Assateague Island National Seashore

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1.      Assateague Island National Seashore (NPS)

Great beach and look at those wild horses!

           *A few notes before I post – We want to wish that our neighbor Bob gets well since he has been hospitalized since we went on our trip.  We know that he is home now and we wish him a speedy recovery.

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          *Also, George and I wish Deborah Mancuso and her family our deepest sympathies in the recent death of her youngest son Chad (age 20) this past weekend in a car accident.  Debbie taught with George and I for many years and she and I were pregnant for our first child and the second  at the same time but she then waited for over eight years more to have her youngest.  We ran into her and Chad many years ago in a restaurant when he was in fourth grade and she said with the biggest smile this is my little buddy!  We know how close her family is and she has our deepest sympathies! 

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               . Assateague Island National Seashore – Assateague Island, - site 11 Loop 1 - April 19 – 21 (Sunday through Wednesday morning) - $10 a night with golden age pass

       I reviewed this campground last year around the same time so much of the information will be the same except Bayside Campground is open again with new bathrooms. We stayed at the National Seashore at the Oceanside Campground Loop 1 in the same site as last year.  There is another section Bayside which has a number of loops that are on the Bay and these sites are warmer with less wind than Oceanside.  Oceanside has two loops just a dune away from the ocean for RV’s, pop ups etc and tents (make sure you bring extra long stakes) as well as three loops just for tents that you have to walk in over the dunes.  These are real nice and the walk in sites are quite private.  There is a Maryland State Park Campground just before you enter the National Seashore – they have some electric and these sites are close together in a line but the state park is not always open so check starting and closing dates. 

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        The National Park campsites have only pit toilets and no hookups at all but climbing over one dune is the most beautiful beach that goes for miles with the softest sand.  The place is beautiful even in the rain.  The Bay sites face the Bay and on that side you can go clamming, crabbing, boating, wind surfing and kite surfing.  This year is colder than last year so we did not see as many people taking part in those activities. There are miles of bike trails all over the island.  I think everyone should visit this gem of our National Park System. 

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Now the wild ponies – we saw them all over riding our bikes, and like last year a few came into our campground and campsite.  Last year  the full moon was out and the beach was just beautiful but this year they forecast rain but we had one storm at night and on and off rain for only one day while we were there.  This campground is not for everyone but it is rustic and we love it and plan to visit this area whenever we head south from Rhode Island.

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         Our day -  we got up and left Delaware Seashore State Park and headed down route 1 towards Ocean City which everyone told me was real tacky but it is huge and what a resort area!  We headed west to Berlin and then back east towards Assateague Island National Seashore.  We have reservations for three days here but without any electric which means our computer’s battery will die within three hours.  The weather forecast was not good originally Sunday was to be beautiful but rain on Monday and Tuesday so we will see what happens.

       Sunday we pulled in and had to wait to move in to our site because the other campers had not checked out so we went on a few hikes (forest, marsh, and dunes) and then rode our bikes all around.  We were lucky to see a number of horses when we drove in and then there was one next to our site for quite awhile in the afternoon.  The afternoon the winds came up and around midnight the rains came in but not bad.  There are two grandmothers younger than we are with their two grandsons about 4 years old camping across from us.  We had to help them put up their screen tent because the wind was so strong – they eventually had to take it down as part of it collapsed.  They are staying the week in the two small tents – God Bless Them – Ha!

       Monday the weather was cold, windy and rain but it wasn’t bad I actually saw the sun behind the clouds.  The day wasn’t bad we were able to take hikes, do a lot of reading and hikes down to the beach.  Tuesday was a beauty – we took long bike hikes to the visitor center and some of the other beaches.  Watched films in the center about the seashore and wild horses. 

          We saw lots of wild horses today and deer and ended the day with deer and a wild horse right next to our campsite.  The grandmothers are still here and slept in the tent during a terrible lightening and thunder storm last night – hats off to them we thought they would leave after one night!.  Last year the full moon was out and it was beautiful – it still st beautiful but colder and windy this year.  You never know!  Still enjoyable!