Day 5- This was "race day" so we didn't venture too far from Chenay. We did take a kayak ride over to Green Cay and that was quite nice. It's further than you think and there was a small current but we made it out and back without any problems. We walked all the way around the cay. We had to walk through some muck and climb up and down some rocks which was fun to us. (my kids still love rock climbing) Around the back of the cay my guys did some snorkeling. There were a ton of conch underwater and up on shore there were hundreds of conch shells thrown in a huge pile. Around the one point we saw some guys snorkeling (?) amongst the rocks (there were waves) and they were hunting for sea creatures (mollusks or snails, I think). They were braver than us, b/c it looked pretty dangerous and my boys are pretty hardy snorkelers.
After a few hours of resting by the pool we headed off to the University for the big 2 mile race. I had run mostly everyday while on the island but this was one of the highlights of our trip to me. (for you runners, I took the trail out the far end of Chenay, ran through the neighborhoods and then down the road to Cheeseburgers and back; approx 3 miles. One of the other hotel guests ran all the way to the Buccaneer and down the fitness trail but I wasnt running that far at the point) It was the Olympic Day Run and there were olympic runners there from past olympics and they each gave a small talk. I like to do unique things on vacation and this is one of them. I believe I was the only tourist in the race (some relatives of residents were there) and there was about 50 of us. After the race, we got a T-shirt, a certificate, an official olympic pin, and I even got a second place ribbon. When we got home, my husband found the article in the STX papers and my name was listed. How cool is that!!
After burning all those calories, I felt it necessary to go back to Cheeseburgers another excellent dinner. They really have some great burgers!!
Day 6-The next place on my agenda to visit was Jacks/Issacs Bays. We headed out to Point Udall, took some pictures, checked out the scenery and then headed down the trail. We were told not to lock our cars which we didn't (that gave my husband great anxiety but we had heard of too many people's windshields getting broken.) The trail starts down before the monument and there is a small parking spot there. The walk was hot but very beautiful. We hit a rocky beach first then headed over a small rise and there was Issacs Bay. Except for Buck Island, we found it the best beach we had been to. We met a guy and he told us as we headed further down the beach, it was better for swimming, which it was. He was the only person we saw on the beach. We never made it to Jacks bay but that will be for our next trip. On the way home, we stopped at the Just In Case Deli to pick up some supplies (and sandwiches for our trip to Buck Island the next day). That place is great!! Their baked goods are to die for and they had everything in that little space. We found stuff we couldnt find at the Schooner Market. We made instant friends with the owners b/c of my Steelers lanyard (they are big Steelers fans). In fact, the owners wife, went to highschool with my sister up in Vermont. We found that out by chatting for awhile. It sure is a small world, huh!!
For dinner, we went to Tutto Benne and had another great meal. We had so much food, we took the leftovers back to our room for another day. That is what's great about having a kitchenette. We love to eat out, but sometimes it's just nice to kick back and heat something up at home.
Day 6-This was our trip to Buck Island. We went with Captain Heinz on the Terroro 2. We chose that b/c they spend the most time on Buck Island. We had our sandwiches from Just in Case (which were huge, by the way; and very good!!) so a provided lunch was no big deal. We've done a good bit of snorkeling over the years and we voted that Buck Island was the best we've seen. And the beach was the best in STX. EVeryone that goes to STX, should take a trip to Buck Island. One of the guys took us to see some baby sharks on the far end of the beach. Real neat!!
That night we went to the Case Place. Except for it being freezing in there, another great dinner. It was a good thing I ran while on vacation because with all the good restaurants, I could've packed on 10 lbs!!
I'll make my last entry soon.