Conference noted::bicycle

        I haven't been there for a few years, so things might have changed.

        I think it's only 40 or so miles to "circumnavigate" the island,
    staying on the main roads.  This includes going out to Gay Head (a nice
    high point right on the ocean with opportunity for scrambling around on
    foot) but does not include Ted Kennedy's bridge (is that Tisbury? and I
    think someone in this file talked about recently).
        There was a stretch of "bike trail" but I remember it as a narrow
    sidewalk, where two or more may not gather, or at least pass.
        Be prepared for little-or-no shoulders on the roads, as well as
    a lot of traffic on those roads.

        Jon Reckard

    	My wife and I went there last Monday. We went on the 
    Island Queen out of Falmouth. It had a bike rack on the deck that
    is where you sit so you can stay with your bike and watch it. The
    Steamship out of Woodshole is less expensive, but they keep the
    bikes with the cars(below deck) and they stack them togather 
    (read scratch paint). It cost us $25 for the bikes and us, round
    trip.
    
    	We arrived at Oak Bluffs and picked up a map for 50 cents. It
    wasn't the best map but it helped. The best place to see there is
    Gay Head, but the road there is all woods for about 16 miles(my wife
    wanted to ride along the ocean).  So we went to Edgertown along
    the ocean and it had a bike trail from Oaks Bluff (about 8 miles).
    
    	There are alot of shops in Edgertown and you can spend alot
    of time there or take another bike trail to the main road that leads
    to Gay head. That road as I said before is all woods plus it is
    all for the most part hills but the view at the end is worth it
    ( it was said to me by a police man that it was 18 miles or so to
    Gay Head from Oaks Bluff)
    
    	We had a good day hopes yours is the same.
    						Tom

	(Note: all the place names are spelled phonetically, or at least
	wrong)

	To get to the famous bridge on Chappaquidick, go to Edgartown
	and take the ferry to Chappaquidick (about a 300 foot ride).
	Continue on the road from the ferry station until the
	pavement turns right about 90 degrees. Do not follow the
	curve but go straight onto a dirt road. Continue on the dirt
	road (passing a small park on your left) and you will
	eventually reach the bridge.

    	As mentioned in other notes, the bike path from Oaks Bluff to
    Edgertown is one of the most dangerous places anywhere to ride a
    bike! Avoid it and try the other bike paths inland, especially near
    the airport.  The ride to Gay Head is really nice on virtually any
    route.  The western part of the Gay Head ride has many ocean vistas
    and a short detour will have you pedaling along the surf. My preference
    is after Labor Day or before Memorial Day to avoid the crowds. -
    Chris

	Be warned that there is only one way on and off of Gay Head.
	On some maps it looks like you can ride around Gay Head and
	over to Manempsha without back-tracking...  This is not true 
	because although the line of sight distance is about 100 yards, 
	there is no bridge over the water.

	Thanks  for  all  the responses.  Sounds like I'm in for a nice
	bike trip!

		- Scott

>    The ride to Gay Head is really nice on virtually any route.  

I don't know what island you were on, but the road to Gay Head was narrow and 
had a fair amount of traffic when I was on it in late June.  There were school 
busses, and occasional trucks, and often cars on my side could not pass until 
there was no traffic in the other direction.  The road was nice, but the 
traffic was terrible.  The last 10 miles got fairly hilly, but then I like 
hills.  I found myself stopping at every intersection - should have bought a 
map.

cbs

    First of all, let's spell the names of the towns on the island right.
    I had to laugh, because only tourists to the Vineyard ever refer
    to Oak Bluffs as Oaks Bluff.  Nobody else calls the place by its
    wrong name.  Here are the proper spellings of the towns on the island.
    Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury, Chilmark, Gay
    Head. If I seem annoyed, it is because i have been going to the
    Vineyard for 23 years and you learn to develop a disdain for tourists
    who purposely call the towns by there incorrect names.
      Now that I am done scolding all of you guys, let me give you some
    practical advice.  Take State road towards the middle of the island
    from the Vineyard Haven ferry dock.  About 2 miles up, on your right
    will be Cycle Works, the only real bike shop on the island.  It
    is just before Cronig's Supermarket on State rd.  At cycle Works,
    they have Sunday morning rides all around the island with breakfast
    in Gay Head. Stop by the shop when you get on the island and ask
    them about their rides.  They can also give you more practical advice
    than I can here.
     By the way, the best place to hammer faster than 40mph is coming
    back from Gay Head on The Moshup Trail, Then South rd. 
       Have fun.

    
    I agree with .8!!!!  Anyone caught misspelling ANYTHING will be
    shot!!!!!!!!!
    
    Stew
    

397.8
>    Head. If I seem annoyed, it is because i have been going to the        
>    Vineyard for 23 years and you learn to develop a disdain for tourists  
>    who purposely call the towns by there incorrect names.                 
                                     ^^^^^
397.9
>  I agree with .8!!!!  Anyone caught misspelling ANYTHING will be      
>  shot!!!!!!!!!                                                        
                                                                       
    

    Okay, maybe I was a little harsh in my reply (.8).  I do want to
    help out with nice rides on the Vineyard, though.  
     Another helpful hint.  The bike trails are not too bad, but some
    of them remind me of what Paris-Roubaix must be like.  For touring
    rides,to which the Vineyard is best suited, it is the ideal place.
    One must be aware of the traffic where there is no bike path.
    For the faster folks, one particular joy the vineyard offers, is
    lots of mopeds...to race, of course.  Upon sighting one up ahead,
    you catch up, then draft for a while.  Once you feel more comfortable
    then you can hammer and blow by them.  It's tough though, you have
    to maintain 30 mph or faster for a while.  They tend to catch up
    again on the bigger hills though, so passing as a downhill approaches
    is usually the best bet.

Speaking of spelling, what about capitalization ?  The complainer back
there used "i" in lowercase when it should have been "I".

(sorry, I don't usually pick these sorts of nits, *except* when then
are committed by a complainer!)

But, back to the vineyard

Check out the youth hostel!  It's right on the inland bike path.  It's
an inexpensive place to stay.  Unless they've changed, you can use their
well-equipped kitchen to prepare *your own* brought food.  And Allie's
General Store is just down the road.  However, lights out strictly
at 10 p.m.  They throw a main switch, so if you're aiming at the urinal,
tough luck.

I like the inland bike paths.  There are a few fun rollercoaster-terrain
parts near the airport.

I also like the Edgartown bike path from Oak Bluffs.  The view of the
bay is quite nice.  If you ride single file, I believe it's safer than
riding on the road.  I don't agree with whomever said it was dangerous.

Also, not mentioned, from Edgartown there's now a bike path to Katama,
otherwise known as South Beach.  It has the largest waves of almost any
other beach in the Northeast USA, because of its exposure to open ocean.
(Be warned of the undertoad though!)

    I've enjoyed the ride from Vineyard Haven to Gay Head and back via
    the airport twice during off-periods:  once midweek in July and
    an April weekend.  I used the road, but only felt threatened by
    the traffic in the last mile near the Vineyard Haven ferry.
    
    However, I didn't enjoy the fourth of July weekend when I tried
    the easy ride from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown.  The road was very
    busy, and the police weren't letting cyclists or mopeds on the
    road so both had to share the bicycle path.  The interesting
    article on Martha's Vineyard in TRAVEL AND LEISURE noted that mopeds 
    combined the worst features of a motorcycle and an auto, and are
    a bad way to see the island.  I now see more than ever the merit in 
    this observation, and up it one.  People handle mopeds worse than
    automobiles or bicycles.  On one hand, people with pint sized motors
    and either pint sized brains or gallon sized egos tried passing
    us, but then cut into us when they found they couldn't overtake
    us before the oncoming traffic overtook them.  So they drive mopeds
    the way they drive cars.  On the other hand, people were twisting,
    steadying themselves on logs while they rode, as though they had
    forgotten how to balance themselves on two wheels.  So they drive
    mopeds the way I drove my first bicycle when I was six years old.
    
    As you can tell, I was greatly discouraged by this last episode.
    My next trips on the Vineyard will be up-island (Chilmark, Gay Head)
    or off-season.  I can't say I was very impressed by the surface
    of the Edgartown-Oak Bluffs path either:  lots of bumps and ridges.
    
    Lest everyone think I'm only a sourpuss, I will say that the ride
    between these two towns is very pretty, although Gay Head and
    Menemsha are still my island favorites.  And I plan to return,
    as I think this is one of the most fun places to ride in New England.
    But beware the mopeds which swarm around the ferry docks.  Get inland,
    look for some hills on the western side of the island.  Leave the
    beach crowd behind.
    
    Mackinac Island in Michigan, another summer resort, does not permit
    motor vehicles on the island.  Porters at the hotels use bicycles
    with big baskets up front to shuttle bags from the ferry.  Admittedly,
    Martha's Vineyard is a bigger island with a larger resident population.
    But wouldn't it be nice?  Maybe we can start with Nantucket.  Maybe
    we can start by banning mopeds.
                       
    David Buffo
    

    Come on, .8 missed so many capitals I thought it was a put on.
    
    ed

    in .8 I was very serious about Cycle Works. I was typing in a hurry,
    not to mention that I am a lousy typist.  I think that up island
    is the most attractive part of the island; for biking, or any other
    activity.  Definitely check out the ride to Gay Head.
    

    I spent Tuesday, July 7, biking on the Vineyard, hit most of the
    bike trails but never made it to Gay Head or Menemsha (next time!).
    Didn't understand Chris' warning about the Oak Bluffs-Edgartown
    trail, but I wasn't there fighting mopeds and heavy traffic, so...
    
    Comments:
    
    The Vineyard Haven-Edgartown loop would make a very attractive and
    leisurely day's ride.  Take the V.H.-Edgartown bike trail, see Trinity
    Grove and other sights in Edgartown, take the Chappy Ferry to
    Chappaquidick ($1 for you and your bike and no waiting), see Dyke
    Bridge (aside from its history, the area's beach and wildlife preserve
    is very scenic) [Caution:  the 1/2-mile dirt road to the bridge
    could be treacherous for 1-1/8 or 1-1/4 tires, but you can walk
    it if you have to], take the Oak Bluffs-Edgartown trail paralleling
    the Beach Road to Oak Bluffs and go around East Chop, return to 
    Vineyard Haven for ice cream.  20-25 miles max.
    
    The Edgartown-Katama bike trail is relatively new and in good shape
    if not particularly scenic, but if your objective is the beach,
    take it.
    
    The inland bike trail past the AYH is apparently old and deteriorating
    (criss-crossing tree roots, I think), but it's preferable to the
    parallel Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, whose "shoulders" (white line
    to edge of pavement) vary from 8 to 18 inches in width (and the
    road is straight as an arrow, which means traffic doesn't dawdle).
    
    I also prefer the Woods Hole ferry to Vineyard Haven, whose 45-minute
    sailing time is enough to enjoy but not to become boring.  There
    is also a very nice 4-mile bike trail that links a (free!) parking
    area near the center of Falmouth with the docks.  $11 round trip
    this year for bicycle and rider with DEC discount coupon.  No, no
    scratches.  They're not careless.
    
    Do it -- you'll not regret it.
    
    Mac.

I was wondering if anyone could post the ferry schedules from Woods hole
to the vineyard. If not than can someone give me the number to call? I am
planning on going out there this weekend while I can still breath fresh
air and not car/bus/moped fumes. If I get the number I'll try to post
the schedule.

Thanx
Mano

re>>                       -< Info on Ferry Needed >-
    
Mano,

Check with your local employee activities person. I think they have discount
tickets for the ferry. I know at one time they did, plus they had the schedule.

Tom

Thanx Tom, I went down and picked up some useful info. The following
is the posted schedules for the ferry. There are also discount coupons
in the Employee services file. However, the coupons say that the
price from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard is 7.50 (we can get them
for 6.00) but the schedules from the ferry people say that the price
is 8.50. I am going to assume that we can get them for 1.50 off 
whatever the price is.


SPRING SCHEDULE (good till May 24th):


WOODS HOLE TO VINEYARD HAVEN	VINEYARD HAVEN TO WOODS HOLE

DEPARTURE TIME			DEPARTURE TIME

 7:00 am			 6:00 am
 8:15				 7:00
 9:30				 8:15
10:45				 9:30
11:45				10:45
 1:00 pm			12:00
 2:00				 1:00 pm
 3:15				 2:00
 4:30				 3:15
 5:30				 4:15
 6:30				 5:30
 8:00				 6:45
 8:45				 7:30
10:00**				 9:00**
** Fridays, Sundays, and Holidays only

It takes about 45 minutes to go either way.

I'll post the summer schedules a little later (I really do have work to do :-) )

Mano

Mano,

There is also another ferry that runs out of Falmoth(sp). It is smaller,used
only for people w/wo bikes, no cars. I don't know the name of the company, but
I know its cheaper than the Woods Hole. Anyone know the name?

Tom

Ride early.  A friend of mine gave me this idea ten years ago and, since 
then, I have done most of my riding on-island between the hours of six and 
nine AM.  (This idea is obviously impractical for day trips.)  There are 
few cars and bikes and NO mopeds at this time.

If you're not going fast (I average 15-16 MPH), the bike paths are clear 
enough at this time to ride on.  I've never ridden on the island during the 
middle of the day but it doesn't look like much fun.  (Besides, that's the 
time to hit the beach!)  

A typical morning ride goes from wherever I'm staying (usually in a house 
in Edgartown) up Beach Road into Oak Bluffs and then over to Vineyard Haven 
where I buy a bunch of pastries at the Black Dog.  Then down Edgartown Road 
back into Edgartown.  This can be stretched into twenty miles.

Up-island presents the best rides in general.

To Gay Head and back last week was about forty-two miles.  The return trip 
was through Menemsha.  Note that there is now a bike ferry across the inlet
to Menemsha Pond between the hours of (I think) 8 AM and 6 PM.  It costs $4 
one way and is more fun than going back the way that you just came.  (The 
Home Port restaurant is here.  I didn't have a chance to eat there so I 
would appreciate any opinions.)

The Airport Road should be avoided until it is repaved.  It has cracks 
every fifty feet or so which get tiresome.

    
    Are the Ferry schedule still the same as it was when in 87' when the
    note was posted?  
    
    I have never been on the ferry.  Do I need to make reservations?
    I wouldn't be taking the car, just the bikes.  Is there a place
    to park you car while you go on the ferry?
    
    Thanks,
    
    louisa

    Not sure if the Ferry schedule is the same but there is parking for
    $7.00 a day if you are taking the Ferry. There is a Ferry at Falmouth
    Heights and at Woods Hole. From Woods Hole there is a shuttle bus that
    brings you to the Ferry. Falmouth Heights (Falmouth Harbor) the parking
    lot is right next to where you would buy your tickets for the Ferry.
    Round trip for an adult is $9.00. The area around Falmouth Heights 
    **doesn't allow over night parking**. This time of the year it is
    important to be early going to and from the Island because they can
    over sell tickets for passengers(not cars) and deny people to board the
    Ferry and then you'll have to wait for the next one. You don't need to
    make reservations for you and a bike, first come first serve..........
    I was there the past twoo weekends, extremely!!!!! busy!!! Had fun
    anyway...   Good luck