Welcome to EverWanderWhy!
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    • Caribbean Cruise >
      • 2019-12-23 - Saint Thomas
      • 2019-12-24 - Antigua
      • 2019-12-25 - Saint Kitts
      • 2019-12-26 - Barbados
      • 2019-12-27 - Martinique
      • 2019-12-28 - Trinidad
      • 2019-12-30 - Curacao
      • 2019-12-31 - Aruba
    • 2016 - NYC with Gwen
    • 2016-07 - Colorado - Maroon Bells >
      • 2016-07-01 - Maroon Bells - Denver to Aspen
      • 2016-07-02 - Maroon Bells - Buckskin Pass
      • 2016-07-03 - Maroon Bells - Trail Rider Pass
      • 2016-07-04 - Maroon Bells - Frigid Air Pass and West Maroon Pass
      • 2016-07-05 - Maroon Bells - Gunnison and Denver
    • 2016-05-28 - Tracy and Greg's Wedding
    • 2016-05-27 - Reunion
    • San Francisco 2016-02 >
      • 2016-02-19 - SF201602 - Flying to San Francisco
      • 2016-02-20 - SF201602 - Full Day in San Francisco
      • 2016-02-21 - SF201602 - Cycling Around San Francisco
      • 2016-02-22 - SF201602 - California Academy of Sciences
    • Northwest Road Trip >
      • 2015-08-05 - Northwest Road Trip - Seattle - Part I
      • 2015-08-06 - Northwest Road Trip - Seattle - Part II
      • 2015-08-07 - Northwest Road Trip - Mount Rainier - Part I
      • 2015-08-08 - Northwest Road Trip - Mount Rainier - Part II
      • 2015-08-09 - Northwest Road Trip - Portland
      • 2015-08-10 - Northwest Road Trip - Crater Lake - Part I
      • 2015-08-11 - Northwest Road Trip - Crater Lake - Part II
      • 2015-08-12 - Northwest Road Trip - Lava Beds
      • 2015-08-13 - Northwest Road Trip - Lassen Volcanic
      • 2015-08-14 - Northwest Road Trip - Redding
      • 2015-08-16 - Northwest Road Trip - San Francisco - Part I
      • ​2015-08-17 - Northwest Road Trip - San Jose
      • ​​2015-08-20 - Northwest Road Trip - San Francisco - Part II
    • Puerto Rico >
      • 2015-03-30 - Puerto Rico - Walking around San Juan
      • 2015-03-31 - Puerto Rico - Hiking within the Clouds
      • 2015-04-01 - Puerto Rico - Arecibo and La Cueva Del Indio
      • 2015-04-02 - Puerto Rico - Culebra Island
      • 2015-04-03 - Puerto Rico - Angeles Cave
  • Learn
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    • 2016-06-12 - NMG Top-Rope Anchors Course
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  • Ride
    • Greater NYC Area >
      • 2016-06-25 - Bike to Poughkeepsie and Discover Hudson Valley
      • 2016-05-28 - Bear Mountain
      • 2016-06-04 - Longest Day and Cape May
      • 2015-10-25 - Tour de Bronx
    • Bike the US for MS
    • Morris Area Freewheelers >
      • 2016-06-11 - MAFW 2016 Revolutionary Ramble
    • New York Cycle Club >
      • NYCC 2015 B-SIG 17 >
        • 2015-04-11 - NYCC B-SIG 17 - Ride V to Nyack
        • 2015-04-18 - NYCC B-SIG 17 - Ride VI to Oyster Bay
        • 2015-04-25 - NYCC B-SIG 17 - Ride VII to Armonk
        • 2015-05-10 - NYCC B-SIG 17 - Ride IX to Bear Mountain and Cold Spring - Part I
        • 2015-05-10 - NYCC B-SIG 17 - Ride IX to Bear Mountain and Cold Spring - Part II
        • 2015-05-10 - NYCC B-SIG 17 - Ride IX to Bear Mountain and Cold Spring - Part III
  • Trek
    • Guide to Trekking
    • Palisades Interstate Park >
      • 2019-11-30 - Palisades Interstate Park Loop
      • 2019-11-16 - Palisades Interstate Park Walk
    • Long Island >
      • 2019-05-25 - Long Island Greenbelt Trail
      • 2019-03-30 - Cold Spring Harbor to Massapequa Traverse
    • New Jersey >
      • 2019-12-15 - Mount Tammany Loop
      • 2019-06-08 - Mount Tammany
      • 2019-05-18 - Freewalkers 2019 Big Walk
      • 2019-04-28 - EverWanderWhy Hudson County Historic Tour II
      • 2019-04-27 - EverWanderWhy Hudson County Historic Tour I
      • 2019-04-14 - Freewalkers Between Walk
      • 2018-04-17 - NJ Ultra Festival
      • 2019-04-07 - D&R Canal Trail - Trenton to New Brunswick
      • 2018-02-17 - Frozen Febapple
      • 2017-06-10 - Freewalkers 2017 Hudson River Loop
      • 2017-05-20 - Freewalkers 2017 Big Walk
      • 2017-04-15 - Freewalkers 2017 Between Walk
      • 2017-01-21 - Delaware and Raritan Canal Walk
      • 2016-08-13 - Lenape Trail
      • 2016-05-21 - Freewalkers 2016 Big Walk
      • 2015-05-16 - Freewalkers 2015 Big Walk
    • Catskills >
      • 2019-05-11 - Devil's Path
      • ​2016-09-03 - Catskills Trip
    • Shawangunk Mountains >
      • 2019-05-04 - Mohonk Preserve Rock the Ridge 50
      • 2017-05-06 - Rock the Ridge 2017
    • Hudson Highlands >
      • 2019-12-07 - Harriman-Bear Mountain 7 Peak Challenge
      • 2019-04-06 - Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail Traverse
      • 2019-03-23 - Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail
      • 2017-12-16 - Beacon to Breakneck Ridge Bypass
      • 2017-11-25 - Harriman North 7 Peak Challenge
      • 2017-05-13 - Bear Mountain 50K
      • 2016-05-15 - Bull Hill
    • New York City Greater Area >
      • 2019-03-16 - Shorewalkers 47th GMBW
      • 2018-03-03 - Shorewalkers 45th GMBW
      • 2017-06-03 - Shorewalkers 43rd GMBW
      • 2017-05-16 - Scouting Run
      • 2016-06-18 - Shorewalkers 40th GMBW
      • 2016-05-07 - Shorewalkers 2016 Great Saunter
      • 2016-02-27 - Shorewalkers 39th GMBW
      • 2015-10-31 - Shorewalkers 38th GMBW
      • 2015-05-02 - Shorewalkers 2015 Great Saunter
    • Pennsylvania >
      • 2018-03-31 - Naked Prussian
    • Long Path Project >
      • 2018-03-17 - Long Path - New City to Fort Lee
      • 2017-04-29 - Long Path - High Point to Wurtsboro
      • 2017-04-22 - Long Path - Lake Skannatati to Monroe
      • 2016-12-10 - Long Path - Nyack to Lake Skannatati
      • 2016-12-03 - Long Path - Fort Lee to Nyack
      • 2016-05-29 - Shorewalkers GWB to Nyack
    • Brooklyn Botanic Garden >
      • 2015-05-03 - Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Part I
      • 2015-05-03 - Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Part II
      • 2015-05-03 - Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Part III
      • 2015-05-03 - Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Part IV
    • Old Croton Aqueduct >
      • 2015-04-12 - Old Croton Aqueduct I - Part I
      • 2015-04-12 - Old Croton Aqueduct I - Part II
      • 2015-04-12 - Old Croton Aqueduct I - Part III
      • 2015-04-19 - Old Croton Aqueduct II - Part I
      • 2015-04-19 - Old Croton Aqueduct II - Part II
      • 2015-04-19 - Old Croton Aqueduct II - Part III
      • 2015-04-19 - Old Croton Aqueduct II - Part IV
      • 2015-04-26 - Old Croton Aqueduct III - Part I
      • 2015-04-26 - Old Croton Aqueduct III - Part II
      • 2015-04-26 - Old Croton Aqueduct III - Part III
      • 2015-04-26 - Old Croton Aqueduct III - Part IV

2019-12-25 - Saint Kitts

Saint Kitts is one of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles and well known for being home to the first Caribbean British and French colonies in the mid-1620s. It is also formally Saint Christopher Island and perhaps one of the first islands Christopher Columbus landed upon on his voyage out west. Together with nearby Saint Nevis across the 3 km Narrows channel, they form the country Saint Kitts and Nevis. With a population of 40,000, primarily of African-descent and with a history of slavery for labor-intensive sugar cane cultivation.

Wingfield Estate is an lasting representation of that history, set next to Wingfield River in a lush rainforest. It originally planted tobacco and indigo but shifted to sugar cane in the 1650s due to stiff competition from the colony of Virginia, continuously grown until the mid-2000s. Among other historical connections, it was owned by one of the ancestors of US President Thomas Jefferson.
At the nearby Romney Manor stands a  400-year old Saman tree, said to be the largest living organism on the island. The manor house was originally called the red house and renamed to its present name when acquired by the Earl of Romney. In 1834, it became the first estate in Saint Kitts to free its slaves. In present day, it is famous for its Caribelle Batik, one of the Caribbean's most acclaimed textiles. Live demonstrations of the technique take place daily and many of the pieces sold were produced on site. The technique involve boiling hues, applying wax, dying fabrics, and creating brightly colored, intricately patterned pieces,
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the northwest of the island. Brimstone Hill was a place for cannons and fortifications since 1689 first by the French and then by the English. Known as the impregnable Gibraltar of the Caribbean, the fortress lasted a month-long siege by the French in 1782. Restored to the British in 1783, it was refortified and never fell again - surviving another French attempt in 1806. Abandoned by the British in 1853 and locally by militia in 1854, the fort fell into decay and disrepair until efforts of restoration in the early 1900s. It was partially reopened in 1973 by Prince Charles and informally named a national park in 1985 by Queen Elizabeth II, made official in 1987, and a World Heritage Site in 1999. Getting to the fort involves a long tricky drive on narrow roads but its worth it. The fort is a marvel to behold and the sights from the top are incredible including that of other nearby islands.
Another spot with great views is at the Southeast Peninsula that stretches towards The Narrows separating the two islands of the country. The peaceful Caribbean sea flows on the west while the darker waters of the Atlantic Ocean churn on the east.
It was a long day filled with history and beauty for my brother and I. We greatly enjoyed the van-based tour. And slowly the picture of how these islands in the Caribbean are connected to each other and to the rest of the world became a little clearer.