July 16 - Martha's Vineyard, MA

Lake Tashmoo - Anchorage

Today we rode our bikes back into Vineyard Haven and took the bus to Edgartown. Edgartown was a primary port for the whaling industry during the 1800s. Ships from all over the world would dock in its sheltered bay and captains built grand mansions for their families. These beautiful homes can still be seen in town today. They help make the town a museum-piece, a seaport village preserved from the early 19th century. There is definitely a more elegant refined feeling here compared to the touristy feeling you get in Oak Bluffs.

Ted and Sally joined us for exploring today. The buses were easier to travel on today than our bikes, but they weren't air conditioned...making it a bit uncomfortable in the heat. We spent an hour or so wandering around Edgartown and then had lunch at The Seafood Shanty overlooking the harbor and Chappaquiddick Island.

The guys decided they'd had enough exploring after lunch and went back to the boats. Sally and I took the bus down to Aquinnah on the western end of the island to see the Gay Head Lighthouse and the cliffs that over look the Vineyard Sound. If it hadn't been so hot I think we would have tried to find a way down to the beach...just not worth it today. The bus was a little warm, but at least I got a small tour of the rest of the island. We will definitely have to come this way again.

We all enjoyed the cool water late this afternoon before we had our last evening with our friends. We will head north tomorrow...hopefully finding cooler weather. We'll see Ted and Sally on our way south or in Baltimore in September. It's been fun having friends to hang out with.

Pictures of the waterfront and our view from lunch

A memorial to the whales and the people who pursued them. It is on the waterfront in Edgartown

One of the beautiful homes in Edgartown

The Gay Head Lighthouse

These cliffs were first called the Dover Cliffs after the famous chalky landmark along the English Channel. This name, however, failed to stick, and by the 1660s, the area became commonly known as Gay Head, due to the headland’s gaily-colored cliffs. I'm very impressed with how blue and clear the water is here.