Maryland

Locations:             Assateague Island (south of Ocean City) & Washington DC

When:                   mid December

Miles traveled:     404

Price of gas:         ?
Trees:                   Loblolly pine

High point:           "Going on a bear hunt"
Low point:            2 trails were closed for maintenance

One thing learned: Lighthouses have unique signals.  This lets ships know where they are along the coast.

 

I seek adventure!

   Not too far from Lewes, DE is Assateague Island, a place with similar beaches, dunes, and pine trees.  The island is divided into three different sections: state park, national park, and wildlife refuge.  When I visited Assateague Island National Seashore, it was windy, raining, and 50°F.  I had prime parking in every parking lot and did not encounter a three mile traffic jam as signs warned!  While the weather was less than ideal, it created a nice exciting atmosphere for adventure.  It reminded me of the song, "Going on a Bear Hunt".  Today, I was hunting for cacti and horses!

   Assateague Island is a barrier island; a narrow strip of land that helps protects the mainland from storms and creates unique water habitats between mainland and island.  There are many barrier islands throughout the world, and most east coast states have at least one barrier island.  Many are also heavily developed, like Ocean city, but a few like Assateague, are protected from development.  Ocean City and Assateague used to be connected, but after the storm of 1933 opened a water passage south of Ocean city, stone jetties were built to keep the passage open, and the two have been separate every since.  The jetties also prevent sand from naturally migrating south to Assateague.  Meaning, as the ocean's currents slowly and constantly reshape the island, moving the sand west and south, it becomes thinner without sand from the northern islands. 

Not cows, but Horses!

   Three hiking trails allow visitors to explore the interesting habitats that exist on the barrier island; dunes, marshes, and forests.  In line with seasonal closures, only the dune trail was open.  Occasional informational signs describe the creation of dunes and the type of plants and animals that live there.  It was along this trail that I got my wish and saw Maryland's native prickly pear cacti.  My other wish to see wild horses, was only fulfilled as I was leaving the park.  The horses were originally domestic animals from Europe, but now two groups (one in Maryland and the other in Virginia) live on their own on the island.  The parks keep the herds small, to prevent them from overgrazing.  As dusk was settling in and I started to leave, I saw two horses grazing at the size of the road.  As I left I also saw sika deer (they are short like goats), a heron, and the bright eyes of a shorter animal!

    I had a fun time at Assateague Island National Seashore.  The visitor's center has a lot of interesting information about the park and I am glad I stopped there before driving onto the island.  It would have been nice if the two other hiking trails were open, but that's part of the give and take of traveling during the off season. 

     I'll write about my day in Washington D.C. in the next post.  Till then,

 -Rebecca

 

Dune formation

Marshes

To the beach!