Day 1: Went into town to fill out the paperwork with St John Car Rental since we were so late the previous night. A minor nuisance but glad they accommodate us arriving so late. This works out just fine for us, as we haven't been able to go to Starfish Market to get any provisions just yet. We stop at our favorite deli, Deli Grotto in Mongoose Junction and pick up sandwiches, chips, and drinks to take to the beach. Since we'll be coming back into town afterwards, we go to Salomon for the day because of how close it is to town. Our route was from the top of the Lind Point trail behind the National Park sign on the Northshore Road. The hike down would be quite easy except for the bulky cooler and beach chairs. The payoff makes it all worthwhile though.... There were never more than about ten people on the beach and at times it was just us. We love this beach for many reasons. On the way back I miss a turn on the trail and probably add another mile of hiking, but we'll need those extra calories later for dinner.
We are the first to arrive, picking a spot under one of the palm trees to settle in for the daily routine of reading, swimming, and snorkeling. We consider taking the short hike over to Honeymoon Beach, but can't bring our lazy selves to pick everything up and hike. In the past the point between Honeymoon and Salomon has been one of my favorites. For whatever reason, the fish seem to have moved elsewhere today, so it's not the favorite I remember. It was my first attempt at underwater photography with a Canon D10. Hat's off to all those that have done this type of shooting. Two problems are easy to identify in this type of photography. First, you're moving around with the waves. Second, the fish do not really just sit still and pose for you. Getting a perfectly framed and focused shot takes practice and patience. A few samples from my first attempt:
After dinner we get our groceries for the week so we can pack a few lunches and cook a dinner at the house, which we'll need for the second day.
Day 2
Because the first day was fairly busy by St John vacation standards, along with hiking in the heat, we decide to spend the second day on no hike beaches that are close to the house in Francis Bay. After a lazy morning with coffee and breakfast on the deck, we begin the day at Maho. The first few hours were perfect. It's impossible not to love the low-key feel of this beach, with water so calm it feels like a giant swimming pool. The snorkeling here was wonderful with the bay teeming with starfish, sting rays, and sea turtles. A few more pictures below. After our packed lunch was consumed a family of about ten with five girls between about 4 and 14 parked themselves next to us. Since we have kids (that weren't with us) we certainly understand the work that is involved in keeping kids and everyone happy. But this family eventually chased us off, as they were attempting to all snorkel together at once. One girl couldn't do it, another was screaming from the water as she was forced into it, and the parents and grandparents were yelling between the water and shore. We wanted to head to Francis anyhow, and on our other side a couple started smoking where it was blowing right at us. Time to go. Of all of our trips to Maho, I never remembered it being this crowded. Francis was also busy on this Sunday, several apparent locals along with plenty of tourists. This beach is so big though it was easy to find a good shady spot on the beach.
The Francis snorkel is one of my favorites. As you head out along the eastern most side, there is almost always a sandy place to stand if you need it and the fish and coral are excellent. We end the day grilling steaks on the Weber grill at our house, enjoying the hot tub, and going to bed early after a day in the sun. After the last sting ray photo you can see some Francis underwater pictures.
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