dumb mistakes all the time… or I am just a bonehead. At least I can make him laugh like that.
We were back at the villa for our last sunset seen from Sunnyledge. It turned out to be a mellow one, which suited our moods…
I like "pink" sunsets.
The day of departure from the island - I don't really have to describe it, do I? We've all done it and then find a way to visit St. John again. I know we are very fortunate to be able to return so soon in August. I am looking forward to that warm water.
Good-bye St. John… for now…
Thank you very much for reading my looong report. If you are reading this paragraph, you have come a long way. See you sometime on St. John. Who knows!
Pickle
As I've mentioned, we had great weather every single day. If I’m allowed to be picky, I thought the water was a little chilly, especially for a long snorkeling, the entire trip except for the last day. I am a wimp to begin with and I've heard that Sahara Dust affects the water temperature. That being said, the real reason is that I must've gotten used to the warm water of August. If you look at the "Forum members on island" section on the left, you see my name in the list. How can it be? She is just posting her trip report! We just have been fortunate enough to be able to visit St. John in August as well for the past couple of years. Since I can deal with heat much better than cold (exactly opposite of my husband), I have become a fan of August on St. John even with threats of serious storms. I feel like I could snorkel forever. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is… umm… I guess "I am spoiled".
----- Great Lameshur Day -----
We meant to snorkel the left side of the bay all the way to Tektite but I got cold on the way due to my slower-than-snail pace of snorkeling. We swam past Donkey Bight but then I gave my husband an "I'm cold" sign and turned around before reaching Tektite. We also have other mutually understood underwater signs/gestures to let the other know there is/are squid, octopuses, sharks, eels, etc. Disclosure: I am usually the sign giver and my husband is the receiver (his eyesight isn't great). He always says he is the dumb one - but believe me, without him snorkeling with me, I wouldn't be as confident a snorkeler as I am.
Saw several octopuses but they were all in their dens.
I was looking for eels and this guy happened to be in front of me - barely an inch long (guessing from its tiny head) - a Tube Blenny. He was so small that I had to take a very close look to see what it was. Isn't he just the cutest? He never retreated or popped out - just stayed comfortably in his mini doughnut.
Scrawled Filefish in deeper water
Horse-eye Jacks
Spotted Drum
We had a nice late lunch at Shipwreck Landing and then were back at Sunnyledge in time for sunset. It was rather a subdued one but we enjoyed it anyway.
----- Haulover North & South Day -----
Haulover North is one of our favorite snorkeling spots around St. John. The calmer the water, the more we see all kinds of different sea life. The water was a little choppy that day and we didn't come across as many different species as we had there in the past.
rSergeant Majors among Fire Coral
Bearded Fireworm on Fire Coral
Snorkeling over corals
Grunts among Staghorn Coral
Elkhorn Coral
Do you see a Peacock Flounder?
Almost luminescencent anemone
After snorkeling the North side, we hiked back and snorkeled the South side. The visibility wasn't good on this side. We came across a lone squid that was lively and entertaining.
Showing its suckers
We hung out on the beach for a while. By the time we packed up, it seemed too late to visit Sloop Jones. We drove back to Sunnyledge for "today's sunset" and dinner. I was cooking quite a bit at Sunnyledge but, since we often ate a late lunch out, I only had to make something light most of the nights. For that Josephine's salad greens, sold at Coral Bay Garden Center, came in very handy. We stocked up with fresh vegetables there when we moved to Sunnyledge. What they have depends on the day. We found petite salad tomatoes (that we don't see often) and bought a bunch.
Close-up of the sunset over Whistling Cay.
----- Francis Day (again) -----
Waking up to the view of Francis Bay every morning, it was hard not to go there. So far, other than our first day at Sunnyledge, we had managed to visit other beaches. But this morning Francis was pulling us in so we made a quick drive down there. Keen no-see-ums didn't fail to find us but we could tell they were getting fewer and fewer. We started snorkeling in the middle of the bay to see turtles and rays and then continued on to the right side towards Mary Point.
Green Turtle
Southern Stingray
On the right side of Francis, inside the reefs and under the rocks, some cool creatures could be seen.
Caribbean Spiny Lobster
Spotted Scorpionfish - This guy was easier to spot than the others seen on this trip.
Black Point Sculling Crab – Very skittish…
Again, none of the octopuses we saw there were active.
Nurse Shark, swimming by
Red Hind - Never cared to move and kept watching us as if trying to figure us out.
After some lounging at Francis we returned to Sunnyledge and cleaned up in time for "Sunset Sail" with Leslie (EagleRayLover) and Steve (augie). The sail was with Cruz Bay Watersports and was leaving from the dock at Westin. As it turned out, Steve could not make it so it was just the three of us. If we were to miss seeing the sunset from Sunnyledge, this was the way to miss.
It was another somewhat subdued sunset but beautiful, nonetheless. Thank you, Leslie, for our precious time together on the boat.
Not quite full moon but close…
When we returned Steve was waiting for us at the dock. Although he still had some work left to do at home, he volunteered as a driver and drove us all the way back to Sunnyledge. Well, I rode with Leslie in their jeep so have no idea what went on in our jeep with my husband and Steve. Wish they could've stayed longer at Sunnyledge but Steve had to go home and work. Anyhow, the bottom-line: Steve = one of the nicest and sweetest men that you could meet on this planet. That is my genuine thought - not that I'm not genuine other times.
----- Honeymoon Day (again) -----
We knew we had 3 full days left on island including this day. We hadn't made it to quite a few beaches yet on this trip and where did we decide to go? Back to Honeymoon.
We just felt like it. That was it.
Yellowtail Damselfish
Grunts
Gray Angelfish
Ballyhoo
We had sushi rolls for our late lunch again at Caneel. The $20 parking fee can be easily waved by eating just one roll (their sushi is more expensive than we are used to).
Back at Sunnyledge… ready for "today's sunset" on the deck.
A nice quiet-orange sunset was enjoyed by us…
----- Maho Day (for the third time) -----
We are not really planners and do what we feel like doing that day. The only thing we were sure was that we wanted to spend our last day at Francis. Being non-beach hoppers, that meant we would have one more beach to enjoy besides Francis. So, where did we end up? Maho…
We could've driven all the way out to Little Lameshur or enjoyed the expansive beach of Cinnamon or something else that we hadn't done on this trip. What can I say… we just felt like Maho. I think it is one of the most loved beaches around St. John and many of you forumites probably understand why.
We snorkeled the right side around the point to Little Maho. Out around the point in deeper water, there was a large barracuda floating.
A lone Tarpon
It still felt strange to see no souls on the beach at Little Maho. It really was deserted. We hung out there for a little while and then snorkeled back to big Maho.
On the way back we decided to snorkel in the middle of the bay instead of back along the shoreline. We happened to come across a school of 100+ baby squid. They were all tiny, smaller than the ones we saw at Vie's earlier on this trip, so the photos didn't turn out well. After taking the shots of Little Maho, I also forgot to set the camera back to the Underwater mode so all the quid shots are blue green with tiny dots.
At least I remembered to set the camera correctly before our snorkeling ended.
We waded and lounged for a long time and that was followed by a late lunch/an early evening meal at Aqua Bistro.
Then once again, we were back at Sunnyledge for sunset. This routine never got old for us (although you might be tired of reading about it by now). The sunset was more dramatic than it had been that evening. The sun was so blindingly bright that we could not possibly sit out on the deck until it calmed down.
Later…
It was the best sunset we saw from Sunnyledge. It was changing every moment and we both couldn't stop taking photos of it - just couldn't get enough. Okay, wait… he is taking my photo. And I'm taking his… but I didn't miss the sunset in my frame!
----- Francis Day (for the third time) -----
We do adore Maho but this is our favorite beach. When we got there early in the morning, I saw a Nurse Shark leisurely swimming by in the shallows parallel to the deserted shore. I stepped into the water a little bit. The Nurse sensed my presence and turned away from the shore.
This was our last snorkeling. We had snorkeled there twice already on this trip but we were looking forward to whatever we might come across.
I like taking photos of Lettuce Sea Slugs. I think they are good models.
Octopuses were all in their dens…
Green Turtle with three Sharksuckers
Yellowtail Parrotfish
This guy was well hidden (can you see his head?). He was covered with sand as if he hadn't moved for a long time. I often get tickled by Spotted Scorpionfish - by the way I find them and how they never ever (except for once) move or flinch even when I get really close to them.
Until this point we hadn't really seen anything we hadn't seen in the previous snorkelings at Francis. And then here they came - a school of about 15 Tarpon swimming all around us among Silversides. We didn't know which way to look. Good thing the water felt warmer that day and I didn't have to give my husband an "I'm cold" sign. He would've been disappointed leaving all those Tarpon behind.
After 3 hours of snorkeling we had our last cocktails out at Sun Dog Cafe.
Then we dropped by at Caravan Gallery. We were looking to find a silver chain for my husband and I didn't mean to buy any jewelry for myself. But, of course, I just happened to find a ring I liked and we ended up buying it. It was inexpensive so I didn't feel so guilty. I do like jewelry but have somewhat lost the desire to buy. I told my husband that I would call this ring "a coupon ring". He looked at me puzzled. "Oh, I mean a Tarpon ring" since they were pretty much the last underwater creatures we enjoyed on this trip. He still calls the ring "a coupon ring" with a grin. Well, English is my second language and I make dumb mistakes all the time… or I am just a bonehead. At least I can make him laugh like that.
We were back at the villa for our last sunset seen from Sunnyledge. It turned out to be a mellow one, which suited our moods…
I like "pink" sunsets.
The day of departure from the island - I don't really have to describe it, do I? We've all done it and then find a way to visit St. John again. I know we are very fortunate to be able to return so soon in August. I am looking forward to that warm water.
Good-bye St. John… for now…
Thank you very much for reading my looong report. If you are reading this paragraph, you have come a long way. See you sometime on St. John. Who knows!
Pickle
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Really, really enjoyed both of your trip reports and pictures, especially all of the snorkeling pics. We love snorkeling, and are always looking for octopus. You are so very lucky to have seen so many, even those hiding in their dens. A few weeks ago (first week of June), we saw 2 at Francis on the right on our way out towards Mary Point (one in between a huge cactus and dead branches, and the 2nd a little further out, not far from the small beach on the right). But, they were 95% concealed - only barely able to see one arm and one eye. Nothing as visible as in your pics. We also saw one (again mostly concealed) at Great Lameshur (on the right side). Only during this past December '13 were we able to see one completely out in the open swimming around (at Little Lameshur on the left side). We usually do a snorkel mid morning (i.e. 10:00-12:00), and again somewhere different after lunch (i.e. 1:30-3:00). Was there any particular time when you saw all of these octopus?
[/url]-
Kentuckygirl
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:17 am
- Location: Kentucky
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
I always love your reports and pics, and this one didn't disappoint! Beautiful!
[/url]
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Fabulous report! Loved it so much. Thank you for sharing. Francis is my favorite beach and got excited for my upcoming trip!
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Such great pictures - thank you! I've yet to see an octopus or a shark. I tell myself this justifies each return trip 
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
An impressive number of octopi spotted, very impressed.
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Thank you all for your kind words.
Ed S - We typically snorkel sometime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Since ocotpuses are nocturnal, not sure if any specific time in the daylight makes that much difference in seeing more exposed ones. Although we have come across some actively hunting octopuses, the majority that we see is in their dens. Sometimes I can tell they want to come out so I move out of their views until they cautiously come out.
nikkiki - You will meet them someday… Keep returning to St. John!
Ed S - We typically snorkel sometime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Since ocotpuses are nocturnal, not sure if any specific time in the daylight makes that much difference in seeing more exposed ones. Although we have come across some actively hunting octopuses, the majority that we see is in their dens. Sometimes I can tell they want to come out so I move out of their views until they cautiously come out.
nikkiki - You will meet them someday… Keep returning to St. John!
-
ColumbiaSCTraveler
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
- Location: Columbia, SC
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Wow - just WOW!
I LOVE your trip reports! Can't say it enough!
Your pictures are amazing. Such clarity and detail. You always seem to nail THE PERFECT SHOT!!!!
I'm excited you'll be back in August. Hope to get to meet you then!
I LOVE your trip reports! Can't say it enough!
Your pictures are amazing. Such clarity and detail. You always seem to nail THE PERFECT SHOT!!!!
I'm excited you'll be back in August. Hope to get to meet you then!
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
You outdid yourself with your pictures this time! Just fantastic.
I am going to miss you by two days in August. Darn, I would have loved to go snorkeling with you.
Thanks for the awesome report!
I am going to miss you by two days in August. Darn, I would have loved to go snorkeling with you.
Thanks for the awesome report!
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Very nice. Thanks for taking the time to write report and post great photos.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
I love every trip report you do! You make my heart bleed for St.John. Great job with the pic's, and thank you for making my day!
HELLO FROM MICHIGAN...
-
auntsweety
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 2:07 pm
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Pickle,
Loved the trip report! So far, I have only been to ST. John one time but Francis was one of our faves also.
I also loved your underwater photos. Could you share with me what kind of camera you have and any tricks, settings (you mentioned an underwater stting) you may have used. They are truly stunning!
Thanks.
Loved the trip report! So far, I have only been to ST. John one time but Francis was one of our faves also.
I also loved your underwater photos. Could you share with me what kind of camera you have and any tricks, settings (you mentioned an underwater stting) you may have used. They are truly stunning!
Thanks.
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
auntsweety - Sorry about the late response. I used the Canon D10 for underwater shots. Regarding camera settings, other than the Underwater setting and no flash, I don't really do anything special. I do use the Macro when I can get close to the subjects. Rather than snapping around, I try to frame the subjects the way I like whenever that's possible. I take plenty of crappy photos. The ones you see here are the selected ones. Some are Photoshopped and others are not.
If anyone is interested, here are some photos of the places where we stayed.
Egret's Rest (Grande Bay): https://www.flickr.com/photos/80473236@ ... 474232071/
Sunnyledge: https://www.flickr.com/photos/80473236@ ... 481582954/
I failed to mention how great Terry Witham, the villa manager for Sunnyledge, is in my trip report. We would definitely and happily rent from her again - in fact, we might be for next June.
If anyone is interested, here are some photos of the places where we stayed.
Egret's Rest (Grande Bay): https://www.flickr.com/photos/80473236@ ... 474232071/
Sunnyledge: https://www.flickr.com/photos/80473236@ ... 481582954/
I failed to mention how great Terry Witham, the villa manager for Sunnyledge, is in my trip report. We would definitely and happily rent from her again - in fact, we might be for next June.
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
Great trip report as always!! Your pictures are just wonderful!!! I would love to see a nurse shark one day. Thanks for taking the time to post!
Re: Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Final)
I really enjoyed meeting you and Evan during your visit. I wish we could have spent more time together, but we will work on that ahead of your next visit! As always, your words and images do a great job of conveying your love of this beautiful place!
Come see us!