Cruzan Bike Ride

I rode my bike around St Croix a few days ago. It was a real pretty ride and I met some interesting people.

I stopped first at the new Diageo Rum factory out near the airport and talked with the security guys at the gate. Diageo is the maker of Captain Morgans Rum. They’ve recently moved their Capt Morgan operation to SC from Puerto Rico because the SC politicos offered them a deal they couldn’t refuse. The SC senators are infamous for their corrupt dealings and no doubt had their pockets lined by the Diageo boys. The security guys I spoke to had a low opinion of both Diageo and the SC govt. But their cynicism was tempered by the caribbean sense of humor that accepts this behavior as simply being the way of the world. No hard feelings. I headed west toward Fredericksted on Rt 66. The road hasn’t been resurfaced in many years due to lack of funds. Riding a bike here can dislodge your fillings.

Fredericksted is a beautiful seaside town on the west end of the island. It’s a bit rough around the edges but with lots of personality and an interesting history. The downtown architecture is mostly Danish Colonial consisting of heavy masonry walls for cooling and windows and doors positioned to allow maximum air flow. Along the streets there is generally a continuous covered arcade that shelters pedestrians from the sun.

During and after slavery, most rebellions and protests began in Fredericksted. The Danes abolished slavery in the 1830’s but like the US, the basic structure of slavery with its rigid management of labor continued for many years. The fallacy of freedom took the form of Contract Day, the day on which each worker theoretically had the right to choose his own employer. In fact the system was rigged so that the workers were forced to continue with the same employer at barely subsistence wages. Finally in 1878 the people got pissed. They gathered in downtown Fredericksted and a particularly vocal rabble rouser known as Queen Mary got everyone fired up and they burned the town to the ground. There is an air of independence and subdued anger that can still be felt here.

There was a cruise ship in town that day, moored at the old navy pier. The tourist bureau has worked long and hard to bring cruise ships to SC. Local vendors set up booths to pedal their wares. One of the vendors was Richard Schrader, a local author who was hawking his books. He has 10 or so to his credit. I’ve met him before so I stopped to chat for a bit. He is a fine old gentleman and a wonderful story teller. His writing focuses on his life growing up on SC . He grew up in a time when sugar cane cultivation and processing was on the decline but still the economic backbone of the island. The people had hard lives but dealt with problems similar to those we all deal with. His anecdotes about the characters of this era are amusing and poignant. I hope young generations of Cruzans take the time to read his work.

From Fredericksted I pedaled up Mahogany Rd through the rain forest. I had about 40 miles in and was developing a powerful thirst. My destination was the smoothee lady, Hazel Smith St-Ange. She makes a most delicious, refreshing smoothee from assorted fruits she and her husband grow on their small farm. Tamarind is the secret ingredient. Hazel is a warm, robust woman with a beautiful smile and a song in her voice. Nothing much seems to get her down. Severe winds had recently taken down several trees in her yard so in between customers she was out there with her chain saw cutting up the refuse. Hazel also sells a dark brown concoction called “Man-Up”, the purpose of which is to get a man up. Hazel swears it works. The primary ingredient is cannibis.

Having been refreshed by Hazel’s smoothee I climbed over the mountain and down to the sea at Cane Bay, then along the north shore road that hugs the cliff overlooking the ocean. Even though the heat was up I decided to push through and get home. The final stretch took me through Christiansted, always interesting with its odd variety of aimless tourists with fanny packs, purposeful business man and women, and homeless guys wondering what went wrong. My baby met me at home and I gave her a big sweaty kiss.