Nantucket "41:17.42N 70:04.99W"
VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Tue 13 Sep 2011 03:12
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And so to Nantucket, twenty miles out in the
Atlantic off the Massachusetts coast. We've time only for a flying visit and it
turns out to be very different from what we'd expected. It's a high class
tourist hotspot, overrun with daytrippers. But it also has over two hundred
beautifully preserved pre-Civil War houses and is a delightful town. And about a
third of the island (15 000 acres) is protected land and very beautiful -
salt marsh, sand dunes, bog, moorland and woodland.
The best way to see it is by bike because it's
flat. We've been joined by daughter Kate & boyfriend Chris for a couple of
weeks; here they are attempting to master the start on a hired tandem. Strong
advice was given by the bike shop (in the background) that first-timers should
start in a straight line, pointing in the intended direction and with a clear
road ahead. Ignoring all three points our heroes set off as pictured; a gain of
about two metres, perhaps less, was made, amid much screeching from the
driver.
 However, after much shouting and not a few tears
the machine was mastered and the intrepid duo set a cracking pace. Here they are
on one of the island's many segregated bike tracks, coming and going and
with the noise level somewhat diminished.
  I hadn't realised how much more effecient a tandem
is than a solo bike. It is very difficult to keep up with a tandem on a solo
machine (in fact, I couldn't) - I guess because the tandem has almost
the same friction and air resistance but nearly twice the power. Most
interesting. Kate suggested that she and Chris buy one upon return to the UK but
Chris vetoed the idea; I don't think his eardrums could take it.
Lunch was taken on the beach looking towards Spain
some 3050 miles to the east.
 The route back to town took us past the world's
largest cranberry bog (somewhat disappointingly artificially created in 1857 but
continuously harvested ever since) The cranberries grow in a managed wetland and
are either dry harvested or surprisingly, wet harvested. The latter involves
flooding the bog using sluices as the berries ripen in October. The ripe berries
float off the plant and can be very efficiently collected from the surface using
nets. Wet harvested berries are used for juice. Here is the bog, and some
ripening berries
  And finally, here is the tandem team on Altar Rock
in the middle of the island and one of its highest points, surrounded by
protected moorland. Lovely.
 Tomorrow takes us off to Martha's Vinyard, thirty
miles or so to the east.
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