St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – August 2012 (Part Six: Cane Bay)

DAY SIX:  Thursday, 9 August 2012           

            The stroll on the beach every morning was wonderful.  This was going to be something I’ll miss when I leave.  To me, that was so much a sign that this was a place I needed to be.  And I know I’ll have to start packing and getting organized tomorrow, so I’m not trying to do it ass-early Saturday morning.  (The original flight arrangements would’ve had me flying out Saturday afternoon, which would’ve allowed me one more leisurely morning there.  I would’ve really liked that.)

My walk today wasn’t as long, because I’d stop to talk to people on the beach if they were there.  When people would respond and I get into a conversation with them, then it really cuts into the walk time, but the social interaction gained is a reward.  Today I encountered Tammy, who was down from Virginia with her spouse and teen-aged children (none of whom wanted to be up this early).  Tammy said they come down every couple years, and try to stay at a different place each time.  They were staying at the condos which were part of the Palms.  Surprisingly, they hadn’t been out to Point Udall yet, so I recommended it.  She recommended to me to have lunch at a place in Cane Bay simply called “Eat.”  Since that was the direction I planned on heading today, that was a good tip.

This morning at the Palms, there was a local Chamber of Commerce meeting going on (in the same room where we had the Caribbean BBQ the previous night).  I spent a few moments listening to that before heading out for the morning swim.  It was interesting, but not the way I wanted to spend all my day.

Once cleaned up, I went west on Route 75 and then picked up Route 80, otherwise known as the North Shore Road.  I figured I’d work my way along there, lunch at Eat’s, and come down 69 (and cross the route to the rain forest I took yesterday).  Route 80 was very similar to 82 heading out to Point Udall, with ninety-degree turns of a zig-zag nature, and some elevation changes.  You could also tell this was a wealthier part of the island, based on the number of houses nestled on the hilltops.

I passed a small marina at Salt River Bay, and then turned down into a resort called Greenleaf (only because there was a place for me to stop and take pictures of the view).  Most of the views I had were as I was driving, looking to the ocean on my right.  This was majestic!  And because there weren’t too many clouds out, that was also very nice.  The north side of the island is supposed to have some of the best diving, and I can see why.  Here were a lot of areas where you got the clear blue water of the shallows.  Pictures can’t capture the intensity of the blue.

I came upon Cane Bay, and saw where Eat’ was, and went past.  While it was still a little early for lunch, the views I had on this drive were so awesome that I would come back this way.  I’ll pass on interior woods of Route 69 for the ocean views of the North Shore Road, thank you.  Past the turn off for 69, I continued west, all the way up to the gates of the Renaissance Carambola Resort.  From what I could see, it appeared to be an expensive version of Beaches or Sandals.  But the views I got on the drive up to the front gate were worth the dirty looks I got from their security personnel.

Once I turned around and was heading back east, all the views were on my left.  Driving on the left-hand side with the steering wheel on the left allowed me to try something.  On sections of the road where I could see there was no other traffic, I’d slow down (or stop) so I could take a picture from the car without getting out.  Coming back, I also noticed a few pull-off points which I’d missed earlier.  I was able to get a number of fabulous shots that way.  People always tell me my pictures look like postcards.  That’s because I know how to frame my shot and zoom in when necessary.

As a quick aside, at various times speaking to the locals, they would make a comment they could tell who the tourists were because they’d try to drive on the wrong side of the road.  I only had one instance of that on the entire time on the island.  When coming back from the Renaissance, and approaching the T-intersection (where 69 met the North Shore Road), a white minivan made a left turn into my lane.  A couple toots of my horn got their attention, and they got back on their side with an apologetic wave.  The horn was used a lot down here, especially to indicate you’re giving someone the opportunity to make a turn or such.

Once I arrived at Eat (actually the official name of the place was “Eat @ Cane Bay,” including the “@” symbol), I got a grilled chicken sandwich.  Eat was pricier than some of the other places, so I wouldn’t make that a regular stop when I was a resident.  It’s a two-level building, with the upper story being all the outdoor dining area which faced Cane Bay Beach across the road.  The views were good.  I sat at the bar area, which was on the side of the building where the parking lot was.  The bar was the front corner of the building, so the bartender would stand with his back to the beach.  It gave the appearance that all the liquor bottles were stacked along the railing.  I’m sure there was something there to keep the bottles from being slid back too far.  I did notice among the booze was a bottle of Tito’s Vodka, which was brewed in Austin.

While Eat @ Cane Bay also had a yoga studio, there was a dive shop behind the restaurant, called Cane Bay Dive Shop.  It was one of the five-star PADI places I’d read about, and had been on my list of things to look for (which I’d unfortunately forgotten to bring with me).  I spoke to someone there about doing a certification course.  While they were booked for today, I could sign up for the course the next day (which would take a couple hours).  Damn, I wished I’d recalled this, or stumbled upon it earlier.  I certainly had the time to do so (and it’d be worth the cash to drop doing, because it’d be cheaper than doing the two-week course at home), but I wouldn’t have any time left in the day to enjoy an actual dive on Friday.  And there was a safety reason kept from doing so.

After having done some dives, you had to wait at least twenty-four hours before boarding a plane, due to the way the pressure changes on your body (and the build-up of nitrogen bubbles).  All the dive manuals went in more detail as to the scientific reason why, and it implied a “short shallow dive” might be okay, since I was on this trip solo, I didn’t have anyone to keep an eye on me during the flight back.  The more experienced divers will probably say that I could’ve done that and been okay, but I’m a novice in this discipline, so I have to err on the side of caution.

Cane Bay Beach had a bunch of people sunning or swimming.  It’s a long beach, but not very wide (similar to that of the Palms) and without the coral walls and sea grass (as evident by the blueness of the water).  As there weren’t any resorts within walking distance, I’m not sure where all these people came from.  There were a lot of rental villas along North Shore Road, but why would you come to a public beach when you have one within walking distance where you’re staying?  As they’re public beaches, alcohol shouldn’t be allowed on them, but I did spot a number of people carrying open containers.  One lady set up her beach chair, pulled out a beer, and then handed a juice bottle to her young (pre-teen) daughter.  Nothing like setting a good example.

Along the area was also a place called “Off the Wall.”  Had I not already made plans to eat at Eat (love that way that sounds), I would’ve tried that small establishment.  They had a sign out front which said “No shirt, no shoes, no problem” which I found amusing.  By the way, this section of the island contains one of the most spectacular dives, where the ocean floor drops off in a sharp vertical shelf, which is referred to as “The Wall.”  Obviously this nearby pub was appropriately named.

Heading back along Route 80, I happened to see the tower of an old sugar cane mill.  I must’ve missed it when I came this way earlier, as I was looking at the coastline on the other side of the road.  It appeared there was a dirt driveway leading up to it, so I went up to the top of the hill so I could get some pictures from there.  The road I went up also brought me to the backside of someone’s driveway (or at least it looked that way).  I wasn’t going to stay too long, in case somebody had an issue with that.

The tower, or turret, was open to the top, and empty of any machinery, so it was just a circular stone structure.  I was able to stand on the steps on the tower to take some panoramic shots to capture how the lay of the land went.  There was also an above-ground grave nearby too.  Had that not been pointed out to me back at the Whim, I probably would’ve thought it was just a long white storage box.  There was no other marker to say who was buried here (or when that was).  I have to admit, I could deal with that being the view my body would have once I’ve gone on to the next stage.

Coming back towards the marina at Salt River Bay, I saw another road which went back towards the coast.  It wasn’t on my map, and it was paved, so a short investigation was in order.  After going past a bunch of driveways for rental villas, it took me to a place which was marked as the site of Columbus’ second landing in 1493.  Other than a plaque, there wasn’t anything else there of historical worth.

A quick scout of the Salt River Bay marina also turned up a bar called the Pirates’ Tavern.  No need to buy a drink there when I can do it at the Palms and not worry about having to drive.

Heading back to Route 75 (which would bring me back to the Palms), I passed another road called Route 78.  On my map it was marked as a “four-wheel drive only” road.  I doubted Coral was powerful enough to make up what appeared to be a hilly road, so I decided not to take the chance.  Hertz had told me I’m responsible for the vehicle if I take over “four-wheel drive only” roads when I shouldn’t.  That time out on Turks & Caicos when we followed the directions on a napkin which took us far into the Wheeland section of the island on a dusty dirty road came to mind.  I was pretty comfortable driving the island by now, and pretty familiar with it, I was still a stranger in a strange land.  I wasn’t sure if AAA Roadside Assistance covered out here, so why take stupid chances.  The road I drove through St. Croix’s rain forest wasn’t marked as a “four-wheel drive only,” but there were a number of pot hole hazards.  I was sure there would be more of the same there.

Once back at the Palms, I spent some time today soaking up the rays so I could come back darker than I’d left.  Since I walk the dog every afternoon, during the hottest part of the Texas day, I had a pretty good base tan going.  I’d only used about a quarter of the suntan lotion I’d brought with me (the SPF 75 stuff), and once had opened the bug spray (which was also SPF 30, by the way).  It wasn’t as buggy as the travel manuals said it could be, and I hadn’t spent a lot of time out in the hottest part of the St. Croix day (which was the few hours on either side of Noon).  If I’d encountered someone who I thought could’ve used them, I would’ve handed them off.

After a sufficient time of sun worshiping, on the way back to my room, I met a couple who were sitting on the beach near my villa, watching their toddler play in the water.  They rattled off their names too fast for me to catch, but he was from Kerrville and she originally was from Corpus Christi.  More damn Texans!  At least these were ex-pats who lived here now.  He worked as a Federal Marshall, and was friends with the owner of the Palms, thus was allowed beach access.  They gave me as much of the same “reality check” information that Ron had given me over the phone a few days earlier, so getting that from another source was a nice way to confirm that.

I had my afternoon (6pm) drinks with the Houston group before they went off to dinner.  I stayed here, because while I have food at the room, I spent more my money on lunch instead.  Tonight I did have some mozz sticks at the bar, as Shelly and Hannah came in for a drink.  They were leaving about Friday noon, so that was their last outing.  They never did get over to Buck Island.  Shelly said they’d turned in their rental car today, and were going to take a taxi over to the airport tomorrow.  Since I needed to remember the route to get back to the airport anyway, I offered to drive them over to save their taxi cost (which they said would’ve been at least $50).  Shelly declined, as she didn’t want me to have to spend the day waiting around for them.  Well, if you let me know what time you want to leave for airport, then I won’t have to be “waiting around.”  Besides, I told them, that early in the morning I’m out walking the beach and/or swimming anyway, so I would be available.  The offer was appreciated, but politely declined.  Once their drinks were done (Hannah’s first legal drink), they sat for a short period, and then headed back to their rooms.

While waiting for my food to arrive, Angie did get back to me.  I called her back later after I’d eaten.  She mentioned she had talked to her landlord, an attorney named Kurt Otto, who’s been on the island for about thirty years (and had an office in Christiansted).  She gave me his number so I could talk to him tomorrow.  Angie also gave me a number of island tidbits, some I’d heard before, and some that I hadn’t.  After that, I had another drink and enjoyed the ocean sounds on the patio.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

            Renaissance Carambola Resort:  http://carambolaresortstcroix.com/Default.aspx?source=Google+carambola+beach+resort+virgin+islands&gclid=COHCpNbk7rkCFejm7Aodi0YAZQ

            Eat @ Cane Bay:  http://www.eatatcanebay.com/

            Cane Bay Dive Shop:  http://www.canebayscuba.com/

            Off the Wall:  http://www.otwstx.com/

            Pirates’ Tavern:  http://www.stcroixthisweek.com/dining/pirates-tavern.html

            Buck Island:  http://www.nps.gov/buis/index.htm

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