December 20, 2016. Day trip to Virgin Islands National Park

LOCATION:  Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

WEATHER:  Scattered rain showers, but mostly sunny. High around 90

 

We drove about 10 miles to the other side of the island to pick up a ferry to St. John.  There are three main islands that make up the US Virgin Islands:  St. Thomas, St. Croix and St John.  St. John was formerly owned by one of the Rockefellers. He donated it to the US government with the provision that it be kept natural.  So, most of St. John and its surrounding water is a national park.

 

Luckily a ferry was awaiting us, and we hopped on for the short trip from island to island.

Once on St. John, we boarded a "safari" and rode to one of the national park beaches.  This is the view of the beach we went to, from above.  

Unfortunately, we weren't carrying our national park pass, and had to pay an entry fee.    

Lots of people were enjoying the beach.  

We were surrounded by Chinese tourists.  I swam to the small island you can see in front.  The snorkeling is supposed to be the best there.  The US National Park service has created a "snorkel trail".  At first, I thought the white boxes embedded in the sand below were styrofoam coolers tossed carelessly from a tourist boat, but then I started to see several and read the wording on the boxes.  It was a trail to follow while snorkeling.  Each box described a different kind of fish or corral.  

 

I saw quite a few fish and fan corral. The water was a bit choppy so the visibility wasn't the greatest.

 

We returned to St. Thomas and walked around the east side of the island a bit, where we had caught the ferry.  We stopped in a pub that had Rogue beer from Oregon on tap!  The only bad thing was parking.  For some reason, the parking lot at the ferry dock was closed, so we parked across the street.  We didn't pay attention to the sign posting the rates, assuming it would be what most parking fees are.  But, to our horror, when we got ready to pay, the bill was $35!!!  We had exceeded 4 hours (the cap) by a few minutes, so had to pay the maximum.  We were furious, but it did no good arguing with the cashier.  What a bummer!  That Rogue beer was the most expensive beer we have ever drunk!

 

We relaxed on our deck to watch the beautiful sun set.  George made some delicious guacamole for an appetizer.    

DINNER:  Sautéed shrimp with onions, garlic and artichoke hearts over pasta.