Sun June 20: Martha's Vineyard Side-Trip

 In which Father's Day should always feature oysters, no matter no matter how I feel about them ...

We had hoped to continue our trip northward stopping at Cutty Hunk and Martha's Vineyard, but time is tight for our return trip to NY to meet the kids, so we decided the best way to see Martha's Vineyard (MV) was to take a ferry over for the day.  It would be a quick trip but would give us a good introduction to the island so we can get a feel for it.  We bought tickets on the "Fast Ferry" and got a Lyft ride to the dock with time to spare.   The ferry ride took 1 hour 45 mins at a speed of almost 35 mph.  It was strange to go so fast on a boat - WTH.  We felt like we were flying on the big catamaran- style ferry.  

 

We pulled into Oak Bluffs at 10:45am (which was NOT AT ALL where I thought we would dock), bought a day pass for the local bus system and started exploring.  Oak Bluffs looked like it had potential.

Their ye olde carousel is famous - but the old one in Nederland CO is so much better!

 

Vineyard Haven was the first stop, but there was not much 'there' there - so it was easy to check off the retirement possibilities list.

Next we hopped on the #13 bus to go cross-island to Edgartown.  (Which is where I thought we were going to land with the ferry). This is the largest town on the island but is still relatively quiet, compared to the spring-break vibe of Oak Bluffs.  It must be crazy-pants busy in the middle of summer - we are glad that we're here early in the season. 

We had to have a lunch stop so that Rick could have oysters for Father's Day.  Doesn't he deserve that?!  He is such a good dad, and partner...* sniff sniff *  I got a little weepy there.

After lunch we stroll through town - the houses are almost exclusively white and grey, and they, plus their gardens, are exquisite. Plus the water is gorgeous - very clear, and lots of different colors.

We stopped at the "Chappy Ferry" - the ferry that makes the short crossing to Chappaquiddick (yes of Edward Kennedy fame) and ended up at the lighthouse.  From there we made our way back to the bus stop for the return trip to Oak Bluffs. 

Jaws was filmed on MV, and there is a ton of Jaws merch available.  From the bus we were able to see the iconic bridge where even today kids are jumping into the water.

 

Oak Bluffs seemed to be the party part of the island.  It is filled with young adults who were partying like it was post -pandemic 2021.  Which, I guess it might be.  The harbor was ringed with bars and restaurants full of yahoos cheering and shouting as boats entered and drunkenly tried to dock.

In my job as Cruise Director on the Love Boat, I had read that early on (1870's or earlier) MV was used as a religious retreat.  Each summer families would come to the island, set up tents and have a summer vacation with religious meetings each day.  Over time the tents turned into small cottages, and now there is a whole section of small, quaint cottages placed on twisting paths around a large public space called "The Tabernacle" (the original revival tent).   The place is still used for religious services and as we wondered through the area we found families all around enjoying the community feel of the area.  Who knew something this adorable existed?  It was IMPOSSIBLE to stop taking pix.

Rick is checking his phone to see if we have stumbled into Alice in Wonderland territory.

Nebo, our tracking app, thought Rick was the boat - so it shows the boat all over MV!

Reeling from cuteness overload, we boarded the ferry at 4:50 for our speedy ride back to the mainland and eventually found/bribed an Uber to come pick us up at the ferry terminal.   We returned to the boat to find everything feeling wet.   It was very humid, but the temperature had dropped so there was a cold, clammy, sticky wet feel to everything.  I don't know about you, but I LOVE the feel of sleeping under a wet sheet...

Last item of the day - a Zoom call with the kids, where they amused themselves:

 

 

** A shout out to steadfast reader/friend Dottie, who became a grandmother just in time for Father's Day!  Welcome Colin Tevis Brodhag. That's a Newport - worthy name.