USVI Day 7 (Videos Added!)

Today we did a little more driving and a little more cultural absorption.

The goat heard was out and about.

This is a fairly typical road and actually not quite as steep as some of them. The pavement is in really good condition so driving is never really bad, just makes you wonder when the vehicle's transmission will explode.

Some construction going on. This lot has a pretty nice location and overlooks a pretty large bay without too many neighbors. I like the solar array on the roof. It's too small (at least what was visible from the road) but the right idea anyway. 

This is where the goat herd ended up later in the day. They had traveled to this sports field to mow for a while.

Another typical road - there are lots of ultra steep switchbacks like this. 

We stopped to check out a windmill ruin. It was perched on top of a hill that was sort of a little peninsula and there was a bay to look at on both sides. 

We spent a little time at Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay. It is a shopping center which did not simply grow slowly over time, it was clearly purpose-built for tourists to be able to shop for hours in one stop. Many of the stores were just full of crap, but it was still a good place to wonder around. Lunch was cooked in a small shed located at the end of the strip of tables you see below. The food was fantastic!

Here you can see some of the Mongoose Junction buildings. The small white/green one is the kitchen for the restaurant we ate at. 

Bush-pigs!

Down a little level-B road, there is this windmill ruin. I think it had some of the most interesting architecture design that we saw. This was definitely an example of doing things because you could, not due to necessity. 

The center tunnel passage goes to the basement and the others are various rooms.

This is the basement under the mill, directly below the center of the mill's turret tower. Surrounding it is a large circular room with alternating windows and storage cavities. 

The time spent fitting these rocks together is baffling to me. 

Here is a local taxi. This is almost the only use for full-size trucks on the island - they are almost all taxis. We saw several of them full today, perhaps there was a cruise-ship at the port. 

A short stop for some ice-cream on the way back to the house. 

Time to lounge for a while before doing some pre-sunset snorkeling! (will add videos shortly)

USVI Day 6 (added videos)

Sprinkles early as always, and we have a great rainbow this morning. It's still weird to me that the temperature never changes from one day to the next, like the most perfect day in summer but every single day. Today the plan is to check it out the Annaberg ruins, which I've seen on several souvenirs up to this point. I figure that has to mean its either the biggest ruin or just the closest to the road. It turned out to almost be both.

Here we're fitting the GoPro to one of the Jeep's tow hooks.

Annaberg ruins, and this place is huge. I think it was the biggest of all that we saw. This could simply mean that it's been destroyed the least but I'm not sure. Nice buildings and most of it is standing.

The mill is big but not nearly as extravagant as another we saw later.

This was the first time I've seen a sailing cruise ship that is actually the size of a cruise ship.

We headed back to the lot to get ready for some snorkeling. The place to be is Watermelon bay, which is located at the end of a really nice hiking trail that flows along right next to the water.

A mongoose sighting! These are apparently everywhere but I didn't see many. They were brought here to hunt smaller varmints but turned out to be terrestrial when the prey was nocturnal (possibly the other way around, I'm not 100% certain.

We ate dinner at Ms. Lucy's which is always great. I discovered that they serve beer which is home brewed by some guy in his house in the island. It was pretty good and did not make me sick later. Win, win.

USVI Day 5

Bright and early! (was almost 9:00am, sleeping is great:) Glassy 70° mornings, one after another, are continually therapeutic.

Today we hiked the Reef Bay Trail in its entirety, which is an out-and-back route. I think it was about five miles or so with some decent elevation gain on the return trip.

These large trees are some of the only old growth on the island and mostly contained within this trail property. 

Lots of cane factory ruins out here. Also visible occasionally (though vaguely by now) are some of the terraces which made up the land around the factories. Most of the island was clear cut and terraced for farming cane. 

Of all the places to find a white-tailed deer...

Out of the forest and into the sunshine, we arrive at the Reef Bay Sugar Factory. This place is in great shape and huge. There's no big estate house here but the factory itself is the best we saw.

Mechanicals for the crushing press are all here.

Apparently the daughter of a previous land manager was killed when she got wound up in this gear......and you'll note the nice guard they put over it afterward is still in place.....

These are hermit crabs which have fallen into a small pit. They all still appear to be alive. They are pretty much everywhere, you just get used to hearing rustling along the trail when you're walking. The crabs seem to be sensitive to vibration or sound and like to head back into their shells as people approach.

Here's the steam-engine which powered the crushing press outside. I'm not sure the steam for this was generated by fires under the boiling kettles or not, but that seems pretty efficient since the kettles have to run anyway.

The small wooden structure is the center of the horse mill which would have been used if the steam-engine failed.

A couple hundred feet or so from the factory is this nice chunk of beach. 

We saw some (I think) eagle rays messing around just a little way from shore.

Good beach combing here too!

On the return trip, we checked out a small side loop which has a waterfall at the end of it. Not too much going on here but I'm sure it really rages when there is rain. 

After some big climbing, we arrive back at these stairs which pop you out on the road.

Later we snorkeled Salt Pond Bay again and found this little guy:

Fabulous views as always, 

Time to head back to shore I think?