Cow Town Revisit

April 14 - We meet at the Last Command Post. Our plan to hike the Santa Claus Lane to the Grotto is switched to Cow Town when Dora says she has never been to the Cow Town Trail. Handy, Cutie, and Capt. Charlie are all amenable to the change to expand Dora's hiking experience. 
We head toward the dump road, past the Santa Claus Lane and soon on our way to Cow Town.

Beautiful white blossoms welcome us on our way.

 Dora, Handy, and Cutie in front of the Cow Town sign. We decide not to go into the property, as there is a chain across the gate. The field is pretty overgrown anyway. Some structures are faintly visible, and Dora is satisfied to have seen the gate sign.

 

Dora showing Handy the way to the Cow Town Beach.

A fairly calm day, the surfs are mild and the sun is strong. Dora discovers a fisherman sitting on the rock. She is curious if he has caught anything.

Dora climbs the rock to check out the fort that guards the beach front. Handy lends a hand for her to get back down.

A peek through the gun window.

Two of our hikers, not on our hike, show up with a large group of people at the beach. We are delighted to have this chance meeting. Bruiser and SpiceGirl pose for photo.

This is the group led by Bruiser to experience the sights and sounds of Saipan. They have hiked to the beach via Banzai Cliff, the opposite of our route. We leave the group and continue on our way.

On the way to Banzai trail, we stop over at the abandoned Cow Town barracks building. 

Fully expecting to show Dora the old Hillblom cigarette boat, we are surprised to see that it has been removed, with only the collapsed parts of the trailer remaining on the ground. A familiar landmark no longer.

Two bikers sharing the trail.

Handy mentions that he has heard about a big cave on this trail. CC leads Dora and Handy to the path leading to the cave. Standing on the edge of this large underground cave, they look for a possible place to descend into it.

From a different vantage point, this cave seems bottomless.

Handy back on the trail, passing through the rock garden.

After arriving at Banzai Cliff, we find a shady spot to have our snacks before finishing the hike. Dora brings this container of jackfruit that we greatly enjoy. We also once again run into Bruiser's group having a hearty breakfast in the pavilion. We join them for a while and wrap up this pleasant hike.