Be an Explorer.. not a Tourist .. Exploring Tucker Valley Part 1

Exploring Tucker Valley-Part 1

As we left the beach, it was still very early...like 11AM, so we decided to explore the valley further...so we returned to the car and retraced our route back down the Tucker Valley Road, stopping to see the ‘Bamboo Cathedral’. This is a tunnel of giant bamboo which arches over a stretch of tarmac that cars are no longer allowed to drive on. 

Hey! I recommend and totally endorse a stroll through the Bamboo Cathedral for a cute little romantic date idea. That is if you're into nature, just not to late ok.. typically wen Trini's hear 'romantic' we tend to think after 8pm.. if you go here so late chances are you may not return with your significant other.. be careful OK.. that's all... anyway... moving on ..........

The Magnificent 'Bamboo Cathedral' 

As i got of of the car, the first thing i saw (well actually heard) was a red howler on the bamboo arches. Needless to say, i believe he was interested in my cousin Adriana more .. So guys, there are lots of 'monkeys' in this part of the island, so if yur into that type of nature seeking, this is the place.. (but let me caution you, these are wild) so unlike the ones in the zoo who also have no discipline, these maybe worst.. i suggest to don't feed them... just my thoughts...

A Red Howler on the Cathedral Arches

Further along the radio tower road, usually uphill which leads to the World War II Tracking Station, there were alot of abandoned places along the way..i believe these were quarters for soldiers during World War II ...  

Abandoned Structures Along the Way

Further up, to the very end of the road stands the radar station which was built in Trinidad near Chaguaramas in the 1960's as a monitoring network for the US army. In the 1960’s, during the Cold War, the USA deployed inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) stations in the Western Hemisphere to prevent any Russian attacks, and one of the first of the stations to be installed still stands with its massive satellite dish on the Trinidadian peninsula.

The Main Army Base

It was during this tense time that the US also developed the Early Warning System to get a jump on any imminent missile attacks before they were able to reach American soil. The radar station built in Trinidad near Chaguaramas was one of the first stations built in the monitoring network. The installation was finished in 1958, and the site had been chosen since the area had already been leased by the British to the USA since the early 1940’s to construct a naval base. The Chaguaramas radar station operated until 1971, but as it had been built without warning the local authorities, the abandoned remains continued to be important as a symbol of the Trinidadian fight for sovereignty.

The Tracking Station

Today the empty structures on the site retain a gloomy movie-like atmosphere when the day is misty, but it makes a great place for star gazing when the night is clear. Despite its scientific, historic, and social relevance to the area there are rumblings that the site will be demolished to make room for hotel space. Unfortunately there is no early warning system to defend against the inexorable roll of commercial development.

So Guys! Hurry and Visit Before The CDA destroys this Historical Marvel!