October 23rd started out to be a short day over to the National Seashore on Assateague Island, a barrier island on the Maryland coast. We saw a small buck with a large rack as we entered the park.
Later we found out that it was a Sika deer brought in from Asia by the Boy Scouts many years ago. (They had a petting zoo, which is how the deer came to the island.) We saw several of the wild horses that this island in known for as we drove further into the park. These horses are descended from domestic stock kept on the island by early eastern shore settlers avoiding main land taxes and fencing laws. This looks like it’ going to be a nice day! Spoke too soon.
We found the park and a great place to park, (we thought). As we backed into the spot, we needed to straighten the 5th-wheel so I told Bruce to pull it out straight. He did, straight into the cleverly disguised soft sand just in front of the site.
(Due to the turning radius of this truck, it’s not just a matter of pulling it out straight and putting it in neatly.) We were sunk in the sand in no time.
A couple of hours later, with the help of a couple of fellow campers, and with the Forest Ranger looking on, we managed to get it unstuck, (and didn’t get a fine). Thank you, Lord, for the great help You sent…and the compassionate ranger.
We went up the road and found an easier spot to occupy, one without a lot of soft sand. Just as we got parked, whom did we see? That nice family from the ferry drove up! They were checking out the park. Two times meeting definitely means we have to swap info and new friends are added to our list!
We have had a fun time hiking the trails and the beach. The horses have been great to watch as they meander through the campsites and around the park.
They are wild horses so we cannot approach, pet or feed them. The Whitetail and Sika deer also wander in and out, along with quite a few migratory birds. The people have been few, (except Sunday), so it’s been peaceful.
We had a bit of blustery weather Saturday, and it kept us indoors. We have a great cell and Internet signal, so it’s been good to get caught up on our blog! Sunday we walked the beach again, and people were everywhere! Of course, it was a beautiful day and even warm. We took pictures of four women and their horses on the beach, both Friday and Sunday. We also watched several surfers trying out the waves. The many dogs in the water and on the beach were fun to watch as well, especially the Labs.
Monday brought Bruce’s birthday (#63) and a beautiful sunrise. We got up early and headed to the beach to welcome the sun to Maryland and Assateague Island. As we came out the door there were three Whitetail deer grazing in our front yard.
We saw more deer as we walked to the beach. When we got to the beach the surfers were already in the water, “dawn patrol”, and we enjoyed watching them and the sunrise. Later that day we took another small hike to the sound and saw more wildlife. We had pork loin and 5-minute-microwave chocolate cake in a mug, (called "the most dangerous cake"), for Bruce's birthday to end the day. Glad we got our walk in early as the wind picked up and the sky started spitting rain.
Tuesday started cold, windy and rainy, as it had been doing all night. It’s not easy to sleep when the trailer is rocking in the wind and the rain is coming down sideways in sheets. If the ranger hadn’t warned us, it would also have been scary. The horses have a high-pitched scream that sounds like a young girl in peril. Mix that into a windy rainy night, close to Halloween and it was a little eerie!
It was also getting colder, so it was time to leave the barrier islands of Maryland for Williamsburg…South!
No comments:
Post a Comment