Nantucket or Bust?

Plans to take the high speed ferry to Nantucket today did not come to fruition.  Tickets in hand, reservations at a cozy Inn on the Island, romantic dinner reservations and bike rental in place was all a great idea.  Apparently getting into a fender bender on the way to the terminal resulting in us missing the ferry was not on the agenda.  Luckily, our ferry passes are good for a year, and we did get a bit of a credit for a future stay at the Inn. We will make another attempt in September to visit the Island after the crowds subside.  It's all good though....it will make our honeymoon last all that much longer!! So, we made the best of the day by finding other activities that otherwise were not planned.

To add insult to injury, while parking at the ferry parking lot, we had fender bender number 2 on the front bumper!  Good thing Guy is in the insurance business!

Looking for activities to fill our day, we headed to the West Tisbury Farmer's Market that is open on Wednesday and Saturday only.  We strolled and tasted and bought some local organic salsa, suave, spices and more.  It was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

Across the street was an Art Gallery with all sorts of interesting "Yard Art" appropriately named Maidens of the Meadow" strewn across the lawn.  Inside were beautiful pieces of work from local artists.  Of course, way out of my price range...but lovely to view none the less.

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A beautiful day at hand and wanting to get on the water, we decided to go Kayaking on the bay.  We rented a tandem and paddled for a couple of hours taking in the sights along the water's edge.

Working up an appetite we headed in for a late lunch.  A rather intoxicated woman approached us wanting to take our picture because she thought we were such a cute couple and looked "so in love".  I joined her in the intoxication part....as these island bloody mary's are delicious!

Striking up conversation with our waitress, we were given directions to a local hide away beach called Great Rock Bright that took us to an undisclosed part of town.  Driving down a dirt road and then walking a path through the wilderness where we saw deer and other wildlife, opened up to a very secluded rocky beach.  We had the place to our own!  We walked the shoreline and past the public beach line to view some incredible homes on the ocean.

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The path back to the car we stumbled upon this gate which reminded me of an entrance to "The Secret Garden"  There were many paths in which to choose from in this sanctuary and I suppose one could lose their way quite easily.  We also discovered the grave of a former slave from the early 1800's

As evening approached we headed to Meneshma Beach to watch the fishing boats bring in their catch of the day.  We dined on fresh seafood and lost ourselves to a beautiful sunset while listening to the clank of the bell out at sea which marks the way for the boats.

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Exploring Martha's Vineyard by Bike

With another beautiful day in store for us it was the perfect opportunity to hop on our bikes and view this 100 mile square island from a different perspective.  After a hearty breakfast of steel cut oats, we were on our way to explore.

We started out in Vineyard Haven where our campsite is located and headed out with no real itinerary at hand.  We let the road lead our path and discovered so much natural beauty that often we stopped to take it all in. The island is bicycle friendly with miles of bike paths meandering throughout.  This being our first time on the Island, we were both surprised to see how little is actually developed.  In fact, only 20% of the Martha's Vineyard is populated leaving 80% of wilderness and secluded beaches.  With little elevation gain, our 30 mile bike ride took little effort.  We headed through the outskirts of Edgartown, stopped at the fire station museum and viewed some firetrucks from the early 1900's.  It was nice to cool down in the A/C as the sun was relentless.  However, with the constant cool ocean breezes, we didn't realize how warm it really was until we stopped.  Back on our bikes we saw a sign for Katama Beach, and decided to explore that area. We passed some beautiful mansions along the water's edge including David Lettermen's house and a home that housed Lamas as pets.

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It seemed a bit eccentric to us but I suppose an easy way to keep the lawn manicured!  We continued down the road heading to Katama Beach.  You may recognize this place as it was the opening scene in "JAWS" where the first shark attack occurred when the woman was taking a swim at night.

Despite the history, many beach goers were swimming in the cold ocean waters.  No Way Jose....and we were on our way!  We headed to the beautiful seaside town of Edgartown, another scene from JAWS where the shark swam into the harbour and traumatized Roy Schneider's son on the raft.  We ate lunch at Shanty's Seafood overlooking the bay.  Guy has certainly had his fill of Lobster!

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Bellies full, we meandered through the seaside town amazed at the amount of wealth that is contained on this Island.  The one thing that really stands out is the beautiful manicured lawns and abundance of flowers, especially wild roses, honeysuckle, dogwood trees and hydranga.  We played the tourist role with camera in hand and gawked at beautiful old captains homes.  Pictured below are some scenes of Edgartown.

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We continued cycling the edge of town to the Edgartown Lighthouse which offers views of the harbor and Chappaquiddick Island known as "Chappy" to the locals.

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My New England Clam chowder that I had for lunch was not agreeing with me and I started to struggle with the remainder of our bike ride.  We attempted to board one of the buses that tour the Island and carry bikes on front of the bus, but we missed the bus.  Although they round every 20 minutes, we decided to bike the 7 miles back to base camp.  It was not the most enjoyable 7 miles for me and I was happy and exhausted to be back "home".

After a short rest, bathroom break and re-hydration.....we were on our way by car to Oaksbluff.  The one thing about Guy and I on our trips is we don't slow down.  We take in as much as possible starting our day with sunrise and concluding way beyond sunset.  We wouldn't have it any other way....in fact our motto is "We can sleep when we're dead".  

The Honeymoon Begins

Our original plan for our honeymoon was to hike the Long Trail in Vermont.  Our trip to EMS supplied us with our tent, packs and supplies.  However, after much thought about the timing of our trip, we put it on the back burner for perhaps the fall.  Remembering the black flies and rainy season in Vermont this time of year would not make for such a fun adventure.  Then we planned a cruise to Alaska to view the Inner Passage, but again the timing was off for us. Luckily, we did get a refund of our deposit!  Deciding we needed to stay closer to home (puppies on the way and an upcoming family reunion) Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket seemed to be a romantic getaway in which to spend a honeymoon.  So, two days after the last day of school, we were on a ferry with our RV and car in the belly of the boat as we sailed our way to Oaks Bluff.  The morning was covered in pea soup fog, but quickly burned off as we approached the island.

  We set up camp at Martha's Vineyard Family Campground.  Spacious sites adorned with majestic oaks to keep our sight private and shaded.  Afterall, we are on our honeymoon!

  This beautiful triangular shaped island is bounded on the northeast by Nantucket Sound and the northwest by Vineyard Sound and the Atlantic Ocean to the south.  With a bluebird sky in store for us, we quickly headed in the car back to Oaks Bluff for a waterside lunch.  This seaside town is relatively young by island standards, and since its economy had more to do with recreation than with the time-honored whaling or shipping trades of Edgartown and Vineyard Haven, it evolved with a much more frivolous, lighthearted air.  Instead of serviceable, weather-hardy saltboxes or dignified captains' houses, Oak Bluffs is filled with whimsical, multi-colored gingerbread cottages.  It also leans towards pure entertainment with seaside restaurants and bars.  Perfect place for lunch!

 We dined at "Nancys" where I had the most incredible bloody mary with huge shrimp that adorned the lip of  my glass.  We then took a walking tour of the Methodist revival campground that is surrounded by the gingerbread houses pictured above.

After reflecting and taking in the quaintness of this town, we were ready to head to the beach.  We were told to visit the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah on the west side of the Island.  We toured the lighthouse and took in the amazing scenery as we walked the beach.

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We strolled along the base of the cliffs taking in the salt air and abundance of sunshine.  What lurked around the corner took both of us by surprise.  We had stumbled upon a nude beach where sunbathers were enjoying the warm sun on their bronzed bodies.  Of course, my shirt was off in seconds and Guy quickly following my lead was brave enough to strip down to wearing only his flip flops.  The ocean breeze caressed our bodies as we continued our walk trying not to be embarrassed by our nakedness. It actually turned out to be quite freeing as we immersed ourselves in the moment.

The sun burning our skin "where the sun don't shine" brought our journey to an end as we hopped back in the car letting the road lead us to our next destination.  Luck have it, we stumbled upon the ferry that hops across the water to Chappaquiddick Island.  Of course, we had to visit Dykes Bridge, the site of the Ted Kennedy mishap that took the life of Mary Jo Kopechne on July 18th 1969.

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The island is quite rural with no restaurants or shops and residents have to take the ferry across Norton Point Beach for activities of daily living.

  Many of the roads are dirt with only one paved road throughout the island.  We crossed Dykes bridge and sat at the ocean's edge for a bit before heading back into Edgartown. This quaint seaside town is the location where the movie "Jaws" was filmed.  We had a light dinner and strolled the streets and shops taking in all the sights before heading back to base camp for the night.

It was a strange silence to return to the RV and not have any of our dogs anxiously waiting for our return.  This is the first time we will have traveled without our four legged friends in tow.

A Blast From the Past

I guess the best place to begin my story is back in 1989 when I married the love of my life.  However, both Guy and I had more lessons to learn and we continued life's journey apart just two short years later.  God had a plan for us but we were just too stubborn or selfish or shortsighted to realize what we had and we let it slip away. But as life would have it, we reconnected 19 years later and were given a second chance at love!  Because we were the best of friends and knew how to play well together, we decided to buy an RV and travel the countryside during the summer of 2010.  It was a great leap of faith for both of us to venture out for 6 weeks in a 34 foot RV as we decided to test the waters between us. After all, there was no place to run, no place to hide!  But what did happen between us was mystical and magical in every sense of the word.  We re-ignited our love affair and began a journey that would find us longing to be on the open road exploring new territory in the RV we so lovingly named Rhonda.  Over the next three years we continued our adventures on the open road covering over 35,000 miles and making fabulous memories that we only dreamt could exist.  We had come full circle as a couple and on a beautiful fall day in 2012 on a mountain top in The White Mountains of New Hampshire, Guy got down on one knee and I said yes!  "And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times....It's you, it's you, you make me sing. you're every line, you're every word, you're everything" Those words of Michael Buble seemed to resonate with such clarity through us and before we knew it we were planning our March 2nd wedding. 

--Rose petals adorn the newlyweds

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Our romantic sleigh ride

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--A fitting cake for a hiking couple and their dogs

An afternoon reception

A mountain top celebration!

Our initial plan was actually supposed to be more of an alopement.  But the plans seemed to take on a life of it's own and turned into a 3 day event that was truly spectacular.  Snowshoeing, sledding, X-C skiing, sleigh rides and mountain hikes with fresh fallen snow made for a scene from Currier and Ives.  We were truly blessed to have so many close friends and family together to witness our loving words and commitment to one another. However, not all family could attend the wedding so we decided to have a celebration on the beach in Florida at the end of April to include our Florida families and friends. Spending 11 days at our beach condo in Indian Harbor was very relaxing as we soaked up the vitamin D, something us New Englanders seem to always be lacking.  Campfires on the beach, a 5K run, wish lanterns sent up to the heavens, exotic shells thrown into the ocean as good luck wishes for the newlyweds and of course dancing with the sounds of the DJ into the night were a few of the highlights of the celebration.  But the coming together of families and friends and loved ones who shared and support the joining of our lives touched our hearts in such a meaningful way and we will forever be grateful for being surrounded in such love.

As the grains of sand are poured together, never again to be separated

                                      

 Trash the dress!

Sealed with a kiss!

 Thank you Pinterest for the ideas

Dancing the night away!

 
Bonfires on the beach

Wish lantern sent to the heavens

Another day in paradise- view from our condo

Runaway Bride 5K race

Now, plans are underway for our non traditional unique honeymoon. Stay tuned................!!