Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

It's the only thing besides corticosteroids that decrease the swelling in my brain.

Agree with 3B43. Auto-pilot-mode provides clarity.

More eye candy:




And for the first time since the trip began I now have a real kitchen to cook in.



So I cooked. Dinner last night:



Dinner tonight:



Salmon with a serrano pepper/balsamic glaze, with braised brussel sprouts, carmelized garlic and sauteed apple slices.



Who says you can't be both a stoic and an epicure?

Ouch that is the worst I have seen yet. Did you need surgery, stitches?

ah- i saw this and the 1st thing i thought of was your description of boston traffic control.

Appreciate it, thanks

It's been awhile since I've been through Boston, but at that time there were a couple of key rules: #1: when your light turns green, wait for a second. At least one and maybe two cars will run the red light; and #2: ignore all lane markings and most speed limit signs, like the locals do.

Anti-hero: great bike and food porn!! You really have a knack, both in the kitchen and behind the lens! I'd be interested to hear your take on the Vineyard. Most people I know find it beautiful, and at this time of year, peaceful. The tourists must be gone, so what's it like?

Hey, Been enjoying following your RR. Sorry Boston can be a pain in the ass. If you make it through again come by and stop at the wine bar I run in the north end of Boston. You seem to dig the cured meats and Ridge. We have it all. Its Called Volle Nolle on 351 Hanover St. If not, Have a great journey!
-Matt

The author of XKCD lives in (or around) Boston actually.

My arrival at the Vineyard had an instant impact on me. Part of it was due to the beauty and tranquility of the island, but I think for the most part it was a respite from the persistent stress I’ve gone through moving from big city to big city. When I set out months ago, I figured this trip would be a big adventure and that the interesting sights, different smells in the air and the constant change of scenery would offset all of the negatives. And that is still true, but when I arrived in the Vineyard the toll became clear. Moving from place to place in such rapid sequence for such an extended period of time is not easy. The resources required to adapt to challenging, new environments deplete. If not given sufficient time to recover experiences like Boston result. I just couldn’t (and didn’t want to) engage the city. I wanted to retreat and withdraw.

So in that respect, Martha’s Vineyard is a true haven. It’s popularity might be more related to what it doesn’t have to offer vs. what it does. I imagine someone living in a Vermont would like MV far less than someone from LA or NY or Philly or Boston.

As for specifics—the island is picturesque, quaint, quiet and peaceful. And parts of it could pass for Ireland. It’s verdant and lush, foggy and rainy (this time of year), contributing to a European countryside feel. Restaurants are plentiful, ranging in prices from $ to $$$$, with lots of bakeries, sandwich shops and gourmet grocery stores selling espresso and pies. Grocery stores dot the roadside (most are fairly small), and houses are charming, whether modest or grand.

I had originally expected the island to be filled with an agonizing mixture of slack jawed tourists and Martha Stewart types, but was relieved to find few of either. You can tell who is visiting from who the socialites on the island are, but it’s subtler than you’d expect. Occasionally you’ll hear the at-home-wife pontificate about the difficulties of organizing her yoga schedule around her kids lacrosse and equine activities, but overall everyone is fairly relaxed and human. (Take the stress out of people and they become far more tolerable!)

Getting around requires a form of transportation, but there are lots of Scooter, Jeep and Mini rentals for those who don’t want to bring their own car over on the ferry. The only challenging part about navigation around here is the absence of street signs for main roads. Most minor side roads are marked, but never the one you’re on. Big signs point to areas of the island (Oak Bluff, Tisbury, Vineyard Haven, etc.), but if you’re trying to verify that you’re on Barnes or State, you’d better have nav on your cell phone!

While in Martha's Vineyard, you might want to check out Benjamin and Gannon boatyard in Vineyard Haven. You might enjoy the book written on wooden boats that revolves around this boatyard titled Wooden Boats: in Pursuit of the Perfect Craft at an American Boatyard by Michael Ruhlman. Wooden Boats is akin to Shopclass as Soulcraft applied to boats—kinda. One chapter is titled: "Workmanship of Risk," to give you an idea.

Cheers,

Mike

hello from Bahrain. ex Duc, 750 sport and ST2 owner, and marathoner and endurance cyclist - some points of contact!
I edited and altered your post above, which I found fascinating and informative. In particular, I cut 'motor' from cyclist!

Did you ever read Paul Kimmage, Brit cyclist, good enough for Tour de France in mid 80s? In his book 'Rough Ride', he points out that most bike racers had an interrupted childhood, absent parents (although Kimmage didn't mention them, Lance, Bradley, Millar and many others are in this category) and immersed themselves in self chosen pain and un-satisfiable achievement motive, hence prey to chemical temptation.

Great ride report. Stay safe and happy

Antihero... I've just (finally) finished reading your incredible RR. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a report as much as I did yours. Thank you for posting it, and thank you for sharing such a personal part of yourself with us. I do hope you write a book as I for one would love to read it.

I'm sorry I didn't find your RR earlier, especially while you were still visiting Montreal. It would have been great to meet you and buy you dinner. When you were at the Orange Julep here, my office is kitty-corner opposite and we often walk over to get one of their drinks (and maybe a hotdog or two).

My most sincere wishes to you for good health, and lots and lots more great rides. I hope your story is a long way from over.

Very best regards...

Eldor

You're on MV during a really nice time I would imagine most if not all the tourist are gone and you are free to explore in peace. I vactioned there for more than 10 years and had family that used to live there, but stopped going when it got too crowded and having to make a reservation to get you car across six months in advance became a chore. My favorite time to go was the before Labor Day or after Memorial Day it was just busy enough to be interesting but not crazy. I've enjoyed reading your RR.

Is Lola's Restaurant still there? It used to be good years ago, when Bill Clinton was on the island he would eat there and when the President came in you couldn't leave and no one could come in.

Someone at Jalopnik agrees with you, Anti. Well timed article!

http://jalopnik.com/5948956/ten-ways-city-planners-screw-up-traffic-lights

AntiHero, thanks for a great ride so far. I am so subscribed.

My greatest disappointment with your RR is that I have finally caught up to present day.

I enjoyed the past few evenings reading as much as I could before making myself finally get some sleep. Now, alas, I will have to wait with all the others for your story to unfold. Stay safe.

Thanks, Wobblyoldgeezer, pilot3, Mtl_Biker (next time I'm in Montreal I'll hit you up, Eldor!), and LWRider. I'm only half done with the US. so far! (Long sigh)

Ben carfuel--thanks for the article. And I though Boston was bad! Santa Clara, CA has one of those suicide lanes and I was almost killed before I left when a car made a left turn straight into it. Great for traffic flow, but very confusing for 1) idiot drivers and 2) people who aren't familiar with protocol, which means most drivers.

EricD--haven't seen Lola's. I agree, though--this is the perfect time of year to be here. I was out at two different beaches today and they were empty. Love being alone on a huge expanse of beautiful land that I have all to myself.

Uploading pics now....

Lambert's Cove Beach


Toxic plant flat:


Wild (and suicidal) Turkeys in the background:


Steel Toe dipping in the Atlantic:


Coastline off of Beach Rd. (Photoshop fender eliminator)


(Now you know why I did the editing. Ugly, but without that protrusion I'd have nothing to tether my Kreiga bag to!)

Oak Bluffs:


And I finally found Jaws locations:


(Where the Orca sets sail: Menemsha Harbor)


(Quint's workshop, also in Menemsha Harbor)

Holy Crap!!!

I was at #2 on the list yesterday!! I was bringing my daughter to the SF zoo. We were in the left hand turn lane and there was a Muni train there. It got the go ahead and our left hand green arrow never came. We had to wait for another whole cycle of lights before we got to pass. What a load of crap. Good thing it was at noon and not 4pm....

JG

Hit 9K miles a couple days ago.



Damn, a long-term road review is long overdue.