Fall 2016: Assateague National Seashore Part 1

Waterfront View

I love Sanderlings and I love this beach!

September 26 to October 1

Days 1 and 2

With a bunch of medical appointments for late October, we headed out early for our Fall Trip. It was a beautiful day for an uneventful drive.We had another easy border crossing, despite the sniffer dog! We saw very few election signs (Pennsylvania may ban them on interstates) though the Ron Paul 2012 sign is still there near Kingston, Ontario. We took the Turnpike and regretted the tolls on the first, short part (never again) but stayed in the relatively quiet Hickory Travel Center (and watched the debate!).

Our trip continued through Delaware (more election signs here), and we got to Assateague State Park (Site I9, No Services, $14 weekday and $28 weekend with Maryland Golden Age Pass) and settled in for four reserved nights. I took a beach walk, toured the campground on my bike, and saw our first baby horse (Hank Jr.):

Here`s the view from my chair:

Days 3, 4 and 5

Thunderstorms were expected, but it was a pretty nice day, I took three beach walks, cruised the campground, sat on the beach for a while, then we took a 10 mile bike ride in the National Park:

We saw another horse family (a baby female this time):

…but cut the ride short with black skies and a bent tire rim (my bike, of course). Back home, we watched three sites fill with young couples and families from some religious sect (long skirts and head covering for the women; trucks and flashlights but no indoor lights). Thinking Amish.

Well, it turned out to be a crazy, mostly sleepless night as those black skies turned into thunder, lightening, strong winds and relentless rain. So we spent the day inside, reading and waiting for a break. Since we were being broadsided by the wind, we drove to the Day Use area so we could face into the worst of it. We even spent the night in the overflow area so we could avoid being buffeted by the wind for another night. Oh, and after some sneezing yesterday, I developed a full-blown head cold. What a day. Here`s our view for the whole day:

We woke to this view of our campsite and those around us:

The washrooms were surrounded by water. Campsites were flooded. And we headed into Ocean City for a break from the wet. And some BBQ, so all was not lost. I even walked the beach some; people had crawled out from a day and a half spent indoors:

Day 6

It was another rainy night, and we decided to head inland to avoid what`s been promised to be more bad weather. And we hoped to paddle at Pokomoke State Park, known for canoe and kayak trails. During a stop for bread, I saw a woman dressed like our Amish neighbours and asked her about her faith. She, like the neighbours, are Mennonites, and there`s a church in Snow Hill. So, now I know.

When we paid for our site, we learned that there would be no paddling: the river has crested the banks and sewage was dumped. With my cold, bent tire rim, terrible storms and rain and some credit card problems we resolved (not our fault!), we wondered what could happen next. But the sun did come out, and I even took a walk. Here`s the view from my chair (Site 34, E, $34 on weekend):