I, for one was really excited. I've been wanting to see Chincoteague and Assateague for years. How awesome is it that wild ponies roam freely over the island.
Normand, being the small 'dillo he is wasn't so sure he wanted to meet these little horses. He took some convincing to join us. He'd seen a horse at the end of August at the county fair and he wasn't convinced that they wouldn't try to eat him.
He did, however, like the idea of going to the beach. So, to the beach he went.
Assateague is a very low lying island off of the Delmarva peninsula. It's full of lovely beaches, salt marshes, and of course ponies. Being low-lying, there are some very interesting features to the island.
The campsites were very flat.
There are trees, but they've adapted to the climate.
Humans, on the other hand, have not adapted nearly so well.
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| This was a road that existed on the island before a big storm hit in 1962. There had been plans to turn it into another Hilton Head. Chunks of pavement like this are all that's left. |
Instead, it's now a state and federal park, home to protected wetlands, birds, and of course the horses.
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| Sandpipers |
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| Egrets |
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| Osprey |
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| Normandillo at the wetlands |
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| The Ponies. Grazing. From afar. |
But, the ponies didn't stay afar. They came closer to the campsites.
They struck.
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| There's nothin' in this pic-a-nick basket, Boo-Boo! |
The rangers warn folks as they come in, but not everyone listens to the warnings. The horses go where they want to. They know people have food. They will raid camps. (They will also bite and kick. Moral of the story, stay away from unfamiliar ponies and keep your coolers in the car....)
Normand enjoyed himself. He even made a few new friends.
Until next time.....
