Assateague Island

There is still more content from Paris to come, but for now let's take a detour: to Assateague Island!

My friend Megan, our lovely driver for the day, has camped there before. So, she was our tour guide, taking me and our friends Liam and Gabby along for the ride. To get to Assateague, you have to drive all the way down through Rehoboth and Ocean City, Maryland, so we were looking at a three-hour drive. Ours ended up being a bit longer since we stopped for sustenance and Sunsations merchandise, so by the time we got there, we were reading to stretch our legs and stay a while.

We paid $15 to get into Assateague Island National Seashore Park, which may seem steep; however, our admission was good for a week (and sadly, won't be put to use), so that's actually reasonable. And you can drive onto the island for a peek at the ponies without paying a thing. But I'd suggest making a day of it. The beaches are tranquil; there was hardly a crowd, despite the perfect weather. Even though you're on an island, the sand seems to stretch on forever. The shored blur into a kind of fog in the distance, and you can see where Misty of Chincoteague got her name. There are also multiple hiking trails, and kayaks available for hire. Fishing and crabbing are welcome, too.

We parked the car and humped our beach gear out to the beach. Once we made camp, we tested the water; I'd say 62 degrees at the warmest. Yeesh. I'm kind of a sissy when it comes to cold water; as a kid I was a total fish and had to be dragged out of the waves or the pool no matter what the temperature. These days, though, getting in is hard! So I watched the others swim for a while and then decided to give it a try. I deposited my hat and cover ups on the sand and began wading in. However, mother nature decided she didn't want me taking my time that day. I was hit smack in the knees by a rogue wave and fell flat on my face. Well. That was cold and wet enough for me, thank you. At least I did manage to get completely submerged.

After the water we took a long walk along the beach, then headed back to base for some r&r. Then we went in search of ponies! I thought it would be hard, but actually, we found some almost right away. Though I'm happy to say that I'm the one that spotted the first one! There she was, grazing roadside, a painted mare. She was the first wild horse I'd seen up close. I did a year of riding lessons and another semester in college, so I've always liked horses. I could daydream up a glorious ride up the beach on this mare's back very easily, but the reality is slightly different.

Assateague takes safety seriously. When you pay to enter the park, you're given some rather gruesome literature; one brochure actually shows a picture of a dead stallion, with the headline "Ever hit a deer? Imagine hitting an Assateague horse!" There were also photos of people who have been bitten. The literature says that each "harem of mares" is guarded by a stallion, and these males are much more likely to bite or attack in defense of his mares. Still, as the lit warns us, any horse can be dangerous if it feels threatened.

Touching, feeding or "enticing" the horses is not only forbidden, it's illegal. And obviously, injuries have occurred. So, if you go, be sure to keep your distance. We got perhaps a bit too close to the ones we saw as we were driving around; the brochures insist on keeping "a bus length" away, but that's a bit hard when you're driving and the horses are right on the side of the road. We turned the music down and spoke quietly, and the horses largely ignored us while we snapped photos. My guess is that they're used to it.

We explored the bay side a bit, then did another circuit, spotting more horses along the way. Then we went back to the bay, where we got caught in a freak rainstorm, then drove off to Ocean City for dinner.

All in all, a wonderful day. I would certainly go back.