St John

Today we ferried over to St. John. We planned to hike “the moderate in difficulty” Reef Bay Trail to the bay. We’ve climbed Macchu Picchu. I work out four times a week. I live for a challenge. Moderate? Oh please! 

We noted kapok trees, lime trees, wild pineapple, and mango trees. The hike is smooth sailing. We even took time to note the huge crabs, spot the termite nests, and look for the bee colony. 

We found the remnants of a homestead that dated back  to the 1800s. The people living on this side of the mountain had their own gardens, cattle, and pigs. We stopped for water. It’s only 82 degrees. This hike is a breeze. 

Next we followed the trail to a waterfall and a holy pool of water that had petroglyphs that dated back to the Taino Indian days. The waterfall was more like a trickle - nothing to see there but history. Keagan stopped to refuel. 

My hair is a mess! It’s just the humidity, though; it has nothing to do with any exertion on my part. We continued on the path to the remains of a sugar mill. This would have been fascinating if I knew anything about the fermentation of sugar. But I don’t. 

After an hour of hiking, we were rewarded with this coveted view. Keagan was a bit disappointed saying, “Is this all?” I know he was thinking that was a lot of walking to just see the beach. 

Keagan went in for a quick snorkel, but he only saw a few fish.

Then it was time to head back out on the trail. Let’s talk about the 45 min hike back to the Jeep. Who rated it “moderate?” It was horrible! It was straight up. Up the side of a mountain. My legs were jelly in the first 15 minutes, but I could hear cars up ahead. I just knew I had to be close to the end. I kept climbing. What’s that ahead? A switchback? Another? Fifteen more minutes uphill and I’m pretty sure I’m dying. I think now the cars must have been my imagination. I think again I’m going to die right here. On this trail. My knees are locking, my blisters are bleeding, and I have one collapsed lung when I finally make it to the top of the God forsaken mountain. Moderate? I think not. I need to talk to the local hike rater. 

We had lunch and drinks on the water in downtown St. John to try to recover. I had a painkiller and that was not strong enough to kill any memories of that mountain climb. We hiked so long we were now in Happy Hour, so I ordered another. That did the trick.

Fearful we would miss the last car ferry, we were first in line to catch the 5:00 to St. Thomas. We made it home to catch another sunset. 

The best one yet. It was God saying he didn’t forsake us on that mountain after all.

St Thomas Day 4

Today started with brunch at a restaurant just steps from the house. It was highly suggested that we eat here for Sunday brunch. Brunch is my favorite meal, so this became a quick must-do. 

If the view was not reason enough to visit this restaurant,

then it was the coconut spritzer and shrimp and grits I ordered. It was fantastic!

After watching the marathon World Cup game at the house and celebrating Messi’s win, Wes and I spent the afternoon at Limetree Beach. 

The beach had no daytime cruisers, the sand was white and smooth, and the rolling waves were music to my ears. The breeze made the afternoon perfect! I finished a book and then watched the horizon as sailboats floated by. 

Today’s sunset. 

We grilled chicken and made pasta for dinner. We went on and on about how good the key lime pie was last night; we all said it was the best we have ever eaten. We asked the waitress if they made it in house. She responded, “Oh, no! We buy it in the frozen food section at CostULess.” 😳

Guess where we went today. 

St. Thomas

We are vacationing early this year. Evan’s last final was Tuesday morning; Keagan’s last final was Wednesday morning; I’m “sick” and seeking mental health therapy the best way I know how at the beach in St. Thomas!

We landed at 2:30 and had not eaten all day, so food was first on our agenda. We wanted something quick and easy, and I had read everyone operates on island time here. The restaurant I chose had a reputation of being fast. Easy choice. $100 later we were full of fish and pickled cabbage burritos. 😳 

From here, we checked into our VRBO and soaked in all of the views. I’m very happy to say AC is in every room and works very well. This was a must for this year’s trip!

Wes and I went grocery shopping and learned you don’t bag groceries here. The groceries were almost as much as eating in a restaurant! This was $200 and will hopefully last us two full days. 

Chickens roam the streets like the cats in Lima and the dogs in Mexico. They are scrawny and survive off of French fries and any other people food they can find in trash bags. I can’t imagine they taste good or produce any great eggs, but maybe somebody finds them edible. 

The sun has set; we have yet to see the beach. Three o’clock wake ups are rough, though, and we were all in bed by 8:30. No worries! We have all week to take the beach and sand in.