5-15-10 Assateague

Assateague is a barrier island, part of Maryland and a National Park Seashore. It is located just South of the very popular Ocean City, where all the urbanites pilgrimage to when the weather gets warm. We didn't visit Ocean City but it sounds a lot like Myrtle Beach - all tourists and crowded beaches. Assateague is for the calmer set. We got there, after dropping Tim off at the airport, at about 1:30.

It would have been sooner but we stopped at a great Museum in Salisbury, Md, recommended by our friend Don Wolkerstorfer. This is the Ward Museum of bird decoys. Award winning examples of the state of this art are there and they are truly amazing. Also some history, and a replica of the workshop of the Ward brothers from Crisfield Maryland who made this a real art form. What started out as making nicer and nicer decoys for hunters has turned into an art form where some folks specialize in just making extremely detained feathers out of wood.

We were concerned we would not see the famous Assateague ponies during our visit. We had read that sightings were rare. So we were happy to see three of them grazing right by the road when we came in. That took that concern away. Then we ate lunch on the beach. This is an Eastern beach, which is not what this Western boy is used to. It is just a beach and people go there and lie in the sun. We ate our lunch sitting on the beach but that sure gets boring. We then went for some walking tours.

On the way out we happened upon a collection of ponies by the beach, close to a parking lot. Sue took this wonderful picture of me and the pony - I fully expect the comments about two horse's asses and she claims innocence but I am suspicious. The ponies were also drinking out of the water sprayers people use to get sand off their feet, while the kids stood next to them and petted them. So maybe the ponies are not so wild and rarely seen after all.

At about 5 we headed South to the place where we are spending the night, Chincoteague. Same island but in Virginia.