Cold Moon - Warm December Night Ram Head

It was a December cold moon on Saturday night. Cold it may be to our north but here in St John it is hot and balmy. Annie had said that the best vantage point to watch the full moon rise was at Ram Head which gives the onlooker a high unobstructed view.

We set off late in the afternoon and parked the Jeep before setting off on the two mile or so trek to Ram Head. We headed down the hill to Salt Pond Bay and skirted the seashore. As we left the beach we passed the Salt Pond before heading into the light scrub following rocky path that led upwards.

The path was well defined in most places but one had to be careful as the surface was loose and a moments distraction could lead to a fall. It was hot as we continued reaching another beach with the shoreline strewn with pebbles of various sizes. On the beach we met a stream of folks heading off in the same direction to Ram Head.

Leaving the beach the vegetation grew sparser, cacti we prevalent and the terrain grew steeper. As we climbed higher the view became spectacular and we were afforded a 360 degree vista. 

Reaching the summit of Ram Head we were surprised to see a sizeable crowd had gathered to watch the sun set and the full moon rise. Many folks had bought a picnic with them and there was a buzz of excitement as the sun slowly sunk below the horizon.

The sunset was spectacular and even though surrounded by people there was a feeling of serenity in the air at such a wonderful natural display. 

 To the north-east clouds covered the horizon to the north-east obscuring the moonrise. Finally, some time after the official moonrise the periphery of the clouds became tinged with a silvery lining. Not long after the full face of the moon crept of the shadow casting a silver glint across the calm waters of Coral Bay.

Unfortunately an iPhone doesn't capture the beauty and majesty of such an occasion so the moment had to be committed to memory rather than to captured image.

Soon after the moon-rise folks started to drift away. Our decision to leave was made for us when it started to rain.Our decent was much trickier than the ascent as we had to find our way back down to the beach with just a small torch and the light of an iPhone. The moon was hidden behind clouds so there was no light source there.

We made our way back to the beach cautiously and without incident and decided to go for an impromptu swim to cool down. The water was cool and refreshing and we delighted in watching folks walk past chattering away without any knowledge that we were close by. 

Annie and I made our way back to the Jeep and on the way home we were treated to a silvery moon casting its brilliant light across Coral Bay.