9-10 June 2019
Assateague State Park is Maryland's only
oceanfront park. It is located on Assateague Island, a barrier island bordered
by the Atlantic Ocean. While there is
assorted wildlife in the park, the most famous attraction here is the feral
horses. We arrived on a cold and windy
day and it turned out that this was going to be the conditions for our two-night
stay. We saw our first horses entering
the park and they were in the campground often during our stay. There are approximately
75 in the Maryland herd and their numbers are controlled by a contraception
program. There are warnings everywhere to stay away from these wild horses.
They have been known to attack those who get to close.
I
wondered where the horses came from and this is what the state park website
says: “Local lore experts theorized the ponies arrived on the island
via a shipwrecked vessel in the late 18th or early 19th century. Others
attribute their arrival by pirates drawn to the island who ultimately abandoned
the animals. A more likely theory is that farmers in colonial times used the island
for grazing areas to avoid paying taxes on the land.” I am betting the last one is right on the
money.
This was our second stop in
a row that we could say we were actually cold.
In some ways it was nice after the heat of Florida. We did not bring warm jackets and bought some
pullovers at the Cape Henlopen SP, which we used both days here. Halley surprisingly enjoyed the beach and had
fun running around.
I do not normally comment on
bathhouses, but I must say the one in our camp section is without a doubt the
very best I have seen anywhere. Very large,
well lit with tile floors and spacious shower stalls. It appears new and well maintained.
The second day we drove over
to the Assateague National Seashore, which is adjacent to the state park to see
what they had to offer. They also have about 150 feral horses. There is a campground and beach area. We walked
the boardwalk thru the wetlands area, watching the families fish and attempt to
catch crabs.
2 comments:
We used to camp across the bridge from the island at Castaways. Then it got REALLY expensive. It's fun the watch the ponies get into peoples coolers. Smart little buggers, they have figured out how to get to those sandwiches and watermelon.
I have a collection of sweatshirts and jackets that I've bought over the years from our travels because we forgot to bring the proper warm clothing. I just justify it by thinking how well I've supported the local economies. ;c)
Post a Comment