We left Fort Monroe to travel up the Delmarva Peninsula. It’s been a few years since we traversed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. That seventeen mile traverse is still pretty cool.
First stop was in Cape Charles. We’d driven by the place a few times but never took the time to really look at it. It is really much larger than we’d thought and, actually, quite charming. The streets are lined with well maintained, mostly modest homes and the beach is beautiful. There’s a neat downtown area with nice shops, galleries and restaurants. We might have stayed but there’s really no place to camp nearby.
A bit farther north along US-13 we came to the tiny town of Melfa and our Harvest Host. This time it was the Blue Crab Bay Co., purveyor of Chesapeake Bay related snacks, stoneware, seasoning mixes and other gift items. We checked in and were directed to a nice, shaded parking area behind the store.
It was still early and we wanted to visit Onancock, a small town we used to visit by boat during our sailing days, with a nice waterfront on Onancock Creek. The main street also has a few galleries and we ended up having an extended conversation with the owner of one of them, Red Queen Gallery. The town turns out to have a very active theater program and she has been one of the on-stage talents. The Red Queen is a mixed reference to a previous owner who referred to herself as the Queen and the story of Alice in Wonderland.
Back at our Harvest Home camping spot we were thankful for the shade and a bit of breeze since it was hot and predicted to remain so. Even our huge battery can’t power our air conditioner all night. We determined that we’d buy a fan the next day at the local WalMart.
Sept 8, 2023 – Melfa to Assateague SP, MD
Our first stop today was the local WalMart. They did, indeed, have the fan Bill had eyed up online and we bought it.
We’d never spent any time on the Maryland end of Assateague Island; just a drive through on one our trips north. This time we decided we’d stay there and a few days earlier were able to secure a two day reservation for the very last available site at the large State Park Campground. But it was still hot and the site did not have a hookup to plug in for our AC.
Bill noticed that there was a small National Park campground further south with some sites having electric on a first-come-first-served basis for the first night. Since it was too early to check in to the state park, we headed for the federal campground. Sure enough there were a couple of sites but Bill was wrong about the availability of electricity. We paid for a site anyway, only $15, because it looked nice. We parked in the site and unloaded our bikes to take a ride.
The herds of wild horses on Assateague are almost legendary as is the annual pony swim of the herds to Chincoteague Island. Most times we’ve visited we’ve only seen a few of the horses. Not so this time. They were everywhere, grazing along the roads, walking through the parking lots, wandering through the campgrounds and, yes, even grazing in the marshes. It was really cool watching them all.
Stopping at the National Seashore beach we couldn’t miss a huge kite flying display. Getting closer, we noticed that many of the kites were in the form of horses. The kite flyer had three strings of kites each harnessed to a pile of sandbags. He had designed and sewn the kites himself. Each string had a lifting kite and the creatures were wind-inflated shapes. Each of the horses was named after an actual Assateague horse. The dragons et. al. made regular appearances at kids parties.
We walked the Life of the Marsh Trail, actually a long boardwalk, through the marsh near our campground. It was a nice trail and we saw a few crabs in the shallow water and learned about the various kinds of plant life that inhabit the marsh. We also saw a new-to-us kind of heron. Its proportions were similar to a great blue but was smaller and had smoother feathers. A ranger was also trying to identify it and came to the conclusion that it was a “little heron”, a distinct species. According to a birdwatcher’s website, the southern portion of the Delmarva is at the very northern extent of its habitat. We wonder if its presence is related to our warming environment.
We returned to the State Park Campground and claimed our site, intending to not actually occupy it this first night. But the site was beautiful and the shore breeze was wonderful. So we returned to the federal site, packed up our bikes and took up residence in the state campground. Whew, what a relief! We’d expected another hot night but, despite the high temperatures, it was very comfortable, even inside the camper. Fan not needed! And, Sandy got to walk the beautiful beach.
A group of horses grazed through our area of the campground while Bill was cooking our dinner. He had to shoo them away but they seemed oblivious to his actions. They decided not to sample our supper after all and soon were bothering our neighbors.
Sept 9, 2023 – Assateague SP, MD
This morning Bill gazed across the campground road at a neighbor’s campsite. They were staying in a tent and five horses had chosen to spend the night with them. Most of them were lying down right next to the tent. It was probably quite a surprise when they woke up. The horses had knocked over an open five gallon bucket in which the campers disposed of their recyclables. That may have been what attracted them to the site.
We decided to go off the island to explore nearby Berlin and Snow Hill. As we drove into Berlin we discovered that they were having a street festival. The country music band wasn’t slated to start until 1:00 and people were already setting up chairs on the street in front of the stage. It was only 11:00 but we decided to stay. We left the camper in a nearby park and walked to the festival to explore the town.
First stop was a bakery that had a number of gluten free treats for sale. Sandy purchased a piece of “refrigerator cake”. She was a bit surprised when the bill came to $10. Oh, well.
We walked the shops up and down the streets. Lots of nice places but none of the merchandise was something we really needed. Still, it’s nice to look. We decided on lunch at the Atlantic Hotel Bistro Bar, a place we’d once had dinner with friends. A wonderful, huge lunch meant we’d only need a light dinner!
Turns out the band didn’t actually begin playing until 2:00. We listened to a few songs but weren’t really in to it. And, being hot and having spent so much time in Berlin, we decided to leave Snow Hill for another visit.
Back at the campground, we spoke with a few neighboring campers. It comfortable in the shade so we sat and read for awhile and, when it started to get dark, made sandwiches for dinner. A line of thunderstorms was working its way north just to our west. Nearing bedtime, though, we got a little bit of light rain. So, just in case, we shut our windows most of the way, turned on the fan and directed it toward the bedroom. Just right!