Turning 40 is really getting fun. First my Nash Bash with my girls and now Martha's Vineyard with my hubby. It was actually supposed to be in the opposite order, but unforeseen circumstances caused us to have to postpone our trip. So that just meant, I rolled into July still celebrating. Heck, maybe we should just keep the celebration going throughout the entire summer. I mean it is a big birthday after all.
So here's the deal with Martha's Vineyard....it is NOT easy to get to, but it is so worth it. Martha's Vineyard is an island off the coast of Massachusetts and basically your options are a ferry or a teeny tiny little plane from who knows which airport.
Clay and I opted to fly into Providence Rhode Island, drive an hour to New Bedford, and take a ferry to the Vineyard from there. We kind of had an itching to see and experience as much of the area as we could.
When we arrived to New Bedford, we had just missed the ferry. That gave us a good hour or more to grab lunch, have a drink, and roam the town. {when I say "roam" I mean shop to my hubby's demise} New Bedford was an interesting coastal town...very old and I'd like to think in the works of making a come back.
Before long, it was time to catch our ferry. Which, I should note, you can't park at the ferry. You must find parking at a local garage and shuttle over. {would have been really helpful to know...next time, right?}
It was crazy windy and with this being my first time in these parts, I wondered if that was the norm. Apparently not, passengers were commenting about this being a "very rough ride".
So rough, I started to get a little queasy. Now, if you know me, I NEVER get sea sick or any other kind of motion sickness. I grew up on boats for goodness sake, but this was like a roller coaster. And I despise roller coasters. I decided to take my weary self out to the back deck of the ferry. And oddly, as soon as I could see the water, all was fine. It was like an instant cure.
After about an hour ferry ride and a 15 minute Uber ride we arrived at our hotel in Edgartown. It was absolutely darling and captured the true essence of the island.
We explored the grounds and then walked ourselves up to town. It was about three blocks away and an absolutely beautiful stroll. Cape Cods and cedar shake as far as the eye could see. I felt like my little cottage could have fit right in.
Clay and I grabbed dinner at Rockfish and then explored town a bit more before calling it a night.
By morning, we were ready to see all that the Vineyard had to offer. We grabbed bikes {which makes me so indescribably giddy} and hit the cobblestone.
We got lost a few times.
But ended up on the most beautiful scenic path along the coast. I could literally have taken a bite of the salt air. It was so thick, but oddly so refreshing.
We ate our first of many lobster rolls at the Wharf Pub and it did not disappoint. Yum!
Clay had a little birthday surprise in store for me which required us to be to the docks by 2:00pm.
In no time, I found myself on board a lovely sailboat in one of the most stunning places I have ever been. You will never hear me complain about a boat ride....totally my happy place {minus that few minutes aboard the ferry}.
If you think the salt air was thick on the bike ride, it was the real deal out at sea. I was sporting some serious mermaid hair, which I came to embrace {without choice} as the trip went on. Thanks goodness for hats.
The sail included the richest most chocolatey birthday cake ever and...
...a bit of serenading from the captain himself. Amazing!
As if the day couldn't get any better, Clay and I topped it with a walk out to the lighthouse and a divine dinner.
Dinner was at, the appropriately named, Lighthouse Grill.
And what else would we order other than lobster, of course. The food was incredible and the service was so-so. It was hard to place too much blame, it was clear that the island gets a lot of "summer help" from all over the world. It think they are all doing the best they can and learning as they go. Completely kind and caring, just not always efficient.
Oh well, doesn't really matter because this guy was delish!
The next morning we were back to one of my happy places...on the seat of a bike with the smell of salt water all around me. {insert pure euphoria here}
I would have to say we logged a good 15 miles on our bike this day. We made a trip over to Chappaquiddick Island which required us to take our bikes aboard the ferry. This beach club is apparently one of the filming spots from the first Jaws movie. Several of these locations were pointed out to us during our stay. It is a serious claim to fame for the locals.
Then we headed up island to Oak Bluffs. We took one of my favorite scenic routes to get there. {add a lot more mermaid hair} Once we arrived, I wasn't overly impressed with this part of the island. Although, I can't deny, it looks like you could have a really good time there, it just wasn't as polished as Edgartown.
Clay and I grabbed lunch...yes, another lobster roll and then rested our weary legs on an island tour.
I'm embarrassed to say, we both dozed off on the tour for a short bit. It had to be a combo of that lengthy bike ride, the cocktails at lunch, and our tour guide's amazingly soothing voice. But, we woke up just in time to catch this beauty.
So, I'm probably completely botching the spelling of this part of the island, but it was something like the Aqquinnah. Definitely a must see.
Post tour, we hopped back on our bikes and rode along the coast back to our hotel. I persuaded Clay to let me stop at the beach to collect seashells and soak in the salt air. My hair was beyond repair at this point, so why not.
The shells were pretty fabulous. I mean giant whole ones. Nothing like the fragments that washed up on the Gulf Coast when I was a kid. I was kind of in a childish awe.
After all that adventuring, we decide to take our last evening pretty easy with a casual dinner in town.
Leaving the island was near detrimental. I just wanted one more day, but knew we needed to get home to celebrate the 4th with the kiddos.
Remember how I mentioned it's not easy to get to the island, well luckily, it's just as difficult to get back to the airport. I almost felt like I got my extra day.
With a scheduled ferry ride and down time in between, we were able to make a quick trip to Nantucket before catching our flight in Providence. It slightly satisfied my urge to want to stay a little longer.
From what we could see of Nantucket in an hour, it seemed like a great little town. We hit the main strip and got a taste of the culture, geography, and a couple of the mansions it is so famous for.
And I got my last fresh East Coast seafood sandwich of the vacation. Yum!
From there we were officially airport bound. We rolled into town just in time to celebrate July 4th with our little firecrackers. No rest for the weary.
On a brighter note, I was closer than I had been in days to salt free hair. There is always a bright side.
