Alternate Routes Part 2

Picking up where we left off on Saturday, as I pass Sage Mountain, I come to

Kilometer 5 --  Ridge Road, heading down the north side of Sage Mountain. Views to the right over Cane Garden Bay are mostly blocked by lush foliage, especially now at the end of rainy season

Kilometer 6 -- I've photographed this ghut before, when it was filled with a waterfall of rain run-off. It runs under the Ridge Road, and helps keep heavy waterflow off the road.

Kilometer 7 -- Bananakeet Cafe and Heritage Inn sit at the first of five switchbacks that take you down Windy Hill and into Carrot Bay.

Kilometer 8 -- Entering Carrot Bay, I've always been a bit confused by this sign.

Kilometer 9 -- Towards the western end of Carrot Bay, there are a few small, neat guest cottages that look like an ideal place to spend a few lazy days.

Another kilometer or so to work and my peaceful drive is at an end.

Alternate Routes Part 1

A few months ago, at my father's request, I posted a series of pictures from every kilometer of my morning commute. A commenter pointed out that unlike his ride of Hwy 1 in the Keys, I am fortunate enough to have a choice in how I get to work. Since I recently moved and my route of choice has changed, I thought it was time for a kilometer-by-kilometer update.

The start point on this route is dropping HB off at his work in Road Town. Near his work is the Virgin Islands Supreme Court, which happens to be next door to the Elmore Leonard Stoutt High School. At 8:15am, plenty of students are on their way to school.

Kilometer 1 -- about halfway up the steep climb of kilometer-long Joe's Hill. This is one of the flatter spots.

Kilometer 2 -- at the top of Joe's Hill. I always take a gander into this yard, to see what animals are milling about. This morning's supply of one goat, one horse, and some chickens is relatively paltry.

Kilometer 3 -- Where the Ridge Road intersects with the Cane Garden Bay Road, I head left to stay on Ridge Road towards Carrot Bay. The food truck always gives me a chuckle.

Kilometer 4 -- The fairly upper-class neighborhood of Doty, near Sage Mountain. Very clean, well-kept houses with wonderful views of the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

My new preferred route is significantly shorter than my old one (about 10 km instead of 16) but still too long to include in one post. Part 2 on Tuesday!

Black and White Mural

I think I like this mural on the road leading west out of Cane Garden Bay even more than I like the Zion Hill mural.

The black and white line-drawing style of it always makes me think it's been done with charcoal, or with pen and ink, rather than with paint, as it must have been done.

 There's such an unfinished, sketched-out look to it, like the stencil for a tattoo. I especially like the smudginess in the representation of the sea.

The left side has hints of color, as though perhaps this truly was a sketch, and some comic book colorist never got around to finishing the job.

North Sound

I cannot go to Virgin Gorda, it seems, without taking the beautiful drive over Gorda Peak to North Sound. I am entranced by North Sound.

 
I don't know what makes it so different from the low-lying Spanish Town. Perhaps the sense that this community is just barely clinging to the steep hillside?

 More likely the fact that it's surrounded by the most beautiful waters in the BVI. I can never seem to capture its magical qualities in photographs -- probably because the chief draw of North Sound is the water, and I've only ever visited it on land.

At any rate, as the rain came in over Dog Bay on Saturday afternoon, it lent an even more ineffable feeling to the North Sound community.

Station Afternoon

Hanging out waiting to pick HB up from work, I became fascinated by the buildings around me, particularly this yellow one.

The bottom floor is Xquizit Salon. On the top floor is an unadvertised gym, where I've been able to watch aerobics classes through the louvered windows. Where the BVI Football Association Headquarters factor in, I have no idea.

The back side of the building that houses the Hungry Lion, which is a popular restaurant for locals, as well as an inn. Moments before I snapped this photo, there were children playing and laughing on the balcony, but apparently I failed to capture them.

The hillsides are so green right now, about a third of the way into the rainy season; a sharp contrast to how they were looking in late February.

I liked the unplanned effect of the windshield tinting on this photo.

Brewer's Bay Road West

My favorite part of my new commute is where it coincides with Brewer's Bay Road West.

I enjoy the contrast between the large, gated or walled homes and the more modest dwellings, and how they coexist on this road.

I also like the shady spots, where the trees span over the road, and enclose the car, ever-so-briefly.

I like how at certain points, the driveways diverge from the road, and you can't always tell for sure which is which.

And the excellent views of Cane Garden Bay from this portion of the road.



















My favorite house on the road. I like it for its more modern exterior finishes, and the huge balcony on the 2nd story.

HB's favorite house on the road. The dark roof beams and bright, clean white of the house provide a lovely contrast. But I think he really likes all the pelican posts.

West End Ferry

We left the BVI yesterday around 10:15 on Smith's Ferry, but the half-hour or so we spent lounging around the ferry terminal was enjoyable, as the West End ferminal always seems to offer good opportunities for photos.



This photo sums up the BVI pretty well -- a bunch of folks sitting around talking about nothing.

We were fascinated by this mega-yacht with a Barbados (?) flag docked at Soper's Hole.

Saying goodbye to the BVI as the ferry boat pulls away from the dock. Only sixteen more hours of travel left. 

Daily Drive Part 2

Continuing from yesterday, photos taken every kilometer of my drive in to work in the morning.

Kilometer 9. After Nanny Cay, there's less development and more open road with lots of ocean views.

Kilometer 10. Still plenty of ocean views; and views of St. John.

Kilometer 11. Pockwood Pond. Home to the new DMV, on the left, and the municipal waste incinerator, dead ahead.

Kilometer 12. Leaving Pockwood Pond, we're back to open coastal road, hugging sheer red cliffs.

 Kilometer 13. Still plenty of winding coastal highway to traverse.

Kilometer 14. Passing through Fort Recovery, I start to get alert again, as soon I'll have to make a turn.

Kilometer 15. The brief traverse of Zion Hill Road, one of my favorite parts of the drive.

Kilometer 16. Intersection with the north coast road is marked by Sebastian's Hotel. Less than a kilometer from here to work.

Daily Drive Part 1

My father asked me a while ago for pictures of my daily commute. He suggested I take them every 100 meters or so. This morning, I decided to indulge him, but chose the more practical option of  to taking photos every 1000 meters instead.

So without further ado, the first half of my morning drive by kilometer:

Leaving the house. We actually go the other way down Ridge Road, but the angle of the sun made this the better shot.

Kilometer 1. The lush green forest of Great Mountain Road

Kilometer 2. Huntum's Ghut. Always a bit of an obstacle course, weaving between parked vehicles, pedestrians and wildlife.

Kilometer 3. At the traffic light. Souvenir shops and Festival flags.

Kilometer 4. Road Reef Marina, on the way out of Road Town.

Kilometer 5. Not pictured. Couldn't stop given the traffic.

Kilometer 6. Definitely out of town now. Great views over the Channel.

Kilometer 7. Sea Cow's Bay. Land of speed bumps and brightly-colored buildings. I've never actually seen this snack hut (the Rainbow Shack) open for business.

Kilometer 8. Nanny Cay. Ex-pat stronghold, and roughly the halfway point on my drive.

Second half tomorrow.

Station Road

I took a stroll down Station Road the other day while waiting for HB to get out of work. I completely neglected to take a picture of the Police Station that gives Station Road it's name, but I managed to snap a few other shots of the busy buildings that line Station.

Near the western end of Station Road, Althea Scatliffe Primary School always astounds me at how it manages to look so closed and so open simultaneously. The imposing concrete block is punctured by open-air hallways, and slat windows that are nearly always fully open to catch the breeze. 

Across the street from Scatliffe School is the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex, which name aptly explains its role in the BVI. There's a basketball court inside where the high school basketball games and league basketball games are held. A full-size track and soccer field are outside, and I'm sure rugby and cricket are played here quite often, too.

This banyan (I think) tree is probably the largest on Tortola, spanning the entire distance between the multi-purpose sports complex and Scatliffe School. The immensity of it is awfully impressive.

Also across the street from Scatliffe School is Barba's Kitchen. It may look closed and unassuming in this photo, taken well after school hours, but during the day, there is a continuous progression of children from the school to this food truck. At first I thought it was so popular merely because of location, but other food trucks that locate near the school are not nearly as successful. I have yet to try it to find out what it's power is over hoards of hungry schoolchildren.

Towards the eastern end of Station Road is the 1780 Lower Estate Sugar Works. Originally built by slaves in the late 1700s, the site has been reconstructed to be historically accurate, and now houses a permanent display regarding the cotton and sugar production that occurred here, as well as temporary art exhibits.

Nearby the Sugar Works is Scout Association Building, and across the street from that, the Red Cross.

 With their white exteriors and bright, colorful accents, these buildings make an aesthetically pleasing group at this end of Station.

We conclude our exploration of Station Road with a picture of the Other Stoplight, not to be confused with "the stoplight". The Other Stoplight marks the end of Station Road where it intersects with James Walter Francis Drive -- the road most people refer to as "the coastal road".