Paradise Found

As the antithesis to Milton's epic droning i have found the little slice of paradise that i had been searching for. I was on the wrong side of the mountain the whole time and no one here understands a Louisiana accent well enough to understand what I was even talking about. So I threw out the map and the gps (repudiate your possessions and then you can see the bear) and just went by the direction that i knew the beach to be in. All that i knew was that a dirt road near a recycling plant that ended on an old coastal foot path that ran along the cliffs and then over the mountain.

Propelled by the raw power of the sweet 4 cylinder Dihatsu, I just started making lefts and rights out of the village named Cul-de-Sac that lies on the extreme northern end of the island. I knew the path to the hidden beach was close and had I discovered that I had been right on top of it on my previous journey, the only problem was the the road was now paved and I had been looking for a dang dirt road. I began to see signs for the recycling plant and recycling stations and began to get excited. After topping an enormous hill I saw the coastline at the bottom and over to my left the recycling plant. Alleluia!!

The road did in fact become dirt at this point as I drove closer to the ocean, after about a mile the road abruptly ended with no warning. Determined at this point i donned my trusty ancient and worn backpack, loaded it up with water and apples and struck out in my flip flops (which i later discovered are not the best foot attire for transversing mountain terrain).

Ha!! I FOUND THE PATH, right at the edge of the ocean and right at the base of the cliffs, I knew I was going to make it finally. With my feet sliding to and fro in the ill-prepared flip flops, I started making my way over the rocky path, that occasionally took all 4 appendages to successfully navigate.

I met some friends along the way, the sea urchins were trapped in the rocky cliff base after the tide receded

Lots of sea urchins trapped

The road began to point a little skyward--up and over...

And continued

..and continued

But the view along the way was fantastic

I was beginning to wonder if these circling Brown Pelicans were trying to alert the carrion eaters of my exact location.

There was a nice rest stop along the way fashioned by some early Baroque era Hobo I believe if I recall my Hobo architecture accurately



And what appeared to be a marker for someone that just couldn't make the journey. ;-)

And then suddenly after only 40 minutes of hiking and 1.5 liters of water as I overcame the last small rise in elevation,there it was...Petites Cayes. Amazing what a little determination and effort will reward you with isn't it.

After playing Robinson Crusoe for a little while and just enjoying the solitude, I began the journey back along the rocky path with the setting sun to my back.

Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory.--Gandhi

Before I go I have to tell the perfect end to the perfect day...

After a day like that how could any thing or anyone do anything to change the quantity and quality of the emotions I was feeling. But oh Fortuna why have you forsaken me as you have. My trusty and valiant steed failed me on the way back home...

Between the village of Cul de Sac and the French town of Marigot there is an enormous hill that requires some special preparation for you (well at least me and my sweet 4 cylinder 22hp ride) to undertake. Get as much speed as you can in 3rd gear at the base of the hill, switch off the AC and jam it up into first (don't ask how i discovered that this was the only way to make it up this hill). Well I had performed this maneuver numerous times on my trips around the island, but on this particular day Fortuna decided I had had enough fun for one day.

As I made the change from 3rd to 1st gear KAAAAAPOOOOWWWWWW!!!!! The awfullest racket that you ever did want to hear came from directly under me, quickly followed by the sound of metal dragging on pavement and my trusty and once valiant silver steed began to sound like a log truck on hwy 33.
Now to set the scene a little better I must inform you that there is no DOT in St. Maarten, hence the shoulder of the road is non existent and the road itself is at best undesirable littered with potholes that could be mistake as bomb craters

So i have no where to pull over...for at least 2 miles until i make it to the town of Marigot where i pull off and have a look under the car.

Just as expected the muffler had blown off during the massive power transition of changing gears, but Fortuna kept dealing the hand better and better. There was no more than 3.5 inches of clearance between the roadway and the bottom of the car and better than that the muffler did not fall off on the rear section as most do it fell off from the manifold end. What a conundrum! With no tools and no way to get under the car to tie the thing up (or anything to tie it up with) I made the executive decision to press on. Muffler dragging, sparking and making all kinds of noise.

The people walking on the streets of Marigot are still telling the story of the little silver car flying through the streets leaving a trail of sparks and muffler pieces behind it and the driver that seemed unaware of their continuous attempts to flag him down. Its a rental, I have insurance, and I am having a great day, so down the road I go smiling and singing along with Bob Marlyey.

Until the noise becomes aggravating and I know I can't drag this thing around all the way back to the Avis station, so a plan begins to from in my devious mind. "the muffler is facing forward and made of flimsy metal use the pot holes to your advantage", it says to me. So, haha, i begin driving toward the bomb craters and centering the car over them....it only took three attempts to successfully dislodge the malfunctioning muffler without a single tool or even getting out of the vehicle. Now to just conjure a story to tell the Avis folks as to the location of their muffler.

SWEET RIDE!!