I made this trip for two reasons, to visit the family and to attend the 55th Anniversary Class Reunion (Class of 1969).

This was a trip for the history books! The original trip to St. Croix was set to be from June 18th to June 27th. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I didn't leave St. Croix until June 28th. All flights were via American Airlines (AA).

The flight from New York to Miami (MIA) departed on time. However, the flight from Miami to St. Croix (STX) was delayed. First, we were waiting for one of the pilots. He arrived and then he noticed a mechanical problem, a light in the cockpit that would not go off. We waited for the technician. The technician finally arrived but he was unable to fix the problem. We were told to deplane and go to another gate/plane. Once at gate 33 and on the plane, the passengers in seats 1A and 1B were moved since the seats used by the flight attendants were non-functionable. We left Miami at 4:30 p.m. instead of 1:40 p.m. (This was an omen. I should have returned to NYC!!)

On June 21st, on my way to the hotel to change to the reunion t-shirt to tour Fort Frederik, I was bitten on the left calf by a dog. I was unable to go on the tour. First, I went to the clinic on Strand Street. It was closed. I then headed to King Street to wait for a taxi or bus. While on King Street it began to rain heavily. I found myself hiring a taxi to take me directly to Gov. Juan Luis Hospital instead of picking up passengers. I waited for about an hour for this taxi. It should be noted that taxi vans to pick up passengers along Centerline Road (Queen Mary Highway) are few. Now that most Crucians own a car, less taxi vans are running. VITRAN (local bus) runs periodically. I was in the ER from about 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The bite was wiped, a band aid placed on it and an antibiotic prescribed. The staff stated that the tetanus shot I received April 15th was enough to protect me. (It should be noted that AFTER the fact, everyone suggested I should have gone to an Urgent Care facility on St. Croix. Did I know there were Urgent Care facilities on St. Croix????)

On June 24th, I went to the clinic on Strand Street. I had to listen to the doctor rant about the time I spent in the ER, the doctor in the ER who took care of me and the ointment that I was using. I told the doctor that in all my life I had never heard one doctor defame another. The wound was cleaned, an ointment placed on the wound and a new band aid applied. The ointment was similar to the one I had been using!! That afternoon, my left leg became very swollen. There was a red looking rash around my left ankle!! (Are these doctors on St. Croix really qualified to take care of patients?)

On June 27th, the flight left the gate on time but then stalled on the tarmac. Why? We waited. Eventually the pilot made an announcement. The pilot could hardly be understood. First, a passenger needed medical care. Second, a procedural issue. We went back to the gate. We waited. EMS came on the plane and eventually they and the passenger got off the plane. We waited. Another announcement was made. Deplane. It appears the pilots had flown too many hours and needed a rest. Flight 1293 was going to leave at 10:30 a.m. on June 28th. Vouchers were given for an overnight hotel stay but I decided to sleep at the airport. My leg was too swollen and too painful to be constantly moving.

I slept on a bench in the luggage area of the airport. I was awaken, at different times, by 3 cops and 1 employee. All were concerned and helpful. One cop gave me a bottle of water, though there was a vending machine a few feet away. In the morning, a cop asked me if I needed something to eat. I thanked him and told him I would get a snack from the vending machine. Tears came to my eyes! With all the disruptions, I did get to sleep a few hours.

Is the story over? No. Absolutely not. On June 28th, we waited. And waited. And then waited some more. No AA agents appeared at the counter. At about 8 a.m. an agent came out. Bad news. The computers were down. The technician was trying to get the system running. After about 30 minutes another announcement. Everything would have to be done manually. We were separated into two lines, those with boarding passes on their cell phones and those with no information. I was on the latter line since I could only get one boarding pass, St. Croix to Miami. When there were about 10 passengers left on the line, the system came back online. I did not have to check-in manually. However, the flight did not leave St. Croix until after 11 a.m.

By the way, it appears 737 planes are being used on all the flights to and from St. Croix. Should these planes still be flying? According to the FAA, the answer is YES!

By the way, I went to my clinic on June 30th. The doctors, after contacting the NYC Department of Health, suggested I get the rabies shots. They felt that since I had no information about the dog, it would be wise to get the shots. At first it was suggested I have someone try to locate the dog. You know how long that would have taken? Also, the left leg was very swollen and painful. I finished the shots on July 14th. (Four shots in the arm and an immunoglobulin shot around the bite.)

The photos I took while on St. Croix will be posted by date taken. All photos taken with Galaxy S23 Ultra cell phone. The photos will be posted on this page and on page P-3B.