Part 3 of a series…
After getting a feel for the island during our guided bus tour, we decided to venture on our own to visit Aquinnah and revisit Edgartown. We didn’t bring our car to Martha’s Vineyard, (although we could have via the ferry), and we also didn’t rent a car, (which can be expensive). Instead we used the excellent public bus system which covers the entire island. As Nancy at the Pequot Hotel told us, the secret to planning a trip is to begin with the end in mind. That is, determine the furthest point you want to be at, how long you want to stay, and subsequent points that you want to visit, and then work the schedule backwards. With Nancy’s help, we did that, and along with an all day bus pass ($7.00 each), we were off.
Aquinnah is the town located on the west end of Martha’s Vineyard. Off-season population is only 311, and per Wikipedia, was “first settled by English colonists in 1669, incorporated in 1870 as Gay Head, Massachusetts. Gay Head was a descriptive name referring to the brilliant colors of the cliffs. It had frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. In 1997, by popular vote of 79 to 21, the town changed its name to Aquinnah, which is Wampanoag for “land under the hill.”
President John Adams commissioned the first Gay Head Lighthouse in 1799, a 47 foot wooden affair. It was replaced in 1856 with the red brick structure that still stands today.
According to the guides we met during our visit to the lighthouse, erosion of the cliff, at a rate of two feet a year, (it lost 4 feet during Hurricane Sandy), is necessitating that the lighthouse be moved, without dismantling, 135 feet. This enormous task is scheduled for next year.
While relatively quiet in mid-October when we visited, families still enjoyed the peaceful setting of this remote part of the island. A 10K “Save the Lighthouse” road race took place here just a few days later.
After three full days on Martha’s Vineyard, we took the ferry back to Cape Cod for a few more days. Stay tuned for photos of Cape Cod and Provincetown in the next few days.
All in all, our visit to MV was truly enjoyable, and I would recommend to anyone. Perhaps we’ll meet you there!
If you had an interesting trip this year, and you’d like to share with the 2 Guys Photo family, please email us at 2guysphoto@gmail.com. And thanks for visiting 2 Guys Photo!
2 Guys Photo 
Very nice series. It makes me want to visit. Thanks, Ed.
Thanks Prentis, I hope you get a chance to come. You’d have a field day! Ed