Addendum to Blog Entry of May 9, 2015

We have always marveled at the Jekyll and Hyde aspect of Assateague Island. The MD end of the island is narrow, mostly sandy beach and low scrub brush.  This long narrow spit of land has miles of marshy grasslands and numerous hummocks, also called islands, just off shore in the bay. By contrast, the VA end of the island is much wider with a short and narrow sandy beach. The marshlands are also expansive but the middle of the island supports heavily forested areas and the bay between Assateague and the mainland is island free. As we progressed mile after mile down the beach on the OSV road, we could see the changes.

Almost immediately, the dunes became taller, healthier and more alive with erosion impeding growth. Eventually the scrubby bush and stump pines gave way to the much taller Loblolly Pines and even some hardwoods. Close to Stateline is a healthy freshwater marsh, an intact ecosystem complete with cattails. This freshwater source is a great resource for the small bands of horses that inhabit this end of the island where other bands make due with brackish water and puddles after a rainstorm.      
Our trip over sand not only gave us a look at the different layers of agency dealings, Enforcement Officers, Park Rangers and Natural Resources People all working hand in hand to keep the park pristine. It also reminded us of things they are unable to prevent such as the natural process of a barrier island adjusting to weather and it’s movement by the tides and storms. During Hurricane Sandy, the entire island was subjected to a massive tidal surge. As a result, many of the aged trees in the middle of the island are showing signs of salt toxicity and are dying off. We think of Barrier Islands protecting the mainland but they must also handle a great deal of abuse from weather during it’s life. Assateague Island is not where it was 50 years ago and will continue to move over the next 50. The animals that call this place home, the White Tailed and Sika deer, rabbits and the horses, have a pretty tough life. I’ve spent some time here now and will always wonder how the island is dealing with that next Atlantic storm, summer or winter.

Over Sand Trip

When most of the National Seashore is only reachable by traveling through sand with a special permit and appropriate gear, you miss the real flavor of the island unless you can travel that sandy stretch. Since we’re not sure about my Toyota Tundra’s worthiness, we’ve never spent the money for the permit but have always wanted to go.

One of the rangers, Betsy, offered to drive us out, show us a couple of back country camp sites and give us an idea of what the rest of Assateague was made of so we hopped into her government vehicle and spent the first spent 20 minutes letting 65 lbs of air out of each tire. Regulations and just plain sand smarts require you to run with only 15 lbs of pressure in each tire. The theory of squishy tires providing more surface contact is a sound one and more importantly, it seems to work for the majority of travelers. The trip out was full of new scenery, lots of birds, and more than a handful of people fishing and enjoying the sun. The Over Sand Regulations allow for no more than 145 vehicles out there at one time, 12 per mile,  and there’s a numbered gate to control access. Once the counter hits 145, the gate won’t open until someone comes off the sand knocking the counter to 144 and allowing the next person access to the route.

Natural Resource Officers and volunteers have marked places on the sand where the endangered Piping Plovers are nesting and have installed pipes with large signs every 10 feet around the closure. Nesting is a euphemism since they do not construct a nest but lay their sand colored eggs directly on the sand. Occasionally the birds will define their site by using bits of shells. Travelers on the sand have to pay attention and drive around these closed sections of beach. On our way back, we noticed a 4 wheel drive vehicle traveling  right down the middle of one of these closed areas. Betsy flew out of the vehicle, read the guy the riot act, contacted Law Enforcement to pass on make, model and tag information of the offending vehicle and then let the guy go on his way with a smile. I don’t think he had any idea there would be a ranger with a ticket book and a gun waiting for him.

Betsy took us to one of the back country campsites called Green Run, a nice little campsite in among the pines that will accommodate up to 15 people. There are picnic tables, fire rings and pit toilets for their comfort. The Campground rangers even drop off some firewood at the beginning of the season. This site is fairly close to the water if you wanted to kayak in otherwise it’s an 8 mile walk through the sand.

We continued down the beach looking for dolphins, eagles and other marine wildlife and while the surf was spectacular, all we found were sandpipers, laughing gulls and more than a few common gulls waiting for the fishermen to clean any catch they might land.

Our next stop was a piece of property off limits to campers and hikers but park employees use this location as a staging area for work being done near the VA border . We’re told this property was once owned by the Valentine family giving it the designation of “Valentine” to the park employees. There is a rundown camp, perched high on pilings, at the site which used to have electricity running to it back in the day. In fact, there are numerous cabins hiding all over the island. With the amount of marsh grass, slimy puddles and high tide debris lines, there was more than enough evidence to suggest this site was under water during higher tides. Out in the bay I noticed a small band of horses grazing near the VA / MD border fencing. Through my camera lens I could see there were 2 pintos, a light bay, a chestnut and a very dark bay stallion. They noticed us almost immediately but stayed where they were, the grass being much sweeter on their side of the marsh. Later, back at the camper, I was able to determine the dark bay stallion had a slash of white running down his left shoulder which looked more than a bit like a bolt of lightening. I must mention here how bad the mosquitoes were because the campers never feed them at this location so we abandoned the wait for the band to graze a bit closer in favor of the sanctuary of the truck.

We returned to the entrance/exit area and found a Ford Taurus about 10 feet inside the gate buried in the sand up to it’s frame. The  owners were naturally embarrassed and waiting for Law Enforcement to try to pull them out with a chain, saving them the expense of a tow truck. They were still going to get a couple of fines but their wait was prolonged by Law Enforcement because he observed a questionable vehicle leaving the sand. The guy stopped to put air back into his tires and the officer administered a field sobriety test which the driver failed. He was arrested, on site, for DWI and the befuddled driver wanted to know when it became illegal to drink and fish. The officer calmly said, “when you climbed behind the wheel to drive”.

The Ford Taurus could not be pulled out by a chain and had to wait for the tow truck. I believe it will be a while before they try a stunt like that again.    

Nature And All It's Wonders

We finally have a few days of high 70’s with bright sunshine and it falls over our two days off so our plans would take us to the Ocean City Visitor’s Center to find out about fishing trips. This is our 4th visit to the area and Carl really wants to go deep sea fishing for Stripped Bass. Wouldn’t you know, the boats don’t start running until May 15. That’s the day we leave for home. And on top of this bad news, three bands of horses have made themselves pretty scarce over the past week. Instead of seeing more as the weather warms, we are seeing less.

But every evening, the Cardinals come out to feed in the open area near our camper and we see the same two white tailed deer, a mother and skipper ( last year’s youngster ), emerge from the brush to feed on the grasses. Most evenings but not all the chestnut stallion and his 4 chestnut mares graze their way through. And on very rare occasions, there is a lone stallion who is in the area to see if he can steal a mare or two. So far neither the white and brown pinto, Bodacious Bob, or the single chestnut, Corky, have been successful.

Also I have an update on the killdeer mother who sat on her nest through horrific rainstorms and gale force winds. We’ve watched for three weeks as she stood up to the “horse giants” roaming through the countryside. Sometime during Friday night or early Saturday morning, the four little speckled eggs hatched. Sadly, we were on duty and didn’t get a chance to watch them dry off, stretch their tiny little legs and then leave the nest area for the very last time. Another camper managed

to catch a glimpse of 4 tiny balls of fluff running after their mother as she disappeared into the tall grass on the edge of the marsh.

I figured I would complete the saga with a photo of the empty broken shells but Carl said nature had already absorbed the shells back into the environment.    

A Revolutionary City

Our trip to Williamsburg, on the 26th, was punctuated by two items of note and in no particular order are the discovery of a miniature Statue of Liberty in Exmore, VA and the crossing of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel System.

The completion of one of the Seven Structural Engineering Wonders of America in the Twentieth Century was effected in 1964. My first trip across the Bay Bridge and Tunnel System was in 1969 while in VA to visit my brother who was stationed in Norfolk. For those of you unfamiliar with the shortcut from one part of VA to the other, it measures 17.6 miles from shore to shore, consists of 12 miles of trestled roadway, two mile long tunnels, two bridges, four man made island, two miles of causeway and approximately 5 ½ miles of approach road, in total 23 miles. Partway across is the Seagull Fishing Pier where there is a gift shop and restaurant. It’s a good place to stop, take some photos and grab a bite to eat unless you are bothered by bridges and then I recommend you keep going to “get it over with”.

The Statue of Liberty in Exmore, VA is outside the Liberty Tax Service on the Lankford Highway. The 2o foot replica seems to stand by itself along the road because the Tax Service is a good ways back from the road.

We stayed about 2 miles from the Visitor Center, a very short and easy commute back to 1774. And while we were in the past, we took part in a storming of the Governor’s Palace because he had secreted the militia‘s supply of gunpowder from the armory in the dead of night for “safekeeping“. But in truth, we stormed a nearby house where the Governor was visiting due to a medical emergency of a 21st century nature. Someone had fallen on a tour of the Governor’s Palace and ambulance, fire and police personnel we on scene to assist the injured party.

We were witness to coopers, bookbinders, bakers, blacksmiths, gunsmiths, tavern and coffeehouse keepers and even more by association with the people who live that life. The city is in a state of temporal flux. One end of the street fixed in 1760 while the other exists in 1774. Still other places had moved on to the reading of the Declaration of Independence which was met with pride, passion and uncertainty of the future.

Our midday repast was taken at the Chowning Tavern, a sumptuous affair costing more than some colonists would make in 10 years. This extravagance must have placed us in the company of Thomas Jefferson.  The food was excellent and I have to say well worth the 45 minute wait for a table. We opted to share our table with a couple from North Carolina and enjoyed a pleasant exchange of experiences during the meal.

It was an exhausting day and we ended our step into history with a visit to the Court House to hear about the legal system of the day. Our experience was somewhat tarnished by those “characters” who, for whatever reason, did not or would not stay within the time frame they were employed. That being said, I must applaud James Madison for keeping to the times of 1776 in spite of questions from the citizens gathered which would have led him into a debate about future events such as the close friendship between President Washington and Secretary Hamilton or discourse of the notion of a Constitution to act as a governing document. Madison admitted he was toying with the concept but it would never catch on.    

Responsibilities

Most days tend to follow a similar path and by that I mean we get up, have breakfast, do our shift, have lunch, look for horses, have supper and watch TV until bed time. Occasionally, we head to the mainland for supplies of laundry but some days things  occur to make the day a bit more memorable. .

Last weekend we hosted a group of people who arrived well after dark. They set up huge construction area lights run off of a rather loud generator and everyone was scrambling to erect tents and settle the kids for the evening. Someone knocked on our door about 9:15 to complain about the loudness and brilliance of site A21. They were here to enjoy the quiet solitude of the evening, watch some stars and listen to the surf in the distance as it broke against the beach. When we stepped from our trailer, we couldn’t deny both the noise and intensity of the lighting coming from the site in question.

We spoke with the guests, mentioned the complaint and explained how their generator in the middle of the site was extremely loud and suggested they move it closer to the tree line. It was explained to us, in no uncertain terms, how they were hard working folks who lived in the city and had just driven all that way to arrive late. They understood the regulation of quiet time from 10:00PM- 6:00AM, pointing out they still had almost an hour before they needed to shut down the generator. They mentioned they would get the generator out as soon as they got their air mattresses pumped up. Since we could hear their generator from our campsite more than a football field away, we called a Law Enforcement Officer and asked if he could drop by. A few moments later, the generator and lights went out just about the same time the officer rolled up to our site. After explaining what had transpired, he mentioned a 60 db noise rating at 50 feet and would pass on the info to the day shift.

The next morning, around 8:00, an officer pulled up with his noise meter and asked the campers to start the generator. Wouldn’t you know it, it wouldn’t start. Well, by afternoon, the crew flagged us down as we drove by. They had purchased tiki torches to light their site and informed us they wouldn’t need the generator or lights that evening.

I had previously reported the strength of the MD herd and how few members we had come in contact with but I’m happy to report the white pinto with the small black patches,  named Bodacious Bob, has stolen 3 mares. We haven’t seen them yet but I’m sure going to watch for them. And while doing just that, we found another band has moved up from the middle of the island. It’s the beautiful mahogany bay stallion with 4 mares. Last year he had 3 pinto mares but this year he has added another to his family, the palomino and white pinto mare from another band. It’s now clear to me the stallions may fight to keep their ladies but are not always successful in their endeavors. This latest band brings the number of horses seen and photographed on this trip to 27.

Today my friend, Pam, and several members of her kayak group arrived for the weekend. It was fun to see people from home down here and I hope they fall in love with Assateague the way Carl and I have.  

Assateague Island National Seashore

Our arrival on Assateague was followed very quickly by bad weather and when I say bad weather, I mean trailer shaking wind, sideways curtains of rain with enough volume to turn the park into a water feature. Our first volunteer shift was spent figuring out which sites could be used and which classified as a diving experience . This also entailed judgment calls on what sites were too wet for tents. I felt for sure the water would disappear quickly but here we are five days later and we still have several extra ponds around with wet weather on the horizon. All this extra rainwater is an added boon to the horses for they must rely on just a  couple of brackish ponds for their year round needs.

The horses are busy grazing on the new greenery as quick as it sprouts. We have only identified 13 individuals up close with another 7 from a distance. This is a very small sampling of the herd which numbers 92, 68 mares and 24 stallions. I asked the rangers if it was a particularly tough winter to have the herd number so low. Although the winter was about average, they did mention several of the older animals had succumbed. Life is certainly hard for the barrier island inhabitants.

Last night we were witness to a failed takeover. A new white stallion with small black and brown markings appeared, a horse I haven’t seen in three years of observation, tried for over a half hour to round up the 4 chestnut mares that call our campground home. The resident stallion, also a chestnut, wasn’t having any of it. They chased each other back and forth while the mares tried their best to stay out of the way. Eventually the lead mare chased the other three out of the park while the boys continued to “discuss” the situation. It grew too dark for us to see the results and had to wait until this morning to find out who won. Much as I would have liked to see the new stallion takeover, the chestnut stallion was with his mares grazing in the marsh and the interloper was no where to be seen.

I’ll be looking for him to appear once more and try again.

Found Her !

The highlight of last year’s month long visit was finding the 5 month old filly everyone was talking about. We first heard about the December baby when we checked in at the Ranger Station. A December birth is unusual in the horse world and almost unheard of within the Maryland herd.

It took us several days to find her but our persistence was rewarded. She had what I considered to be an unusual color pattern, a brown and white pinto with brown, black and white mane and tail. She had a very distinctive tiny brown spot within a large white patch on her left side. Her other distinctive mark was a white and black splotch on her forehead. Thinking no one would notice her gone, I wanted to scoop her up and stuff her in our truck. She was a real cutie and I wondered how much her appearance would change in a year’s time. I was pretty confident we would recognize her in years to come. I have since found out her coloring isn’t that unusual but her markings are unique.

So, it’s next year already and we’ve been here just over a week. We found the band with her sire, the strong and well built pinto stallion with the map of GA on his left side grazing in the marsh between the Ranger Station and the bridge. Surprise! We not only found my little filly but also a second yearling filly born over Memorial Day weekend last year. We were delighted to find both foals born last year were in the same band.

My filly has grown significantly but still has those two distinguishing features and I still very much want to put her in the truck and take her home however it would no longer be an easy fit.

One More Of The Bucket List

I get to cross one more thing of my Bucket List this weekend. I’ve always wanted to be in Washington, DC for the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms.

Our side trip found us at Cherry Hills RV Park just outside of DC where we were educated on which bus and Metro would get us into the city on the following day. And oh what a day it was! We exited the Metro at L’Enfant Plaza and walked about ½ mile to the Tidal Basin where we discovered a vibrant blue sky, bright sunshine, 70 degree temps and a crowd of more than 500,000 people all wanting to get the best angle or the best view on their cameras, cell phones and tablets. There was even a couple of people from MacGilvery Films with an Imax camera on this huge tripod. Every step I took around the Tidal Basin involved waiting for a chance to take a photo, watching out for people who were taking a photo or making sure we weren’t walking into someone’s shot.  

However difficult our 3 mile meander was, the brilliance and multitude of those blossoms more than made up for it. The original cherry trees were a gift from Tokyo City in 1912. Over the years, mature trees have provided additional root stock and now April is the place to be for all things cherry in the nation’s capitol.

It’s of interest to mention a few years back Tokyo cherry trees experienced some kind of blight and began to die off. In the spirit of keeping the original strain alive and international cooperation, Washington sent a number of cuttings back to the country of their birth. It’s also interesting to note how pale these blossoms are when compared to other varieties of cherry trees. So when you look at a post card or someone else’s photos, remember my photo above and how someone “pushed” the colors in Photo Shop.

I just realized the Bucket List is longer now than it was one year ago.


Note to Self: April in VA is still too early for the kinds of  outside places we might enjoy.

Massanutten Resort

Week of April 4 - 11, 2015

I’m happy to report our travel to VA was uneventful. After have gallery duty at Artistic Roots in Plymouth, NH on the 4th, Carl and I hit the road and drove to our overnight stop just the other side of Hartford, CT at a Wal-Mart . There are, after all , a few we haven’t visited  yet.

 On Easter Sunday , we took great pleasure with the beautiful day and arrived at our timeshare on VA before dark. The check in process was a bit hectic since this resort had over 2,000 units but all things considered, we were in our unit and unpacking by 7:00. A hastily ordered pizza arrived by 8:15 and we were happy campers.

Our one good day, Monday, was spent finding our way around the resort, affecting repairs to the camper since it became all too apparent on the way down our camper’s slide out wouldn’t. Before we left NH Carl thought the motor was the problem but it turned out to be a bent metal tube in the sliding mechanism. We found a fabrication shop to cut off the bent part and drill new holes for the bolts. $5.00 later and we were back in business. Lunch was at Golden Coral which is an awesome place if you have will power. You can also go way overboard. We were strong!

Tuesday and Thursday were very windy and it rained a good part of both days so we chose Wednesday to find something to do. I had quite a list of places to check out so we began with number one, the 3 Brothers Brewery which was closed and wouldn‘t be open until Saturday. Our next stop was the Lavender Farm where the lavender didn’t bloom until June. Stop number three consisted of the Cross Bones Winery and although their showroom was open, the vines were still very much dormant. We did do a wine tasting and came away with another bottle of wine I will want to save because I won’t get another bottle any time soon. Then it was off to Luray Caverns which is probably the 2nd best known underground adventure after Carlsbad Caverns.

And each day I would check the “Bloom Watch” website for the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC to find out how close we were to peak viewing. All indications were pointing to April 11-14. It was looking favorable for us to take a side trip on our way to Assateague Island National Seashore. Since our plans are always fluid, we chose to leave Massanutten Resort a day early.