I left Rockland just before 6 a.m. on my way to Woods Hole to catch the ferry. I was able to make the earliest trip over because I paid to park close to the docks instead of using the Port Authority remote parking 4 miles away. The attendant agreed to guard my baby white pine trees and kept them inside his office during the heat of the day.

I ran to buy a ticket and was the last one on the boat. They had removed the walkways, so I had to jump on the stern and twist past the parked cars. This early ferry was mostly filled with workmen going to their jobs on the island. Plenty of lunchboxes were on display. They talked about painting projects and what the new workweek had in store. Some slept. We were in thick fog. I couldn't see anything on the way out except for other passengers.

This seemed like to perfect time to arrive while many people had not really started their day yet. I could get a look at a peacefull scene and try to get to the cliffs before there was too much activity.

Aquinnah Lighthouse & Aquinnah Cliffs------- President John Quincy Adams authorized the construction of the original light which stood on these cliffs two centuries ago. In 1844, the wooden structure was replaced by the current red-brick beacon. In 1856, a 1,009 prism Fresnal lens, which was exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris, was installed. After almost a century of service, the lens was removed and is now exhibited at the Vineyard Museum in Edgartown.

I wanted to see some of the wilder parts of the island, so renting a car was the best decision I could have made. I was able to stop at interesting places everywhere along the way and dip into little side roads. Many of these roads are more like driveways, but my map was excellent and I did not make the mistake of wandering over private land. The one place I could not find is what is referred to as a view along "Windy Gates". There is a Windy Gates Rd but it did not look right.

Aquinnah Cliffs and Beach. A spectacular view awaits at the top of these 150-foot cliffs, while miles of shoreline below invite walkers. The water was incredibly warm.

Aquinnah--------- In 1602, Explorer Bartholomew Gosnold named this landmark overlooking Noman’s and the Elizabeth Islands the “Dover Cliffs.” Formed during the ice age, the colorful clay peaks stand about 150-feet high. Early islanders made paint and bricks from the rich clay. In an effort to protect them from erosion, the cliffs are now a national landmark.

--Much content above abstracted from brochures.--

The cormorant above was drying off in the sun after a long bath. He spent almost 20 minutes standing like a totem pole.

The rocks were a real menace. I would step on the sand at the water's edge, sink in, and hit the small rocks hiding beneath. There was no real injury, and the water did help keep me a little cooler. I would not have missed this walk for anything.

By the time I started to walk back across the beach and up to the top of the cliffs, it was 93^o. The round trip hike took two hours. For some reason I was able to do it all without feeling winded or achy. And I did have sense enough not to look in the mirror when I reached the top of the hill again. I must have looked like a cooked lobster. Not from sunburn, but from heat and the added task of lugging all the camera equipment. I had taken the long way down to the beach and did not realize it.
When I reached one of the snack bars at the top I got 2 large bottles of iced tea and drank them both. I felt great. A full recovery.

On the way back in the car, I went through Lobsterville and Menemsha. These areas seem even more remote. I managed to take a road that would not allow me to cross water to get into the village for lunch, and because of the fear of running out of time, I just headed back to West Tisbury.

Below is Alley's General Store, a local landmark in West Tisbury, across from the library and the Field Gallery on South Rd as it heads to Chilmark. I picked up a copy of Peter Simon's book, On the Vineyard III and discovered that there was a B + B called "The Cleaveland House".

...cross over to the Field Gallery where larger than life whimsical statues adorn the lawn and can't help but make you smile. The summer drought has caused the grass to go dormant.

 

Next, people in Alley's, the police station, and the library gave me directions to The Cleaveland House. Unmarked roads are fine for the natives, but they led me on several wild goose chases.


The quaint W. Tisbury Police Station.

Cynthia Riggs is the 8th generation of her family to own the Cleaveland House. Her Cleaveland line starts with Moses Cleaveland who settled Cleveland, Ohio and started a newspaper there. Long ago typeface supplies were short and he had no way to make his name, which he wanted to use as the masthead, fit on top of the newsprint. So he shortened his name by dropping one of the "a"s from the spelling.

She is related to James, Daniel, and Sylvester. James and his father, also named James, had occasion to meet in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on vessels going in the opposite directions. They were able to communicate briefly as the ships moved past. Dioni Riggs, a well known poet, recorded impressions of this meeting in one of her works.

Cynthia Riggs is also a writer specializing in mysteries. In her past she was a ship's captain. There is a photo of her ship when she was its captain taken in NYC in 1986. The scene looks like the East River with the World Trade Center in the background.

She runs the Cleaveland House as a B & B for writers and poets in West Tisbury.

There is a lovely little garden to my back in the shade of the trees. The entrance off the driveway has three windows with colored bottles lined up on the sills. The afternoon sun glows through them.

The interior is warm and comfortable and somehow seems much larger when you step inside. Each room feels like a natural writing nook. With the natural quiet of the area and the good light in each room, this seems like a great place for thoughtful work.

One of The Black Dog locations looked like a good place to stop for lunch at 4:00. Tuna sandwich and more to drink was just what I needed.

Tote bags with little black dogs on them were just the right size for trips around town, so I got Laura one. I relaxed for a while before starting out again.

This had turned out to be another very good day on the trip. I turned in the car at AAA Island Auto Rentals in Vineyard Haven and began the short walk to the ferry.

Dan, working at Ship Builders at Five Corners across the street, has had experience with PT Boats. We talked about Ocean City and some of the difficulties of working on the PTs, especially the noise of the engines and the simple act of changing spark plugs. That job requires very skinny arms to reach under the engines. Here Dan is doing caulking on a different kind of boat that is in for extensive work at the yard.

I was 15 minutes early for the ferry, but as soon as they had 150 people on board, the ferry pulled out. Some of the fleet have passenger limits. So I waited a little over an hour for the next boat.

Sunset as I was leaving the Vineyard. By the time we reached the mainland, there was a fairly thick fog.

I reached Mystic CT and had a quick dip in the pool. A light swim seems to be just the thing for overworked muscles. I wasn't at all stiff the next day and had no trouble making the drive home.

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