Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.”
In spite of weather forecasts for rain, we awoke this morning to calm seas and partly cloudy skies as we approached Antigua. Golden rays announced the rising sun in the eastern sky, and the only sound was the quiet hum of the ship’s engines. Opening the sliding door, I was greeted with a beautiful view of the island! To think God simply spoke all this beauty into creation is so incredibly amazing! The vastness of the sea, its deep blue waves in rhythmic harmony as marshmallow clouds hang suspended in a sky blue firmament. Wow! How great Thou art!
Our visit to Antigua was going to be a little different from the previous islands because we decided to do a Segway tour! We rode along a road with minimal traffic to an estate that used to be a sugar mill. The landscape was beautiful, and parts of the old mill were still standing as a testament to the old ways of the island. We were surrounded by beautiful bougainvillea bushes that overlooked the Caribbean Sea. It was absolutely breathtaking!
Our next stop was on the beach itself. On our way there, we passed a salt pond, which once was a water channel connected the sea. Over time, the storms changed the shoreline a bit, and the salt water was no longer able to drain back into the sea. Thus, a salt pond was formed. We rode past the pond to a secluded place on the beach and parked our Segways. The white sand seemed to glisten like snow in the morning sun, and with the tall swaying palms and gentle waves of the Caribbean Sea, they made a perfect picture of a tropical paradise!
After our brief respite, we hopped back on our Segways and headed to Fort James. We bounced over gravel paths and steep inclines to reach the entrance to the old fort. It was quite challenging maneuvering the Segways around the bigger rocks and wide dips in the path, but we made it! We parked under a huge tree, and headed into the centuries-old fortress. Several old cannons lined the rock walls of this British fort. Peeking over the edges of the walls, we could see the waves crashing on the cliffs below the fort. After hiking around a bit, it was time to play around the fort on the Segways. All around the grounds of the fort, the men zipped by, up and down the small hills, over the gravel roads and dirt paths! My job was to capture the moments on camera.
Finally, we all reboarded our Segways for the long ride back to the tour office. We rode along the beach boardwalk, much of which had been covered by sand from the previous storms that had passed through. Zooming over the mini-dunes was a great adventure for John, and he loved the challenge. Bumping along in the grassy areas nearer the tour’s end was the final obstacle as I clung to my Segway and made my way along. I am happy to report that I did not fall!
Riding the Segway was a fun way to see Antigua, one of the most beautiful islands we’ve visited.