During my week long cruise in the Caribbean I got to create for myself a mini adventure.  Our last stop on the cruise was a small island called Grand Turk.  It is only about 6 miles long and 2 miles wide.  Since our boat docked at the southern tip of the island I decided to go explore the rest of the island.  My girlfriend Katie had planned to come along but had gotten a stomach flu the night before and decided it would be  a much smarter decision to stay home and get some more sleep.

I left the boat with a small pack with water, a towel, and a camera.  As I walked through the port I was able to find a small map with a few details.  I noticed there was a lighthouse on the north end of the island so I set off to find it.  The island was very windy as it was very flat and narrow.  I could see the ocean all around me at certain times.  Right after I left the port.  I passed by the airport and a unique object.  It was the pod from a space mission, Friendship VII.

Running along the island I passed through mainly one small town.  Along the road I saw many loose cattle and donkeys.  This contributed to an occasional smell of manure.

I also came across another interesting site that baffled me at first.  It was a car driving on water.  As it turned out there was a small paved road that it was actually driving on.  The island is very flat.  There were ditches for flooding along the main road and a bunch of these small lakes that probably weren’t more than 10 ft deep.

I continued to make my way toward the lighthouse and after a slight detour I got a great view of some beautiful water.  All the beaches were very beautiful here and the island is also known for its scuba diving.  I reached the lighthouse in about 1 hour.  It was about a 7 mile trip.  I stopped to enjoy the view and take a few pictures and then headed towards the channel on the north end of the island.

There was a small channel that flowed between two peninsulas.  On the map it looked close enough that I might be able to cross somehow.  When I got there it was about 50 feet across.  Only problem was it was clearly very deep and I did not have a waterproof bag for my camera.  I thought of some ideas and then some kayakers came to my rescue.  I asked if they would transport my things to the other side as I swam.  They agreed and I thanked them for their help.

Once I got to the other side I quickly took off back to the port, barefoot in the sand.  When I reached the road I put my shoes back on and continued along.  As I ran back to the ship I could tell I was losing energy.  I had no water left and hadn’t brought food.  I stopped in a local pizzeria where the owner was nice enough to give me a free bottle of water to help me finish my run.  I told her if I ever came back I would be sure to stop in for some pizza.

I made it back to the port in about 2 hours and 30 minutes.  I quickly jumped in the water to cool off and grabbed some food.  It was a neat experience to see the whole island and to say I ran across the whole thing.  Final mileage was just under 14 miles.

-Brian