Assateague Island National Seashore

 The Island

At about 37 miles long, the island and parks (state and national) straddle the states of Virginia and Maryland with a topography that ranges from the scrub flats and salt marshes on the northern end of the island to a maritime forest on the other end. There are 2 campgrounds on the Maryland end of the island…one is National Park and the other is State park. The island is also owned/operated in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. A triumvirate focused on protecting the natural resources of the island and its varied inhabitants. Bravo to them.

Our campsite within the beachfront Assateague State Park was pointed to us by the ranger as one where there was a break in the dunes that would give us the sound of the waves even so there was no sight of them. As it turned out that break was also Pony Lane. Though we neither saw nor heard the ponies during the night, evidence of their passing was fresh each morning…some of it quite fragrantly so.

Pony Lane

None of the campsites are directly on the oceanfront, which in my view, is as it should be.  The dune system is a natural resource that protects the island, horses, birds and the fragile bayside eco-system from incoming storms. (Although October’s Hurricane Sandy did extensive damage on both ocean and bay side of the island…thanks to many paid and volunteer man-hours much of the damage is being mitigated and the parks are open again.) It is my personal view that the need to protect this special environment outweighs the popularity of beach front camping. I’m glad there are others out there who work exactly toward that end.

This is not a fancy resort campground. The draw is the beautiful, soft sand beaches and the island ponies. You can catch eye popping sunrises on the beach or meander over to the bayside for spectacular sunsets across the salt marsh (unfortunately the weather did not co-operate for the latter…oh, well…there’s always next time). The breeze from the ocean teases the nose with the marvelous tang of salt air. The brilliant sea sun warms both body and soul.

Assateague Sunrise

Plain Jane thought it is I love this place and the site we chose to reside for an all too short time. The chilled dark night provided a tapestry of stars so full one could actually see the dim arms of the Milky Way in the ebon sky. There is little light noise to cancel out the wealth of starlight in the cold air. The rhythmic echo of the waves through the dune break was as if sleeping to a personal lullaby. (Yes….even so it was chilly I cracked the window enough to hear the sea’s tattoo upon the shore.)

While we had a neighbor to one side, our next was several campsites away. Each site is relatively large, with the exception being those on the single loop that provides electricity and on-site water hook-ups. That loop was rather crowded and we were happy to be boondocking away from what we dubbed “Tin Can City” using our own on-board battery power. The bath house was large and very clean providing a hot shower that was quite welcome after a day of adventuring. Wi-fi is even available at the camp store where you can bask in the warmth of the sun on a cool day or under canopied shade in the heat of summer whilst surfing the net. We are grateful that a portion of the park fee aided in providing this service free of charge such that we could keep up with family fairly regularly via the internet (cuz donchano the youngsters they do worry when us old geezers are out madventuring in the wilds).

The Horses

The island is also home to the feral Assateague Ponies brought to fame by author Marguerite Henry in her book Misty of Chincoteague (a small island between Assateague and the mainland). There are no less than 2 lines of thinking regarding the history of the ponies of the island. For details see these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chincoteague_Pony

http://www.chincoteague.com/ponies.html

Their interactions with humans is not entirely without consequence making them both at ease as well as endangered by our desire to see them up close and personal. The Maryland Ponies are owned by the National Park service and roam their end of the island at will with little interference except for contraception to keep the herd at an ecologically balanced level. The Chincoteague Ponies are owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company which sponsors the yearly channel crossing and Pony penning to raise money for their continued care. These ponies receive regular veterinary care and only the most healthy are pulled for the round-up, swim and sale.

While on the Maryland end, we were as delighted as anyone by our brief encounters. Yet as much as the desire was there to reach out and touch them…we did not…choosing instead to respect the sanctity of their freedom to roam. The Chincoteague ponies roaming the Virginia end of the island are fenced and kept to areas in which the numbers of humans can be monitored. They are not as truly wild as the Maryland ponies, but their lives are more stable. Whatever the truth is regarding their heritage, these beautiful animals hark back to a time in history when animals freely roamed this country and awaken a certain sense of freedom in the soul.

The Lighthouse

Assateague Light

Indulging our penchant for lighthouses we negotiated the roadways back across the mainland, south to Virginia, across the bridge to Chincoteague and another leading into Assateague’s southern end. Ironically, the land here is part of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. A short hike up a hill and through the woods ends at Assateague Light. This lighthouse, built in 1867, replaced the much shorter 1833 light. The top of the light is open to the public June through September, but visitors are welcome to view the exterior grounds any time of year. Needing a paint job, the red and white vertical stripe is unassuming in appearance with its only grand view from ground level being that of the Assateague Channel and Chincoteague Island across it. Hopefully next trip will be during climbing season and the expansive views documented here will be available:

http://www.assateagueisland.com/lighthouse/lighthouse_inside.htm

Our time on Assateague was too short…short enough to plan another stay on our next journey north.

Up next…Cape May and Hereford Inlet

Fort Story and the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse

Just around the corner from First Landing SP is Fort Story, also known as the Joint Expeditionary Forces Base East, a sub-installation of Fort Eustis. It is also home to the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse as well as the newer lighthouse across the road.

If you read the story here:

https://preservationvirginia.org/visit/historic-properties/cape-henry-lighthouse

and get to the part where you have to show ID, can be searched, etc….believe it. You are entering an active military base that guards the waterway through the Chesapeake Bay. We spent a half-hour or more on the bay-walk at the Cape Henry Memorial Park on the base watching carriers, destroyers and subs enter and leave the Bay.

More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Henry_Memorial

Our sentries were friendly, but professional; smiling, but not joking around.  I did find myself, howsumever, grateful that we had parked Li’l Scamp in Visitor Parking back at the campground. Opening every nook and cranny for inspection would have been a time consuming project.

The Old Lighthouse sits on property that is both private and military; neither is the historic lighthouse portion very large. The newer light sits across the parking lot on a small plot surrounded by a fence into which one is NOT allowed entrance as it is an active Coast Guard station. It’s an odd feeling to tread upon ground that lives in history both old and new. The picture at the top of this post, borrowed from Wikipedia, shows the lights side by side. It’s not a view the average tourist gets to see as you are reminded to remain on the main road and STOP at the red flashing lights. Really.

Still it was fun to view the lights, walk the memorial park along the bay and see the ships on their way to and from who knows where. The rigamarole to get in was worth it, howsumever, as we found ourselves taken not only by the fact that this is one of the oldest surviving lighthouses, but also by the job this military base does in service to this country.  That’s a truism regardless of one’s politics or feelings about our military in general and this old Viet Nam era hippie is grateful.

Up next…Assateague Island National Seashore

First Landing State Park

First Landing State Park sits at the hook of the Chesapeake Bay and its nexus with the Atlantic Ocean. One can view the Bay Bridge and Tunnel entrances/exits from the shoreline of the park, 27 miles from one side of the Chesapeake to the other. It is a most odd sensation to consider driving through the two tunnels knowing tons of water ride above you separated by what seems a very thin layer of concrete and metal. 

Back on the beach sand as soft as velvet tickles the toes and is liberally dotted with a multitude of Horseshoe Crabs in varying stages of dismantlement. Finding raccoon tracks along the strand leads to the conclusion that the wily creatures eat quite well in these surroundings. What is disappointing is a noticeable lack of the typical Eastern Atlantic shell life. Mayhap they are covered by the incessant migration of sand toward the shore as evidenced by the disappearance of about 2 feet of the boardwalk beneath the constantly moving particles.

The campground itself is nestled among a line of dunes protected scrub oaks, sea grasses and other low growing vegetation.  The history of this park is of interest as it was near the very first Virginia landing by settlers in 1607. The park itself was built by the CCC in the 1930.  

See the story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Landing_State_Park

Sunset, while not spectacular on this particular evening, was, nonetheless beautiful across the waters of the Chesapeake and always welcome when camping near a lake, river or, in this case, bay.  Snugged within the sheltering limbs of twisted scrub our little home on wheels was serendipitously angled to provide a striking view of the full moon through streaked clouds as lazy crickets slowly chirped in the cool early autumn air.  

In search of tasty seafood, we questioned the friendly attendant at the gate about a good local “mom’n’pop” eatery. Served with yummy oyster crackers and hush puppies on the side, Charlie’s Seafood Restaurant is locally famous for its She-Crab soup. It is a tasty concoction which they will also freeze and ship anywhere Fed-Ex overnight. Sampling that and a perfectly seasoned blackened Flounder was a satisfying end to a long afternoon on the road.

Next stop…the old lighthouse that lies within the grounds of still very active Fort Story.

Time to Hit the Road

Labor had us marking maps, making reservations and buying a birthday present for our extended journey to visit our NJ Grandson for his birthday.  7 years old…I remember when he was born, christened and just learning to walk. Now he’s a cub scout, plays basketball and loves karate. Oy.

The plan was to scoot out with a quick stop in NC, head up the coast, across to NJ, back down through the Shenandoah, along the Blue Ridge Parkway and finally land home 3 weeks later. What a wonderful trip it turned out to be. And, our Big Guy was such a great host.

The itinerary looked like this:

Grand Divas – Raleigh, NC

First Landing State Park - VA

Assateague National Seashore – MD and VA

Cape May - NJ

Long Beach Island – NJ

Washington Station – NJ

Shenandoah Parkway – VA

Blue Ridge Parkway – VA, NC and SC

Home

Ultimate goal? Birthday party with the Grandson and EAT SEAFOOD. Goal accomplished.

Highlights of the trip included the old Cape Henry Lighthouse on the grounds of very active combined forces Fort Story; the free roaming ponies of Assateague; the Assateague Light House; riding the Cape May Ferry; stopping in at the lighthouses at Cape May and Hereford Inlet; the awesome YMCA campground that was our weeklong home in NJ;  the sights, sounds and smells of the amazing Shenandoah Valley, Mayberry (VA), Mabry Mill and and some of the best darn seafood we’ve ever eaten.

Details to follow.