by Andrew
The fall bike trip adventure started on Friday, September 22, 2000, when the Boy Scouts of Troop 63 met at Our Lady of Fatima to load our bikes into the rental trailer. We had so many bikes that we didn’t think we could fit them all, but some careful packing under the direction of Scoutmaster Chris H., was successful in the end. The next morning, we got up early and at 6:00am 18 Scouts and 9 adults left for the ferry in Hyannis. On the way down we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts for some breakfast, but we arrived in plenty of time to catch an early ferry. Unfortunately, the only parking spots were a few miles away; and the drivers missed the ferry we went on. The scouts and three adults traveled by ferry to Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard.
As we struggled to put on the packs we’d brought, Mrs. B. (Anson and Evan’s mom) and a friend appeared at the end of the dock, and offered to drive our equipment to the camp. After loading the car, we biked through the town toward camp. One scout had some trouble with his bike, and he and another adult got separated from the group. After a quick search, we continued on without them.
We figured that our campsite was about 4 miles from town. After biking for about an hour, we realized we had missed the last turn. By this time we had separated into 2 groups. We flagged down a car and had them tell the lead group to turn around.
As soon as we were all back together and headed in the right direction, we met the 6 drivers, who had taken the next ferry to Vineyard Haven. We then proceeded to the campground and pitched our tents. As promised, we found all our gear at the site, courtesy of Mrs. B. Two of the adults biked back into town and found the scout and adult, who had gotten separated from the group, waiting at the town common.
After getting the campsite setup and having some lunch, we decide to go for an afternoon ride. We rode to Edgartown and then back along the ocean to Vineyard Haven. Along the way, we stopped at one of the beaches and watched the end of a windsurfing competition. We were pretty tired by the time we returned to the campsite. After the new scouts got some instruction on lighting the backpacking stoves, we cooked up a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, and soon retired to our tents.
The next morning we got up
and had oatmeal and cocoa for breakfast. We
packed our equipment and took down the tents. Then we decided to go on another
morning ride. This time we stayed inland and biked to the Vineyard Airport.
We returned to the campsite late morning, and picked up our packs. The
ride to the ferry in Vineyard Haven was mostly downhill, but it was still a
difficult ride with all of our equipment. But everyone made the trip
successfully, and we celebrated our arrival with lunch of baloney and cheese and
PB&J sandwiches on the beach, purchased from a local grocery store. We
sailed back to the mainland on the ferry, and drove back to our homes by early
Sunday evening. All in all, the
2000 Martha’s Vineyard Bike Trip was lots of fun and a smashing success!