Taking the Ferry to St John

Tyler and I woke fairly early and made our final preparations to head over to St John for the rest of the week.  I had made reservations for us to stay at Cinnamon Bay campground, where we would be camping right on the beach.  No fancy hotels for us!  We would be "roughing it", if there is such a thing, in a tropical paradise!  Laura put together a goodie-bag for us, of some frying pans and cooking utensils to borrow, as well as some spices, a cooler, and some citronella candles to keep the bugs away.  We packed everything into our rented jeep, and then headed into town.  First, we stopped at Town Fair Tire, so Laura could get new tires for her '89 Nissan SUV. ( I didn't have the heart to tell her, the new tires cost more than her whole car was worth! )  While she was doing that, Tyler and I hit the grocery store across the street, to stock up on provisions for the week.   Food, drinks, laundry supplies, charcoal, etc.  were all loaded into the jeep, then we picked Laura up and headed to the Ferry.  Lauras friend Keith met us there, they were going to accompany us to St John for the day, then head back in the evening on the passenger ferry.  We topped off the gas tank (gas is cheaper on St Thomas than on St John) then crossed  the street to get in the Ferry line.  We were the third car on, it was $30 for a one way trip with the vehicle.  Keith was kind enough to pick up grinder sandwiches for us, and we ate them on the top deck while we were waiting for the boat to fill up.  This attracted the attention of several sea birds, who were very anxious to catch any bread crumbs we were willing to toss them!  I don't know what kind they were, but they were white with black heads, and had a knack for hovering in the wind currents behind the boat, waiting for a crust to be tossed.   I was able to get some good close up pictures of  them as they followed the boat as it pulled out.  They had a talent for catching bread pieces in mid air, before they hit the water. One of them pooped on a woman standing next to me, as she also took pictures! We told her this was supposed to be good luck... but she didn't think so!  She ran around the deck screaming until her friend produced a napkin!!  It took about a half hour to get to Cruz Bay in St John,  then it was about another 15 minutes to drive to our  campground. Cinnamon Bay has eco-friendly tents, which are large enough for four people.  They are canvas army-style tents on raised wooden platforms.  They have 4 cots to sleep in, and the campground provides pillows, towels and bed linens.   They have no electricity, but they supply you with a propane lantern, gas stove,  cooler, and plastic storage bin.  Each site also has a charcoal fire stand and a picnic table, as well as a clothes line. (If you give them a $20 fully-refundable security deposit, they will also give you a bag of forks, knives, spoons, cups, bowls and plates, as well as a few cooking pots, a frying pan, and other utensils.) Best of all, it was just a short walk to a beautiful beach!  It wasn't the Hilton, but since we would only be at the tent for eating and sleeping, this place was just fine with us!