During my drives (on the left-hand
side of the road, of course), I’d look at the scenery. If there was a
place for me to pull off, I would so I could take some pictures. I did
that on my first trip here, and continued to do so on this trip. Northshore Road was
very good for that, as I found some places which the distance from the side of
the road to the beach was a couple dozen steps. Many of these were small
sand beaches with minimal coral, and all were completely secluded. Had I
brought my suit with me, these places would’ve been nice for a quick swim.
One particular place I pulled off
which gave good picture opportunities also gave my creative mind an idea.
I looked at the pristine smooth sand, untouched by rocks, bird tracks, or
other things which kept it from being an open canvas to draw on. Waves
come in and out regularly, so there’s not the time to do some extensive
artwork, but I wanted to leave a mark. Using a nearly palm tree frond so
I could reach my canvas as much as possible (and cut down on the amount of
footprints I’d leave), I wrote a message in the sand about how much I enjoyed
this place.
I stepped back to take a picture of
it, and a wave came in and obliterated part of it, so I had to redraw it.
But I was quick with the camera and captured my message to St. Croix . I dated it today’s date, and signed it
with the same “A” symbol I use for my anonymous work. Satisfied with the
message, I continued on my journey. I know the message was fleeting, as
wide and tide would soon wash it away, but the intent (and energy behind it)
would stay for a long time.
When I decided I was going to
return to the Cane
Bay
I was attended to by Meredith, who
probably thought I was weird to sit with my back to the beach. While that
allowed me to do some people watching in here, it also gave the opportunity for
me to lend my camera to her to take a shot of me with the beach in the
background. In hindsight it probably would’ve been easier in the first
place to sit sideways (as I turned to look at the beach as much as other
people). I didn’t want to seem like I was really antsy by moving around a
lot.
The meal was still good. I
had a piece of grilled chicken with Swiss cheese, and it was yummy.
Again, I noticed that I had no cell signal while I was in the area of Cane Bay Cane Bay
There was a restaurant near where
Route 73 joined 80 which had a sign noting they had ice cream (unfortunately I
can’t recall the name of the place). I figured I’d stop there after lunch
for dessert. After leaving Eat, as I was on the way back through this
section, someone was parked in what appeared to be the entrance to the
establishment (blocking the driveway), so I couldn’t pull in. There was a
corner store also at that intersection (which I’d gotten water at on my last
visit) which was now closed.
Near a piece of property for sale,
I took a picture across the bay of the tower I’d visited on my previous trip.
Since I’d seen it on the way in, I knew where it was in order to take a
shot of that again.
I drove up the dirt road to that
tower again, and took a few more pictures, but nothing as extensive as
previously. I could see the weather was starting to get cloudy, and I
didn’t want to have all the same photographs as before. I did a couple
selfies there, and also a picture of the grave there. Juanita “Candy”
Dyer lived between 1924-2004, and to be buried on the top of the hillside
overlooking this view must’ve been a real special request.
Coming back down Route 80, I did
turn into the cove where Columbus ’
second landing was. The half-dozen locals gave me an odd look as I pulled
in, and it wasn’t very welcoming. I ended up just pulling right around.
It’s a pretty secluded area, and you do what you need to in order to stay
safe. If you’re gut tells you something, usually it’s a good idea to
follow it.
Off of 80 was Route 78 which had a
sign which said “Scenic Drive ,”
so I took a chance. The road was wide, smooth, and curvy as it ascended.
I could hear Silvara’s transmission whine the entire way. The
growth at the side of the road was too high in most places in order to get a
good view. I got to one section with a “Dead End” sign immediately
followed by one which said “No beach, no view.” When the road ended at
the gate to someone’s driveway, I figured they put the second sign there to
discourage tourists. After coming down and back to 80, I tried to see if
there was anything worth seeing down Route 79. I hoped I could reach the Salt River Bay National Park
I took a similar chance cruising
down 751, which brought me to the Pelican Inn and Condos. That was the
big yellow complex on the hill west of where I was staying. I asked the
lady at the security gate if there was a restaurant I could check out (and
hoped I’d get a different view of Pelican Cove). She said there was no
access to nonresidents because there wasn’t a restaurant. Well, the idea
was good.
Since it was partially cloudy, I
returned to the Palms so I could grab a beach chair out in the main section to
catch some afternoon rays. I really didn’t have much of a tan because
when I was outside it wasn’t usually at the most-intense time of the day.
It gave me time to collect these thoughts while they were fresh. A
little bit later, Erin had come back to the
area as she was getting things set up for her daughter’s birthday party.
A few friends on the beach with pizza and chocolate cake; I should do
that for the next one. The clouds came in, and it began to lightly
shower. The water wouldn’t bother me, except I’m writing on paper, which
doesn’t like water. I scooped up my stuff and took shelter at the bar for
a bit. There were snatches of conversation going on, but not anything I
was part of. Eventually I headed back to my room, and took a quick swim
in order to rinse and cool off.
Once dressed, I returned to the bar
where I was then able to start drinking. I did get involved in a
conversation about good television shows, why some are cancelled and why some
stay. We all had our opinions on what was a “good” show, but the younger
the person the more they were into graphic content (like Sons of Anarchy)
or things with reprehensible characters (like Deadwood). I had
very different qualifications for what was good. The couple I’d met on
the beach Tuesday morning (Dan & Katayla) came into dine, and we spoke
briefly about what things we’d done all week.
I saw one lady come in by herself
and sit down at the far side of the bar. She had a glass of wine, and
appeared to be frequently checking her phone. First I thought she was
waiting for someone, and when it was clear that she wasn’t (or had been
stood-up), I went over to the other side of the bar and introduced myself.
Her name was Ky (sounds like “tie”), which was short for Kynoch.
You can’t get more of a Scottish-sounding name than that.
Originally from Idaho , she did her graduate
work in the Catskills region of New
York State
Ky and I sat at the bar and chatted
while she worked on her wine, and I my Rum Punch. We talked about island
life, and the various education sciences we were involved in (mine being with
the Planetarium), and then she asked what I’d done during my visit. I mentioned the great tour I had of VLBA that
Greg had given me. Ky knew Greg personally, and she thought that it was
awesome the way I was able to make tour arrangements.
As if on cue, Greg came into the
Palms with some of his Coast Guard unit to get dinner. Ky and I stopped
over to his table to say hi as we headed out. I got to hear a story Greg
told about having to wear an otter costume for some event his unit was doing,
and how hot it ended up being. Ky mentioned that as a local, she’s just
have to come back next week and try again for the dancing. I can’t dance
worth a damn (as Bill & Bobby have witnessed when I’ve gone to the free
dance lessons at Dallas Nightclub), but I would’ve been happy to try something
new … providing Ky was prepared to have her feet stepped on.
The night ended with me finishing
off the remaining third of the complimentary Cruzan bottle, and enjoying the
sound of the wind and the waves. Tomorrow wasn’t my last day, but it
would be my last evening, so I wanted to get as many sunset shots as possible.
I was supposed to return the rental as empty as possible, and I’d done
pretty well with my mileage, so it didn’t look like I needed to take Silvara out
to dinner.
For more information on the places visited or mentioned:
Off The Wall: http://www.otwstx.com/
Pelican Inn and Condos: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147402-d151242-Reviews-Inn_at_Pelican_Heights-Christiansted_St_Croix_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html
Dallas Nightclub (Austin , TX
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