Wednesday,19 September 2018, Martha's Vineyard rides
Ride Leaders: Tom Allen & Bob Apsler
10:30 am starts from Steamship Authority ferry dock, Oak Bluffs, MA
Mileage - varied for each rider, from about 30 mi to almost 50 mi
Short (hybrid) Riders (4): Tom, David Fay, David Wean, and Ron Beland.
Long Riders (7): Bob, Annemarie Altman, Arthur Teepe, Francie Sparks, Gene Ho, Maria Noya, and Rochelle Holman.
Present at ride start and lunch: Helen Greitzer and Carole Allen.
I lay awake, the night before the ride, imagining all that could go wrong. Shows how limited my imagination is! Despite (or perhaps partly because of) the multiple glitches, dodgy weather, crowd sourced ad hoc routing, and an exploding tire, the rides were enjoyed by all.
Starting at the Oak Bluffs ferry slip, my wife, Carole, and I met the group coming from Woods Hole, which included Helen, our coordinator. The wind was blowing briskly off the water and there were hints of drizzle in the air. As Helen and Carole set off in the car to visit Edgartown, the rest of us started our ride from Oak Bluffs to the State Forest bike path, where the long ride and the short (hybrid) rides parted ways. At this point Bob, who was leading the long ride, couldn't make his Garmin work, leaving him essentially clueless as to how to proceed. To compound things, the bike path itself was under construction with a large "PATH CLOSED" sign.
I was aware of this and told the group how to get by and what to be wary of. However, an almost immediate wrong turn caused the long group to first make a loop back to a previous point giving them a second chance at the missed turn, which they missed again! They then, somehow, found a completely alternate way around the Martha's Vineyard airport and eventually got back on route, after several unplanned miles, and proceeded to Menemsha village.
Meanwhile, the hybrid group, led by me, set out on a dirt road that turned into Checamo Path and then the well-named, Stoney Hill Path. The four of us navigated that and emerged onto the nicely paved Old County Road where David Wean's tire gave out with a bang! An emergency repair was made after some discussion of the appropriate denomination of currency to insert in the tire. After inflating the tire to a conservatively reduced pressure, David set out in the opposite direction toward the nearest bike shop which, this being the Vineyard, was closed for the day. Fortunately, he found a bike rental business that had a spare tire in their attic and was able to get functional again.
The remaining three hybrid riders continued on to visit Sepiessa Reservation and then headed back north along more paths (Old Courthouse Road and Rogers Path) to the Allen house in Lamberts Cove. The original plan was that both groups might converge there at near the same time, make a comfort stop and enjoy a snack and drink, before heading back to Oak Bluffs for the return ferry. However, the long ride group was so far behind schedule that the brief stop turned into a lunch stop, graciously prepared, from various leftovers and other provisions, by hostess Carole Allen.
When the long riders (and David with his new tire) finally appeared, reasonable expectations to catch the return ferry at 3:45 pm had pretty much evaporated (along with most of the lunch supplies). Fortunately, there was a good amount of ice cream in our freezer that had to be eaten before Carole and I had to leave the island, and which could be neither transported nor left behind. Now the plan became to catch the 5:00 ferry from Vineyard Haven, so the entire group (minus Annemarie, who had left the group to be sure to catch the 3:45 ferry and had her own adventures related thereto) set out for town, and completed the loop around West Chop, before heading to the ferry and other destinations. I then led Bob and Francie back to our Lamberts Cove house to join Helen for an overnight stay. The originally planned loop around East Chop in Oak Bluffs was abandoned entirely.
Thank you to Carole Allen for hosting (and feeding) this horde, and to the riders, who made the effort to come all the way to the Vineyard, for making the adventure a fun one.
Report by Tom Allen.
The long ride began inauspiciously as light rain descended on those of us riding from the parking lot to the ferry. When the route finally approached the ocean, we saw nothing due to water-covered lenses. The ferry ride went smoothly, despite strong winds, yet was sufficiently rough to cause seasickness in my Garmin - it refused to locate satellite signals and showed the present position as my home. The supposed leader of the longer ride option retreated into self-imposed exile to focus on coaxing his Garmin into action and paid no attention to Tom’s instructions. Turning the device off and on made no difference. The route loaded properly, but still no GPS signal. Off we went until we reached the barrier that Tom had warned us about. Instead of turning right, we went straight and then compounded the error with a subsequent left. After a long discussion, the group took two more lefts and ended back at the barrier. Another long discussion, with workmen, resulted in our repeating the original mistake of going straight. However, an encounter with a new friend in his aerodynamic tricycle led to yet another long discussion and an eventual return to the route. An inexplicably long stop at a general store allowed three of us to explore an art gallery with an outdoor sculpture park containing many Picasso-ish plaster and bronze figures.
Gene helped me fiddle with the Garmin, which then mysteriously decided to accept GPS signals for no apparent reason. We were able to make our way easily to the Allen home and a gracious reception from Tom and Carole. Tom’s report covers most of the rest of the ride, but he left out a critical part. Tom made clear that he would not join those of us who wanted to ride a 4 mile loop in Vineyard Haven, and stated that he would let us know where to start the loop. After several miles, we discovered that Tom had chosen to cut his losses and ride the loop with us, rather than risk the possibility of most of the group missing the late afternoon ferry and/or allowing those of us staying over at his house to wander aimlessly around Martha’s Vineyard in a hopeless search for his home.
Dinner at the Black Dog Tavern in Vineyard Haven, along with the incredible hospitality of Tom and Carole, made for a lovely overnight stay. And their hospitality never ended. In response to early rain, Tom 1) drove Francie and me along part of the 55 mile loop he laid out for us, thereby enabling us to skip the rain and wet roads, and 2) provided me with a rain jacket, since I had left mine behind, in my car, after foolishly trusting weather reports. The weather moderated, with occasional periods of sun, and Gay Head was beautiful, as were many views along the ride to Edgartown. I took advantage of an extra loop outside Edgartown, among marvelous residences, and appreciated Tom’s loaning me his rain jacket, as light rain coupled with a brisk headwind returned.
The route finished with a leisurely return to Oak Bluffs where, once again, Tom helped by delivering our luggage and Helen to the ferry landing. The biggest surprise of the trip was the endless stop-and-go traffic backed up by the rotary at the Bourne bridge.
Report by long ride leader, Bob Apsler, who didn’t lead the long ride.
