Farewell from the Islands!

Tuesday was a remarkable change from the previous day. There was no trace of rain in the sky, but the effects of the rain were everywhere. Bulldozers and heavy equipment moved sand around, to fill in areas of the beach that were washed out by the torrential rains.

After a quick breakfast, there wasn't much to do aside from pack. We ran into Jane and Rob at the pool, enjoying themselves before heading for the ferry home.



The week in the Virgin Islands had been a little slice of wonderful. I'm sure we'll return again someday!

Down came the rain and washed the spider out!

And then it rained. I mean rain with a capital "R"! Let me back up a bit...

Carnival ran all last week, winding down on the weekend. Most folks were going back to work on Monday, after a fun weekend. Little did we know those poor folks would be starting off their week soaking wet!

We'd planned on taking a boat trip to the British Virgin Islands, after a recommendation from Dave and Angela. We awoke as the rain rolled in and began to drench everything in sight. I'm not a fan of sailing in heavy seas, but I was feeling adventurous enough to pop some Dramamine and give it a go.

We were told to be at the Ferry Dock by 7:50AM sharp. 7:40AM, we were there and ready. 7:50AM comes and goes. 7:55... 8:00... 8:05... We waited in the rain and meandered over to other groups of people waiting for tours. It turns out that several other tours were scheduled and leaving from the dock.

When we finally got word about our tour boat, it was 8:35 and it was on its way. When it arrived, however, there was more bad news. One engine cut out, so the captain opted to scrap the trip. Doh! Ahh, well! We headed back to the hotel to wait out the rain.
So much rain fell that the Westin canceled outdoor activities, room service and anything that would put people outdoors. The heavy rains were flooding the streets - and some first-floor hotel rooms!

Late in the afternoon, the skies cleared and the rain ceased. We headed into St. John for a little shopping and dinner. Ramona found some cool shoes and a shirt for me - her fashion sense is sooo much better than mine... We were fortunate enough to get a glimpse of a gorgeous sunset. Jane and Rob are going to stay at the Westin for their last night in the islands. Hopefully, the rain didn't keep them from making it to the hotel.

Relaxing at the Westin

With the wedding behind us, everyone was settling into relaxation mode. Angela, Dave and all of Laura's friends were leaving late in the day; Mike, Laura and their mothers were spending another day here before heading home.

We met up with everyone in downtown Cruz Bay, just in time for good lunch - Mexican fare and a giant margarita at Margarita Phil's! While traditional Mexican food is always welcome, it was fun try fried conch and seafood.

We invited everyone to come and join us at the Westin, to lounge around a bit and enjoy the afternoon. Jane and Rob liked the Westin so much, they opted to spend their last night here as well.

Nice Day for a White Beach Wedding!

The wedding was held on the beach at Trunk Bay at sunset. As was now the fashion, we'd become accustomed to winding up and down the hilly roads, so we meandered out in plenty of time to make it. I wished I'd been able to pull over and take a few pictures, but the scenic overlooks were largely full of other tourists. Ah well!

We arrived just before the rest of the crew. Mike arrived with the mothers, looking rather dashing in his National Guard uniform and service ribbons. We'd barely had a chance to chat when Laura arrived with other half of the group. With our happy entourage assembled, we made our way to the beach. The secluded spot the wedding planner had picked out looked like a "Wish You Were Here" postcard. The soft sand and cerulean waters were the best backdrop ever!

Mike and Laura looked like a truly happy couple, surrounded by family and friends. What a perfect wedding!

As the happy couple celebrated their nuptials, Ramona and I went to Cruz Bay to pick up dinner for the evening, homemade barbeque from Uncle Joe's Barbeque! The plates of chicken and ribs were ready to go, and everyone was ready to eat when we arrived.

Gorgeous sand, gorgeous beach

The sun rises early here - 5AM or so. By early, I mean it's bright outside at 5AM! Ramona got up and worked out, so I came down and walked along the beach. I was greeted by a few stray cats, who seemed content to quietly inspect me. The sand and water feel absolutely wonderful - I can see why people disappear to the islands, for the perfect getaway or simply forever.

After checking out of our hotel room, we headed over to the Red Hook ferry. This was our route from St. Thomas to St. John. On the ferry, we met the rest of Laura's friends, also enroute to St. John. We rode on the upper deck and had a chance to see the scenery - other smaller islands - along the way.

In St. John, we caught a taxi to the Westin and encountered the same winding, hilly streets. I get hte feeling that driving here for the next few days will be a little challenging, to say the least! At the Westin, we checked and headed over to our room. In a word: posh! The digs were very, very nice to say the least! The Westin resort offers swimming pools, ocean swimming, restuarants - you name it!

Ramona was eager to get the ocean (read: jumped into swimsuit and ran headlong to the beach), so were off to the water. Strangely enough, the ocean was much, much saltier than I remembered. Still, we had fun swimming around and lounging on floating mats.

When we came in, however, we were both rather toasty! No sunburns, but we're definitely red!

The day came and went in the sun - I don't know where the time went, but it was certainly well-spent! For dinner, we headed over to the other side of the island - Coral Bay - to meet up with everyone who came out for the wedding. Driving for the first time here, I tried to be pretty cautious - it really is pretty hilly. I got turned around, and finally capitulated to calling for directions.

We met up for dinner at Skinny Legs restaurant. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, chatting with Mike and Laura about the events of the day. Jane and Rob had been snorkeling; Mike and Ang told us about their daysailing trip - everyone found plenty to see and do here.

The sun sets quickly and early at this lattitude. One moment, it was dusk - minutes later, all the light was gone!




After saying our goodbyes, we wound our way back through the dark streets to the Westin. A late-night swim was the perfect way to finish off the night. Tomorrow - we'll get up to work out, then prepare for the evening wedding!

Getting there is half the challenge....

I picked up Ramona at Oh-Dark-Early. I'm pretty sure that comes sometime between the crack of dawn and revelie, but I digress...

We were flying US Airways, so were taking the newly-renovated North Terminal. It was my first time here, so I didn't know what to expect. The new terminal was abuzz with early morning travelers, a nice change from the quiet, desolate L.C. Smith Terminal I flew as a kid. It distinctly different than the Northwest World Gateway, which was quite nice.

After we breezed through security, we grabbed a snack and boarded our flight. Expecting a timely departure, we had a mechanical problem that delayed us for half an hour. Once we were in the air, our pilots got us to Charlotte, NC for our connecting flight. Fortunately for us, our departure gate was immediately adjacent to our arrival gate. Sweet!

Our final flight to St. Thomas left on time with no problems. We passed the time picking up travel tips from the nice folks seated next to us. Apparently, they had vacation plans in Cabo, but canceled them with the outbreak of swine flu. They, too, were traveling to St. John and even staying at our hotel. With luck, we'll run into them in the next few days.

When we arrived, I found the weather was nice and comfortable. Low 80s, a little humidity - nice! The forecast had lots of rain, but it didn't seem to be an issue. Folks say that the rain will come and go in passing showers.

We had reservations at the Secret Harbour in St. Thomas. The taxi ride took us up, down and around the steep, wind roads and hills. Ramona was surprised at how hilly the island was. Checking into our hotel, however, I found that our reservation had been canceled. After some exchanges between the travel agency and the hotel, they got everything worked out.

We'd been told that Carnival was coming to an end this weekend. The influx of extra people would make resources like taxis and can rentals sparse, and dinners expensive. We'll see how much that would affect us.

Mike, Laura and their mothers had already arrived in St. Thomas and wanted to meet up with us for dinner. We caught a taxi to downtown Amalie and walked around the village that had been set up for Carnival. We'd arrived during the afternoon break - most of the people were gone, and there were just a few vendors open. We picked up a fried fish (with great, local hotsauce!) and had a quick snack.

Our taxi driver recommended Cuzzin's, a local restaurant and bar. We meandered through the side streets and shops to find it. The bartender was friendly, and gave us lots of nice tips. He was also nice enough to give Mike driving directions, too!

Mike and Laura met up with their friends Angela & Dave, David and Jen, who had also flown out for the wedding. Mike rounded everyone up in their rental car and drove over to Cuzzin's to meet us. The Moms were safely back at the hotel, decompressing from the flight and the day's activities.

Dinner was filled with great food and conversation. I tried friend conch for the first time and loved it! I'm really starting to like Carribean fare...

After dinner, it was back to the hotel to charge up the batteries for tomorrow!

Off on another adventure!

When Laura and Mike told us about their wedding plans, we jumped at the chance to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ramona had been to the Carribean before, but I had never been further south than the Florida Keys. Yup - time for us to go on another adventure!

The wedding will be held on the island of St. John, essentially a giant U.S. National Park, on Saturday. We opted to fly down on Thursday, then stay into the next week. After booking hotel accommodations and flights, there was nothing left to do but go!