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Martha's Vineyard

Always Wear A Helmet

Long before Bartholomew Gosnold visited the island in 1602, the Wampanoag tribe had made Martha's Vineyard, which they called Noepe, their home. They settled here just as the Ice Age was ending but before northern glacial waters separated it from the mainland.

Population

Year Round	14,248
Seasonal (1 plus month)	37,653
Vacationer (4 days - 1 month)	24,113
Visitor (less than 4 days)	29,610
Total	105,624

Interesting Martha's Vineyard Facts:

The first person to sail single-handed around the world, Joshua Slocum completed his three-year journey aboard the 36-foot sloop Spray in 1898. Later, at his West Tisbury farm, he wrote the best-selling book, Sailing Alone Around the World. Ever restless, in 1909 he set sail from the Vineyard for south America, and was never seen again.

Amos Smalley, one of the last Gay Head Indian whalers, is often credited (or blamed) as the man who killed Moby Dick, after he harpooned a large white whale near the Azores.

The Heath Hen, related to the western prairie chicken, lingered on the Vineyard after it became extinct everywhere else. The Manual F. Correllus State Forest was established as a sanctuary for the heath hen in the hopes of saving the species, but in 1932 the last one died.

The Edgartown Lighthouse was formerly situated atop a granite island reached via a wooden walkway known as "The Bridge of Sighs." Whalers about to depart for a long journey at sea would sometimes take their wives or girlfriends there for a last walk together before sailing away.







	One of my favorite bike rides is between Oak Bluffs (where the ferry from Hyannis docks) to Edgartown - much of it is along the shore. you can catch the "On Time" ferry to Chappaquiddick Island (a hybrid bike is best for this side trip since part of it is along a dirt road).

Above is Oak Bluffs Tabernacle, the center of "Tent City"	One of America's oldest operating carousels - Flying Horses

In the mid 1800s, Oak Bluffs attracted hundreds of evangelical folk who prayed together and lived in a community of tents. Today, the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting grounds is home to the colorful array of gingerbread houses that replaced the tents, and the huge wrote-iron Tabernacle (1879) where they worshipped. Each summer on Illumination Night, the cottages are festooned with Japanese lanterns.

"Tent City Cottages"

AQUINNAH (GAY HEAD)

I didn't have sufficient time to bike out here during my last visit to Martha's Vineyard since it was only on a one-day boat trip, but if you have the time, by all means visit this area.

If you call Aquinnah "Gay Head," expect to get some looks. If you call it "Aquinnah," expect the same looks from other people. This largely Wampanoag-populated area is growing into its recently restored tribal name, so you'll find some things, like the church and the colorful cliffs with the old name (Gay Head) and other things, like the road signs, with the old, old name (Aquinnah). People who have been there and have seen the sun setting over the multicolored limestone cliffs call it "magnificent."

From this high perch, the Island's sisters can be seen. On the north are the Elizabeth Islands and to the south one can view Nomans Land, formerly a bomb-testing site, now a wildlife preserve.

Turn around to see the Gay Head Lighthouse, built of red bricks made from clay from the cliffs. A frequent site for weddings, the lighthouse is open for tours on certain weekend days in the summer.