On the very northern end of Virginia’s Eastern Shore are the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague. The latter is home to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and is famous for its wild ponies.
The term Eastern Shore creates the impression of a rural area comprised of small towns with cafes featuring home-style cooking, abundant seafood and folks that truly respect and revere the land. The visitor guide features a limited number of brand name motels, mostly mom and pop establishments, a handful of B&Bs and lots of water-related activities such as kayaking, fishing and canoeing. The wildlife refuge and the wild ponies further play into the perception of this being a secluded, out of the way spot.
NASA Goddard’s Wallops Flight Facility
Drive down the Delmarva (Delaware Maryland Virginia) Coast on Route 13 to get there or travel via Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Once in northern Virginia, head east on two-lane Highway 157. Wind your way toward the islands; in route discover the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard’s Wallops Flight Facility. To one side of the road are satellite dishes and to the other side their visitor center and museum.
Wallops was established back in 1945 as a center for aeronautic research and is involved (excuse the technical jargon) in the development and deployment of low-cost, highly capable suborbital and orbital research. To do this, they use sounding rockets, scientific balloons, expendable launch vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles and student experiment carriers. The bottom line is that their work helps improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of conducting rocket launches. See for yourself at the visitor center where you can watch a model rocket launch or from their observation deck see an actual sounding rocket launch.
Having left the military-looking installation behind, get ready to drive through the salt marsh. Cross over Mosquito Creek (wonder if that’s a well-deserved name?), then Cockle Creek and past the public boat launch at Queens River that is filled with empty boat trailers. Along the way count billboards advertising everything imaginable, upward to 65 altogether, that have been placed in the marsh. Who would clutter such a picturesque setting? Is this a sign (bad pun intended) of things to come?
Continue on through Wire Narrows and Black Narrows, finally traversing a small drawbridge at Chincoteague Channel before dead-ending into Main Street. The only directional signage here points to the left for the chamber of commerce. This is also the way to the refuge.
The town on the island of Chincoteague resembles an old fishing village locked in time. Beautiful Victorian homes and B&Bs stand in contrast to tired homes and businesses built atop narrow sidewalks. Life on the island it appears is hard. Without any sense of compatibility a motel has been plunked down in between residences. Zoning seems to have eluded the island.
Sitting in the midst of a traffic circle is the chamber of commerce. Continue around it. There are a number of bicycle rentals along the way. Parents with children (all wearing helmets), cycle extremely close to cars on a thin strip of asphalt.
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