Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

We got to do a couple of really cool things that we weren't expecting - like this chimney. The surge through it was difficult. It wanted to push us up and shoot us out the top. Changing depth was not my long suit (I really struggled with going down, especially), so I wasn't too keen on that part of it. But it was really awesome to get to swim so close to the rocks like that and get to this completely different side of the site.

We also got to do a couple of swim-throughs at this site. It had some rock formations that had gaps large enough for people to pass under and through. They were totally awesome, although I was glad our instructor was with us. At one point my tank hit a rock as I was swimming under it, and for a second I thought I was stuck. I wasn't really, at all, but it still made me think about what it would be like to be trapped in a wreck, or by coral or a rock.

As part of the certification process, we had to practice taking off our tanks and weight belts and putting them back on, so if I had been stuck, I probably could have done taken my tank off, and then gotten it un-stuck. No need this time!

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

That's Ryan

Photo credit: Betsy Jenkins 2006 

Photo credit: Richard the Dive-Master-In -Training 2006

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

This fish reminded me of a shirt to wear out on the town - all black, but then a little bit of purple sparkles around the top.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

Bubbles are good

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

Me again

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

Now for the really cool photos

Ryan rented an underwater camera for the last dive of our scuba certification process. Everyone said that underwater photography is really hard and that the photos always look washed out and colorless, even though your eyes will see this great rainbow of fish and coral, so we shouldn't be disappointed.

That said, I think Ryan did really great - some of his photos were washed out, and none of them were as good as what he takes on land, but they definitely capture some of the really cool stuff we saw.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006

Icebergs

These were two climbing wall/slides/beach toys anchored just off the beach at the Westin. It was actually quite hard to climb up them - I thought it would be no sweat, but it took me a while to figure out a technique, and even then, I was tired enough by the time I got to the top that I only got to slide down once.

Photo credit: Betsy Jenkins 2006

That's me!

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006

Taxi

This (minus the painting on the side) was what all the cabs on St. John looked like. They loaded up as many people as were going in the right direction, and made stops along the way. There were basically only two roads on the island, so almost everyone was always going the same way.

You can't really tell from this picture, but the painting was a cohesive piece of art. I think this one was flowers and mountains, we saw one of an underwater fish scene, and there were several others. The rest were plain brick red.

The cabs were most definitely there only for the tourists - many times our cab would stop to let a local on, the local would ride over the hill (there was a very steep hill between the Westin and town), or just a short distance, and then hop off.

We also had one cabbie once who had his kids along. We were coming back from somewhere that was on the far side of town, which was full of one-way streets. We paused at an intersection, and the cabbie's 10-ish year old kid jumped out. Then, we circled around the one-way streets and eventually got back to a corner just down the street from where the kid jumped out. He jumped back in, carrying a sandwich and a slice of pizza.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006

Check out what he's eating

On our very last day, we were walking over to the restaurant for lunch, and we say this egret land on a bush - yes, that's a big bush he's walking on. We walked over to check it out, and the bird was hunting anoles! Amazing. He wasn't even all that perturbed by us being there - I have a decent zoom on my camera, but we still had to get pretty close for a photo like this.

Photo credit: Betsy Jenkins 2006 

The View

Those rocks down there are actually one of the places where we went scuba diving - it was totally cool to see them from above. And you can sort of see the different kinds of ocean bottom we swam over - rocks, sand, coral. Very fun to see it up close and personal underwater, and then from above in this giant overview.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

That must be me

since Ryan had the only camera, but I'm so far away I can't see me. Yikes! It wasn't actually as scary as I'm making it out to be. Granted, I didn't let go of the handles after I was higher than about 10 feet, but it was so spectacular, and a completely smooth ride, that it was overall way more fun than scary.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

Hold on!

Here I go! So they drive the boat up wind and let the parachute out, close in to the boat. Then the "sailors" climb out on this big platform in the back, wearing a harness that sort of looks like a swing. They clip you in to that bar you see above my head, and then they let the chute out, and up, up, up you go!

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

Self Portrait While Parasailing

Is that a grin of fun or of fear? Actually, since this is Ryan, I'm sure it was of fun. But mine was definitely a mixture...it's very cool to be up there, but it's so very high.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

Parasailing!

This is the parachute we used when we went parasailing. We had actually tried to go the first day we were in St. John, but it was too windy. Unfortunately, when we went out, it wasn't windy enough for both of us to go together.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

Look closely - check out the bigger version, and you should be able to see a whole row of petroglyphs just above the water line.

Photo credit: Betsy Jenkins 2006

See the reflection? According to a National Parks service sign, the Taino indians based a lot of their religion on the duality of body and spirit, and they think that this reflection is their way of portraying that duality.

Photo credit: Betsy Jenkins 2006 

Can you see them? Try clicking on the photo - it should come up larger. There is one large one right under my left foot, and then several more just above the water line on the right side of the photo.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006 

The Petroglyphs

This is the pool that is right above the petroglyphs - in wetter parts of the year it is a waterfall. It's totally beautiful, and in a place where fresh water is so scarce, I completely understand why the Taino indians thought this place was sacred.

Photo credit: Ryan Jones 2006