Today we rented a Jeep and drove to the other side of St. John to a sleepier town called Coral Bay. I LOVE how opposite it is from Cruz Bay in every way. As we drove the 8 miles over the windy curvy mountains of St. John, it was sad and beautiful to see how different it was. Arriving in Coral Bay we were met with the school’s ball field covered in various piles of organized debris. This was clearly the dumping ground from storm damage. It really was amazing to see how MUCH stuff had been cleared and placed here to eventually be moved off island. We went over to a pop up “Stuff Bazaar” that our babysitter told us about. It was right next to Pickles in Paradise and I got some cute hand made drawer sachets. We then HAD to make a stop at Skinny Legs. Skinny’s is a MUST visit and an institution in Coral Bay with its open air vibe and new roof! Thanks again to Kenny Chesney. Their chili dog, and pretty much everything on the menu, is so good and sooo messy. We also had to have some Key Lime Pie. I wish I had caught our waitress’ name, she was one of MANY people who thanked us for being there and for coming back.
We then took a drive past Hurricane Hole where so many boats were lost during Irma and Maria. There were still numerous boats in piles on the shore and one boat with only its bow sticking up above the water line. It was haunting and one of the most profound images that I will remember from the storms. We stopped at Hansen Bay Beach where another 50ft storm reminder sat on the beach. A popular catamaran named Kekoa was blocked on the beach as the owners repair the boat they built themselves many years ago. Their story is really awesome and I would encourage anyone reading this blog to look them up! Despite all the devastating storm reminders we had a great afternoon at the beach and snorkeling in the water.
