Our first beach day we got in an open air truck taxi and headed to one of our favorite beaches, Maho Bay. It looked the same and different all at once. The sand and water were still every bit of amazing. The poor palms and other surrounding trees still have a little growing to do. There were several new baby palms planted near the picnic area.
While the kids played, I jumped in the water to go find my favorite Maho residents, the turtles. The bay is mostly grass and the turtles love it. I ended up seeing a total of six turtles most with remora catching a ride as well as some squid and pretty fish. It was an amazing snorkel day.
Checking out Cinnamon Bay beach was a bit more disheartening than the other beaches. Maybe it was all the disheveled tents you walked past or the snack shop and restaurant that were in shambles. At the end of the walk was more Irma/Maria destruction with the little archaeological museum that was literally no more. St. John has a way of making beauty out of ashes, though. Through the one still standing window of the museum were the gorgeous blue waves and the British Virgin Islands in the distance.
While at Hawksnest, a guy noticed Philips’ petroglyph tattoo and regaled us with his hiking adventure the day before. He said the 2.5 mile trail was as hard as it’s ever been, but with much less shade as you hike up and down the rocky terrain. He also mentioned, the waterfall was beautiful flowing over the rocks thanks to the recent rains. For more on the Petroglyphs and their significance to St. John go here: St. John Petroglyphs
