Day 12 - Martha's Vineyard

Today we took the Steamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard. It's about a 45 minute ferry ride which is just enough time to be fun and not enough time to get boring. We played Uno, explored the ferry and watched the ocean. I loved seeing all of the sailboats out!

We landed at Vineyard Haven but almost immediately got on the VTA (Vineyard Transit Authority) bus (the public bus on the island). It was $7 for an all day pass so we figured that would be our best way to get around the island since it's so expensive to take a car over.

We got off the bus at Oak Bluff and the kids immediately started playing soccer at Ocean Park. A soccer ball is a must have for every one of our adventures. It can keep the kids (and adults) entertained for hours. We wandered around the quaint streets full of little shops (we of course had to go to "Back Door Donuts" a legend out on Martha's Vineyard). We went to the Flying Horses Carousel, a wooden carousel dating back to 1876! The kids loved getting the rings and Kira and Kate both got the "brass ring" and won a free ride. They were so nice and gave their free tickets to others in line since they'd already had two rides. The man who got the brass ring on the ride before us gave me his free ticket so I could go with the kids so we thought it would be nice to do the same.

After the carousel ride and a little more wandering we took the bus to Edgartown, an old whaling village with more quaint shops and the whaling captain's homes. The homes were unbelievable! We had lunch at Fat Skinny’s Sandwiches (okay, not amazing). We watched the candy makers at Murdick’s Fudge. We wandered some more.

We had seen a t-shirt in a little shop in Oak Bluff that said, “I jumped from the JAWS bridge.” Of course I was intrigued immediately. Where was this JAWS bridge and how could I jump off of it? We found it on the Beach Road between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. It didn’t look too high so we changed into our swimsuits before getting on the bus in Edgartown so we could hop off and jump! Unfortunately we missed the bus stop (we thought it was just a regular stop but turned out they only stop if you request). So we got off a few miles down the road and waited for another bus to come along going the other way. It took a good 20 minutes until another bus came but we made it back to the bridge so we could jump (even though there are signs all over that say “NO JUMPING!” But everyone else was doing it….

Jeff hadn’t packed a swimsuit so I was the designated 1^st to jump and help the younger kids after they jumped. It’s about a 15-20 foot drop, just high enough to be fun but not high enough to hurt when you hit the water. Mikey was the 2^nd to jump! He just hopped up onto the railing ready to go! He was too little to hold onto the outside of the railing so Jeff just held him out and dropped him. Mikey popped up out of the water with a huge smile on his face and gave the crowd above a big thumb’s up. After all of the kids had jumped, Jeff couldn’t stand it any longer and took his shirt off and jumped in with his regular shorts. We had a blast jumping off over and over. We even had all 7 of us jump at once but the picture didn’t quite turn out. It was sooo fun!

We got out of the water and went straight to the bus stop dripping wet. We thought we’d have 15-20 minutes to dry off a bit while waiting for the bus but this time the bus came just a few seconds after we got there. We had no towels so we got on the crowded, standing-room-only bus in our dripping wet swimsuits. We were so crowded we were had to smash into each other in the aisle so we could all fit behind the white line in the front of the bus. It was only a 10 minute or so ride back to Oak Bluffs but I think a few of the people sitting in the seats near us were a little bothered by this big group of wet, dripping, wiggly kids packing onto the overcrowded bus!

We went back to Ocean Park where the kids played soccer (again) and flew a kite. There was a restroom nearby so we changed back into our regular clothes (all except Jeff who was stuck in his wet shorts for the next few hours until we got home).

It was such a fun day!

Back Door Donuts on Martha's Vineyard

Flying Horses Carousel.

 Everything at the Carousel was so Vintage-y but really vintage, not fake vintage. Pretty cool!

Getting the brass ring!

Kate and Kira both got the brass ring. 

The houses here are so beautiful.

Seriously boys?

I felt like I was walking down a Magazine cover on this street. Every house was so beautiful, surrounded by beautiful gardens, a quaint, shady street with ancient, towering trees and views of the Harbor between each one. It was amazing!

20 minutes felt like eternity waiting for that bus.

JAWS bridge...ready to jump!

The first time Isaac was nervous. It is the ocean with waves and a current and all that talk about Jaws so I swam with him to the edge. After he did it the first time, he was fine the other 5 times he jumped.

I can't believe how brave and adventurous every one of our kids are! Go Mikey!

It looks so much higher from above. ;)

Grandpa requested this picture. 

Flying kites at Ocean Park.

The gazebo at Ocean Park. I love the whale weather vane. That house in the background looks amazing (from the outside. We didn't go in).

Watching the extra time in the USA vs Belgium World Cup game with the crowd on the ferry.

Our new favorite game.

The ferry to Martha's Vineyard.

Grandpa loves to spoil these kids. He bought them each their OWN half gallon of ice cream. So hilarious! I heard him planning it this morning. He knew they'd love it so right when we got home from Martha's Vineyard he went to the grocery store and came home with these to surprise the kids. It has been so fun to have Grandma and Grandpa Davis with us on this trip!