We learned a few things from this trip.
- The Menenshma bike ferry never runs when you want it.
- The Black Dog Cafe is a nice spot with a beautiful railroad car.
- The boat never sells out for walk-ons and bikes.
- Martha’s Vineyard is not flat.
The trip went well. Almost everyone found the boat on time. Most parked at the lot on Depot Avenue in Falmouth. We biked down the Shining Sea bikeway towards Woodshole. We picked up Gregg and Allison at the Locust Street parking lot. Everyone purchased their tickets and we boarded the boat.
We rolled from Vineyard Haven to Oak Bluffs. We passed the lighthouse at West Chop and the MV Hospital. In Oak Bluffs we saw the gingerbread houses and the Flying Carousel. No time to stop for coffee!
We rolled along a secret Ocippolini route into the middle of island devoid of cars and onto the bike paths around the Manuel Cornelius state forest. I saw that South road is under construction, again. The pavement is constantly replaced and South road seems to take the brunt of the abusive New England winters. We found a nice path through the woods of the state forest and avoided all of the drama of South Road.
We waited at the Alley General store and VP Mike went for coffee. We had a nice break and we waited for a bit. We headed on ward to Gayhead light. We reached the town of Aquinnah. Some of us went straight up the rollers, which were shorter. Others went down the hill to Lobsterville and round the coastline of the peninsula. We met at the Gayhead lighthouse on the Aquinnah reservation.
Next, we rolled eastwards into the east wind!! Going downhill helped to preserve our average. Eric was flying down some of the roads. We had 3 guys pass our long line of 20 riders. They were tired when they reached the top of the hill. They promptly pulled over. One of them started to puke. Eric lead the line past them on the hill. Perhaps we will see those speedies on another trip.
We reached Middle Road, which has become one of
my favorites!! The pavement was smooth and the farm scenery is idyllic. The road looks daunting to the uninitiated. It has a bit of roll to it. We regrouped at the end of the road. We proceeded from there to the luncheon at the Black Dog Cafe.
See you next week at the club century.
