Saturday, we crossed from Edgartown by ferry to Chappaquiddick Island. Its a small place, mostly dirt roads, and hidden homes. Its easy to see how someone famous could live here and never fear invading tourists. Its necessary to get there by boat or expensive ferry, and bring everything in. Chappy Store, has little to offer but snacks and ice cream and a sense of humor.
Chappy Store is surrounded by broken down cars that people didn't want to pay to haul away. Now, there are laws preventing that. You bring it in, you take it out.
The dirt roads and low traffic make it a great place to bike ride. Our first stop was Wasque Pt. Its an ecological area under protection for its unique plants and insects that survive in the salt marshes of glacially deposited sands. Fire prevents pitch pine from taking over, something learned from the local indian populations that inhabited the island for thousands of years.
Beaches are very private. You have to park and walk through the low growing salt loving plants to get to them at Wasque Pt.
The tar pines invade where the area is unprotected by controlled burning.
Our next stop was the Chappaquiddick Dike Bridge where Ted Kennedy drove off the side. It is closed to all who don't have "sand" vehicles. We hoped to visit all five lighthouses on Marthas Vineyard. The Cape Poge Lighthouse sits on the point of Chappaquiddick and we weren't able to cross over. The bridge has been rebuilt after that incident and now has heavy duty guard rails. Marthas Vineyard is part of Duke County, which is a dry county. However, drinking isn't against the law. You can bring it in, you just can't buy it here. Being dry may be one of the reasons the island is so relatively crime free.
On the Dike Rd. is My Toi, a Japanese strolling garden. It has public restrooms as well. The garden was built by Hugh Jones and while planting it he referred to it as "my toy." Thus, the metaphoric name. It has ponds, bridges, a dripping bamboo water fall, some rhododendrons in bloom.
The ponds have koi, snapping turtles and painted turtles, plus goldfish. We didn't see any. Its a restful place. Outside of the garden is a place to put air in your tires, heavily used. We talked to a fellow traveler with Washington State license plates filling his tires, (below). He has a place on the island. People let air out of their tires to cross over the bridge, qualifying their vehicle as a "sand" vehicle. Then they refill their tires at this spot.
Across the road from My Toi is a walking trail to visit the the Poucha Pond with vistas of the salt marsh and beaches. If you go, bring your walking shoes.
Sometimes the ferry has to fight the currents to make the crossing. We watched as two ferries were working to miss each other in the strong wind and current.
