We stayed at Channel Bass Inn, an old inn with relatively new owners who had a strong culinary background. While our schedule didn’t permit dining at the inn, we were treated to terrific breakfasts, and also had high tea on Saturday.
Although we stayed on Chincoteague, a mellow “beach town” with a storied past (literally, as the setting of the book Misty of Chincoteague), the natural areas are across the water, on Assateague Island. Assateague Island is one land mass run by three government entities. The land is fence across the Maryland-Virginia line. On the Virginia side, the land is managed as a wildlife refuge, and run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We enjoyed some pretty hiking in loblolly pines and along a trail where the myrtle trees closed over head.
This “Chincoteague” side of Assateague is where the Chincoteague ponies that make the famous summer swim live. A herd of about 150 horses, they are owned and managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. Mares and foals are herded each July and make a 3 minute swim across a narrow channel. They are penned and auctioned off to raise funds for the fire department. It’s a tradition nearly 100 years old. It may seem an odd combination— wild horses, a fire department, fundraising…but the sequence of events makes sense. The town burned twice in the 1920s and the auction began before the land of Assateague had any federal or state protection. In addition, the herd has to be managed for size. The United States has a long tradition of “self sufficient” municipal services. In the Northeast, volunteer fire departments go back to Colonial times.
The herd owned by the fire department is fenced and pretty far away from the road. We caught glimpses of horses, but they were not available for photo opportunities at all. The little fawn, above was though. It kept is in view but really did not care that we were only a few yards away.
On our second day, we drove around to the “Assateague” side of, well, Assateague Island. This northern end is run by the National Park Service (the land is a National Seashore) and as a park by the state of Maryland. Here the herd is permitted to get closer to people. In summer, I am sure we would not be allowed to stop on the side of the road, get out of our car and photograph. But with few other visitors, that’s what everyone was doing.
The horses eat a salty marsh grass, Spartina alterniflora— salt marsh cord grass. The grass is adapted for a brackish environment and excretes salt. The horses, then, have a very salty diet and drink a lot of water. This gives them a bloated appearance.
We went for a short dune walk. At one time, there was an asphalt road build out through the dunes. It had a short life, but remnants still remain; a rather ugly Ozymandias moment.
The high bush blueberries (pretty sure, but maybe they’re a different berry) were flowering. It’s a flower I like very much.
