April 27 to 28th Assateague Federal Seashore

April 27 to 28th Assateague Federal Seashore

Lovely morning walk on the beach, Assateague Maryland State Park side,  watching the sandpipers run in front of the waves. Even more horseshoe crabs had washed up and some we threw back in as they still looked alive. Really spooky to be coming back up the path over the dune and have a wild pony stroll by.

Later we watched three young men tease one of the ponies. Lucky they didn't get bitten or kicked but the pony took revenge by eating everything they had out on a picnic table. Fines are pretty stiff for harassing the wild life. Wish they had been caught.

Noon time saw us moving over to the federal part of the Assateague seashore to our favorite site #48 on Loop C. This is more sheltered from the ocean wind and a different environment as it is on the bay side. We think there is more wild life over here or at least we see more ponies, rabbits, deer and birds. The ponies mark their territory by pooping in the same place. Piles get pretty big!

We put in over three miles walking the beach in the morning and the bay shore in the afternoon. The Crisafullis were already here and we had a fun time catching up on events over the winter.  Robertson, Lawrences and Galleranes arrived at dusk after long hard day on the road.

Second day here and still lucky that the huge storms closing in hadn't arrived. Four miles today and the old legs feel it. Hurricane Sandy had wiped out the old boardwalk through the "Life on the Marsh" trails. It was destroyed and we wondered if it would ever be replaced. Pleased to see that it has been rebuilt and you now can get out over the marshes to see the birds, grasses and look down at the fish and crabs. For a change I was pleased that our federal government spent money.

Lots of social time with friends  until the rain started. As may others, we'll probably leave here a day early to go down to Chincoteague for seafood and then on over to Tall Pines as it is a bit more sheltered from the big storms coming in.

April 24 2014 - Finally OTRA again !

Once again off we go into the wild blue USA. Originally we will head to Assateague, the Tall Pines truck camper rally and then ?????

Left Maine April 24th into a very strong gale force wind. You could almost hear the truck sucking up diesel fighting through the wind over the mountains to Truck Camper Warehouse in W. Chesterfield, NH. Jessie quickly replaced the vent cap on the bathroom vent pipe while Joe and I chatted with Bill and Ryan. The new building is going to be immense and so nice to keep new campers inside from constant cleaning and snow removal. Plus the building next to them which looks like an old barn has been leased and will become a distillery. Bill's will become even more of a destination.

Got as far as Stroudsburg, PA and talked the security guard at Walmart into letting us overnight if we were out by dawn. Having he and Joe trade tales of military service didn't hurt any. That Walmart had so much trouble with homeless staying in the lot they said no more overnights. Living in Maine as we do, we aren't really used to high traffic and going through "go to work" traffic around Philadelphia was interesting to say the least. There was a collective sigh of relief once we got down onto the DelMarVa peninsula. This time we decided to go out to Rehoboth Beach and down that finger island. Joe said it reminded him of growing up on Old Orchard Beach with endless gift shops and hotels. We never even saw the beach or ocean.

I'd called Ron Humphress who runs the Tall Pines Rally for a lunch place recommendation. He told us of the "Crab Bag" at 130th Street in Ocean City, MD. Oh my! Shades of growing up in a seafood loving family. We had crab bisque so thick that the spoon stood up, fried oyster appetizer and a seafood sandwich. Splitting that still gave us food to go back to the camper.

The National Seashore portion of Assateague was full so we got into the MD State Park campground.

Luckily we got set up and took a long beach walk before a rainstorm hit. The Chalet truck camper and F-450 dually are heavy but they rocked and rolled most of the night in heavy rain and very high winds. it had to have been 35-40 mph with higher gusts. Dawn broke, no leaks, sunny and it went up to 74F during the day. Ron and Michelle dropped by on their motorcycle to say hi, we met a couple in their Lance who live up in Buzzards Bay, MA and we walked more than five miles in all.

I always look like a refugee who washed up on shore but I don't care!

The beach was gorgeous, surf high and a lot of very big horseshoe crabs had washed in, All were dead so couldn't throw them back in.

Tomorrow we move over to Loop C of the Federal Assateauge portion and will stay there until the rally begins. 5-6 of the New England TC group will be arriving in the next few days. Our house sitter says it was cold, rainy and didn't get above 40F. So glad we are here in the sun. Supper and drink time now, then feet up outside to knit and enjoy a sunset