Earlier this summer, my partner and I decided to take a long weekend adventure to Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, MA, on our first bikepacking trip together on our e-bikes. We regularly e-bike already and do a lot of car camping. Combining these two passions was a fun opportunity to try something new and have a break from work. This blog shares some of our planning steps, in addition to recommended gear and equipment that we successfully used on this wonderful trip. I was excited to test my new ebike, the Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0!

Planning

This trip took some advanced planning, because we needed to find camping accommodations and transportation to Martha's Vineyard with availability that matched our schedules. We needed electricity to be available at our campsite to allow us to charge our e-bikes at the end of each day. We booked a camp site for the weekend at the Martha's Vineyard Family Campground. This excellent resort is celebrating its 50th year in business in 2022, and we could not have been happier to stay there! Because we booked at the beginning of June, (considered their shoulder season), we were only required to book a minimum of two nights. Being natives of Cape Cod, and having visited the Vineyard many times in the past, the two-night stay was just what we needed. Had we booked later in the summer season, we would have been required to book an entire week. In addition to having electricity at our campsite, the campground provided free heated showers along with a wonderful camp store where we could buy firewood or odds and ends. They also provided community campfires each night and sports equipment that could be used for playing basketball, frisbee, and soccer. The campground was very clean, staff were extremely friendly, and it wasn’t over crowded.

We were worried about how to store our food, and inquired about raccoons before our trip, and were told that raccoons were not an issue on the island. Skunks do frequent the campground and it was advised that we keep all of our food on our picnic table, as skunks do not climb. To keep our food more secure, we packed a small lockable rubber bin that allowed us to store all our food along with a small cooler. We had no issues with pests - thank gosh!

Travel

Once we made our reservation, we next had to look at our travel to and from the Vineyard. There are a few ships that go from Falmouth, Massachusetts where we left from. We picked the Steamship Authority out of Woods Hole, MA because their trips went right to Vineyard Haven, which was very close to the campground. Their fares with bikes were reasonable, and my Dad was able and willing to drop us off and pick us up from the ferry. Thanks Dad!

Gear and Equipment

➡️ All my gear: https://kit.co/SARAHSCALACONSULTING

When we thought about packing for this trip and what gear and equipment we would like to bring, we packed most of our regular camping gear in addition to e-bike equipment. This allowed us to be able to sleep comfortably and charge our bikes, in addition to keeping bikes secure and protected from possible foul weather. We were quite fortunate that the weather was perfect for our entire trip!! The temps were low 80’s in the day and low 60’s at night.

On this trip, some new equipment that we were excited to use for camping were a Burly Nomad cargo trailer and Topeak handlebar bags. This trailer has a water resistant cover and allows us to pack up to a 100 pounds to tow behind an e-bike. The handlebar bags were helpful, especially for our day trips on the bikes as we could pack lunches, snacks, and extra sunscreen. When we were packing we were both thankful and surprised that everything fit! Check out my Bike Commuting blog for links and details on the gear I regularly use for biking.

We made a spreadsheet packing list to plan each item that we needed to be sure that we didn’t forget anything:

Enjoying the Trip

For those who don’t know, Cape Cod and the Islands have the largest number of ice cream shops per capita in the United States! For this reason, we took advantage of buying ice cream on the island each day at local ice cream shops. This included my favorite shop, Mad Martha's, that I remembered going to frequently as a young kid on family boat trips. In addition to biking, we made a visit to the Island Alpaca farm close by.

The weekend was spent e-bike riding throughout the island. We left from the campground each day, and even rode all the way to Menemsha - a 30+ mile ride! Late afternoons and evenings were spent hanging out at camp, enjoying campfires, s’mores, frisbee, great food, and rest. We had a fabulous time on the island, and are already are planning to return this Fall for another bike-packing trip!

If you are wondering why I am sharing this personal trip on LinkedIn instead of Facebook, I decided to share this as a unique way to vacation and have a break from work. This vacation supported fitness, rejuvenation, mental health, and exploration - all important to support our minds so we can return to work refreshed. I am a big proponent of taking vacation time off from work, especially following the covid-19 pandemic. Employees surely need a break and time to spend with their families and friends!

What adventurous trips do you have planned this Summer to give you a break from work? What gear do you Recommend for bikepacking? Share in the comments.

If you have any questions about my trip, please share in comments or contact me, as I am happy to answer.

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About the Author:
Sarah Scala is a senior talent management leader and Boston executive coach with 20+ years of experience providing organization development, change management, and leadership development solutions for diverse global and local industries. She is a collaborative consultant, coach, and educator supporting the performance transformation of executives, leaders, and teams. Sarah is a methodical, results-driven leader recognized for helping clients reach their highest potential, increase revenue, reduce turnover, elevate business profitability, build competencies, and improve performance.

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Blog

Bikepacking on Martha’s Vineyard: A Short Break from Work

Planning

Travel

Gear and Equipment

Enjoying the Trip

What adventurous trips do you have planned this Summer to give you a break from work? What gear do you Recommend for bikepacking? Share in the comments.