Coming into Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard (from the ferry)

Thursday, June 21

Well, we were off for Martha’s Vineyard this morning at about 8:45. Took the Island Queen ferry out of Falmouth, MA. It only took 35 minutes to get over there. Took our bikes with us and also bought a couple of tickets on a bus tour of the island which was totally misrepresented by the ferry company in their brochure. Going over for a day was not enough time. There’s a lot to see and we never did get a chance to ride our bikes. We definitely need to go back. Edgartown was really interesting. It was started in the 1600s as a whaling community. It brought the island great wealth. The whaling sea captains built beautiful mansions which have been beautifully maintained or restored. And the Gay Head area is rugged and beautiful. Jackie Kennedy built a home there on 400 acres. We docked at Oak Grove which is a beautiful little town noted for its Victorian cottages. I didn’t think cars could go over to the island, but you can take your car and that is the way to go—or rent one over there. It’s quite costly to take your car over on the ferry. It was a great day—weather perfect. Looking forward to going back. Took the 6:45 ferry back to Falmouth and had dinner there. Didn’t get back until about 10:00.

Wednesday, June 20

Well, the weatherman was right—it started raining during the night and rained off and on most of the day. We did our laundry last night so we could absolutely kick back all day…and we did. Sat outside under the awning and read for a while and then Mike started a fire. A guy traveling around by himself stopped by and we invited him to sit by the fire with us. He’s from the Atlanta area and is traveling in a 38 foot motor home. His name is Steve and he’s heading up to the Canadian Maritimes also. Maybe we’ll see him again in our travels. Had prime rib, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and corn for dinner. Really good. We go to Martha’s Vineyard tomorrow. Really looking forward to it. Mike transferred the bikes to the truck so we won’t have to do it tomorrow. He also pumped up the tires (while I did my nails… I love it).

Left for the JFK Library in Boston this morning at about 10:30. It’s a straight shot into Boston from here. Didn’t take long at all and only had one traffic back-up. The library sits right on the old harbor just across the water from Boston. The building was designed by I. M. Pei and is a work of art in itself. Spent over 4 hours there. Extremely interesting and entertaining. JFK’s 26-foot sloop, the Victura, sits outside. We left there between 3:30 and 4:00. I thought we should have gone into Boston and had dinner, but Mike wanted to beat the rush hour. There was quite a bit of traffic at first but thinned out after we got on Rt. 3. Back to Plymouth in 50 minutes and had dinner at an Italian restaurant on the harbor and sat outside on the deck. A beautiful evening. After dinner we stopped at a local shop and bought some more chocolate covered cranberries—like we need them. Back to Pinewood Lodge and we decided to go ahead and do the laundry. Met a great couple in the laundry room from California. They’re on a three-month trip through New England and over to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We told them about Door County in Wisconsin. Hope they check it out. Supposed to rain tomorrow. We’ll see.

The beach at Chatham, Cape Cod

We had some raspberry smoothies this morning and then we headed to Cape Cod. Left about 10:30. There is now a four-lane highway most of the length of the Cape. Arrived in Provincetown at about 12:30. Had lunch at the Lobster Hut on Cape Cod Bay. I was here about 25 years ago and remember it as a quaint, charming little town. Now it’s a busy, tacky, touristy nightmare. A real disappointment. We stopped at a beautiful beach before we hit Provincetown though. Beautiful sand doons covered with lush vegetation and beautiful flowers. The whole area is now a Seashore Recreation area and is protected. After leaving Provincetown we dropped down south on Rt. 28 and went through one cute little town after another. They were all established in the mid-1600s. Arrived back at the campground at 7:00.

Sunday, June 17

Happy Father's Day! Made a big breakfast this morning—sausage, eggs, biscuits and juice. Tasted pretty good. We didn’t have that much to eat last night. Another beautiful day. After breakfast we kicked back outside and read for a while. Then came in to watch the US Open. Clouding up and looking like rain. Rooting for Tiger Woods to win the Open, but he came in second. I was a wreck. After dinner we went grocery shopping (sigh). Such fun. A beautiful evening though.

The Mayflower

Went over to the lodge and had breakfast this morning. A beautiful day, so we sat out on this large deck overlooking a beautiful little lake. This is a great place. The young staff is friendly and hard working. After breakfast we drove into Plymouth, parked and walked around. Checked out Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower. Very touristy, but fun. The Mayflower is a replica that was built in England in the 1950s and then sailed over here. Must have been quite a trip. We stopped and bought some chocolate covered cranberries and had some ice cream. While sitting outside eating our ice cream a bunch of people in Ford Cobras drove by. Must have been a car show nearby. There was probably 30 of them. Back to campground and sat outside and read for a while. Burgers for dinner tonight. An absolutely beautiful day.

Left Mystic this morning at about 11:00. My turn to drive. I was a little nervous about driving through Providence, R.I., but no problems. We arrived at the Pine Wood Lodge campground in Plymouth, MA, at 2:30. This campground is really nice for a commercial campground. Lots of mature pine trees; we have full hook-ups including full cable, and it’s only $36/night. Very pretty. We’re here for 10 days. The campground we left in Mystic was nothing great, but we weren’t there much and we had great neighbors (from Florida). It was actually sunny today, but still cool—upper 60s. After getting set up we had an early dinner of left-overs from a restaurant where we had dinner a couple of days ago. Plan to kick back tomorrow. We’ll see.