Traveling Team Fischer

One of the more beautiful stops on our journey was in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI).  It was another place we could combine time with family and checking out more of our national parks system.  We have been to St. Croix, USVI many times, but had never made the trip out to Buck Island.  This time, my cousin booked the three of us on a lovely sail over to the island for a day of exploring, snorkeling and lunch on the beach.  It was also hubby’s birthday, and probably the best way to celebrate anyone could ever want.

The water in the USVI is the most beautiful shades of blue we’ve ever seen, and they change throughout the day with the angle of the sun and clouds dancing across the sky.  It had been about ten years since we had been there, and as soon as we jumped in, we couldn’t believe we let so much time pass by.  We will be returning more regularly.

Buck Island is not inhabited, and the natural beauty of the island cannot be beat.  The surrounding reef was home to so many fish, you could think you were in an aquarium.  Sadly, recent storms had left their mark here and there, as did the carelessness of people, but it was still worth the trip. 

The next day was the cousin’s birthday, and we filled it with a busy day of relaxing in the sun and watching sailboats from the the pool, followed up with a brisk nap before heading out to dinner and an evening of disco bingo.  No one in our group won, but we had a blast. 

We also ate at our favorite restaurant, Duggan’s Reef, a few times.  This place is so loved by locals and visitors, that you absolutely must have reservations in advance.  We made our dinner plans as soon as we bought our plane tickets.  Everything we’ve ever had there over the years has been amazing.  If you ever find yourself heading to St. Croix, you need to reserve your table at Duggan’s.  You’ll love it!

Another treat on island was taking a tour of the Cruzan Rum Factory.  We had gone on this tour years ago, and it has only gotten better.  It was great cousin bonding time, and we learned how to make a few new drinks, too.  There is another rum factory on island, which we visited, but the tour at Cruzan was so much better, and we learned so much more, we didn’t really try to get any shots at the other one.

Our last outing was to see the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on the southwest point of the island.  As a refuge, the beach is pristine, and not open everyday, or even all year long.  It was one of the more beautiful beaches we have ever seen.  We also learned that this is where the closing scene for the movie Shawshank Redemption was shot.  The one where Andy Dufresne was working on his boat on a beach in Zihuatanejo…  That was actually shot on St. Croix.