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| Couldn't get Google Maps to go directly from Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard, but that's the actual route we took: Cape Cod to Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard and back to Cape Cod (9 am to 10 pm - a long day) |
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| They only offer the "Around the Sound" ferry to both Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in the summer and this was the first weekend they were offering it. There weren't many people on the ferry since many school systems still weren't out for the summer. |
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| Common Nantucket style houses |
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| We had a quick lunch at a restaurant near the boat docks |
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| We had planned to ride scooters around the island but it was raining so we rented a car |
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| We saw some seals playing along this beach |
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| We bought another strawberry rhubarb pie (like we did on Long Island), but this time it was perfect. Big chunks of strawberries and rhubarb (no jelly filling like the Long Island pie) and the crust was perfect. |
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| We were disappointed about not being able to rent scooters but the car allowed us to cover the entire island. This is Aquinnah, a remote Indian village on the far coast. |
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| There were some incredible views and we had them all to ourselves |
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| We saw this seal frolicking in the waves. You can barely see his face around the rock in the middle of the photo. |
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| We stopped at this bar near the ferry for a quick dinner. It was pouring rain and the place looked a little rowdy with a live band, but it worked out. The food was really good. |
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| This was their version of clam chowder - very fresh and more natural tasting than the usual creamy clam chowder |
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| The sea was really choppy and we were catching a lot of air bouncing across the waves. There was an Asian family next to us who were freaking out and pleading to turn the boat around. The father had a death grip on the seat back in front of him the whole time. We couldn't stop laughing. It felt like the best roller coaster. I don't think they appreciated our take on the situation. |
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| The pool was still open when we got back to the hotel. Helen only packed sandals and her feet were frozen so the hot tub felt great. |
Saturday June 11, 2011
The plan for the day was to take the Hy-Line ferry "Around the Sound" tour from Cape Cod to Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard and back to Cape Cod. It was a short trip from our hotel to the ferry departure point in Hyannis. It was the first weekend of the year that they were offering the around the sound tour and there weren't many other people on the ferry with us. Because the kids get out of school so late up north, Summer activities don't really get going until middle to late June.
The weather was overcast and chilly. Before we left on our trip, Helen went back and forth about what to pack. She kept asking me what I was going to pack and I told her it wasn't that big a deal and to just pack some layers. At home, with the hot weather, it was hard to imagine needing warm clothing. In the end, Helen packed only sandals and a light pullover. This was the point in our trip when she wished that she had packed more warm clothes. I had running shoes (thinking I would run on our trip but I never did) and they kept my feet warmer than sandals.
It might have been better if we had nicer weather, but I tend to think of the weather as providing a different background or perspective. I like to see things on beautiful days, rainy days, all kinds of days - they are all different. It just so happened that on this day we would be seeing things from an overcast and rainy perspective. It's all good. Rainy days can be beautiful too - they're cleansing and calm and they keep the crowds down.
The ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket was almost 2 hours. We arrived in Nantucket a little after 11. We looked at some of the shops near the dock and then we went to find one of the local tours. The tour we tried to take was full so we had to regroup. We walked around town some and found a visitor center. The other tours didn't start until later and we were limited because we had to catch the ferry to Martha's Vineyard around 3. The "around the sound" tour is nice for an overview but limiting in terms of what you can see.
We decided on the Whaling Museum. It was a nice museum and we really enjoyed it. We listened to a storyteller recount the plight of
the Essex whaling ship, which was the inspiration for Moby Dick.
We walked around town some more looking at all the cute Nantucket style houses and then went in search of a place to eat. We finally settled on a place, but were rushed for time and the food was just so so.
The ferry from Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard was about an hour. By the time we reached Martha's Vineyard it was raining. We had intended to take scooters around the island. Luckily there was rental car agency nearby and we went there to rent a car for the day.
We drove all around the island visiting most of the villages on the island. It was such a peaceful rainy day. We thought Alley's General Store was neat and we loved the strawberry rhubarb pie we got there. We finished the pie in no time and were disappointed that we hadn't bought another pie or 2 to take with us.
We went all the way out to the remote Indian village of Aquinnah. The place was deserted and we had all the incredible views overlooking the cliffs and the ocean to ourselves.
We arrived back at the ferry in time for a quick dinner at a bar nearby. It was pouring rain and the place looked more like a party place than a place for families, but we were glad we stopped by. The staff was very welcoming and the food was really good.
We boarded the ferry back to Cape Cod about 9 and the seas were really churning. The boat was a high speed ferry and it really bounced along the waves. There were some pretty big ups and downs. There were only a few other groups. The group next to us was panicked and didn't seem to appreciate us laughing and acting like it was an amusement park ride.
The ferry back to Cape Cod took about an hour. The panicked family next to us cheered when we reached the harbor and idled into the dock. We got back to our hotel just before the pool closed. The boys didn't even bother changing and hopped into the hot tub. Helen couldn't wait to warm her feet after being exposed to the elements all day.
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