We Entertain Some Visitors FromTthe North

We walked along the beach the entire length of our complex and through the adjoining complexes for our exercise the next morning which took about one hour. We relaxed around the condo and watched

Here comes the bride

another beach wedding until it was time to go to the airport to pick up Capt. Larry’s nephew, Brian, and his eclectic wife Janelle. They would be spending an extended weekend with us while escaping the brutally

There goes the groom!

cold Ohio winter, and were thrilled and excited to be in St. Thomas when we met them at the terminal.

Dinner with Brian and Janelle

Showing them some of the sights of the island along the way, we returned to the condo, got them settled in, had a great chicken alfredo pasta dinner, and spent the rest of the evening talking giddily about the Ohio State Buckeyes totally dominating the first college national football championship playoffs and winning the Big 10 and national titles lock, stock, and barrel. What fun it was!

Heading for higher ground

The plan for Brian and Janelle’s first day on the island was to take them to the shopping district in downtown Charlotte Amalie, have lunch somewhere, and spend the afternoon sightseeing some of the more remote coves and shores that cruise line passengers seldom get a chance to see. 

Breathtaking Magens Bay

We headed out after breakfast, and after a little difficulty finding a parking space, parked the Jeep a relatively short distance from the open air market. We ranged through the market picking up island souvenirs for the working people back home before moving into the brick and mortar stores that enthrall and trap the tourists. Jane and Janelle headed off with determination

Taking in the scenery

in a different direction, while Brian and Capt. Larry had a beer and watched the passing people. Janelle apparently is not as determined a shopper as Jane, and the shopping fling lasted about as long as the beer. We ventured into a couple of more stores then decided to have lunch. Wanting cuisine locale but not knowing exactly where to go, we asked a passing young man who made a couple of recommendations. We chose a restaurant named Cuzzin’s only one block away, and were delighted with the meal and the service.

Boat drinks on the beach

We returned to the Jeep and headed out for our sightseeing adventure. The plan was to drive to the western most tip of the island and then encircle the island along its northern coast as we drove back to the condo, stopping at anything that raised our interest. With Brian navigating, we headed out from Charlotte Amalie along Veterans Drive, passing the airport and driving through the University of the Virgin Islands campus. Leaving the southern coastal area we started to climb across the mountainous divide running through the island’s center. It seems in our travels that we always end up driving narrow, twisting roads, and today proved no exception. Our intention was to take Route 30 all the way to Botany Bay on the west end, but we missed our turn and remained on Rt. 33 following it to the north coast. We followed the route until we came to an overlook of Megan’s Bay which provided an absolutely stunning view.

Relaxing in the pool

O!   H!

Looking for a road that led down to the bay, we found a “scenic route” that took us straight down 900-1000 feet to sea level in about 1 mile. It was tremendously steep! When we got to the bottom we found that the road dead ended in someone’s yard and there was no access to the bay. We headed back up which was not quite as hair-raising as the descent. We made our way back to the road that would take us to our condo and called it a trip. We spotted some more breathtaking views on the way back to the

At the point

condo, but because of traffic were unable to stop and enjoy.

Helllloooo! It's over

At the condo we decided to go to the pool and enjoy the water and meet some new friends. We finished the evening with dinner at the condo and watching a little TV before retiring for the night.