REGGAE FALLS, ST. THOMAS, JAMAICA

On Easter Monday, 13th April 2009, "Fun and Thrills" organised a family fun day at Reggae Falls (called Dam Head by the local folk) in St. Thomas in the form of a not too difficult ride and picnic. As usual, we planned to leave at 6.30 am and as usual, everyone except Donna, Andrew and Joan were late. 

Anyway, that's the way we run tings in Ja! However we were all on top of the world as we set out to have a wonderful ride and picnic by the river. We drove for about an hour to the outskirts of Morant Bay where we started the nine mile ride through Seaforth and near the famous Stony Gut to Reggae Falls.

Young Blair Henry was a new recruit, but she rode a good 5 miles before the sun did her in. The veteran Tashna took a spill while riding through a dry river bed just as we passed the district of Hillside and although adequately attended to by nurse Betty, packed it in. It was a wonderfully scenic ride as the view of the valley is absolutely breathtaking as are the mountains surrounding Reggae Falls. 

Unfortunately we have been having a prolonged drought island wide so the surrounding hills were not as green as I remembered them, neither were the falls as robust as when the river is really roaring, but the water was invigorating. 

Reggae Falls, is not a natural water fall but in fact the water from the Johnson River was dammed many many years ago to make a hydro electric station. No one can tell me why it was abandoned, but I did learn that in the 1980's there was talk of resuscitating the power generating system but for some reason it did not happen (I guess oil price was too low!). 

However these scenic and magnificent falls and rapidly flowing river now provide another excellent place for us God blessed Jamaicans to hang out and have a wonderful time. Yes we did and unlike last year when we had to abort the picnic because Chadwick, (a neighbour of mine) dived off a rock and broke his jawbone, this time it was accident free and wonderful. See the pictures at; http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102612&id=763366822&saved