“When they could eat no more, they pawed shallow wells with their hooves for drinking water. Then they rolled in the wiry grass, letting out great whinnies of happiness. They seemed unable to believe that the island was all their own. Not a human anywhere. Only grass. And sea. And the wind.”- Marguerite Henry

 

October 6, 2021

 

“When they could eat no more, they pawed shallow wells with their hooves for drinking water. Then they rolled in the wiry grass, letting out great whinnies of happiness. They seemed unable to believe that the island was all their own. Not a human anywhere. Only grass. And sea. And the wind.”- Marguerite Henry

Kathy and I decided to stay two nights in Chincoteague, one of only two places we did so on our trip back to Key West, but after exploring Assateague from the water on our first day boating adventure, we wanted to do a more in-depth examination of the island from the land.

So for our second day, I rented a bike, (Kathy already had hers from her Canadian trip) and we rode off to check out Assateague Island and the National Seashore.  The island is a 37 mile long barrier island that includes Assateague State Park as well as the area managed by the National Park system.

 

The northern two-thirds of the island is in Maryland, while the southern third where we were is in Virginia. The Maryland section contains the majority of Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park. The Virginia section contains the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and a one-mile stretch of land containing the lifeguarded recreational beach and visitor facilities managed by the National Park Service, it is best known for its herds of feral horses, pristine beaches and the Assateague Lighthouse. The island also contains numerous marshes, bays, and coves, including Tom’s Cove.

We biked all over the island, checking out the numerous inlets, marshes and swampy wetlands that are home to numerous species of birds and other wildlife. It is a truly beautiful place and the long stretch of undeveloped beach is incredible. Wee visited the visitor center and then rode on a number of cool bike trails just off the beach and through the island.

We also checked out the beautiful Assateague Lighthouse. The 142 foot tall structure is still in use as a navigational aid today. Originally built in 1867 to replace and older (1833) and shorter version, the lighthouse is painted red and white in alternating bands and stands as a beacon to passing ships warning them of the shifting barrier islands.

It was not open when we visited, but it was still pretty cool to see and was worth the short diversion from the main bike path to visit. The entire day of biking was great and we had a fantastic time in what was absolutely perfect weather.

We also visited the main section or downtown area of Chincoteague, which is a quaint little section that features a few shops and restaurants as well as the main city marina and a statue commemorating the famous book, “Misty of Chicoteague” written by Marguerite Henry about the wild ponies that brought the area so much acclaim.

All in all it was a pretty stellar two day experience in the area and it is certainly a place that we will consider visiting again. I would like to witness the annual pony roundup for myself and I know Kathy would not be averse to returning.

https://www.nps.gov/asis/index.htm

Assateague Island

October 5, 2021

Assateague Island

Having spent a couple of nights in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, it was time for Kathy and I to hit the road on our meandering week-long trek home to Key West during which we planned to take our time and without any firm agenda just sort of visit places of interest along the way and enjoy a vacation with just the two of us.

Our first destination was Chincoteague and Assateague Island, Virginia where we planned to stay a couple of nights and visit the wild ponies at the Assateague Island National Seashore, but before getting there we had a couple of additional stops along the way to eat and visit another National Monument in Maryland.

Upon leaving Alexandria, Kathy and I drove into downtown Washington DC with the expressed intent of going to have lunch at the famed Ben’s Chili Bowl. A landmark institution in Washington DC, Ben’s Chili Bowl has been a go-to restaurant since opening in 1958. Known for its chili dogs, half smokes and milkshakes, Ben’s caters to the neighborhood as well as the myriad of celebrities and politicians who flock to the original U Street location in droves.

It is one of those iconic foodie experiences that I just had to experience, and Kathy and I were there for a great lunch before hitting the road again. Once back on the highway, we took another break in Cambridge, Maryland to visit both the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center as well as the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Site.

The museum, located along the main street of the town of Cambridge is small, but features a great deal of info and some interesting display on the life and story of Harriet Tubman who grew up in slavery at what has now been transformed in a National Historic Site that celebrates Tubman and all others involved in maintaining the Underground Railway before and during the Civil War.

It was a cool, informative and interesting, if not somewhat sobering experience, but as someone who views Harriet Tubman as a true American heroine, it was well worth the time. After our visit we drove on to our hotel on Chincoteague Island on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Chincoteague is best known for the wild ponies that inhabit nearby Assateague Island, just over a short bridge, which is now a National Seashore where the ponies are protected. Kathy had been to the area a couple of times previously including for the annual pony round-up and auction, which happens once a year to cull the herd and keep the ponies population balanced.

This was my first visit to the beautiful and quaint area that was probably made most famous due to Marguerite Henry’s 1947 book of classic children’s literature, “Misty of Chincoteague” and the 1961 film version of the book, “Misty”. Kathy certainly was influenced to visit because of the book.

We had a boat tour booked first thing the next morning after arriving with a great company called Up The Bay Pony Tours. Captain Mike was great as we had our own private tour out onto the Cheseapeake Bay. The trip is billed as mainly a pony watching tour, but it is really an all-inclusive wildlife experience as we saw bottlenose dolphins, a large assortment of birds including a bald eagle as well as the famous ponies, which his low draft boat was able to come right up to the shore within a few feet of the beautiful wild creatures which seemed nonplussed by our proximity.

It was a wonderful and amazing experience and it was only the first day of our time in this beautiful area. Seeing the wild ponies so close was a wonderful adventure and I hope to get back again soon.

https://visitdorchester.org/harriet-tubman-museum-educational-center/

https://www.nps.gov/hatu/planyourvisit/index.htm

https://benschilibowl.com/

https://upthebayponytours.com/