PUERTO RICO - Vieques - 2015 - House Sitting - Chapter 4 - TS Erika Comes and Goes

 So Tropical Storm Erika did intensify and wreaked havoc on the island of Dominica causing several deaths due to flooding.  Thankfully, it weakened as she made her way north.

Here of Vieques, we had winds around 50 mph and a few inches of rain.  With the extent of the drought here, more rain would have been nice.  The island didn't sustain major damage and about the only inconvenience we had was a power outage that lasted several hours.  It went out about 2030 hrs and came back on around 0600 hrs.  

 

As the storm moved on, the clouds and wind dissipated, leaving us with a slight breeze.  At night, we were left with a slight breeze and wet grounds from the rain, which brought in mosquitoes.  These little pests were buzzing all night long.

It doesn't matter if all your windows and doors closed, mosquitoes know how to get in.  They cling to your cloths and pets, taking a free ride when you enter the house.  And with the majority of homes here not having air conditioners, who keeps their homes closed up.  I'm left with two options to keep the mosquitoes from pestering me and keeping me awake at night; generate a stronger breeze with fans or get a mosquito net.

A couple days after the storms, the weather cleared and it was time to explore a little.  I'd been told about the ruins of an old sugar mill and some old US Navy bunkers on the west side of the island.
 

Road to Sugar Mill ruins, and Bunker Road

 Grabbing my camera and some water I drove west, past the airport and 'Mosquito Pier'.  Turning left on the first paved road, I found the sugar mill ruins almost at the end of the road.  There is a secured radar station at the end of this road.

Path leading to sugar mill ruins

More ruins seen from the road

Ruins seen from the road

These next pictures cannot be seen from the road.  Enter the forest by the round sign marking the ruins and walk a short distance.  You'll see the buildings through the trees.  Be careful because the area is overgrown and covered with debris.  As with any ruins, these are still decaying and can fall, slip, or move at any time.

Turning around, I headed back up the same road, turning left onto the first paved road.  Along this road you will find several bunkers.  These are the easy ones, also the newer ones, as they are right beside the road.  There are also bunkers that can be found deeper in the forest, but I didn't search them out.  After looking at a few, I figured, a bunker is a bunker; no need to get stuck by thorns, or eaten by mosquitoes.

This horse is grazing on the side of a bunker

Group of three bunkers along the road

This is one of the group of three

Some are empty

Some are full.  This one is unsecured and the stuff belongs to the post office

 Here is a map of the places I've been to on Vieques.  The sugar mill ruins and bunkers are marked with yellow "star" pins.




Until next time,
mike