usvi-on-line
Spring Break 2011 on STJ - Part VI
Spring Break 2011 on STJ - Part VI
STJ Spring 2011 - Pt. VI (Link to previous installments at bottom of the page):
Saturday morning arrived, bright and sunny. Much different than the weather we'd experienced on our last full day of the previous two trips.
For most of this trip, when we'd asked Jason what he felt like doing/where he wanted to go, etc.( since this was, after all, how he chose to spend his final high school spring break ), without fail, he'd always say that anything and anywhere was fine with him - such an easygoing kid!
We had heard him mention that on his last trip, his favorite snorkel experience had been at Cinnamon, so we headed there to start out our day. There were only a few cars in the parking lot when we arrived, and next to no one on the beach.
The last day is always one of conflicting emotions for me. There's this sadness kind of hanging over me as I look at everything "for the last time". I try to make a conscious effort to focus on the fact that I'm seeing it now, rather than the fact that I won't be able to see it in a couple of days.
One sure fire cure is to get in the water and take a look around. We walked down the beach toward the right side and found a place for our stuff under a tree just beyond where the cay is located offshore. We like to swim out along the reef line that runs perpendicular to shore then cut over towards the cay once we get out that far. Shortly after we made that left hand turn we encountered these guys - they seemed to strike a defiant pose, and steadfastly held their position - maybe they were defending a nest or something...
As we approached the cay we saw some of the usual suspects hanging about...
This was our second consecutive visit to this site where the big tarpon were nowhere to be found out beyond the far side of the cay. Maybe it was the time of year, or of day, but they had been a staple here so I hope they haven't moved on for good.
Once we got around to the side of the cay closest to shore we were sheltered from what wave and wind action there was, and we spent a good deal of time poking around in the shallows. I've always enjoyed the variety of life that we see on this part of the snorkel.
Eventually, Leslie decided to head for shore to warm up, and a few minutes later Jason suggested that we do the same. I decided to take the scenic route back, along the reef line. Here's the first thing I saw as I approached the reef:
Back on the beach, we hung out for a few minutes while we dried off/warmed up. On the way back to the parking lot we encountered quite a number of folks heading toward the beach, and it wasn't surprising to see that all of the available parking spots were now full, and that overflow parking was in full effect!
As seems to have become our custom of late, we stopped for our final snorkel of the trip (go away dark cloud hanging over my thoughts!) at Maho. It's funny - the more trips we have under our belt, and the more places we become familiar with, the harder it is, naturally, to try and revisit all of them on each subsequent trip. Maho is obviously, and understandably, one of those beaches that "everyone" loves, yet we never made it here, other than for a brief stop along the road to eat lunch one day, until our third trip to the island, yet I can't envision not coming here at least once every trip now.
Here's one of the reasons:
We parked in the little alcove just around the corner from where the road makes the 90 degree turn, in our favorite spot. We did note that right across the street from where we parked, on the inside corner of that turn, a clearing had been created that as of now, is an unpaved parking lot.
We walked onto the beach, and down towards the far right hand corner. We hadn't been out of the water all that long yet, so we took advantage of the gorgeous day, and just spent a little while hanging out on the beach.
Soon enough, the lure of the water became too strong to resist, so it was "fins on", and we were off along the right side of the bay. I can't imagine even an extended drought having a huge effect on the water levels on a body of water as big as the Caribbean Sea, so we must have just picked a time to be here at the very low end of the tide cycle, because a number of the areas where Leslie and I had snorkeled on our most recent trip were unreachable this time due to the water over the rocks being so shallow. It kind of dashed my hopes of seeing all of the moray eels we'd observed then, but every day, every snorkel, even at the same location, is different, so we'd see what was on offer for us this time.
There were a lot of schooling jacks, that made several high speed passes by us in both directions.
The usual reef fish and creatures were resplendent in the clear water and bright sunshine.
We made our way out to the point, and then around it until we were actually snorkeling off of Little Maho. I was surprised not to see more angelfish out at and beyond the point - that's usually one of the features of this place, but as we were making our way across the sandy bottom to return to shore we happened upon this one:
About this time, a young guy swam up to us and very excitedly told us that there was a huge turtle - maybe a tortoise! (LOL) hanging out near a particular buoy. We thanked him (while trying not to laugh) and went in that direction. While his marine ID skills may still need some work, his directions were spot on:
We could have taken hundreds of pictures of this turtle - he was contentedly munching on seagrass and didn't seem the slightest bit bothered when I'd dive down to get a better shot of him.
That was a good note to end our snorkeling on. So, after drying off and gazing at the beach and the bay for a few minutes we headed back to Mill Ridge. Once the gear was rinsed off we made a "clear out the fridge" lunch, then took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy our surroundings, and the beautiful afternoon...
We got word from St. Thomas that Deb and Jay would be coming over on the ferry once he got off of work, so we got cleaned up and headed to town. Couldn't think of a better place to arrange to meet than Tap Room, so we grabbed a table and had some refreshment while we waited.
Leslie took advantage of the fact that we were on the Cruz Bay side of the island to go across the street and capture the setting sun.
After our friends arrived we had another drink or two, then decided to go and find somewhere to have dinner. We didn't have to go far - La Plancha del Mar was open and had room to seat us right away, so our search was over almost before it began. I hadn't been to their new location before - it's a very nice setup - they certainly needed more room than they had at the Marketplace location where they used to be.
We had a great meal - appetizers, entrees, drinks, and of course - we had to at least share a dessert!
Once we were done, we walked with Deb and Jay over to the ferry dock where we said our good-byes, and made some plans to spend a little more time with them in the fall.
Jason hadn't taken part in the dessert share at La Plancha, so we stopped at the little ice cream stand that's on the way back to Mongoose Junction. We were the only ones there, so while he ate, Leslie and I talked to the guy running the store. When we get the chance we always try to hear the stories of people that live on the island - how/when/why they got here, what do they like, generally just about anything they're willing to share. Who knows - maybe some day people visiting will be asking us about our story!
Our last full day on the island was perfect. We took part in our favorite island activity, had time to relax and just appreciate the surroundings we were in, we got to spend some time with people that we really like, and we topped it off with a conversation with a local who we'd never met before. And for the most part, all of that was enough to keep those foreboding thoughts of departure day at bay. Plenty of time for that tomorrow!
Part I: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19951
Part II: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19954
Part III: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19955
Part IV: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19963
Part V: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19973
Saturday morning arrived, bright and sunny. Much different than the weather we'd experienced on our last full day of the previous two trips.
For most of this trip, when we'd asked Jason what he felt like doing/where he wanted to go, etc.( since this was, after all, how he chose to spend his final high school spring break ), without fail, he'd always say that anything and anywhere was fine with him - such an easygoing kid!
We had heard him mention that on his last trip, his favorite snorkel experience had been at Cinnamon, so we headed there to start out our day. There were only a few cars in the parking lot when we arrived, and next to no one on the beach.
The last day is always one of conflicting emotions for me. There's this sadness kind of hanging over me as I look at everything "for the last time". I try to make a conscious effort to focus on the fact that I'm seeing it now, rather than the fact that I won't be able to see it in a couple of days.
One sure fire cure is to get in the water and take a look around. We walked down the beach toward the right side and found a place for our stuff under a tree just beyond where the cay is located offshore. We like to swim out along the reef line that runs perpendicular to shore then cut over towards the cay once we get out that far. Shortly after we made that left hand turn we encountered these guys - they seemed to strike a defiant pose, and steadfastly held their position - maybe they were defending a nest or something...
As we approached the cay we saw some of the usual suspects hanging about...
This was our second consecutive visit to this site where the big tarpon were nowhere to be found out beyond the far side of the cay. Maybe it was the time of year, or of day, but they had been a staple here so I hope they haven't moved on for good.
Once we got around to the side of the cay closest to shore we were sheltered from what wave and wind action there was, and we spent a good deal of time poking around in the shallows. I've always enjoyed the variety of life that we see on this part of the snorkel.
Eventually, Leslie decided to head for shore to warm up, and a few minutes later Jason suggested that we do the same. I decided to take the scenic route back, along the reef line. Here's the first thing I saw as I approached the reef:
Back on the beach, we hung out for a few minutes while we dried off/warmed up. On the way back to the parking lot we encountered quite a number of folks heading toward the beach, and it wasn't surprising to see that all of the available parking spots were now full, and that overflow parking was in full effect!
As seems to have become our custom of late, we stopped for our final snorkel of the trip (go away dark cloud hanging over my thoughts!) at Maho. It's funny - the more trips we have under our belt, and the more places we become familiar with, the harder it is, naturally, to try and revisit all of them on each subsequent trip. Maho is obviously, and understandably, one of those beaches that "everyone" loves, yet we never made it here, other than for a brief stop along the road to eat lunch one day, until our third trip to the island, yet I can't envision not coming here at least once every trip now.
Here's one of the reasons:
We parked in the little alcove just around the corner from where the road makes the 90 degree turn, in our favorite spot. We did note that right across the street from where we parked, on the inside corner of that turn, a clearing had been created that as of now, is an unpaved parking lot.
We walked onto the beach, and down towards the far right hand corner. We hadn't been out of the water all that long yet, so we took advantage of the gorgeous day, and just spent a little while hanging out on the beach.
Soon enough, the lure of the water became too strong to resist, so it was "fins on", and we were off along the right side of the bay. I can't imagine even an extended drought having a huge effect on the water levels on a body of water as big as the Caribbean Sea, so we must have just picked a time to be here at the very low end of the tide cycle, because a number of the areas where Leslie and I had snorkeled on our most recent trip were unreachable this time due to the water over the rocks being so shallow. It kind of dashed my hopes of seeing all of the moray eels we'd observed then, but every day, every snorkel, even at the same location, is different, so we'd see what was on offer for us this time.
There were a lot of schooling jacks, that made several high speed passes by us in both directions.
The usual reef fish and creatures were resplendent in the clear water and bright sunshine.
We made our way out to the point, and then around it until we were actually snorkeling off of Little Maho. I was surprised not to see more angelfish out at and beyond the point - that's usually one of the features of this place, but as we were making our way across the sandy bottom to return to shore we happened upon this one:
About this time, a young guy swam up to us and very excitedly told us that there was a huge turtle - maybe a tortoise! (LOL) hanging out near a particular buoy. We thanked him (while trying not to laugh) and went in that direction. While his marine ID skills may still need some work, his directions were spot on:
We could have taken hundreds of pictures of this turtle - he was contentedly munching on seagrass and didn't seem the slightest bit bothered when I'd dive down to get a better shot of him.
That was a good note to end our snorkeling on. So, after drying off and gazing at the beach and the bay for a few minutes we headed back to Mill Ridge. Once the gear was rinsed off we made a "clear out the fridge" lunch, then took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy our surroundings, and the beautiful afternoon...
We got word from St. Thomas that Deb and Jay would be coming over on the ferry once he got off of work, so we got cleaned up and headed to town. Couldn't think of a better place to arrange to meet than Tap Room, so we grabbed a table and had some refreshment while we waited.
Leslie took advantage of the fact that we were on the Cruz Bay side of the island to go across the street and capture the setting sun.
After our friends arrived we had another drink or two, then decided to go and find somewhere to have dinner. We didn't have to go far - La Plancha del Mar was open and had room to seat us right away, so our search was over almost before it began. I hadn't been to their new location before - it's a very nice setup - they certainly needed more room than they had at the Marketplace location where they used to be.
We had a great meal - appetizers, entrees, drinks, and of course - we had to at least share a dessert!
Once we were done, we walked with Deb and Jay over to the ferry dock where we said our good-byes, and made some plans to spend a little more time with them in the fall.
Jason hadn't taken part in the dessert share at La Plancha, so we stopped at the little ice cream stand that's on the way back to Mongoose Junction. We were the only ones there, so while he ate, Leslie and I talked to the guy running the store. When we get the chance we always try to hear the stories of people that live on the island - how/when/why they got here, what do they like, generally just about anything they're willing to share. Who knows - maybe some day people visiting will be asking us about our story!
Our last full day on the island was perfect. We took part in our favorite island activity, had time to relax and just appreciate the surroundings we were in, we got to spend some time with people that we really like, and we topped it off with a conversation with a local who we'd never met before. And for the most part, all of that was enough to keep those foreboding thoughts of departure day at bay. Plenty of time for that tomorrow!
Part I: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19951
Part II: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19954
Part III: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19955
Part IV: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19963
Part V: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=19973
Come see us!
-
msgcolleen
- Posts: 1497
- Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:33 am
- Location: Allen, Texas
Lovely last full day! Sad to see it end but happy you had a great time . . . and that tortoise! WOW! 
I've got 2 tickets to paradise~Pack your bags we'll leave tonight!
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/]
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/]
WOW! Your trip report was just the delicious taste of St. John I've been craving. My husband and I had been going to St. John for MANY years, but due to losing our jobs and our current limited finances, we haven't been able to make it since 2009. Your report expresses so many of the feelings we have for the island, and your pictures are superb! What kind of camera do you use for your underwater snorkeling shots? Mine never come out as good as yours! We are still hoping to get back to making St. John a regular vacation, but for now I have to live through you lucky people who LOVE St. john as much as we do! Thanks for sharing! I LOVED it!
Loving your trip reports! I've been away for a while and it's so nice to live vicariously through everyone until we get back next Summer!
Cute boy! My little man was 4 when we discovered the magic of STJ. He's almost 14 now and after all his traveling, he still wants to go to STJ for his graduation trip...just like his sister...which is perfectly fine by me.
Cute boy! My little man was 4 when we discovered the magic of STJ. He's almost 14 now and after all his traveling, he still wants to go to STJ for his graduation trip...just like his sister...which is perfectly fine by me.
What a fantastic last day. Unbelieavable clear sky and it makes the colors really beautiful.
I love your uw shots. I would say this camera takes much better pictures than the D10 (but I'm not a D10 fan, so others might disagree). Personally I love the two grey angels and also the last turtle.
Thanks again for sharing.
I love your uw shots. I would say this camera takes much better pictures than the D10 (but I'm not a D10 fan, so others might disagree). Personally I love the two grey angels and also the last turtle.
Thanks again for sharing.
Great reports and that sea grass turtle shot is awesome. I have to learn to dive down better to get shots like that - what is the trick not to float back up like a cork? 
Are all your underwater shots color corrected? Some look like they are, others not as much.
Are all your underwater shots color corrected? Some look like they are, others not as much.
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