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.
Enter the fun zone complete with miniature golf course, go-carts and even more rentals - bikes, surreys and fun coupes. People and cars seem like magnets just waiting to collide. Fun coupes (what appear to be little electric cars), while licensed or not, are driven in the roads, slowing traffic to a snail’s pace. One group of clueless vacationers is pedaling their surrey (bicycle with at least four people) in the middle of the lane chatting away, completely unaware of the row of cars growing behind them. They are but a few feet from the actual bike path but refuse to heed to anyone.
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Once through this congested area, circle through another roundabout and arrive at the refuge admission gate. The park offers a variety of options with the least expensive being the seven-day pass. More cars and bicycles, including unattended children on bikes - less the fun coupes - are inside. According to the refuge it is one of the most visited in the United States with more than 100,000 guests annually. The park seems to be at capacity and like the town is well worn - everything from the rough road surface to crowded trails and parking lots.
One of the refuge’s purposes is to provide a habitat for migratory birds within its 14,000-acres that also encompasses Morris, Assawoman, Metompkin and Cedar Islands, plus Wildcat Marsh. Because Assateague Island National Seashore covers two states, different agencies oversee different portions of the facility. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is responsible for the Virginia section of the refuge, while the National Park service maintains the visitor center at Toms Cove, as well as ancillary services for the public beach. Park guests will also find the Herbert H. Bateman Educational Center operated by FWS. Both offer interpretive programs. Parts of the park may be closed seasonally to protect endangered species, such as the piping plover.
The park maintains 15 miles of foot and bike paths and about half of them are strictly foot trails. These provide wildlife viewing opportunities. On the Wildlife Loop, for instance, there are two observation platforms, great for watching birds.
Two popular activities on the island include visiting the lighthouse and viewing the wild ponies. On weekends from spring to fall, the Chincoteague Natural History Association offers tours of the 1830s red and white striped lighthouse for a nominal fee. Currently there are 150 ponies in the Virginia portion of the island. A pull off or viewing area exists on the west side of Beach Road. The wild ponies may be seen in the distance pastured behind the trees. A telephoto lens or binoculars are useful in bringing them into focus.
Chincoteague was once a picturesque island adjacent to a sleepy fishing village. Nowadays Mother Nature seems a bit weary from the constant flow of visitors and deserves a vacation.
The park is open year-round with extended hours during summer season.
Photos: Assateague Lighthouse; Chincoteague wild ponies; Wildlife at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge - ©2007 Flying Compass, Inc. All rights reserved. |
