Oct 21, 2012 - Chincoteague Island, VA

We had a very pleasant drive down the length of the NJ shore on the Garden State Parkway and across Delaware Bay on the Cape May ferry. Then we stuck to the coast and drove mostly within sight of the ocean along the Delaware and Maryland shore for quite a while, then had to come in land a little bit for the last 30 miles. Chincoteague Island is a coastal barrier island on the Delmarva peninsula near the MD-VA state line, so we are just barely into Virginia. It is quiet this time of year because peak season is long over. The days are warm...

Aug 9, 2012 - Chincotegue and Assateague Islands

The last 2 days we have been playing "tourist". Yesterday (Wednesday - 8/8), after a leisurely breakfast we headed off to Chincoteague, VA. We drove Main Street, scoping out the shops and eateries, as well as seeking out other campgrounds in the area, to be sure we had picked the right one. Yes, in our opinion we are in the best ... even if it is off the beaten path! We also were contemplating a boat ride around the islands, so we drove to the marina to comppare boats, trips and prices. The day continued to be pretty cloudy, and most of...

Jul 25, 2012 - Day 8-Pony Penning Day!

We woke about 7 am. We had a quick breakfast of cereal. Hopped on our bikes and at 8am we rode down to where we saw a bunch of people. We couldn’t see anything from there so we walked out in a muddy mush through the marsh grass to the shore. It was stinky but felt good between my toes. We got a pretty good spot. There were a lot of people there. We stood around for about an hour; my feet hurt and we didn’t bring chairs and we had to stand in the sun for about an hour. Finally, the red flare went off and that announced that the ponies were...

Jul 24, 2012 - Day 7; Lots of ponies!

We slept in and had pancakes for breakfast. I helped by doing flipping patrol. I rode m. It was kind of lame. I rode my bike around a bit to see where the pool was. Grandma and I went to the Chincoteague Pony Center where Misty's descendents are. We looked at the museum, which we weren't very happy about; it was kind of lame but we did get to see Icicle, the only cremola (totally cream colored) pony in Misty's lineage. We saw pony paintings--paintings by a pony named Minnow who has a brush in his mouth and paints away. I went on a pony...

Jul 23, 2012 - Day 6; finally in Chincoteague!

Grandpa and I went swimming at the campground pool in the morning. Then we packed up the camper and left. We drove to Annapolis, the capitol of Maryland--it was only about half an hour away. We went to the US Naval Academy, where people who are going to be Navy and Marine officers go to school. We had a picnic there and drove around the academy. It was pretty cool because I've never been there before. We went across this really long bridge; it was 4 miles long. It goes across the "Cheapskate" Bay (ed note: Chesapeake Bay). We decided to go...

Apr 28, 2012 - Ponies and a lighthouse

Today was another windy, cold day, but the sun managed to peep through the high clouds a few times. Lunch today was at Don's Seafood Restaurant...excellent crab soup, excellent crab cakes, excellent fried shrimp...we had hoped to go back for supper, but knew we wouldn't enjoy it after eating such a big lunch. So, before we leave tomorrow we are going back for lunch. We have to try the oysters. We drove to the Chincoteague Pony Centre which is basically a big gift shop with some ponies in a pen out front. During the season, they also have a...

Apr 27, 2012 - To Chincoteague VA

The drive to Chincoteague seemed long because there was lots of traffic. I95 was awful. Luckily we were on I95 for only a few miles. We drove straight down the Delmarva (DElaware, MARyland, VirginA)peninsula. There are many little towns, but also a great number of agricultural fields. The farmers were out plowing and spreading fertilizer. In a few weeks the fields will be showing green. Not long after we left Wilmington, DE, the terrain had changed from the rolling hills of Pennsylvania to a coastal plain...sandy, flat, with marsh grass...

Jul 29, 2011 - Summer RV Trip to New England - (Chincoteague Island, VA)

Today, the adult ponies will make the return swim to Assateague Island where they will live in the wild for another year. Many people who have seen the pony penning before told us that the swim back to Assateague is a much better event – especially since there are few people around to watch. We learned that the ponies would leave their pen at the carnival grounds, move through the streets to Memorial Park and then swim in the opposite direction – back to Assateague Island. Our plan was to again use the Folbot. We launch at 8:00 AM and moved...

Jul 28, 2011 - Summer RV Trip to New England - (Chincoteague Island, VA)

The purpose of the pony swim is to move the ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island so that the foals can be auctioned. The auction serves two purposes. First, the auction helps to control the overall size of the herd, keeping it from growing too large. Secondly, the auction is a fundraiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. Somehow we mixed up the time of the auction – thinking it started at 12:00 noon instead of 8:00 AM. However, on of our campground neighbors set us straight and we got to the auction site by 10:00...

Jul 27, 2011 - Summer RV Trip to New England - (Chincoteague Island, VA)

Today, the Saltwater Cowboys will swim the ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island. The swim takes place at "slack tide" - a period of about 30 minutes between tides, when there is no current. This is the easiest time for the ponies to make the swim. The time of slack tide varies each year. However, the swim generally takes place some time between 7am and 1pm. This year the announced time was between 12:00 noon and 1:00 PM. Our plan was to wheel the Folbot to the launch ramp at 10:30 AM. We hoped to be in the water and close to...

Jul 26, 2011 - Summer RV Trip to New England - (Chincoteague Island, VA)

Today was an easy day – nothing was scheduled and we spent our time around the campground. Marty biked down to the pier and became interested in the activities of a young boy – he was trying to catch crabs. She helped him tie his homemade net. His work was successful – when she returned later, his trap was full. 110726-01-Chincoteague Island - Tom's Cove Park - Crabs Trapped on Pier In the late afternoon, Gary assembled the Folbot. In talking to folks who have been to the pony swim before, we learned that the best way to see the ponies is...

Jul 25, 2011 - Summer RV Trip to New England - (Chincoteague, VA)

Today, at day break, “Saltwater Cowboys” move the ponies from the northern pen, along the Atlantic Ocean, down the beach, and join them with the ponies in the southern pen. We have been told that this is a “don’t miss” item. 110725-03-Assateague, VA – Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge - Sunrise Yesterday, we learned the route and where to park. This morning we were up and on the road before 6:00 AM. The ponies move starting at 7:00 AM. Hen we go to the beach, the rangers already had everything under control. We were directed to the end...