Paradise North: Martha's Vineyard

For almost half my life, I have been spending (part or all of) my summers on the cape and Martha's Vineyard. It started out with weekend family bike rides along the Cape Cod canal and now I get to spend summer weekends at a little slice of heaven my parents call "Paradise North" -- our house outside Edgartown, MA.

Last weekend I went on a great 40-mile training ride around the island. There are several scenic bike paths that transverse the entire island making it easy and safe to explore the island on two wheels. This time I started in Katama, rode along State Beach into Oaks Bluff, up to Vineyard Haven, and then looped around West Tisbury and back:

It was a great ride, I felt fast when the wind wasn't blowing, and am getting more confident on the downhills. One lesson learned: hydrate and eat before I feel hungry or else my blood sugar might drop too low! I felt pretty sick (a.k.a. "bonked") after the ride, but thanks to a few Starbursts from Ingrid, I was back to normal in no time.

On Thursday I am heading back over and will do two big rides this weekend - 90 and 50 miles - that will take me "up island" to Aquinnah. There are some breathtaking cliffs and more challenging terrain. With decent weather in the forecast and lots of ground to cover it already looks like this is going to be a fantastic weekend -- I can't wait!

Happy Fourth of July :)

Partying for a Cause

Two weeks ago Sweetwater cafe donated their bar to Kevin, me, and over 70 of our friends and co-workers for an 80s party/PMC fundraiser.

{resting between games}

{Jeff, Meghan, and Chen}

{taking a break from the action}

The event was structured around a beruit (beer pong for some) tournament and we had 36 teams participate. As the theme was 80s movies, the ghostbusters, karate kid, crocodile dundee, and Ferris Bueller all made an appearance.

{they love the 80s}

{ghost busters!}

{karate kids}

We had some great prizes donated from local organizations including Zipcar, the Red Sox, Vineyard Vines, Boston Sports Club, and Sam Adams. The victors (alas, I was eliminated in the second round and didn't do well in the losers bracket) won a 12-month supply of Sam Adams beer.

{the bully from "Just One of the Guys" and Elliot from "ET"}

{the prize table}

{Tad and Meg}

Everyone had a great time and the evening raised a grand total of $1,970 dollars. That puts both Kevin and me a quarter of the way towards our final goals of $4,200.

Thanks to all who came out and a special thanks to Pete (the emcee) and Colin who helped organize the event. Looking forward to more like it!

{Blues Brothers, aka Colin and Pete}

Long ride recap

Riding 60-miles in the city turned out to be quite a challenge. We started in Brookline, rode through the city into South Boston and then completed 7 laps around the Southie beaches/Castle Island. The day was absolutely gorgeous but there was an increasingly heavy headwind for most of the time. I lost some energy after 15 miles, but was able to push through and finish strong. I blame a lack of proper fuel. A rushed and (DELICIOUS) iced coffee from Joseph's Bakery don't exactly cut it when riding for 5 hours. Oops! I love biking in Boston -- it's always an adventure:

{Scary stairs down from the BU bridge that almost ended our bike ride 55 miles early}

{ZOMG it's the Zakim Bridge!!!}

{Skin cancer prevention}

{The Castle Island loop has a great view of the city}

{Exhausted and ready for a nap... or a cupcake}

Rocking the 15-minute commute

This week I started biking to work. Okay, it's only day 2, but I LOVE it already! Rather than taking the green line to Hynes (hoping for a seat and minimal delays), waiting for the CT 1 (again hoping for minimal delays and sane bus-mates), and then walking through MIT; I just hop on my trusty Trek, head down Beacon Street, across the river, and I'm at work in a third of the time. It's so nice to have more control over my commute. Hmmm... must find a way to get this nice weather to stick around...