As I had mentioned before, the Falmouth Road Race was in town on Sunday. Our original plan was to take the 10:00 a.m. ferry out of Woods Hole. Unfortunately, the town of Falmouth had to start closing roads early in the a.m. We were advised by the trusty management staff at the campground that our best bet would be to take the Island Queen Ferry, and we’d better leave early because the crowds were going to start gathering by 9:00 a.m. So we decided to take the 9:00 a.m. ferry, which meant we had to leave around 8:15 a.m.
Packing up our campsite was somehow not as fun as setting it up.
Now 8:15 a.m. doesn’t sound too bad. But remember, there were 15 au pairs who needed to all get ready. And we had to break down and pack up our campsite before we left for the day. Since I hadn’t really gone to sleep, getting up was not a problem for me. I got up, cleaned the mess that the crows had made of our trash, put breakfast out for everyone to eat and fixings for sandwiches out for anyone who wanted to brown bag it for the day on Martha’s Vineyard.
We managed to get ready, pack up our campsite, and get on the road by 8:20 a.m. The traffic on the way to the ferry was not as bad as expected. At one point when we were very close to the ferry, traffic was stopped so that a motorcade could pass. There were about 15 policemen on motorcycles followed by a black SUV. “Could it be Obama?” some of the girls in my car asked. “No, the President doesn’t ride in a Chevrolet,” one of the au pairs answered. It was just the motorcade for the Falmouth Road Race. We managed to get there with about 10 minutes to spare. All was well in the world.
Enjoying the harbor views. Oceanfront homes and luxury boats!
It was a perfect sunny 78-degree day. The warm sea breeze was very calming for our 45-minute ferry ride after our stressful morning rush. We enjoyed looking at the ocean front houses and watching sailboats glide by us as we made our way from the lovely Falmouth harbor to the beautiful harbor at Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard.
Enjoying morning coffee on the ferry.
The conversation on the ferry ride was all about President Obama. Would we see the President while we were on Martha’s Vineyard? Could we go to Chilmark where he was known to be staying? Perhaps we might see him playing golf at his favorite golf course or shopping in Vineyard Haven at his favorite book store? Lisa from Germany was thinking about renting a car so she could drive around the island in search of POTUS. (Unfortunately, when she found out it costs about $375 to rent a car for the day, she decided she would just let fate take it’s course to determine if she should meet the President of the United States.)
Welcome to Oak Bluffs!
Once we arrived at Oak Bluffs, all of us except for two of the German au pairs, decided to rent bikes and explore the island. (They had to leave the island early because they were headed to a concert in Boston that night.) There is a nice little family-run bike rental shop right across from the ferry terminal called Anderson’s Bike Rentals. They gave us a group rate of $15/pp to rent our bikes for the day. The employees there were very friendly and helpful.
The friendly folks at Anderson’s Bike Rentals had us on our way in now time!
They provided us with maps of the island and showed us the various routes that tourists normally take and told us approximately how long it should take to complete each route. They also pointed out some places on the map that President Obama was known to frequent when he is on the island in case we wanted to increase our odds of a POTUS sighting. The Chinese au pairs were particularly excited about this possibility!
Smiling au pairs en route to Edgartown.
There are really nice bike paths all around Martha’s Vineyard. We decided to take Beach Road from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown. We would stop off in Edgartown, have lunch and explore the little town. On the way, we passed several beaches and the famous bridge from the movie “Jaws”. There were many tourists lined up and ready to jump off the bridge. (None of us were that daring. We just watched.)
We were cruising along at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery. I started to notice that my leisurely pace was really slow. That’s when I realized I had a flat tire. I called the bike rental place and they told me someone would be there in about 10 minutes. I told the au pairs to continue on and wait for me in Edgartown. I hung out on the side of the bike trail and tried to avoid being hit by the oncoming bikes. The young kid from Anderson’s Bike Rentals showed up pretty quickly and exchanged my bike for one with air in both tires.
The bike path on Beach Road. Not too shabby.
By the time I caught up with the au pairs in Edgartown, our group had been cut in half. It seems that some of the au pairs decided they wanted to make the loop to Vineyard Haven, and that was fine. The rest of us peddled around Edgartown until we found a spot to park our bikes. By now, everyone was “starving”. (I learned that food is important to these girls!)
The quintessentially quaint Edgartown, MA.
We walked around town towards the harbor. The au pairs decided to eat lunch at The Wharf Restaurant. I decided that I would give them a chance to chat freely and enjoy their lunch in the restaurant while I enjoyed a little quiet time. I walked to the waterfront, found a nice bench, and watched the boats coming in and out of the harbor while I ate the sandwich I had packed back at the campsite.
A few minutes later, a large boat drove into the harbor and someone shouted, “Clear the docks”. “Is it the President?” the lady sitting on the bench next to me asked as people began to scurry. “Just kidding…” the man on the boat yelled. Now, that would have been a great story, but it was just another false alarm.
I met up with the au pairs outside the restaurant and we decided to do a little shopping. Unfortunately, the little shops are really expensive, so the only real purchases that were made were for post cards to send home.
Getting ready to hit the road again.
We made our way back to our bikes and began our journey back to Oak Bluffs. Some of the girls rode straight back to town, but a few of us decided to stop at one of the local beaches to enjoy a quick dip in the ocean before returning to town. The water was pretty cold, so we didn’t last very long. But it felt very refreshing after a long day of biking and walking.
We peddled back to Oak Bluffs and returned our bikes at Anderson’s Bike Rentals. When we arrived, we learned that the other girls had already returned their bikes and were out exploring Oak Bluffs. After a quick stop for ice cream, we all made our way back to the ferry terminal just in time for our 4:00 departure for Falmouth.
A sailboat flying the American flag. Could POTUS be on board?
On the ferry ride back home, we shared our stories about our adventures. Unfortunately, there were no POTUS sightings for our group that day.
Angeles, Iveta and Angie on the ferry ride back home.
I was not looking forward to the long drive back home. But to my pleasant surprise, the traffic was very light. The drive home from Falmouth only took about 1 1/2 hours. Everyone was safely returned to their host families early Sunday evening. And the planning for our next adventure is already underway…until next time.
Go Au Pair Boston 