Blessed Are The Intrepid, Day 18:
Wild Horses & Horseshoe Crab

Day 18 would be my last adventure… the Assateague Island National Seashore, the barrier island shared by Virginia and Maryland where feral horse roam freely. Wild horses. If that is not enough, the beach is beautiful and washes up a slew of shells. I hit the shoreline early as the destination has many draws, many admirers.

In order to hit my destination, a drive on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a stunning ride at dawn when the sky’s hues are at their brightest. It’s an expensive tunnel but it is given the distinction of being one of Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World.

After about an hour drive of eerie, low-hanging fog, I was at Assateague Island National Seashore ready to shell and look for horses. Exploring only the first 1.5 miles of the 10 miles of shoreline, the beachgoers mostly populate the sand adjacent to the parking lot. Walk a bit more and you have the beach for yourself… eventually. Being a bit pressed for time but being relatively close to home now, I surrendered to the idea that I’d return soon to camp and explore more thoroughly.

Atlantic Ghost Crabs are up and down the shore. So watch where you step! The juveniles are pretty much transparent, though they are pretty good at quickly returning to their sand homes as you step. They are neat creatures and I love that sideways walk.

There were also a bunch of beached Horseshoe Crab. These poor guys. Kings of Commensalism.

I wish I had something in this picture that shows scale. This Horseshoe Crab shell is tremendous! Like maybe 3 feet?

The shells were getting better and better as I headed north. I hope to return around a new or full moon in the cold temperatures, a better time for shells.

Here is my haul (and home!!) Some really neat oyster shells mostly.

Back at the shore, birds looking so ready for a picture. Since I have seen so many of this kind of bird on my trip, I needed to find out their name: The Great Egret.

Though pictures of the park showed horses all over the roads and being a “nuisance” to park visitors, in the early hours of my visit they were tucked away feeding in the marshes. Perhaps they are emboldened by the day’s long hours and drawn to the Cheetos and Doritos of beach goers later on? I was glad they were not interacting with humans during my visit. Wild is wild. My first viewing was this young pony and perhaps its mamma?

The National Park‘s site calls the horses “feral” as opposed to wild as they reverted back to wildness after domestication.

After some quick hikes, I found the Pony Overlook, where I saw the largest band of horses feeding peacefully with some bird friends.

The overlook was obscured enough that they would not be disturbed by pesky tourists. The park does a lot to ensure the safety of the horses… but then there are the humans. Just last month one of the horses kicked a guy in the family jewels because of he didn’t keep his hands to himself.

How amazing to see wild horses. But this was just a taste.

Again, returning in the colder weather would help with mosquitos. Gosh, I am so darn sick of mosquitos. From start to finish of my trip, my legs were free meals for these pests. So much that I hiked this trail with long pants and a jacket.

While at a National Seashore, I have to check out the lighthouse. These are the best lighthouse colors. Tattoo-style lighthouse.

A disorientating trip up 175 steps and boom, you’re up in the sky.

I tried to see more horses.

Outside and up. I’m in that shadow.

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I was so pleased to find such great vegan considerations at Poseidon’s Pantry in Chincoteague, Virginia, just 2 miles from the park!

As they made my sandwich, lots of v-bombs in many of the cases.

Perfection in simplicity, the vegan bacon lettuce and tomato is becoming a fast favorite road sandwich. Poseidon’s was exactly what I craved.

The side of vegan potato salad made it a proper meal. So good.

I hung around this place waiting to see what the deal was… a frozen banana stand. Exciting not just because of Arrested Development jokes, frozen bananas are usually vegan though I was never able to confirm that these chocolate covered ones are.

On the island is also the Wallops NASA Flight Facility. I checked it out, but really wanted to see the real stuff in the restricted area. You can see it in the distance here.

But appropriately painted old rocket models were about the visitor center, which is free and contains some exhibits and a small theater looping a film I didn’t stay for.

What is this thing seeing right now? Damn fences. How is it that this place wasn’t fenced off and I just roamed about? Oh, the Federal government.

And that’s a wrap on Day 18, the longest road trip I’ve ever taken. That’s a huge feat. But I’m home now and The Shawshank Redemption is on. So I gotta watch the best bromance film ever made.