Escaping The Polar Vortex (Part 3)
I’ve spoken pretty extensively about the concept of “island time” here on Saint Thomas and the importance of being flexible and open to adventure. Driving on the island is a small, yet prime example.
Saint Thomas, like most of the surrounding islands, are volcanic in origin. This makes for dramatic rises in the terrain. Combine these steep inclines with narrow (and often poorly maintained roads.) You can be guaranteed any time you hop into the car you’re in for an exciting time, especially after dark.
I prefer to rent small hatchbacks while I’m on the island because of the narrowness of the roads and scarcity of parking spaces. The best car we’ve had in our four years here was, believe it or not, a tiny Toyota Yaris hatchback.
This year we ended up with a Nissan Versa and it BARELY made it up some of the hills. A few times the gas pedal was floored and the engine revved so high that I was afraid it would launch itself right out of the hood. Aside from the lack of power, the Versa was a decent car. We drove on one tank of gas for an entire week. It only had 6000 miles on it when we picked it up and was already pretty beat up, as are most cars on the island.
The picture above just doesn’t accurately capture the steepness of the hill. This year I used an iPhone app to measure the grade and, at its steepest point, Bolongo Bay 84 (the name of the road) is a 48% incline, that’s 3% higher than a perfect diagonal (45%) angle!
Nature Provides the Gym...
There aren’t many gyms on the island so swimming in the ocean and climbing this hill are pretty much our only forms of exercise while we’re here. I got into the habit of walking up and down the hill once a day and, according to my Apple Watch, it nearly satisfied an entire day’s worth of cardio exercise. At one point my heart rate hit 180 BPM.
There’s plenty to keep you occupied on the way up and down. The Snake Plant, one of the best houseplants to own (due to its oxygen output) grows wild on the roadside along with mango and coconut trees.
There’s also all kinds of wildlife, you can hear iguanas and other animals scattering in the vegetation with each step you take.
Speaking of Adventure...
While walking up the hill by myself a few afternoons ago, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked down to my left to find a massive (probably 70-80 lbs of pure muscle) gray and white pitbull walking just inches beside me. Adrenaline instantly began pumping through my veins.
The dog's body language didn’t seem threatening so I held out my hand for her to sniff and she licked it. Thankfully, she was friendly. She continued with walking me for about two hundred feet or so before turning back. This gentle giant re-appeared the next day when my wife and I both were walking to greet us and join us for part of the walk. Whenever I stopped she'd sit down right beside me, wanting pats on the head.
I have a few more pictures and more to share about this trip so please stay tuned for Part 4. Click below for previous posts:
Be Breezy,
Eric
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An interesting story and beautiful photos. What terrible roads, it is not surprising that the cars are broken. Thank you for sharing
You're welcome! The roads are horrible. People can be pretty careless sometimes too...a lot of cars are side swiped and dented in parking lots.
Yaris toyotas here are very common, but there I think they suffer a lot with the state in which the road is with those holes, with a truck 4 X 4 would be better hahaha. The last photo are Aloe Vera flowers, aloe vera is very good for your health, do you know it? Behind the building where I live there are many aloe plants. Look at the photos I posted 2 weeks ago. https://steemit.com/cervantes/@blessed-girl/lanaturalezaenmiciudad10flordesbila-1lxzntebb4
The Yaris is a really solid little car but you definitely have to avoid the potholes. Oh, that's for letting me know that was aloe. We grow aloe at home but the base of this plant was so dried out I couldn't tell what it was. Thanks for the post link!
Great post and captures of this beautiful getaway!
Thanks for sharing the warmth & Steem on :)
Careful driving too.
Thank you very much @jcsteem!
Awesome photography..
Very cool post 📪 ..i like it...my dear friend
Thanks!
No wonder the car is beat up after so few miles, those roads are sculptures, and STEEP!!!
From your photos over the years I've come to see just what a beautiful place it is, and it looks like the post-hurricane restoration is much further along than your last trip.
Glad you a nice Pittie befriended you :-)), I've had one and 2 other family members have had several and they're such wonderful dogs. Truly have a bad rap...the dogs aren't the problem, people are and unfortunately they bear the price.
My Daisy:
It is crazy steep and there's a sheer drop off on one side (no guard rails)! Raymi and I were talking about the first year we had to drive up it, we were terrified.
The island is in much better shape now that it was a year ago but still has a long way to go. Sadly, a few of the businesses that survived the storms didn't survive the lull of business afterwards and were gone this year. Lecia told us many of the mangroves are dead now too because of petrol leaking from sunken boats. She said she hasn't seen a tropical bird or seagull in 1.5 years. It'll probably be decades before there's a full recovery. It's still beautiful though. I'm thinking we will eventually spend our winters there. I want to get my teaching (meditation) business built back up after HardFork is done and St. Thomas would be a great place for winter retreats. I'm thinking a concrete dome home might be the perfect structure here, they're definitely hurricane resistant.
What a cute dog! I wish I would've gotten a picture of the one that I encountered. She was about that size but her head was a little wider.
The destructive effects of the spilling oil and loss of business is really sad to hear. I just wish these kinds of difficulties didn't befall people and an ecosystem that has already just survived a huge hardship!
I love this idea of winter meditation retreats every year in St Thomas...life would be SO much better with more time in that beautiful place and especially with meditation as your endeavor wouldn't it?!! If I can afford it I'll be your first particiapant.
It is really unfortunate but I think enough of the ecosystem is in tact for it to bounce back eventually.
The more I think about the retreats, the more excited about it I get. Thank you! I will definitely let you know when we're ready to do the first one. We have a solid year's worth of work left on HardFork so I'm envisioning an early-to-mid 2020 timeframe. I'd like to get a mobile phone meditation app developed by then as well.
Your positivity towards dogs gave you the edge. Did you ever hear whose dog it is? Sounds like he liked you guys. I am typing and my dog kissed my arm. I love animals.
We found out that it was a neighbor's dog down the road. I agree, animals are easier to like than most people. Lol. I hope you and your husband are having a great weekend!
You too...have a wonderful weekend. It is almost over.
Thanks for letting me know about the dog. He seemed so tame.
A great overview and I’ll learn more about your journey, where can see your leisurely rest and although there’s not so much adventure, but maybe these are the moments when you can take a break from the cold and the city rush! Thanks Eric
Much appreciated! Thanks @serkagan. We're back now and have nine inches of snow on the ground and it's still falling.
@ericvancewalton, Definitely it's sounding and reflecting as you are having an awesome time. The state of the hill road is disastrous and i can understand how it will affect vehicles while driving on these roads. Dogs are most amazing friends to Human Beings, sometimes their behaviour can win our heart and can showcase the essence of the friendship for sure. Keep enjoying brother and stay fit. Stay blessed.
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It was an amazing trip! With the roads in this condition you definitely learn to be a more attentive driver. I agree about dogs, we can learn a lot from them. Thank you!
Welcome and have a pleasant time ahead.
nice post :) Cheers!
You gave a story touch to your trip. This thing makes you a beautiful writer .