Correction: The flat “lava rocks” at Annaly Bay Beach that I described in another post are actually consolidated fossil coral reefs called diente del perro, or dog’s teeth. They are very sharp.

I made another trip to St. Croix’s northwest end. I first climbed up a dark and very overgrown road to the lighthouse on Ham Bluff, which is on the far northwest corner of the island. From about 360 feet up, you get a spectacular ten-mile view of the entire northwest coast, the nearest couple of miles being undeveloped rocky cliffs that tower above you. The lighthouse itself, built in 1915 by the Danish government, is fairly rusted out with some yellow paint left. The door wasn’t even locked. I opened it to find one large white room with things like cleaning supplies and a mop. I also saw a roll of toilet paper and what appeared to be some human doo-doo outside. Someone was or is living there, and it‘s not a lighthouse keeper. I’m not surprised, because I’ve found shacks on deserted beaches and in the forest. I read in a travel guide that people no longer live in trees and places like that here. I don’t believe it.

From a nearby windswept rocky perch, you can look down to Maroon Hole, a surging tidal pool. I think I read somewhere that escaped slaves used to live on this cliff.

I hiked back down and went inside a crumbling greathouse along the road before looking at the Ham Bluff Beach. It’s cobble and has a beautiful fossil coral reef that’s perhaps half the size of a football field. The waves were very strong and made spectacular crashes on the reef. I walked all around it. There are about a dozen main tidal pools, and some of the higher ones drain into the lower ones through small waterfalls. It’s fascinating to watch.

Then I drove down the Western Road to Butler Bay, which has a nice small, very C-shaped beach with very aquamarine water. After a first failed attempt, I found a way into the Butler Bay Gut and began hiking up the dark, dry streambed. As you go higher, more and more rocks appear and they get bigger and bigger. Consequently, the hike gradually becomes a climb.

There are several magnificent strangler fig trees that tower above the stream. In case you don’t know, they grow this way: A bird deposits a seed in a tree, the seed receives light, water, and minerals from the bark and animal waste, and it sprouts roots and leaves. Eventually, the roots reach the ground and grow into it. They then become trunks. The tree keeps growing and usually strangles its host to death. If the seed landed on the ground, it would probably not grow due to the low light on the forest floor. And of course, many animals eat seeds on the ground.

While on the streambed, I saw two large black moths called black witches. They fly erratically, much like bats. There were also many golden silk orb weaver spiders. The webs got all over me and were very annoying even though I was thrashing a stick around in front of myself as I walked and climbed. Near the top, there is a retaining wall on the north side of the streambed that is about five feet high and 75 feet long. It’s what’s left of a road that was probably built by slaves.

I finally reached the top after hiking almost a mile. There's an 80-foot falls (dry right now, of course) composed of rock that is smooth from millions of years of water. At the base is a dry pool with three small papaya trees. I hiked back down the streambed and managed to get my first bee sting on St. Croix. Squeezing it and applying vinegar to dissolve the stinger seems to work quite well. By the way, the streambed is very pristine. The only piece of litter I saw was a Styrofoam cup.

I then headed east on Creque (pronounced creaky) Road, a heavily forested area with some of the largest trees on the island. I stopped at Creque Dam, which doesn’t look like much from the road but is more impressive if you get out and look. It will eventually hold 9 million gallons of water for Fredericksted. It was built in 1926 and is supposed to be totally filled in about two decades.

I ended the day by visiting the Bethlehem Old Works, which was the last sugar factory on St. Croix, having closed in 1966. Estate Bethlehem has about a dozen slave longhouses and a greathouse. It’s supposed to be restored soon. I hope so because the buildings are really falling down. None have roofs and the greathouse lacks an upstairs floor. The storms definitely take their toll here. There is evidence of a past fire at the greathouse, too. It’s quite an experience stepping into these buildings.

I had every one of these places to myself. Maybe I’ll get a part-time job with one of the eco-tour companies for when tourist season starts up.