If you’re thinking about griping about development, put a sock in it. This is just a Jeep ride.
We thought they were just putting in roads out there. We had no idea how much extensive (that means expensive) stonework was going in too. And lots of landscaping too.
And - in an unheard of Jeep Cam move - we stop to take a look at something that made us say “wow.” Finding the path to the beach is definitely no longer a challenge.
If you surf the St. John sites, you may have seen this video by now, posted originally on the usvi-on-line.com forum by the artist, Gene. Gene and partner Eileen (pictured here at a recent Beach Bar party) have a great new little house in Coral Bay called Blue Caribe, which they put their heart and soul into building.
Gene will strum away on his porch whether anyone is listening or not, and he just posted this original song on YouTube along with a St. John slide show.
We, being the Colonel Parker of St. John, are trying to talk him into giving us a half dozen clean tracks and putting together a CD. We think he might go for it. Anybody want to encourage him? (”I would buy one” would be a very good response.)
Here’s a good place to pull over and check out St. John’s most-famous property. Not a bad little stop. And just think, Caneel Bay has a half dozen beaches just as pretty as this one.
We didn’t let you spend enough time here on our recent Reef Bay Coastal Hike.
If you say “Petroglyphs,” it is like invoking this mysterious, spiritual word. Truth is the Cruz Bay post office is more mysterious than this place, and the Petroglyphs themselves are actually just a couple of smallish, well-worn carvings. Still, it’s a pretty cool little spot and well worth the hike. Very peaceful. If you’re lucky, you’ll be the only one there.
Be the only one there for a couple of minutes, below…
We don’t ride the passenger ferry much. That’s a shame. It’s always a great treat to come across actually being able to see everything, and to breath and feel the sea breeze on your face, not to be buried between a loaded down Suzuki on one side and an idling delivery truck on the other, like on the barge.
Take a ferry ride across, below. (Apologies to those of you who don’t get to get off the boat when we get there.)
It’s a 10 minute drive at least from Coral Bay just to where The East End begins. That’s a long time to stare at your computer. So we’ll do that 10 minute drive in 2 minutes. Buckle up. From Coral Bay to the famous East End sign, in Hyper-Jeep mode, below…
Four barges, all completely different boats, three of them older than dirt, all pull off a daily routine that works 90 percent of the time. When a cog in the machine breaks, that 10 percent can be hell. But here’s the whole team, sped up in about 30 seconds of graceful barge perfection…
Ahh…vineyards, bicycles, cheese and honey. Wait. This isn’t Tuscany. It’s Upper Peter Bay!
Only the view would give it away. Here is a GREAT luxo-villa… and it has more outdoor showers than it has bedrooms. (We’re supposed to talk up the villa but four bedrooms and six outdoor showers is what we came away with.)
If you’re a big group, if you want to be on the Coral Bay side of the island, and if you like privacy, here’s a pretty spectacular place. Ocean Palm Villa. It’s brand new and it comes with three buildings, six bedrooms, two pools and, thrown in for good measure, two nice kitchens. And John’s Folly beach right at your doorstep.
Wedding parties? Generous boss? Big family? Put this one on your list. Ocean Palm Villa, below….
How often do you get the chance to grill bacon? This snack, submitted by an On-StJohn.com reader only known to us only as lovestj and Bill, includes peppers, last night’s chicken, cream cheese and bacon. Check ‘em out.
You probably have dozens of pictures from this very overlook. No matter. It is beautiful every time you see it. So spend a little more time at the famous Trunk Bay overlook, below.
