On the way to the lookout, Handy decides to follow an SUV that he is certain belongs to Dora. We follow the car all the way to the top of Suicide Cliff only to find a bunch of tourists alight from the car. We go back downhill and arrive at the lookout just after 6 a.m. We enjoy the early morning scene while waiting for Dora and Jane as they have taken a wrong turn and have to find their way to the lookout. Handy gets into the car to find the girls, but they arrive and we regroup to start the hike.
Great view of the Bird Island in early morning, with only one small family at the lookout, enjoying one of Saipan's best views.
The sun rises
We are on the road to Serena Cave. Handy tries to fix Cutie's hiking pole while Dora waits patiently.
The trail leads us down a secluded boonie pathway deeper into the woods, with thick growth of trees, ferns, and rocky landscape.
Heliconia plants growing thickly, but falling everywhere through neglect. But they still look healthy and gorgeous.
Finally we arrive at a very deep and dark Serena Cave. We don't dare getting too close to find out how deep it really is.
Handy and Jane getting a closer look at Serena.
Time and weather have given Serena a look that is closer to a real mermaid, with green scaly tail, and leaves that resemble seaweed plants floating in the water.
We find many hieroglyphics on the rock wall in Kalabera cave.
We are fascinated by the double profiles: a ghoulish old man on the left, and an orange faced female on the right.
Another hieroglyphic on the rock face.
Jane sees the Nan Madol wall for the first time.
We are on the right trail when we come upon the kapok trees. Jane picks up the white fluffy cotton.
Handy picks up a little plant to take home for his garden. We proceed to get lost in the woods, even though we know well that we are not really "lost", since we know exactly where the road is and we can hear the surf. But we need to find the trail that leads to the road, which we do eventually.
Back to the lookout, we run into a group of tourists making their stop at Bird Island. We ask one of the tour guides to take our photo.
This is an enjoyable hike. Not difficult, but fun to find new things and different views. We rate it a four-sneaker hike.