I joined my training buddy, RQ, and her parents for the week. I arrived late Monday night to a warm breeze, even on the ferry ride to the island. Something like 90% of the island is National Park, so we saw birds, donkeys (one named Blondie, liked to stand outside our window at night and make weird noises), cows and goats roaming about the entire island. In the 1800's, the island had been used to grow sugar cane, and the former plantation ruins--massive rock walls, houses, buildings--were scattered throughout the island. It made me wonder about the stories of the island. The terrain is rocky, heavily forested, and incredibly hilly. Despite the beauty, I am sure it was a insufferable place to live and work for a plantation slave.
Tuesday morning we took a long swim along the beach, in and out of the various bays, over coral, past snorkelers. My swimming buddies pointed out 2 turtles, a ray, numerous fish, sea urchins (don't step on them!), brain coral and more. I can't even remember it all! The rest of the afternoon was spent reading and lounging in the sun. We took a long hike to a nearby beach for more snorkeling. There we saw star fish and a shark, which I didn't see, thank goodness!
St John is very hilly. Coming from SF, it's very hilly! Wednesday morning during our run, we tried to determine the grade on some of the hills and figured them to be about 18%. I walked them--both ways. After our run, we had an amazing breakfast at Donkey Diner. I know, it sounds appetizing! But it was.
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| Attempt at a self-portrait |
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| Underwater |
That afternoon after a quick dip in the water and some reading on the beach, we took another hike to Ram's Head where we got a glimpse of the British Virgin Islands, St. Croix and amazing views of the water and surrounding beaches. We stopped for a fruity rum drink at a fun bar on the water on the way back; we made dinner and crashed.
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| Sweaty view from the hill top |
Thursday morning, we found another beach to begin our swim. My swim buddies would point out an eagle ray or a trumpet fish, which was great since I couldn't catch it all. Swimming for 1.5 hours goes by quickly in the warm, aqua blue, fish-filled waters as compared to the pool! That afternoon, we found another beach, but unfortunately RQ ran over a huge piece of coral and cut her foot! We brought her to get cleaned up and luckily no stitches, but it did slow her down for a while.
Friday afternoon, I began my trek back to SF. It was an absolutely wonderful trip. The warmth of the sun and water, reading in the hammock, the hikes and swims, chatting with friends--all made for a super trip.
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| Our cottage |
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