The advantages of not renting a car on St. John

After some investigation based on advice from friends who had visited St. John before and from our hosts at Stonegarden Cottage, we decided not to rent a car during our visit even though we were staying in the less urban part of the island. It turned out to be a great decision for many reasons: We didn't have to brave the very windy, bumpy, steep, right-sided driving; and we saved ourselves quite a bit of cash. We got plenty of exercise going up and down Bordeoux Mountain, and found creative ways to get around the island that involved hiking through the National Park to the North and South Coast Beaches where we were always able to find someone willing to give us a ride back to Coral Bay. Pretty much anywhere we stopped, we were able to hitch a ride within a few minutes. Locals and tourists alike were incredibly friendly, and by hitching we got to know a lot about the island, and were even invited to play at a pickup frisbee game held Tuesday evenings in Coral Bay."
-- 1/10, Katie & Casey, Greenfield, MA (contact them at katiecampbellnelson@gmail.com)

8 Tuff Miles Race - February 28th, 2009

Feeling like getting some good exercise while you're in paradise? The 8 Tuff Miles Road Race is just the thing to get your heart pumping! Here's the info I found on the race at the USVI's new website, www.visitusvi.com:
For the 13th consecutive year, the Annual St. John Gatorade 8 Tuff Miles Road Race takes place on Saturday February 28, 2009 at 7:15 a.m. The race begins at Cruz Bay and ends 8.38 miles away, at Coral Bay. The course begins and ends at sea level, but elevates along the way to a maximum of 999 feet. Awards will be distributed to winners from all age groups, with the first place overall female receiving $300 and the first place overall male receiving a $300 bar tab from The Tap Room, Mongoose Junction. All entrants who complete the course will receive an official race T- shirt and a medal. For more information, call (340)779-4035 or visit www.8tuffmiles.com.

Underwater Photos from Memorable St. John Vacation

I just received these beautiful underwater photos from a recent traveler to St. John and wanted to share them here.

The first photo is a school of blue tang swimming through coral and was taken at Whistling Cay (the small island north of Cinnamon Bay with the old custons house on it). The next two were taken at Waterlemon Cay, a parrotfish and a hawksbill turtle, nice clear shots. We're so lucky to be able to enjoy these amazing sites in the cays around St. John!!

First Blog Post, St. John Essence

This is the first post, number 1 of many to come, I hope. I will offer my favorite photo of St. John, Trunk Bay of course, and hope that it will inspire you to send yours.