Return to the Shinto Shrine

Today I decided to take a walk up to the Shinto Shrine. I took a small tree-saw with me, as the last time I was there, a tree had fallen across the steps to the shrine. If it was still there, I was determined to remove what I could.

Since it is a good walk, I decided to try out a gift my son Michael had given me: it is a water-pack. You fill-up the clear water-bag with water or some other liquid, then slip it into the pack. There is a tube that runs from the water-bag to the front of the pack. As one walks along, you can drink water from the tube! It worked great! I usually take one bottle of water with me on my walks. This will carry about three bottles worth of water-- great for longer walks.

I hadn't been up to the shrine for a while, and I was surprised at how nice the roads were. It was obvious that crews had been filling-in the holes, and doing some grading, as the dirt roads were in great condition! I'm sure all the people who have to drive up to the Carolinas are happy!

On the way I also came across a new farm-- at least I had never noticed it before (there may have been a grass hedge in front of it before). It was a beautiful plot of land, and well-kept.

Not far from the farm was the road leading to the shrine

It was obvious from the first look at the shrine entrance that the tree that had fallen across the steps had already been taken care of-- I was happy about that, as I was already tired!

The tree that had fallen was much larger than I remembered! My little tree saw would not have done a lot... thanks to whoever took the time to remove the large tree and limbs. As this is one of my favorite spots on Tinian, I love to see it taken care of properly!

As usual, the shrine is a wonderful, and peaceful place; a place that many come to pay their respects to those who have died.

There is always a great view from the steps of the entrance to the shrine

The trail to the Carolina subdivision was grown over, but after hacking my way through...

I finally found the road on the other side!

I'm not sure what type of plant this is, but it has a beautiful flower

There is also a great view of the Dynasty Casino from this location

Occasionally one will find a home hidden in the jungle

And one will always see some of the local wildlife! Locals still go into the jungle to hunt wild chickens-- sometimes with traps, and other times with bow and arrow!

This beautiful home can be seen from almost anywhere on Tinian. It is one of the few homes that can be seen from a boat coming into the Tinian docks!

Here is another home that stood out. It was decorated for Christmas and had beautiful gardens

Once out of the subdivision, and back onto a dirt road, one can find a myriad of vines with flowers. The little purple flowers are pretty, but deceptive! They are thorn bushes... I know, because Liz and I had to wade through a field of them to get some pictures. We came out with lots of scrapes and stings from these little plants.

This is a view of Marpo Heights from the Carolinas

I discovered yet another small farm on my walk. This one seems to be growing corn.

The trade winds have been very strong lately, as seen by yet another tree that has come down, and had to be cut-up to get it out of the road.

As I turned for home I heard peels of laughter... which I had to investigate! I found a large group of children playing behind the Grace Christian School. They seemed to be playing musical chairs, with one modification: since there were not enough chairs, three children would be assigned to each chair! This made sitting down even more of a challenge!