Martha's Vineyard

We did a lot of fun things on our Boston trip. One of my favorite was a day in Martha's Vineyard. The weather was beautiful (blue sky and sun!) but the time was too short. I would love to go back here.

We awoke early and took the T to South Station. Here we caught a bus for a 90 minute ride to Woods Hole.


From there we caught the ferry for a 45 minute ride to Oak Bluffs.



Brenda had told us to take some bread on the ferry because the seagulls would fly next to the boat and eat it out of your hand. Ms. L didn't want to do it, so I got the duty. I have a strong fear of chickens, so doing this took all the courage I could muster. I held a piece of bagel out with the tips of my fingers and waited for the bird to scoop down and pluck it away. I was a little nervous, hoping the bird's beak wouldn't peck my hand (that is what I hate about chickens). It happened twice (Ms. L has the photos to prove it). The third time I chickened out(no pun intended)and pulled my hand away. Then I guess the birds were too full and I couldn't get them to eat more.

Our first stop in Oak Bluffs was the Gingerbread houses.

According to our handout from the visitor's information desk, "The seeds of Oak Bluffs sprouted in August, 1835 from a handful of tents pitched amid a grove of oak trees fro a week of spiritual rejuvenation. By 1880, this Methodist revival meeting in the Camp Ground had grown into a summer city of a thousand wood frame tents and cottages." We visited the museum and found out that the people started decorating their tents with gingerbread decor, and hence the name. The tents turned in to rough frame houses. Most people live here only in the summer because there is no insulation-- it is just the frame. The lady at the museum said they still pay "rent" and don't own their cottage.

Next we decided to rent bikes.




By our estimation on the map, we rode 16 miles that day. Five miles from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown-- a beautiful route that follows the water.


6 miles to the west-- very scenic


5 miles to South Beach and back to Edgartown. Our final destination was South Beach. We took a little detour to the west, and so didn't get there as soon as we had planned. The water was about 68 degrees, so it felt a little cool. The sand was so soft and the water a beautiful blue. There were lots and lots of people enjoying the sunshine.


We took the town bus back to Vineyard Haven (didn't have it in us to ride another 7 miles) to catch the ferry back to Woods Hole. At Woods Hole we ate dinner and then caught the 7:10 p.m. bus back to Boston. Ms. L conked out on the way home and we both slept well that night.
The day was so much fun!! I wish we could have spent more time here.