Billie Walter

Since we arrived on the island, Tom has mentioned more than a few times that he thinks we should get a scooter.  I realize that we are not talking about a Harley Davidson here, but a spill on a little scooter could do just as much damage, since my back is not fully healed.  Aside from that, it is rainy season for about half of the year and is not really that practical.  Well, it was my idea to rent a scooter for the day to explore Tinian.  Since 25 mph is about what everyone drives on the island, I felt fairly safe and comfortable.

We headed to the atomic bomb loading pits.  They are located on Tinian’s North Field.

Atomic bomb loading pit

This is where Little Boy was loaded aboard the Enola Gay.   It was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Little Boy

Fat Man

Fat Man was loaded aboard the Bockscar and dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Below is an example of what most of the roads look like.  There is one that is measurably better but many are much worse.  To say the least, it was a bumpy ride.  Fun but bumpy.

Next we headed off to the Tinian Shrine.  It is the only intact Shinto Shrine on the Northern Mariana Islands.

Shinto Shrine

Then on to the House of Taga.

House of Taga

These ancient latte stones formed the base of Chamorro Chief Taga’s House around 1500 BC. The Taga House in Tinian’s San Jose Village is the largest group of latte stones that were actually used by the ancient Chamorros. Legend says that when the last stone falls Chief Taga will return to Tinian.

Sunset on Tinian

We rounded out our afternoon watching the sunset at Taga Beach.  It was a day filled with adventure and history.  (We saw lots of other things but I thought I would just give you some of the highlights)

In the morning, we hit the beach, before heading back to Saipan.  We both agreed that it had been our best weekend since we got to the island.  Sometime after the first of the year, I will hit some of the highlights of Saipan, take pictures and do another such post.