BVI Sunday

-up at 6:15 and ate a bagel, cream cheese, cheese, and sprouts bagel 

-went out to our baiting sites, and put cat food, grapes and banana out , nothing ate our original grapes

-split up into our nesting team and nest hunted for 3 hours with Jessi

-took a nice snack break on the hill above the ocean 

-found a few possible burrows and some still active active sites with tail drag 

-then we went back to our traps and nothing but ants on the first, the second had no grapes, and as we got up to the third, we heard an iguana run away, and all the food was gone

-rebaited with more grapes

-headed to the beach and took a quick dip after getting into suit

-headed back and had lunch , pb&j , with the fresh baked bread from the bakery, an apple, some dorritos, and some of my jerky with a coke

-then I learned how to do the going through data on the camera sd cards

-I did a set with the photos and spreadsheet with Jessica while Abby checked traps, where she restocked what was eaten from the morning

-it was raining hard so we stayed in and finished the cards

-I fell alsleep waiting for my turn to do new cards while watched Slumdog Millionaire on tv

-went to shower

-came back and helped Myles with dinner by cutting tomatoes and onions for on burgers, and making a salad

-ate a veggie burger with all the condiments etc, and tater tots and catsup 

-went to the bakery with Erika and Abby and got a cinnamon cake which was super dense like custard and a cold Apple juice and ate by the ocean ledge

-played some would you rather

-did another card analysis with Connor I.

-played more WYR

-bedtime! 

BVI Wednesday

-got up at 7:10 and got all finished packing and ready to go

-we rode to the docks and got the ferry & hugged Kelly and Jessie goodbye 

-we all rode on the top and got really wet but we had fun talking and singing till most of us started to get seasick

-when we got back to Tortula, it was already 10 so I missed my ferry, after a long and stressful situation, Croix, Jessica and I all got in a taxi to west end and then went to eat at this little restaurant by the dock; it really sucked because none of us really got to say goodbye unless they were on the same transportation :(

-the restaurant was scetchy but fairly cheap and good, I had Ting which is caribbean grapefruit pop and Mac n Cheese with rice and beans

-then I took the ferry to St.Johns and went through customs and got back on the ferry to St.Thomas

-once there, I took a taxi to the airport where they told me it was too late to check in, it was 2 and I thought my flight was 2:45 but it was 2:25, so I was moved to the 3 something flight

-when I got in the airport I found Haley and Connor I. then soon found Jessica and Croix, and got a fruit cup and cran-raspberry juice

-Jessica, Haley and I were all on the same ATL flight

-I had some of my fruit and nut mix and was still hungry so I ordered a coke and the fruit and cheese plate on the plane, watched the movie Admission

-waited forever in the plane after landing because we were in a flight pen in the sky for awhile due to the bad weather and so there were about 50 planes waiting to go into their terminals

-I waited in the gate line for over an hour even after we went and ate at the food court, I got a big water and a vegetarian chili 

-Haley had to leave for her flight, poor girl had found out that her dog just died and Jessica stayed around till we both had to go to our gates

-finally we left at 12:30 and landed around 1:45am and mom and dad drove me to aunt dawns to house sit

BVI Tuesday

-up early to bait traps one more time, all of our food was eaten

-then we went to a part of the cays, where we got to get very close to 2 female iguanas that were head start animals

-we had to walk across the salt ponds again to get there 

-came back and had lunch and rinsed off, ate a cheese burrito with my soy teriyaki meat and some banana bread from the bakery

-we then went to the gift shops and then I took an hour nap

-we went out to collect our cameras at 3pm

-when we came back I showered and then got a "sex on the beach" 

-Abby and I reviewed our sd cards and we got some birds, goats, an anole, and some cats

-most importantly we got a lot of good iguanas , though most didn't have distinguishing marks like scars or anything from mating etc.,  including one scene of two males fighting! 

-in our little photo contest, we won best behavior picture with it and in most unique picture we won with a pic of one of the cats going past the night vision camera and it appears to have glowing testicles which was very strange

-then we had Velveta Mac n Cheese for dinner and I got a "dishwater" (which took me over 3 hours to finish it) and Kelly had us say our fav things we learned and talked about the trip overall

-then we stayed up and talked and listened to music 

-at 12 it was Abby's 20th birthday so we stayed up and sang to her, talked some more and then now at 1am bedtime! 

BVI Monday

-up at 5:15 to leave by 6

-ate my energy plus peanut butter in room and packed a cheese, mayo, mustard, and sprouts sandwich for lunch

-headed out to the camera traps where nothing ate our bait really but ants

-we went then to the head start facility where the juvenile iguanas are raised until old enough to be released and not have a cat be a threat

-there, Kelly and Jessi put each one into a pillowcase in its cage

-Lauren then brought one over, Connor M. scanned for the pit tag, Erika weighed the iguana in the case and it separately, then Kelly tool nose to vent length and tail length with me or Connor I, or Myles, or Croix helping. We then grabbed the iguana once Kelly out back in and tied it back and put in cage after Abby put the tape on the case with pit tag number and weight and all this info was recorded by Paige on computer, and Jessica by hand. Jessi and Haley cleaned dishes and gave them water. Then I grated carrots as a part of the dinner Jessi was preparing. Then I helped to release them in my way, by grabbing it and then inverting the pillowcase

-we went back to bait our traps and we heard an iguana run away from our first trap, and our last trap, everything was eaten

-then we went to Big Bamboo beach, went to the gift shop, we swam, looked for shells, snorkeled, which was crazy with the current pushing you but saw some cool fish, and Abby and I made a sand iguana

-then we shared stories and I got sun burns on my legs :(

-it started to rain when we left so we turned back and waited it out a bit

-we started dinner and I made my fajitas

-then we played never have I ever outside where I was second to last out 

-tried coke with a little Malibu coconut rum 

-then we played the dice game Farkle where Myles ridiculously won every time when he did some crazy action and made noises 

-Abby, Croix, Jessica and I stayed up a bit more and talked before we all went to bed

BVI Saturday

-up super early again for the salt pond

-up at 5 to be there by six, had my energy booster peanut butter and a banana for breakfast

-left and walked out to the salt pond

-was very clay like, and like walking through clay like playdoh

-very smelly, saw a skeleton of a flamingo, which we saw a few love ones from a distance(!!!) as well as an old carcass of a wild calf

-some parts looked like the classic cracked soil with water over it but it looked like the Lion King's badlands mixed with the watering hole(the water) 

-my sandals got caught in the muck and so I had to go barefoot, then pull them out and continue

-then we put out hiking shoes on and headed out the find the old camera traps

-we each took turns using the GPS to find all the cameras as we trekked through the hellish forest filled with cactus, thorn bushes and trees, and Christmas tree bush which is alot like poison ivy

-it took us till about 12 and I was scratched and bruised all over my legs and arms

-Abby got over heated so I have her some of my water and Jessica had to stop for a bit too;I was proud of myself that I didn't !! I carried Abby's bag and camera for her

-Croix used my knife to cut the zip ties so it came in use!

-saw a female in the forest area and even better when Kelly threw her grapes 

-we found all the cameras and brought them back

-we all went to the ocean to cool off. I went in my clothes since they were so dirty anyway

-went back to the hotel and ate a cheese and sprouts sandwich , Doritos, and an apple and oj

-slept for 20mins

-went back out at 3 to bait and set new camera traps

-my partner Abby and I were the last ones to set with Kelly 

-we came back then and Kelly got us all a drink

-I had a jungle juice but only about 1/3 because I was hungry and on an empty stomach

-showered, then ate dinner of a pizza veggie burger and rice with veggies and lemon pepper

-talked about music tastes, waited to learn the computer system for going over data

-saw part of Made in Manhattan and some bike delivery thing with Joseph Gordon Lovett 

-went to bed

BVI Friday

-early morning to be at the dock, ate leftover pizza for breakfast

-took ferry to Anegada which took 1.5hours

-got here and got paired with Paige in a room

-ate a yogurt 

-headed out into field to start looking for iguana burrows and nests

-took quick look at the kick start facility 

-then we swam in the beautiful blue ocean 

-went to eat lunch, had cheese sandwich with chips and some hummus and veggies 

-relaxed

-went back out to the field with group: Croix, Connor M., and Jessica 

-found some possible new burrows and nests and a skeleton of a iguana 

-it rained a bit

-looked more

-headed back and showered

-ate dinner: salad, garlic bread, spaghetti

-looked over what to expect from camera traps data

-bed! 

BVI Thursday

-Up

-breakfast: fruit tart, grape juice, eggs

- boat to Virgin Gorda, which I was super seasick

-jumped off in water

-climbed over a ton of rocks and formations, through cave pools

-got to the beach

-rented snorkel gear, saw tangs, yellow tail, sea urchins, a huge (cartoon like it was so big) school of fish, and other cool fish

-ate a veggie burger for lunch, fed one of the little birds some bread and it took it from my fingers the last time! 

-went with Haley, Myles, Connor (not red), and Erica to the baths and rocks and climbed around and took pics

-snorkeled more

-walked back to through the baths to the place we got dropped off and sat in the shade, took a quick dip, then I shaded myself under my sarong and read

-boat came and we swam out and climbed the back steps

-boat ride was much smoother so I was ok

-showered

-went to get gelato: red orange and Dulche Biscotti, SO good

-then we walked around tourists shops and I got some caribbean honey on the way back at their grocery store

- we hung out and waited for Kelly to get back from grocery shopping for Anegada but she wasn't there so we called and she came back and we put food away and went to Pusser's to eat

-we were all deliriously hungry and Myles started mumbling when trying to get Kelly's attention 

-after all the food mix ups, I finally got my salad with thousand island, and cheese pizza

-took some pizza home to hotel for breakfast since its 6am wake up call! 

-off to Anegada tomorrow!