To escape the cold weather and crazy pace of their hectic lives in the city, Tiffany and Victor decided to experience the casual atmosphere of St. Croix. They boarded Captain Xavier’s catamaran outside the Hotel Caravelle and headed for Buck Island Reef National Monument to snorkel through the underground park. During the 5-mile cruise to the island, they talked to the other passengers, sipped cold drinks and admired the scenery, always looking for a special location, especially underwater to leave their Rock Traveler™ Rock.

The boat dropped anchor off beautiful Turtle Beach on Buck Island. The crew members provided snorkeling lessons before leading groups through the underground park. Tiffany and Victor Stone were amazed by the beauty of the enormous coral formations. Colorful Parrotfish, French Angelfish and Blue Tangs were sighted along with several sea turtles. Some members of the group were greeted by a friendly stingray named Sammy.

The next stop was Big Beard’s private beach where the crew prepared hamburgers, hot dogs and fish. During lunch Captain Xavier talked about St. Croix.

“I’ve been here for over 8 years. I wanted to work on a boat and found St. Croix to be very livable,” he explained. “I’m amazed by the color of the water here and want visitors to enjoy it. After experiencing the water, I suggest that they head out on the roads and enjoy the rainforest and the island’s other attractions.”

The next day The Stones took Captain Xavier’s advice and toured the island. They hopped aboard an open-air safari bus with Sweeny Touissant, owner of St. Croix Safari Tours. Sweeny led the group on a walking tour of St. George Village Botanical Garden. They followed a trail that looped through the ruins of the former sugar plantation. Sweeny was very knowledgeable about the 1,000 varieties of colorful plants and the history of the plantation and factory buildings. The next stop, a visit to Estate Whim Plantation Museum, included a guided tour of the house and free time to explore the grounds and gift shop. The once thriving plantation provides a glimpse of St. Croix’s sugar legacy. The grounds include the great house, sugar mill and other plantation structures. The tour group went to Frederiksted for lunch and dined outside enjoying a beautiful view of the ocean. After lunch, Sweeney drove through the narrow streets of the city and told the history of the seaport located on the western end of St. Croix. Highlights included the Market Place that still operates as it did in 1751 and Fort Frederik that was built in 1752. From Frederiksted, they headed back across the island on Route 76. The road led through St. Croix’s rainforest. Deep into the lush rainforest, Sweeny stopped the bus beside the Mt. Pellier Hut Domino Club.

Outside the building was a large monument to a pig named Buster. This wasn’t your ordinary pig. Buster was memorialized in bronze because of his ability to guzzle beer.

His career got its start when he snatched a can of beer from the hands of his owner, quickly punctured holes in the can with his sharp teeth and gulped down the contents. Before long, Buster became a tourist attraction. A restaurant was soon opened and patrons began stopping by for lunch, a game of dominoes and an opportunity to quench the thirst of the resident pigs. Victor couldn’t resist following tradition. Unlike the legendary Buster, today’s pigs drink non-alcoholic beer. He gingerly placed a can in the snout of the pig and jumped out of the way when froth flew in all directions. This pig was not a delicate drinker and sprayed the on-lookers with a snout full of near beer!

The final stop on the tour was at Salt River National Park. They hopped off the bus to take photographs of the site where Columbus’ fleet landed on November 14, 1493.

Tiffany and Victor returned to the Hotel Caravelle in time for a quick swim in the pool before dinner. That evening they attended the Jump-Up Festival. The 12-block downtown area was closed to motor vehicles. Booths offering local arts, crafts, food and beverages lined the streets. Live bands and cultural dance troupes entertained the crowds. The costumed Mocko Jumbie dancers were the highlight of the festival. Their centuries-old dance, performed on stilts, is presented to attract good spirits.

The final morning was spent touring some of Christianstead’s historical buildings. The influence of the city’s Danish settlers was evident in the style of architecture. Since the city was a major port during the 18 th century, Fort Christiansvaern was built on a wharf to provide protect from attacks by sea. Built in 1749, the imposing structure’s cannons are still aimed at the entrance to the harbor. Other interesting structures included the Old Scales House, Steeple Building Museum, Old Customs House and the Government Building. After touring the buildings, Tiffany and Victor did some shopping before returning to hotel for lunch.

St. Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, was ruled by the Spanish, Dutch, English, French, Knights of Malta and the Danish before becoming a U.S. territory. Tiffany and Victor were able to experience a variety of cultures and along the way left 3 agates trail marking their adventure. Already Tiffany tells Rock Hopper, her agates are bouncing around the island. One left last week for England and one of the natives was going to leave an agate at 100 feet ocean depth during their next deep adventure Dive. Rock On in the Virgin Islands!