Day 3: Snorkeling and the Rain Forest
I'd heard a lot about Smuggler's Cove as a great snorkeling destination and since it was on our end of the island I decided to head that way early in the morning with a trip up to Sage Mountain in the afternoon. We drove the Suzuki up over Zion Hill Road which still seemed like a crazy hill even after having drove it once. Once on the other side I took a left to head towards Smuggler's Cove. The road was very hilly but still paved for about a mile but then the road became unpaved and it was muddy with potholes. This was four wheel drive territory. After another bumby ten minutes or so I drove to a clearing and I could see the beach on the other side of the palm trees. Juliet and I gathered our things and walked out to the beach. It was before 9AM so there were only two other people on the beach which featured white sand, relatively calm blue water and what looked like some nice coral formations near shore. The edge of the beach was much more tropical than Josiah's Bay with a thick wall of palm trees lining the beach and rocky points at either end. After we get settled and prepare for our first snorkel adventure I notice that this beach had more than it's share of sand fleas, which tend to be nastiest in the morning and late afternoon.
The surf is light here so we put on our snorkel gear in the shallow water and wade in to the deeper waters. There are some nice coral formations within a hundred feet of the shore. We spend about half an hour swimming parallel to the shore, enjoying the coral and schools of small minnows and a few parrotfish. We see some nice fan coral and brain coral in the formations. The first snorkel takes a bit of getting used to so we take a break and relax on the beach for a while. There are no concessions at Smuggler's Cove so we brought plenty of water, fruit and some of that great coconut bread from the Mangrove Bakery. A little later a woman shows up, sets up a table and displays dresses, sarongs, handbags, swimsuits and assorted tropical accessories for sale. A few more people arrive after 11AM with their happy golden retriever who really loves the surf. We run into a couple of crazy sand crabs who run like hell from us and then seem to be hunting down the healthy salamanders that live near the edge of the trees. A little later the golden retriever joins in the salamander hunt. There are also a couple of pelicans on the east end of the cove patrolling the water and doing some fishing. All in all it's a pretty serene setting, all youd expect from a trip to paradise.
After walking along the beach and going for a second, much longer snorkel Juliet and I decided to move on. It's after twelve and we're still hungry so I decide to head over to Can Garden Bay for lunch before heading up the mountain. I drive through Cane Garden Bay and park on the east side near Quito's Gazebo. We walk along the beach checking out the numerous establishments that line the bay. We find Stanley's which had been recommended by Juliet's uncle and decide to have lunch there. I heard there was a tire swing at one time but we don't see one. We did see one hanging from a palm tree when we first got into town but it was near another place called Pogo's. There's more activity on the beach in CGB then I'd seen anywhere else. A number of boats are moored in the bay. Still it doesn't seem crowded. Most of the people we meet seem to be staying in CGB though.
After lunch we doubled back up the hill to catch the road to Sage Mountain National Park. There was no sign for the turn so I just followed the map and took a sharp left as we hit the peak of the hill. We then began an amazing drive heading north at the top of the mountain the sits in the center of Tortola. The views are lush and magnificient and as always the roads were treacherous. After about 15 minutes of twists and turns we see a sign for Sage Mountain and follow a very narrow steep road upwards to a parking area. There's a restaurant and gift shop that we plan on checking out after our hiking. The entrance to the park is about fifteen minutes up a very easy, but muddy trail. The park entrance is a gate held closed by some wire. We head off to the left following the singns for the mahogany forest. The mahogany forest trail leads to the highest point in the BVI at a little over 1700 feet. The trail is easy and well marked, but it is a bit slippery and there are plenty of tree roots in the trail so we need to watch our step. The forest is thick and the air up here is cooler and much more comfrotable than it was down at the beach. After about 15 minutes of slowling heading upwards we come to a clearing with a couple of benches overlooking a magnificent view to the south and east. As we adjust to the view we notice an amazing rainbow appear across the island. The colors are brilliant and I can see the arc almost completely. It's truly amazing. Very shortly after it begins to rain but we're still mesmerized by this rainbow. The rain gets heavy so we put on our rain jackets but within a few minutes the sun is shining again and we decide to move on.
Heading back towards the park entrance we decide to explore one of the three other trails and take the central trail. After a few minutes walk we are in lush rainforest and awarded with some more amazing views of the south side of the island. The trail is easy to walk on and well marked so there's no chance of getting lost. On the way back to the car, we're startled by the appearance of a large donkey on the opposite side of the fence. This startles us quite a bit but the donkeys just hanging out. We snap a few pics then head back to the car. We decide to check out the gift shop and restaurant before heading back to Fort Recovery. Juliet looks over the gift shop while I check out the magnificent view from the main dining room. The place is very quiet as it seems that we were the only tourists at the park. We drink a couple of painkillers in the bar and chat with the lone employee, a nice woman from St. Lucia named Petra. Juliet buys a map of the British Virgin Islands in the gift shop and we decide to head back after the one painkiller. I don't feel like navigating back down to sea level in an impaired state. It starts to rain lightly as I try to find the correct road towards the south side of the island. The combination of the rain and the steepness of the roads makes driving a bit dangerous. I'm going slow but still we skid out of one turn, luckily without any oncoming traffic.
On return to Fort Recovery we enjoy another fabulous sunset and more frozen drinks before dinner in our room. The dinner service is very convenient, if not a bit pricey. The food is good and we recall our day's amazing experiences while anticipating the adventures that lie ahead.
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