More Pics from Water Island, USVI

Finally got a chance to pull the pictures from our trip to St. Thomas and Water Island, USVI, off of Sally's digital camera.  There were nearly 360 photos on there.  These are just some of my favorites.

On the ferry to water island right after our plane landed.

Exploring Water Island on our first night.

Our first full day, waiting for our snorkeling adventure.

Looking back at St. Thomas from Yacht Haven Marina.

Sally after our snorkeling trip.  She came through okay.

I, however, got good and scorched.

Night after snorkeling.  We stopped at a local grocery store to get food and beer.

Yes, I am still the Grill Geek, even on vacation.

This sign sits right outside the kitchen where we stayed.

I got a bit fascinating with the local electrical infrastructure.  Running a small electrical island is notoriously difficult, but they do it every day in St. Thomas.  As we drove in from the airport, we passed a new-looking gas-turbine facility with prominent oil tanks but also what looked like a large, liquid natural gas facility, presumably to drive the GTs under base-load conditions.  I've no idea what the electric load is in St. Thomas, but they could probably feed it--or most of it, anyway--from just this one facility.

They were installing these massive fiberglass utility poles all over Water Island.  You wouldn't typically put these anywhere with traffic because if a driver hits one with his car, he's dead.  However, they make sense on Water Island.  They're supposed to be good up 300 mph of wind.

All the wooden poles were new, so these changeovers must've cost a fortune.  Not a bad way to spend a season, though, if you're an electric lineman or construction foreman.

We took a bunch of these down at Coki Beach.

My favorite day was probably the day we explored Water Island.  This is the view from the summit of the hill on the seaward side of island.

This coastal artillery emplacement was installed to protect a small submarine refueling station during WWII.  The war ended before the guns were installed, but it has a commanding view of the nearby sea.

First to fire, right?  I'm thinking this would've been good duty back in 1943.

View from the battery.

A former pier down at a spot the locals call "Secret Beach".

This giant innertube/trampoline is just sitting out there.  Sally loved it.

Two little hole-in-the-wall bars sit down on Honeymoon Beach on Water Island.  Both are excellent.

The local restaurants aren't exactly "indoors".

Honeymoon Beach

More Honeymoon Beach.  We shot this one as we walked down one day.

Limestone Beach.  This is a coral beach--and perhaps my favorite place on the island.

We sat at this spot and watched the waves crash for maybe half an hour.

Sunrise view from the Virgin Islands Campground.  Our last morning.

Last stop, Honeymoon Beach.  Not gonna lie; I got a little sad.