We'd originally planned on meeting up at our Road Captain's house but then he remembered that his dog goes beserk at the sound of loud pipes, so it would be better for his dog (and his neighbors) if we met at the Post, instead. Not a problem!
The day was bright and warm, early, and the forecast was calling for a spectacular day ahead of us. Awesome!
At the last minute, we got word that one of the guys who was going to join us was having battery problems and wasn't going to to be able to make it. The poor guy had just bought the bike, too. Hopefully the dead battery wasn't an indication of worse problems lying beneath the surface (I can attest to how much of a problem those things can be!)
Rolling out from the Post, we were soon hammering down 495 and onto 28, our sights set firmly on the Cape ahead of us. We made good time, but at the cost of our gas guages, so we found a spot to fill up at just before hitting the ferry (gas prices on the Vineyard are out of control!)
Hey look - at the gas station is a vehicle only slightly faster than our own (Ferrari). Here, Ed makes the car look good...
From there it was a quick hop over to the ferry. We lined our bikes up where we thought we'd been told to, and then headed off to the ticket counter to buy our travel passes. After I'd gotten a ticket for myself and a ticket for my bike, I gathered with the rest of the crew...and noticed that they all had a lot more tickets than I did. What gives? Oh - turns out you need a ticket for each direction, so back I went to the ticket window and grabbed another ticket for my bike and another ticket for myself. That would have sucked!
Returning to our bikes, we found that we had lined up in the wrong spot (as had several other biks who'd followed our lead - oops!) But we were lined up in the right place in no time...
In line and waiting to board...
And while we were waiting, Artie noticed something...one of the cargo movers was apparenlty manufactured by a company that apparenty has the same as my road name. So of course I had to go stand next to it and smile for the camera...
All aboard and headed off! Cheers!
Then my phone beeped...I had a text...from Ed? But, he's right here, inside the Black Dog...huh...looks like he sent me a picture...
Oh hilarity! These guys are obviously having way too much fun with my road name!
Before too long we'd saddled up and making a beeline out of town. Soon we were cruising some great roadways with some occasional glances of ocean views off to the sides. Speed wasn't a factor here as the roads are well traveled and nobody seems in a hurry.
Our second stop - Gay Head Cliffs...
The scenery (and the weather) were spectacular!
The Legend of Moshup, a giant from Aquinnah Wampanoag folklore...
The history of Gay Head Cliffs. I tried to snap the pic in such a way that the sun wasn't reflecting off of the sign, but as I now find; I did a poor job...
Hey, did I mention the scenery?
There was one of those telescope things where you can pop in a quarter and zoom in on the sights off in the distance. Well, this thing was either broken or someone had recently popped in a lot of quarters, because even though no one had been near it in all the time we'd been there, the lens was still open and working. I zoomed in on the boat and wowee...the girl that was on the back deck? Yowza...suffice to say I'm jealous of whoever the guy is that was on the boat with her!
We hit Oak Bluffs for some eats and drinks and take in some more of the scenery around us. But with that over, we took a vote and figured we were all set for the day. We'd bee all around the island on the bikes (it's a small island!), and unless we wanted to check out all the touristy stuff (we didn't), then there really wasn't anything else to check out. So, we headed off to the ferry to return home.
All packed in and headed back to the mainland...
After unloading back onto the Cape, we repeated our morning travels by hammering up the highways. At one point, Artie droppped back into the middle lane and Ed and I figured he just wanted a slower pace. No problem. But then Greg backed off and dropped into the middle lane as well. (shrug) Ed and I looked at each other and said ok, I guess Greg is going to sit with Artie, and they're letting us go on at our own pace. So I blasted ahead but almost immediately, Ed dropped back and into the middle lane, too. What the hell is going on here?
And that was when I realized there was a car in the speed lane that was catching up to me - quickly. Huh...that car's profile looks an awful lot like...crap...a State Trooper. So, I cut the throttle and eased over into the middle lane as well. I didn't look over at the Trooper when he passed me, but he didn't slow down, either. Which surprised the hell out of me because I'd been going just under 100 before I realized he was there. I wonder why he didn't...wait, what time is it...ahh; 2:35. End of shift. He was headed back to the barracks and didn't want to deal with the added paperwork of pulling over a meathead on a motorcycle. Whew!
Thankfully there were no other surprises on the ride home. We all met up at Ed's house and had a few cocktails on his back deck and talked about this, that and the other thing. It was a great way to cap a great day.
The Vineyard had been fun - but pricey! Hell, the ferry alone was $64, round trip! But it was a great out-of-the-norm thing to do, and we all agreed that maybe in a few years we'd check it out again. Until then, there'll be plenty more adventures undertaken.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
No comments:
Post a Comment