Saturday, August 1

Shopping Trip to St. Thomas

Note: While in the Virgin Islands, one must always have a swimsuit on hand.

Woke up at 3:30am. Strangely, I felt well-rested and ready for the day. I got up, had my breakfast, and prepared for the day. As I sat eating my breakfast, I watched the sun slowly brighten the sky from a deep dark black to a light navy blue. I became engrossed in the story of Island Fancy, as told by the builder, Mrs. McCully. Grandma Raised the Roof may not be at your local library, but if you get the opportunity to read a copy, I would recommend giving it a read. I eventually made it back to bed, since 3:30am really is just too early to start a day. Around 9:00AM I got a call on my cell phone. Time for shopping! The ferry was due to leave in moments and my ride was literally right outside my door! I had but a few seconds to grab my bag and hit the road. Fortunately, I had all my things ready and I was already dressed for the day.

Despite the rush to get on the car barge, we did have time to make a dash into the Deli Grotto to fetch ourselves a cup of coffee, which is really the way to start a day. Blazing hot coffees in hand, we boarded the barge, Tuglife, and set off for St. Thomas (also referred to as St. Trauma).

After some driving and walking, we all parked our butts in some patio chairs and enjoyed a breakfast at Molly Malones. I had a most delicious breakfast for roundabout $10. I had the proper meal of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon (I do love my bacon!), two pancakes, and a serving of grits. After filling our bellies with Irish pub breakfasts, we set off for Magen's Beach. I had heard the name and expected a spelling more like Meghann's Beach, but no, it's spelled “Magen's.” I had not brought my suit nor any sunblock. A few hours at the beach without these essentials is not as fun as I had hoped. I did get some sun, which is evidenced by my increasingly obvious farmer's tan. Magen's is worth a stop if you're in St. Thomas, but to go to a real beach, St. John is the place to visit. The sand, sea, and crowds are entirely different in St. John. Again, St. John has the best beaches, ever.

Obligatory lunch at Fat Turtle, as no trip to St. Thomas is complete without stopping there. I got the spinach salad, which comes with mangoes, fennel, and a warm rum bacon dressing. Seriously, the dressing was the best dressing I've ever consumed, ever. Even though you might think warm dressing on a hot Caribbean sunny day might not be great, it was phenomenal. The cool spinach leaves and fresh cubed mango and fennel slices mingled together with the dressing to make my mouth very happy. I wouldn't mind figuring out a way to have that salad at least another dozen or so times in the next few weeks. If I'm in St. Thomas again, that salad is definitely going to get in my belly again.

After lunch, we shopped around Fat Turtle, visited Kmart, Plaza Extra, and stopped at Latitude 18 for drinks before the car barge. Waiting in line for the car barge, it looked like there was no way we'd fit on the barge. Normally this means more time to hang out and get another cocktail. At 6:30pm, it's the last ferry. Stuck overnight in St. Thomas isn't great. Fortunately, we'd bought our round-trip ticket earlier in the day. We caught the attention of some of the barge guys and they, thankfully, waved us onto the barge. There was definitely 30 or so cars still waiting to get onto the barge by the time we left port. I'm not sure what became of those weary travelers. Hopefully there was an extra run of the ferry to help those folks get home for the night. During the ride across, which takes about 30-40 minutes, waves broke over the bow most of the way to Cruz Bay, splattering one car entirely with salt water. I'm glad we weren't the last car onto the ferry!

Back in Cruz Bay, I got dumped off at home with my fresh groceries. I ate some leftover chili and visited Lauren down the road. By 9:00pm, after a considerably long day, and a long hot shower, I feel just about ready to turn in for the day.

I think I'll go running tomorrow again, revisiting the Lind Point trails and possibly making it the entire way up Margaret Hill, and if I'm ambitious, longer, if I can find a place to re-water. Maybe instead, I'll run into town towards Starfish, where the sidewalks aren't too plentiful, but the water fountains may be more available. I'd like to do a good 6 miles, not on trail. If on trail, I'll go with 2 hours. Note to self: I better bring electrolyte-filled jelly beans or chews.

In other news, I swatted a few new mosquitoes today. I hope it does not mean a new mosquito bloom. The blooming of mosquitoes is not as exciting or pleasurable as the blooming of fresh tulips in a lovely meadow. It means swatting and batting at the pestilence that swarms around my legs and arms all hours of the day. I guess I'll start bathing in St. John's cologne (DEET) once again.