A Dip on St. John

Thursday, June 1: The headlines of USA Today read:

That means the Jungbauers must be going on vacation. (And true to tradition, Steve injured himself 5 days ago. He tore a hamstring skiing with Rachel on his shoulders.)

Friday, June 2 . . . A long day of travel by airplane, taxi, ferry and finally by Jeep. Even though we were still on the same time, the sun set 2 hours earlier than at home (I hate DST!) and St. John was already asleep.

After 15 miles of steep inclines, sharp curves and rapid descents (Centerline Road alone, though only 7.5 miles long, has 179 curves!!!) we arrived at Estate Concordia on the southeast end of St. John at about 11 pm. Just like our "Cool Breeze" car rental, this was a self-serve check-in, deal-with-the-details-later island-style operation. (They don’t even leave the lights on like Motel 6 --- though they do remind you to bring your own flashlight.)

We grabbed our linen bag (no maid service) and before making the 104-step descent to our "Eco-Tent," I went to move the Jeep out of the middle of the road only to discover the transmission cable broke and wouldn't move out of Park. (Remember, it's a Jungbauer “adventure.”) The good news: at least we made it to our destination first!

Surprisingly, "Cool Breeze" had a replacement Jeep to us by mid-morning the next day and “fixed” the transmission cable with plastic wire ties before driving it back to Cruz Bay.

So WHY St. John in June? (Remember, I am a major homebody once the lake thaws!)

Last fall, Steve and I did a long get-away weekend in St. Croix. While there, Steve also did a triathlon and as the competitor that traveled the furthest, he won a one week stay on St. John. Sweet! (But it had to be used between June and September --- and it was for a campground.)

FREE is my favorite 4-letter word, so with a gift certificate for free lodging and free airline tickets (frequent-flyer miles), we ended up here, in the Concordia Eco-Tents. Fodor’s probably doesn’t give it a 5-star rating, but we gave it a 500 star rating.

The Eco-Tents are like a network of treehouses perched on the mountainside overlooking the beach and ocean. There are well over 100 steps from the top of the matrix to the bottom and once perched inside our Eco-Tent, we felt like we were on our own private island.

We had 3 bedrooms (including a loft), a private bath and shower, a kitchenette with running water and a porch. No electricity, but solar power for lights and a reservoir of solar-warmed rainwater for showers --- and for the techno-junkies among us, the office also kindly served as a charging station, if needed.

It was a vacation from the TV, phone, computer, hairdryer, traffic lights, sirens and fast food, yet we felt like we were in the lap of luxury with unlimited panoramic views, refreshing ocean breezes, pristine private beaches and casual, yet gourmet dining.

Amazingly, my very girly teenagers, who would love to be pampered all day at a spa, did not miss the modern conveniences of home either. Instead, they enjoyed old-fashioned pastimes like reading and playing cards when it was time to get out of the sun and did not complain once about our eco-primitive accommodations. They thought our “treehouse” was cool!

Four-wheel drive is essential on St. John. Even most of the paved roads require 4WD and revel any rollercoaster. The roads on the less-commercialized east end are particularly steep and winding. "They" say the reason you drive on the left side of the road in St. John is so you can see how close to the edge you are.

I won't tell you how close to the edge we were here, but it was a LONG way from everybody else! Remember, it's a Jungbauer adventure . . .

--- and we thought Sarah and Rachel needed to learn how to change a tire.

If we had paid closer attention to the signs, perhaps our fate would have been different . . .

(Duh! You dip sh.......)

This is the salt pond below our Eco-Tent. The salt content is so high that salt crystalizes along the shoreline. It is rich in the minerals of the sea and reportedly very tasty, so we harvested some salt to take home. The brown color of the salt pond is not because the water is muddy. It’s actually very clear, but gets its unusual color from red algae.

From the salt pond, we hiked over to Drunk Bay. It is covered with “bodies” and all visitors are expected to leave their mark behind. The girls made a turtle, Steve resurrected a cross, and I left behind my footprint.

We cooled off by snorkeling in Salt Pond Bay and swam with the turtles and large schools of fish.

After lunch, we went to Cinnamon Beach where I saw a 5-foot shark --- but didn't have the camera to prove it.

Cinnamon Bay was very crowded compared to all the other beaches we visted, like Hawksnest . . .

. . . and Lameshur.

We eventually returned to Cruz Bay to deal with the sharks at the rental car agency --- and left with our third Jeep in four days (and another spare tire).

Our favorite dining spot was Asolare which overlooked Cruz Bay.

Lucy's was also spectacular despite it's humble atmosphere (that didn't even warrant a photograph except for the view.)

. . . and Haagen-Dazs can always be found in even the most remote locations.

We spent one day with Captain George touring around St. John by boat. He took us to beaches and reefs that you can only access by boat. We had originally hoped to island-hop in the British Virgin Islands, but high winds and ten-foot swells kept us close to home.

Amazingly, St. John is only 9 miles long and about 5 miles across which makes it similar in size to Lake Wawasee --- but with a much greater surface area (the highest altitude is 1300 feet.) The island feels much bigger than it is because of its vast topography but is largely unspoiled since 2/3 of the island is National Park.

Ram Head is the cliff we overlooked from our treehouse. It's a safe, but spectacular hike to the top which takes you across a blue pebble beach. The rocks make a unique soundd of "applause" as the waves wash over them.

We give St. John a standing ovation and hope to do an encore soon!