Nocturnal Musings

I promised that I would post some of my traveling companion's stories about our six month trip around the United States. This is one of Rosalie's early entries...and I've added one of my Assateague photos as well. There are at least six Assateague or Chincoteague photos on my website at http://www.focusingonnaturephotography.com/. Come visit my site and see if you can find them all.

It's about 3:30 a.m. and I should be snoozing away like Patti, but my brain is racing and I thought this a good opportunity to tell you about the great day we had in the Assateague National Park (on the Virginia side). The Maryland side, which we visited on Tuesday, is comprised mainly of salt marshes and beautiful dune areas along the shoreline. The Virginia part of the island is a mix of stately forests, pools, ponds, marshlands, and wide, relatively flat beaches. Both host an unbelievable number of wildlife species, including the famous wild ponies who have roamed free here for over 300 years. Miniature Sika elk, deer, great blue herons, egrets, and slews of other creatures are accessible, visible and beautiful beyond words. Today was a real treat. I think we were the only visitors. (Even the toll booths were closed.) Except for a few park employees, we joined the "critters" as free-roaming inhabitants. The park was dressed in a moderate fog which enhanced its serenity and mystery. We drove, walked, climbed over barriers (short ones) at will - no school buses filled with tourists, no patrolling park rangers, no noises except for some squawks, honks and flappings... and, of course, the sea. Patti got some fantastic photos - very different from the ones she shot in MD. the previous day when the sun was pounding down, raising temps into the 70's. These were so much more subtle - grays and browns peeking through the fog, softer reflections and gentler shadows. I just love off-season. In my view, it is the only time to "tour". You meet the "real people" of an area (wild and tame), you eat in real local restaurants (the others are closed), and you can see it ALL! After cavorting around the park all day, we were beat. A good hot meal in Bill's Seafood Restaurant revived us (huge amounts of very good food at 1/3 NY prices). This joint is on the main drag just off the bridge connecting Chincoteague to the mainland. You know me, folks. Ordinarily, I would take one look at the exterior and I'd be gone - but, hunger drove us inside and it was a wonderful surprise. A “must” for any visitor to the island. Tomorrow we leave the Delmarva Peninsula and head for the Outer Banks of North Carolina ... still off-season there.