ROUTE 66 Road Trip Maryland`s Assateague State Park hosts a

ROUTE 66 Road Trip
By Kimber Williams
A
Gathering
of
Maryland’s Assateague State
Park hosts a herd of wild
horses and much more
Centuries ago, a
different breed of sea
horses washed ashore
on the windswept
Maryland barrier island
that is now Assateague
Island National
Seashore. Today, herds
of wild horses
co-habitat with visitors
seeking a unique beach
experience and easy,
family friendly camping.
This is a spot where
you’ll want to return.
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Vol.1 / No. 5
A
ssateague Island
— The ponies greet
the dawn at water’s
edge, frothy ocean
foam lapping at their fetlocks, tails
flicking in the morning breeze.
At first glance, they appear
magnificent and scruffy and surreal, like statues scattered across the
sand. Slowly, they saunter along the
damp hard-pack — as comfortable
here as the seagulls and sandpipers
that patrol the beach.
On this windswept barrier
island, part of the Assateague Island
National Seashore, these ponies are
truly at home.
Assateague Island represents
a unique sanctuary to wild horses. It’s the campers who flock to
Maryland’s only ocean state park
who are outsiders, a curiosity to the
resident horses.
“I never quite get used to seeing them, and yet I never tire of
it,” acknowledged Julie Bower, of
Washington, D.C., who sat in the
sand one late-summer morning to
study the equine parade.
Like many we met, Bower, is
an Assateague devotee — committed to bringing her Alpenlite fifthwheel to this unique setting at least
once a year. She’s drawn by the
beach, the novelty of the ponies and
the sheer affordability of camping
here ($30 a night for sites without
electricity, $40 for sites with hookups.) And on Assateague Island,
those with campers or motorhomes
enjoy distinct advantages against
the elements.
“It’s the ponies,” Bower chuckled. “They pretty much run the
place. If you leave food out at
your campsite, they can chew a
hole through a nylon tent to reach
it. And they’re smart — they even
know how to open coolers.”
It’s not unusual to awaken to
a snuffling muzzle just outside
your screen door or ponies grazing
beside your RV. In fact, you have
to remind yourself that they are,
Wild horses have roamed the beaches and
marshlands at Assateague State Park for nearly
three centuries. Today, at least two separate
herds have been documented along Maryland’s
37-mile barrier island.
g
Horses
Scenic Route
Vol.1 / No. 5
don’t
forget
•B
ug repellent for
mosquitoes and black
flies
• Extra-long sand
stakes for shade tents
and shelters
• Binoculars for birdwatching
• Surf fishing gear
• Camera
Route 66
Regional ROUTE 66
RV Network Dealers:
McGeorge’s
Rolling Hills RV
11525 Sun Shade Lane
Ashland, VA 23005
804-550-7323
Hitcharama RV
4121 Route 42
Turnersville, NJ 08012
856-629-7400
Dewalt’s RV
270 Country Club Dr.
Easton, PA 18045
610-258-0486
Gayle Kline RV Center
444 E. Main St.
Mountville, PA 17554
717-285-2008
Good Eats,
Great Sites:
•A
ssateague Camp
Store for hand-dipped
ice cream
• Assateague State
Park Nature Center
• Chincoteague
National Wildlife
Refuge
• Jonah and the Whale,
Ocean City, Md.
• Local produce stands
for fresh fruit, veggies
• Phillips Seafood
House, Ocean City, Md.
• Smoker’s BBQ Pit,
West Ocean City, Md.
• Trimper’s Amusement
Park, Ocean City, Md.
• Waterman’s Seafood
Company, Ocean
City, Md.
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Vol.1 / No. 5
indeed, wild and have occasionally
been known to bite or kick.
Since the animals enjoy a protected status, feeding and petting
them is prohibited. That can make
for some odd encounters, especially
when they wander alongside your
picnic table or roam the roadways
at night, like oversized raccoons.
Still, there is something about
the freedom of these horses —
wind-tossed manes, the haughty
confidence that they’ve earned the
right to be here — that visitors find
mesmerizing.
“I think they represent something that we all yearn for — an
unfettered quality, a fundamental
wildness, perhaps — that I find
really appealing,” Bower said.
Camping
Among Horses
Legend holds that horses first
came to Assateague when a Spanish
galleon loaded with equine cargo
went down off the Maryland coast,
sometime in the 1600s. Today’s
wild ponies are thought by some to
be the offspring of the horses that
survived to swim ashore, or so the
story goes.
What is certain is that horses have grazed the beach grass
and nearby salt marshes here for
at least three centuries, inspiring
the children’s novel, “Misty of
Chincoteague.”
There are now thought to be at
least two separate herds of wild
horses that roam 37-mile-long
Assateague Island.
The name Assateague derives
from a Native American word that
roughly translates to mean “the
marshy place across.” The island
presents a unique ecology, flanked
to the west by Sinepuxent Bay and
to the east by the Atlantic Ocean.
Campsites bring you closer to
the ocean than the marshes and
backside bay waters — a welcome
location. The ocean breeze helps
keep biting black flies and mos-
quitoes in check. Campgrounds
stretch across an open setting, with
more low brush than trees and few
privacy barriers. Still, you’ll see
plenty of birds and other wildlife,
including small Sika deer.
Signs urge you to stay off the
sand dunes and to watch for horses
and deer on the roads. Pets are
not allowed.
Gaze across most camping
loops and you’ll see a scattered mix
of low nylon tents, pop-up trailers, motorcoaches and other RVs
tucked snugly next to each other in
apparent harmony.
Assateague State Park offers
350 campsites within a series of 10
camping loops tucked among dunes
and hillocks only a short walk over
a sand berm to the seashore.
Close your eyes at night, and
you can hear the hard, whispery
crash of waves — the perfect eve-
Camping spots with hookups are limited, so make reservations well in
advance. But with plenty of bathhouses nearby, dry camping is no hardship.
Photo courtesy of Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Photo courtesy of Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Wild horses enjoy a protected status at Assateague State Park, so petting or feeding them is discouraged. But don’t be surprised to find them grazing at your
campsite. (upper right, top) Bay waters offer a chance to explore the region by kayak or canoe. (upper right, bottom) Miles of soft sand invite leisurely strolls.
Surrender to the urge to cool your feet in the Atlantic Ocean.
ning lullaby. Open your windows
to feel the cool ocean breeze.
Each campsite offers a fire ring
and picnic table, with paved RV
pads readily available. With nine
centrally located bathhouses, hot
showers and working toilets are
never far away.
Only one camping loop (Loop
H) has electric hookups, and those
sites fill fast. But with the casual,
kicked-back feel to the campground — and handy bathhouses
— you may not miss that added
convenience.
Many campers we met were
repeat visitors who call a year
in advance to secure their spots.
We were able to find a campsite
without amenities with only a
week’s notice.
(Insider’s Tip: The rounded
tops of the camping loops closest
to the beach are considered prime
real estate.)
To some, Assateague is an
acquired taste. Nearby salt
marshes give it a reputation for
being “buggy.” Biting flies can be
bothersome, and wind gusts will
make you glad you’re in a RV.
But with preparations, they’re no
problem. Experienced campers
bring bug spray and extra long
sand stakes for screened outdoor
tents or sunshades.
Camping season opens April
4 and closes October 31, but day
access remains available throughout the year, and year-round camping is available nearby.
To reserve a campsite in
Assateague State Park, call the
Maryland State Parks Reservation
Center at 888-432-2267 Monday
through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
or visit: reservations.dnr.state.md.us.
The National Park Service also
offers more primitive year-round
camping in Assateague Island
National Seashore campgrounds
in Maryland. Campsites there
offer drive-in pads but no hookups, fire grills and picnic tables.
They’re available first-come, firstserved from October 16 through
April 14. Reservations are recommended April 15 through October
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A surf fisherman quietly observes a
passing pack of wild horses, which
seem to tolerate park visitors with
indifference.
Horses and beach-goers mingle in
harmony at Assateague State Park.
Ocean City, Md., stretches to the
north of Assateague. The city offers a
change of pace, with shopping, restaurants and boardwalk attractions.
15 and may be made by calling
800-365-CAMP (2267) or at
http://reservations.nps.gov.
What To Do
Assateague Island consists of
three major areas: Assateague State
Park, Assateague Island National
Seashore and Chincoteague
National Wildlife Refuge. Entrance
fees are required in all areas.
The island stretches south of
Ocean City, Md., like a wrinkled
index finger — a natural barrier
island replete with marshlands, silky
sand beaches and acres of water for
recreational pursuits.
One of the easiest ways to reach
it is to take U.S. Highway 50 toward
Ocean City, veering south onto
Route 611 for eight miles and crossing the Verrazano Bridge — a wonderful overlook that lends an attractive visual orientation. You can also
access Assateague Island from the
south by way of Chincoteague, Va.
Once there, it’s time to explore
— walk the beach, find a hiking trail
or unpack the bicycles. Near the
visitor’s center, you’ll find a bridge
for pedestrians and cyclists. The
island is relatively flat and offers
miles of hiking and biking along
paved roadways.
Canoe or kayak the bay waters
or try your hand at clamming, crabbing or surf fishing. Surf-fishermen
may fish all night on the beach
in Maryland, which is accessible
24 hours.
In Virginia, fisherman must
get an overnight fishing permit at
the Visitor Center. To remain on
the beach overnight, you must be
actively fishing.
As a clerk at the Food Lion grocery store (a good place to stock up
on supplies) in nearby Berlin, Md.,
eagerly pointed out, Assateague is
also enormously popular with ATVers.
Both Maryland and Virginia host offroad vehicle areas year-round, though
each state limits the maximum number of vehicles that can be on the
beach at any time.
A $70 off-road permit is good
for a year on both the Virginia
and Maryland ends of Assateague
Island. There are no weekly or
other short-term permits issued, and
off-road vehicles must be “street
legal.”
When you check in at Assateague
State Park, pick up a free “Guide to
Birdwatching in Worcester County,
Maryland” and a birders checklist,
as the region boasts some 350 species — more than you’ll find in any
other county in the Maryland.
Tired of surf and sun? Backtrack
into Ocean City — scout for fresh
produce stands along the way — to
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Photo courtesy of Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
(above) Campsites come with a
picnic table and fire ring, perfect
for quiet evening gatherings.
(right) Strolling the beach is a
daily ritual. Park-sponsored nature
programs can help youngsters study
the landscape with new eyes.
(bottom) Mary Laymon has been
coming to Assateague since she was
a child. Now, she brings her son,
John, and friend Mark Rickerson.
take in what the Travel Channel has
dubbed “one of the Best American
Boardwalks.”
Constructed in the early 1900s,
the 2.9-mile stretch of shops, restaurants and amusements has
something for everyone, from parasailing to miniature golf and the
nation’s oldest continually operating Herschel-Spellman carousel.
In Ocean City, consider parking at
the West Ocean City Park and Ride
and catch a tram ride into boardwalk
attractions — a bargain at $1 — or
ride a city bus all day for $2.
Don’t forget to try the famed seafood buffet at Jonah and the Whale
or Phillips Seafood Restaurant. Or
grab a hot Maryland crab cake
sandwich (about $9) and drink at
Waterman’s Seafood Company,
where you can also pick up fresh
seafood for your own kitchen.
A Sacred Space
Sprawled in a beach chair, Mary
Laymon plunges her feet into the
warm sand, tips her face to the sun
and smiles. She knows this place,
this camping spot, these grains of
sand, very well.
“The Queen of Assateague,
that’s her,” jokes her friend, Mark
Rickerson.
In truth, Laymon has been coming to this park since she was 6,
when her own mother brought the
family tent camping every summer.
“It was what she could afford,”
recalled Laymon, who today is
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a Lutheran pastor in Huntington
Valley, Pa.
In time, Laymon picked up the
camping tradition with her own son,
John. Assateague has become their
pilgrimage — the place they loyally
return to for summer vacations. It’s
where John loves hunting ghost
crabs on the beach at night and
Mary recharges her batteries.
The hum of the surf . . . the proximity to nature . . . there is something about this island, she says.
“I call it my sacred space — the
place I really get connected with my
own spirit again,” Laymon said.
“Plus, the park offers fantastic
programs — yoga on the beach, tiedye Tuesdays, sand castle-building
contests, aquariums in the nature
center,” Laymon said. “They post schedules for the week
in the bathhouses, and there’s always
something worth checking out.”
Ted Peterson, of Philadelphia,
is another repeat visitor. He started
coming to Assateague years ago
because it was a hit with his children. Now, he’s back on his own,
with a pop-up camper.
“It used to be, this was the only
place that the kids wanted to go,”
he explained. “We’d suggest trying
something new, but they insisted on
coming here again and again.”
Though the kids have flown the
nest, Peterson now finds himself
enjoying Assateague on his own
time, his own terms . . . taking in
the soft colors of the sunrise in a
camp chair with a hot cup of coffee.
Kicking back in the sand.
“Old habits die hard, I guess,” he
said with a laugh. [