I just love sleeping in on Saturdays. No alarm clock, no plans. We were out of milk so Brent made his famous scrambled eggs. Realizing we had the day wide open, we decided to explore Grand Cayman's East End. This is something I've wanted to do for a while. We've been to Rum Point a couple times, but have always gone by boat. When we decided to move to GC, Brent's parents gave us a portable Frommer's Guide that has a great East End driving tour. We packed up towels, snorkels, snacks, and sunblock, then headed out!
After taking the customary "outside the car" road trip pictures, Brent realized he had locked his keys inside the car. So for our first adventure of the day, we broke into the apartment.
Who doesn't like to start their day with a little breaking and entering? It was probably an omen, but we were not deterred! Back in the car, we popped in the CD we made that morning and starting jamming to some Bob Marley.
Stopping for gas, you can tell Walter is really excited about our road trip:
Driving through George Town, we spotted this fun cruise ship. In true tourist style, I couldn't resist snapping a shot from the car window.
Our first stop was Smith Barcadere (aka Smith's Cove). Brent and I stumbled across this beach our first weekend in Grand Cayman, but it was fun returning with Walter. He loved exploring every nook and cranny of those rocks.
Our second stop was Spotts Beach (we skipped the Village of Prospect). The only time I've been to Spotts was when we were picking up and dropping off the Swartzentrubers Cruise Clan. Cruise ships dock at Spotts when it's too rocky to come into George Town. It was packed with people and taxis last time we were here, but it was EMPTY on Saturday. It's not the prettiest beach, but there's lots of room to run!
Hey there, good-looking :)
Playing in the waves
Back in the car we just had a couple more stops till we reached Rum Point. We had just entered Bodden Town, when we heard a loud popping. Sure enough....
Our second adventure of the day - changing a blown out tire. Our car was missing a couple items necessary for the job, but Brent met a nice Caymanian who gave us a hand.
The next picture is when Brent realized the tire was a BFGoodrich (which is owned by Michelin). Talk about adding insult to injury. Brent said, "I'm going to have to talk to my dad about this."
At least the view was scenic!
Walter and I did our best to stay cool. There was a fence that provided about a foot of shade, and that's where we waited. I ended up putting on the cowboy hat...Walter ended up under the car.
After an hour's work, my hero had us back on the road. We weren't at all discouraged, in fact the "adventure" made our road trip even more fun. But we decided to cut the driving tour short for the day and head back the Governor's Beach for our picnic.
Check out the reflection in Brent's glasses. I'd take that view any day.
Loving on the cooler Joelle gave us for Christmas
That night we decided to test out the grill we got from the Stricklands (they "upgraded" to a charcoal one and we decided nothing could be worse than our grill in Cincinnati). I thawed some frozen Mahi Mahi and let the grill master do his thing.
Taking a peek at the finished product...
...it looks good!
Absolutely delicious, and so easy too! Despite our setbacks, it was such a fun day. This one will be treasured for a long, long time.
Love the photo-heavy posts! Looks like so much fun. Those pictures with Walter are priceless. I'd imagine you're going to get more visitors the more photos you post!
ReplyDeleteI looooove this post, and I love you! You guys look like you are having the best time. I am living vicariously through you! :)
ReplyDeleteI love he photo-heavy posts, too!! You are so descriptive and your posts are a joy t read but I love your pictures!!! In the first picture I thought, "Katie looks adorable, and look at that cute bag!" didn't realize it was the cooler we got you until later. Glad you enjoyed it. I think its great that you guys are going on these adventures together and making lots of memories.
ReplyDeletelove, love, love the picture of you with the cowboy hat (when brent's changing the car tire) and love imagining you snapping photos on the side while brent's hard at work :) a picnic on the beach! how fun!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun day! Walter is turning into such a cute, little beach dog! I'm so happy you two are getting to enjoy so many adventures together. And it's such a treat for the rest of us to be included as well, thanks to your wonderful blog posts.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! I love how the cooler matches the car and everything! The hat is a great look - such American beauty! Way to make the best of an unexpected series of events.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait until I can come visit and join you in your adventures! Amazing picture of the beach in Brent's sunglasses! I love and miss you both!
ReplyDeleteWe have our tickets for May, 2011. I want to spend a day just like this!!! (even the breaking and entering! I could do without the flat tire, however...unless its a Firestone tire, of course.) Katie, you blog so well. When you read it, you feel like you are there! I, too, loved the cowboy hat...and the freckles! Too stunning! Brent, you looked very handsome as well. Walter looks like he has taken off some weight running on the beach.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a pretty memorable adventure, especially the breaking in to the home to get the keys! I'm looking forward to all of your food photos of Cayman, it's all I ever think about, eating...=D. The next time you guys are in the east end, there's a very good Italian Caribbean restaurant called Portofino. Try it next time! When my boyfriend and I drive to the East End it's normally to go there. We never actually get out of the car along the way to check out the beaches though. Should do that next time. Ohh...and another thing, theres this big shallow area next to rum point called starfish point where you can hunt for starfish and itty bitty baby hermit crabs in seashells. It's a nice quiet place to bring your dog.
ReplyDeleteKeeping a spare car key can really be useful for mishaps like that. The busted car tire is a bit of a bummer, but it's easy to see in the pictures that it was a wonderful road trip. The sea in particular looks very amazing. Driving by car to see it seems so worth it.
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