I got up and ran around Sparkman Park a couple of times. It was a nice changeup from the treadmill even though it's still too cold.

Below is a trip report I wrote up from our last trip to St. John. I doubt we'll go this year, but I'm all ready jonesing to go back.

19 Oct 03
Got up at 4, left the house at 4:30. Getting through security at Huntsville International was a breeze - beat the hell out of going through Atlanta which we did last year to save a few bucks.

The flight from Atlanta to Charlotte Amalie was uneventful. Landing, getting our luggage, taxi to Red Hook, all without incident. Jon retrieved the Jeep while I sat on the Cruz Bay dock with a silly grin on my face. I was so glad to be back. It was a dark blue 4-cylinder Wrangler with 18,000 miles on it. I had to listen to Jon again grouse about how much better his jeep at home was.

We drove to Moonsong; it wasn't too far from where we stayed the year before (French Cap). We met a nice woman whose name I have forgotten who works for the rental company who gave us the rundown. It's a pretty villa with a nice view of Hart's Bay except for some power lines.

I could also hear some construction but it's in the background; not loud or annoying at all.

Jon and I agreed; Moonsong is no French Cap. One advantage that Moonsong had, however, is it comes with its own cat. Leo is a sweet little orange fellow who knows a pair of suckers -er, cat lovers, when he sees them. We spoiled him rotten. Tip to future guests: Leo is all for leftover scallops.

20 Oct

We drove into town to finish up paperwork on the Jeep. St. John car rental folks are very nice. Depending on who was working that day, sometimes we could park there, sometimes we couldn't. If someone could figure out a way to make a multi-storied garage in downtown Cruz Bay he would be a billionaire in a year.

Anyway, we went to Low-Key Watersports next to plonk some cash down for scuba diving. We dived with them last year and had a great time. We arranged for our first dive (the 21st), then drove out to Trunk Bay, a place we missed last year.

The beach is indeed beautiful, but the snorkeling, even with the trail, was somewhat disappointing. But dang, it felt so good to be in the warm Caribbean water. I can see why
cruise ship folks are taken there for Snorkeling 101. It is calm, and it did have plenty of fish and coral.

We spent the rest of the day unwinding, after a trip to Starfish to stock up on food. We went
to Rumbalaya for dinner - I had the shrimp parmigania and plenty of Amstel Light. I loved the food because they didn't overcook the shrimp.

21 Oct

It rained last night, but the interior of the Jeep is magically dry. In the early morning, we had no trouble spotting St. Croix off in the distance from the deck.

We did our first dive with Low-Key: the first spot was Calf Rock. It wasn't a tough dive; a nice ease back into scuba diving after a long layoff. The only place to dive near Huntsville
is a rock quarry; we use it only to stay current. Calf rock had lots of typical Blue Tang and Parrotfish.

One spiffy note: some of the Low-Key people remembered my husband and I from the year before.

They let us go off on our own on the second dive (Little St. James) which was nice because when you're with a big group you can run into each other a lot, but on the other hand my husband likes to scuba like he's trying to set a speed record.

Steve Simonsen, the photographer, was aboard. He was one of the people who remembered us. He is a very nice man who has a knack for storytelling. He and my husband talked shop - Jon is a skydiving videographer so they were comparing camera equipment and contrasting trying to get a good picture in their respective environments.

Chicken wings and Amstel light at the Beach Bar for lunch.

We took the ferry to Charlotte Amalie in the afternoon to look for a charger for the digital
camera. We skipped out on the shopping experience last year; I'm glad. I thought I was going to be kidnapped by some of those salespeople.

Ribeyes on the grill, accompanied by steamed rice and salad for dinner. I had Sam Adams for a changeup. The kitchen in Moonsong is decent sized, but somewhat underequipped. I tried to stay up for the World Series, but I was pooped.

22 Oct

Today we went to what is probably my favorite place in the known universe: Cinnamon Bay. The snorkeling is much better there. We saw a ray right off.

We went on our first night dive tonight; for some reason my mask kept filling with water until I figured out how to keep my nose pinched. Embarrasing. There were 4 of us; our guide was a nice young fella named Travis. Tip him well if you ever dive with him.

I saw a squid on that dive - oh, yeah. This was Stephen's Cay. Lots of critters come out at night; Travis had us stand on the sand and turn our lights out to view the glowy critters.

We ate at the Beach Bar again - fish and chips, and Amstel light. Jon invited over the other 2 divers who went with us; a woman and her dad from California (that plane trip must have sucked) who were staying at the Maho Bay camps. I remember looking around the bar - no young beautiful people; just us ordinairy schlubs having a good time in paradise.

23 Oct

Man, I'm writing a novel. I'll try and speed this up:

Today is goof-off day.I slept late and read something forgettable. Hell, even Jon read a book and he never reads for pleasure. Later that afternoon, he drove to the dock to pick up two of his friends that were joining us. I sat in the hot tub (which was not hot - I didn't want it to be), drank some beer, and finished my book while waiting for them.

2 people in Moonsong is just fine. 4 adults is way cramped.

24 Oct

We took Steve and Sylvia to Cinnamon Bay to pick up some snorkeling skills. They did okay - Sylvia was a bit nervous but she got the hang of it. Jon talked them into trying Scuba.

25 Oct.

They tried to learn, at least. It wasn't for them. All four of us went diving with Low-Key again. We did a drift dive at Lind Point. Steve and Sylvia worked on their tans.

26 Oct

We rented a 28' and trawled. We caught 2 fish, a mooring float, and a boobie (the bird, people!). All were safely freed. We tried snorkeling at Waterlemon key, but the tide was awful strong. As we trawled I sat on the bow and enjoyed watching the islands slowly drift by.

27 Oct

Scuba! Little St. James and Calf Rock again. The currents are preventing us from going out to other sites. Jon was excited because we finally saw a turtle.

28 Oct

Oh, my Diety - We spent the day shopping in Charlotte Amalie. A word of advice: if you are going to go on vacation with people who have different tastes than you, AT LEAST make sure they are comfortable with going off on their own!

Jon and I did another night dive, this time at Grass Cay with a new mask. I had a much better time. Saw a stingray, octopus, tarpon, and a teeny nurse shark.

29 Oct

Steve and Sylvia's last day - we went back to Cinnamon Bay yet again and snorkeled. I can't get over that place. I need to become a bazillionaire one of these days and just buy the whole island.

We got them to the ferry and I hate to say it but I was relieved that they left. To celebrate, (well,I was celebrating. they are my husband's friends), we went yet again to the Beach Bar and had buffalo wings and beer.

30 Oct

Jon and I ended up being the only people on the dive boat besides Travis (and the way cool and ever reliable Billy the captain). Steve Simonsen showed up again, as well. It was nice of the owners to let us go out any way. That couldn't have been profitable, but it does wonders for your customer service reputation. We did a drift dive off of Hart's Bay which Jon and I agree was our favorite of our stay. Travis found a ledge where we counted 7 lobsters lurking about. We passed an incredible Wall-o-Tarpon. This place was chock-loaded with fish. We were with a strong current and we barely had to kick. I also got to see a sea turtle up close.

31 Oct

Yet more diving, this time with more people on the boat. Congo Cay and Mingo Cay. We were greeted by the sight of a waterspout way off in the distance. I live in tornado alley and I have to go on vacation to the Caribbean to see one. It didn't affect our dive. On Mingo Cay Jon and I went off alone again. These are our last dives so we take our time (Jon finally managed to learn some self-control).

We did not do anything Halloween night but watch horror movies on TV. And drink beer.

1 Nov

Oh, woe is me. I ran into Low-Key before the ferry left to buy a tee-shirt. One of the dive guides, Penny was behind the counter. She saw how upset I was at leaving and tried to cheer me up. Did I mention how much I liked this company?

We took the ferry to Charlotte Amalie and killed a little time before going to the airport to shop some more (AAAAAAAAAAAIGH!). That was Jon's idea. Last year we killed time by renting a Cessna 172 and flying around a bit. Now that was fun.

I remember when we flew in being excited and feeling bad for people leaving. Now I felt bad and was deeply envious of the people coming in. I spent some of the money remaining on several gallons of booze, although I'm mostly a beer person (if you didn't notice). Hey, it makes great gifts.


Anyway: Overall, despite the complaining I did in this commentary, we had a great time. The best part about it, besides the cat, was Cinnamon Bay and scuba diving with Low-Key. I whined about Moonsong but it was actually a nice place. It just suffered in comparison to the last place we rented. We did get to see the interior of Sundance, its companion home, and *that* place is really nice.

The weather was perfect; it rained some but never for long. I think Jon and I got very lucky, because it wasn't more than 2 weeks after we left the islands got drubbed by rainfall. The ocean was clear and beautiful; next time we go I would rather go again in July because it seemed calmer at that time of year.