Clearly, this is not where I spent my latest Saturday. I could claim this post is in dedication to a wandering I’m most grateful for, which is partially true. It is Thanksgiving week after all! But, in truth, I wasn’t in any condition to wander beyond my bedside this past weekend. I broke my toe the day before I was set to get outside, by dropping a full hydroflask directly on the knuckle while walking barefoot in a yoga studio. That was just the beginning. So, while I heal, I give you a place that floated in and out of my mind while I meditated on gratitude, when I was trying to vibrate higher than just being pissed off at my own bad luck again.
This time of year, it’s safe to assume the only people making their way to the Vineyard actually work or live there. To me, however, that’s an intense draw. First on my list when I get back to Martha’s Vineyard, no matter the season, is another visit to Great Rock Bight in Chilmark.
At the end of September, I found myself at this MV African-American Heritage Trail site. If you don’t know it’s there, you could drive right by it on North Road. I urge you not to. After driving up a bumpy ride and parking in a small dirt lot, you’ll spot the trailhead. A sometimes steep hike through the woods will include stairs, rocks, a small walking bridge or two, and a marker dedicating the space to Rebecca Amos. The site is overwhelmed with small stones left in her honor, as an enslaved person who once inherited the nearby property. Her story deserves much more than a line in a blog, so read about her before your visit.
The trail itself is shaded by the tree cover, and appears to be significantly less popular after the summer months. We had the trail, and the beach it leads to, to ourselves in late September. The trail winds on over the property for about a mile, and is just strenuous enough to make you feel like you worked for the view on the other side. On the lookout perch, you’ll see the great rock itself jutting out of the ocean, and all the vegetation springing out of the cliffs and walls of sand that surround the spot. Take the flights of steep wooden stairs down to find yourself on the beach. From here the great rock will look even greater. In the summer months, this spot is perfect for swimming, as you can climb up the back of the rock and jump from the top facing the beach. We found the soft sand to be great for yoga among the drift wood too.
Just like Lucy Vincent, this beach is stunning in a way that I can’t quite put my finger on. The shoreline appears to go on for miles, up against picturesque cliffs and greenery. The ocean pounding rocks that peak out above the surface will take your breath away. Great Rock Bight is both shockingly vibrant and surprisingly welcoming to silence, solitude, reflection. It’s worthy of a postcard, I’m just unsure of whether or not that postcard is classically Massachusetts. Maybe the whole of the Vineyard just looks handcrafted in way that leaves us pondering if we’re really still in New England. That’s the magic here, and it’s something I’m grateful for having experienced.
Extra Love: Since I usually head off island by catching the last ferry out of Oak Bluffs, I make sure to drop by the Lookout Tavern across the street. Having Celiac means there’s essentially nowhere that can feed me a lobster roll, but Lookout does one better with their lobster tacos. They are filled to the brim, like a roll would be, and the treat I’m begging for at the end of a long day bouncing around Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve heard their burgers and sushi are great too.
Getting Good at Running Away 