DECEMBER 12, 2009: FORBIDDEN ISLAND
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The first major overlook on the trail on the way down. No guard rails. Watch your step!
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The water does look mighty refreshing, but it is still quite a ways below us.
Now we are down on the beach. Olga poses in front of a giant Darth Vader helmet. You can see the top of the helmet on with the MAP THIS function (you may need to zoom in on the map to see it).
Thanks, Olga, for photographing me in my favorite reclining "rocker." Actually my son is the one who discovered this several years ago.
I believe that Olga took this one while I was getting out of my rocker. Nice shot, Olga!
The pool in front of Olga has underwater channels which connect it to the open ocean. It can be downright mesmerizing to watch the water rise and fall with the action of the waves, as light shines through at different angles at different times of day. For best results, make sure that your sound is on and click the white triangle. A box will pop up and the video will start to load. I find that it works best to wait until it starts to play and then click the PAUSE button and let it load a bit more prior to clicking PLAY to watch and listen to the video. Video is 1 minute, 18 seconds long.
Just beyond that last pool is a cave, in which is one of the most refreshing little ponds on Saipan. It goes by various names, including Cool Pool, Forbidden Grotto, and Hidden Forbidden.
From the opening behind Olga here, one gets a picture-view of the Pacific Ocean to the south.
The water tends to stay quite cool, since it is in constant shade. However, one can not count on it being in the clear, refreshing state it was in on this trip. Sometimes it becomes very foul and brown or green. Basically, it receives salt water from the ocean from splashes, and fresh water from rain and run-off. When it fills with fresh water, it becomes foul. Therefore, it tends to be best after storms which include strong winds (for large splashes) but little or no rain.
Now, I need to apologize for the sound on this video. I forgot to turn the microphone on to start with. Then I screwed the sound up when Olga was saying "Hi" to friends and family members by name. Sorry about that. If you are a friend or family member and you don't hear Olga say your name, blame me! I'm sure that she said it while I was screwing up the sound.
I hope you can enjoy the video anyhow!
Total time: 2 minutes, 26 seconds.
One last shot (primarily so I can catch my breath) before continuing back to the vehicle.
Thanks for joining me, Olga! I hope this is the first of many hikes.
