Checking Items Off My Bucket List: Visiting the Wild Ponies at Assateague Island

My favorite pony picture from our trip to Assateague Island

I don't remember exactly when I first heard about Assateague and Chincoteague Islands and the wild ponies who roam free there, but I do know that I have longed to get there ever since I learned that such a place existed. I am a walking, talking contradiction of sorts - a city girl who LOVES horses. It may seem ironic that a girl who was born and raised in a small urban neighborhood just outside of Center City, Philadelphia, would grow up loving horses, but I can explain.

When I was a little girl, there was a horse stable right in the middle of our inner city neighborhood. It was called Walt's Stable and it was located on Leopard Street just a block from the elevated train station at Front and Girard. At Walt's, they rented out horses by the hour, and you could ride them up and down the streets until your time was up. I was introduced to Walt's by a neighbor. When I was in first grade, a girl a couple years older than me moved in next door. One day, she rented a horse from the stables, and brought it back to her house. From that moment, I was obsessed! I wanted to go to the stables all the time. I constantly tortured my mom to let my neighbor, Kathleen, take me with her so I could visit the horses. As fate would have it, my Granny died right around that same time, and my Poppy came to live with us. My grandmother's death at such a young age was a horrible shock to all of us. When I look back on it, I think my grandfather coped with his loss by distracting himself with entertaining his grandchildren. He did everything with us and for us. As a result, I really didn't have to work very hard to convince him to take me to rent horses. We'd walk the 7 or 8 blocks to the stable, rent a horse, and then he'd lead me back to the school across the street from our house where my friends and I would make countless passes around the block on horseback until it was time to return the horse to Walt's. 

One morning, I went out to my grandfather's car and found a saddle, bridle, and a brush in his trunk. Initially, I was confused and then tremendously delighted when he explained that he had bought my favorite horse at the stable as a gift for me, and I could ride her whenever I wanted. Having "Cindy" is by far one of the fondest memories of my childhood. I can vividly recall the sound of her hooves clip clopping on the pavements when we rode her around Penn Treaty School, the feel of her coarse brown hair under my hand when I rubbed her neck, and the pride I felt every time I put my foot in that stirrup and drew myself up in the saddle. Nothing made me happier than brushing her mane and looking into her soulful brown eyes. It broke my heart when Cindy developed an infected saddle sore and had to "go live on a farm where she could get some rest." 

To this day, I can't look at a horse without a rush of nostalgic memories flooding my heart. A few years ago, when I heard there was a beach where wild horses roamed freely, there was no question in my mind that I would get there some day. So, once Wanda passed her camping test run in Long Beach Island last month, you can guess where I immediately booked our next camping trip for my birthday weekend. Happy Birthday to me, right? We actually ended up staying about five miles from Assateague State Park at a campground called Frontier Town, a destination in and of itself, with its own water park, a Wild West Show, camping sites with boat slips, and many other great attractions and amenities. The staff at Frontier Town was friendly. The sites were clean and flat, but not shaded enough for my liking. The bath house was huge and very clean. My only complaint is the button you had to hold in to keep the water flowing out of the shower head. I understand the park's desire to conserve water, but I NEED water flowing the whole time I'm under the shower, and taking a one-handed shower in order to keep the button depressed and the water flowing steadily is just as challenging as it sounds. My husband thought the buttons were a brilliant idea. He said he wished he could put one in at home to cut our own kids' shower times down.

Our site at Frontier Town. I love my new picnic table cover.

Every campsite needs a good old fashioned clothesline.

The waterfront sites with boat slips, a boat owner's dream come true.

A cool spot to hang out on the grounds.

The Wild West Show. We didn't see it, but it looks like a lot of fun.

The water park. It was closed while we were there, but kids would definitely have a ball here.

We actually weren't at the campground very much because there was so much to see and do in the area, and we were only there for three days. If we traveled five miles in one direction we were at Assateague State Park, and ten minutes in the opposite direction brought us to Ocean City, Maryland. Obviously, our first stop on Saturday afternoon was Assateague Island. For those of you who like to know things, Assateague Island is a 37 mile long barrier island off the coast of the Delmarva Penninsula with the northern 2/3's situated in Maryland and the southern 1/3 in Virginia. When you cross Bay Bridge onto the northern end of the island, you can visit either Assateague State Park or Assateague Island National Seashore. The two parks are situated adjacent to one another on the sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays of the Maryland shoreline. The entire island is a wildlife sanctuary that is protected from development. You can camp oceanside or bayside year-round in tents or trailers, or you can try backcountry camping if you want to backpack or paddle the island. There are numerous opportunities to explore and enjoy the diverse wildlife on the island such as fishing, crabbing, clamming, kayaking, birding, biking, hiking, and relaxing on the beach.

We mainly went to view the ponies and check out the beaches. On our first ride onto the island, we came upon a group of ponies grazing on the grass along the side of the road before we even parked the car. I was like a kid in a candy store. It was very hard for me to exercise restraint and respect the park regulations that prohibit touching or feeding the horses. I pacified myself by taking lots of pictures instead. After that first encounter with the ponies, we headed to the beach. The beaches in the national park are unguarded. You can swim, fish, and surfboard in the ocean. Pets are allowed on the beach, as are bonfires. There were families with umbrellas spread out all along the water's edge when we took a walk along the surf and looked for shells. When we returned to the island on Sunday, we moved over to the bay side of the park and checked out the marsh trails. We saw more ponies, explored the camping accommodations, and simply enjoyed our serene surroundings.

We are already trying to book a campsite ON the beach at Assateague for next year. It's tricky because you can only book a year in advance and the sites get snatched up like hotcakes. We're shooting for the oceanside H Loop in Assateague State Park, the only loop with electric hook-ups. I'm loving this camper's life, but I don't know if I'm ready to do it without electricity, yet. When you see these pictures, you'll understand why it's so hard to book the oceanside camp sites.

Can I take her home? Pretty please!

I'll never tire of the beauty of a beach.

Couddn't resist this Kodak moment.

There are horses WAY out there.

Makes it hard to ever go home.

The horses hang at water stations and raid unattended coolers and other food sources. Pretty smart of them, I'd say.

Never got old.

After I didn't get bit or kicked for two days, my husband finally ventured out of the car. Can you say city slicker?

Second favorite horse shot.

Can you move your tent so I can pull my trailer up, please?

Bayside.

Bayside nature trail.

Edge of the south beach before you entered the area reserved for over sand vehicles only.

Future goals.

This guy's got the life.

I did give in to the city slicker and visit Ocean City, Maryland, eventually. If you haven't ever heard of it, Ocean City is an Atlantic coast resort town boasting 10 miles of white sand beaches, a 3 mile long boardwalk, hundreds or shops and restaurants, plenty of water sports, and 17 golf courses. If you enjoy vacationing at the beach as a family, Ocean City will not disappoint. When we visited Ocean City, we had dinner at BJ's on the Water at 75th Street and the bay. The waterfront dining room had an amazing view of the bay. Every table had their own TV mounted on the wall. (It was obvious that they took their football watching very seriously.) First, we shared the crab bisque, a delightfully creamy seafood concoction. Dinner did not disappoint, either. My filet was cooked to perfection, and my husband loved his Mahi Mahi. I'd definitely go back. 

Outside deck at BJ's on the Water

Covered dining room on the water at BJ's

The next day, we stopped on the boardwalk in Ocean City for lunch before heading back home to Philadelphia. The OC boardwalk is great. You can rent bikes, stroll the boards, browse in t-shirt stores and candy shops, ride the amusements, visit the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, or grab a bite to eat. After grabbing some salt water taffy, we headed to the Frog Bar for lunch. This place was kitschiness at its finest. Frog decor everywhere - not a spot on a shelf or an area on a wall that didn't have some sort of frog decoration on it. There was even a huge Kermit the Frog riding a surfboard suspended from the ceiling. We split a chicken sandwich and some nachos. It was good bar food served by a friendly waitress, but the view was what I liked most about this place. The entire wall behind the bar that runs the length of the small establishment is covered by huge windows that open onto the inlet. You can hear the water lapping the shore when the conversation inside dies down and a sign behind the bar says to keep your eye out for dolphins and horses. I could have stayed there all afternoon, but we had a departure schedule to stick to. 

The inlet outside the Frog Bar

Ferris wheel on the boardwalk

The boardwalk runs along the beach for three miles.

Frog Bar

Ribbit!

Thanks again for following our progress with Wanda and our camping/vintage mobile sales adventures. I hope you learn something useful, and enjoy hearing about our experiences. Please subscribe to this blog to hear about all the amazing vintage resale venues we plan to visit, all the cool spots we intend to camp at, and all the important business (life) lessons we are sure to learn along the way. I hope you enjoyed the highlights from Wanda's camping excursion at Assateague Island in Maryland. We'd love to hear about your experiences at Assateague Island in the comments section below. Next time, we'll be posting from Tuscaloosa, Alabama where we'll be visiting our middle daughter at the University of Alabama and attending our first football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Roll Tide!

Signing off with a Wanda Sighting: How cool is it that my daughter's best friend spotted us on the road?

Diary of a First-Time Camper

Our story goes something like this:

1. WE PACKED

I see all these fabulous photos of adorable glamping stagings online, and I immediately imagine myself setup in similar fashion at a remote, scenic location. As a result, I am determined to glamp on a beach, by a lake, in a valley, and in lots of other great places, but, I need to tell you, glamping is not all glamour. It involves some grit, as well. If you actually plan on doing the camping part of glamping, you have to pack all those charming accessories and sweet little accent pieces away safely before you hit the highway and head to your campsite. And let me tell you, trailers bump around like nobody's business when you're on the road so you have to be super careful about the way you pack your stuff. As my husband reminds me every time we're at a yard sale, the more great things you find to display at a campsite, the more stuff you have to pack away safely when you travel. To be practical, I have made a conscious decision to avoid glass accents and other breakable decorative items for the camper. It's taking me longer to find the right display pieces for Wanda, but I am determined to find items that will withstand the hardships of life on the open road. I'm even trying to be creative with the work I hang on the little wall space I have in the camper. I want things that are lightweight and do not have to be removed from the walls when we are on the road. This was the latest decorative accent I added to the camper before we left on our inaugural trip. I love it for three reasons. It suits my personality and matches Wanda's decor, it cost me about $5.00, and it can stay up on the wall when we travel.

Placemat from Pier One Imports ($3.95) and Print from Wishful Printing on Etsy ($1.50)

                                           

2. WE TRAVELED

Each time we hook up the camper it gets a little easier, but we are still in that phase where we drive with an irrational fear that the trailer is going to break away from the van at any given moment. We are dedicated right lane drivers who are married to the speed limit. Changing lanes still provides an adrenaline rush comparable to sky diving at this point, but we are gradually gaining confidence. I am looking forward to the day when we hitch up the trailer and drive off without a worry in the world. I'm sure the day will be here soon, in the meantime it's right lane riding for us.

3. WE ARRIVED

For our first camping stay, we decided to stay close to home. We traveled a little over an hour to Long Beach Carefree RV Resort on Route 72 in Barnegat, New Jersey. Thankfully, we picked a winner for our first camping experience. The staff at Long Beach is friendly. Our site was flat and well-shaded. Our neighbors were hospitable and knowledgeable. The bathrooms and showers were clean.  And we were able to get to Long Beach Island without much hassle. I would definitely recommend this campground. In my opinion, the very best part of staying at Long Beach RV Resort was meeting Kathy, Ed and their miniature pinscher, Trixie. Kathy and Ed greeted us with warm smiles when we pulled up to site 234, helped Andy back the trailer into our site, and provided us with tons of helpful information about trailer hitches, sewage lines, and other camping hacks. It was comforting to know we had experienced campers next door for our first camping stay.

LONG BEACH RV RESORT HIGHLIGHTS

Every campground needs one of these jumping blobs. This one kept tons of kids occupied for hours.

Yurts are new to me. If you don't already know, yurts are these super cool tents on steroids with hardwood floors, futons, and electricity. Perfect for the camper who wants to be off the dirt.

Nice clean bathrooms. We actually ran into the cleaning staff on Sunday AND Monday morning, and they had lots of bleach in their carts.

Pool table and some video games in the game room which looked new and well maintained.

Great pool.

Sweet little cabins with two sets of bunk beds, hardwood floors, a TV, and a microwave. Adorable!

4. WE SET UP

For me, this is where the fun began. Once everything was plugged in, hooked up, and set out, we could finally let our breath out and relax. There were bigger campers, newer campers, and pimped out campers all around us, but it didn't matter. Every time I walked up or pulled up to our site, I couldn't suppress my smile. Wanda is just too cute! I may have mentioned before that I have a thing for bistro lights. I just can't help it. I really love them. Having cool lighting at your site makes everything that much better. The lights I have pictured here have glass bulbs. Every time I hang them or take them down, I am a nervous wreck that they are going to shatter. When we were camping I told my husband I wished the bulbs were plastic and guess what I found when we were yard saling the next Saturday. That's right! I now have a set of plastic bistro lights for our upcoming excursion to Maryland. I do love living in the favor of the thrifting gods.

One of my favorite shots of the weekend. I call it "Straight Outta 234".

5. WE RELAXED

Does your family have a go-to game? Ours is Scrabble and this is my favorite board. It cost me $3.00 at a yard sale a couple years ago, and I love it because it rotates so each player can have the proper view of the board on their turn. Our first night at the campground, we played Scrabble, drank some Redd's Apple Ale, played some albums on the record player, and listened to the crickets when the music stopped. If you're like me and you need to break out of the fast-paced, nerve wracking, chest crushing grind you've managed to turn your life into, I highly recommend a camping weekend. You can almost feel your blood pressure lowering as the realization settles in that you have nothing to do but take care of your basic needs and create whatever kind of enjoyment you wish to have. It truly is a beautiful thing!

6. WE ATE

I am happy to report that our kitchen makeover solution appears to be working out fine for us. The Nu-Wave induction cooker served us well on our first outing. You just have to make sure your pots and pans are metal, and you're in business. The great thing about using an induction heat source for cooking in a small space like a camper is that the food gets hot, but the burner does not create ambient heat. We had a hot breakfast every morning of our trip and ate dinner at the camper twice. The mini-microwave also worked out well for us. It heated out tomato soup from Panera perfectly. That and some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches made for a perfect rustic dinner.

7. WE SHOPPED

Long Beach Island, or LBI as its affectionately called by locals, is known for being laid-back and family friendly. It boasts of beautiful beaches, a safe, family environment, abundant cultural, shopping, and dining attractions and loads of water sports and outdoor activities. The aptly named island is 18 miles long and ranges from 1/2 mile wide at its widest point in Ship Bottom to 1/5 of a mile wide at its narrowest point in Harvey Cedars. Route 72, which crosses over the Manahawkin Bay, is the only road into and out of LBI. Once you cross the bay into LBI, you can turn south and head toward Holgate, or you can turn north and travel toward Barnegat Light. When we wanted to go shopping, we turned off of Route 72 and headed south toward Beach Haven. We drove for awhile before we happened upon Bay Village and Schooner's Wharf at 9th and Bay Avenue, but it was worth the ride. This quaint little shopping district is home to over 50 unique shops and eateries. I had a nice time window shopping in t-shirt shops, women's boutiques, candy stores, and shore decor outlets until I stumbled upon "The Best Gift Idea Ever" - the actual name of the store where I purchased the really cool "WANDA" sign pictured above. Lining the walls of this shop are hundreds of different letter art options to choose from, and you can spell anything you want. At the Beach Haven location, you can get the letters a la carte for $4/each, $5/each if you want them matted, or $15/each matted and framed. If you are interested in getting some funky letter art for yourself check out The Best Gift Idea Ever online  at https://bestgiftideaever.com/, or better yet stop by The Best Gift Idea Ever at Schooner's Wharf in Beach Haven.

Schooner's Wharf: There's a cute little nautical gift shop in the hull of that ship.

                                    

Bay Village: Get there early. Everybody was shuttering their shops at 10:00 on a Saturday night.

                                                

Fantasy Island Amusement Park: It's right next door. 

                                              

If you are looking for old-fashioned fun, LBI is worth a visit.

8. WE PLAYED

We had an unexpected day of labor on Saturday when I discovered a leak in the camper. It took the entire afternoon and four trips to Home Depot before my husband was able to get the situation resolved and repair the leaky sink, so we were both ready for some fun on Sunday. We headed back to Beach Haven and visited the Sea Shell Resort and Beach Club. First, we ate at the Palm Grill, a great spot for casual poolside dining. The service was friendly and the food was great. I am a nacho lover and theirs were some of the best. My husband and I also loved their sirloin sliders. After we were done eating, we moved to the lounge chairs on a section of private beach with cocktail service. We hung out under the palm trees there and waited for the band to come on. I was really glad we hung around, because Shorty Long and the Jersey Horns put on a quite a show. If you are in New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey area and you have a chance to see them, do it. If you're in search of a Caribbean Island-inspired experience without leaving the US mainland, give the Sea Shell Resort and Beach Club in LBI a try.

He worked hard on the leaky sink on Saturday and deserved some rest.

Private beach with waitress service. Not too shabby.

Shorty Long draws an awesome crowd.

Not a bad venue.

                                             

9. WE EXPLORED

Since we spent most of Saturday afternoon under the sink in the camper, we decided to do late check out on Monday to recoup the missed the afternoon. When I was a very little girl, my Granny and Pop took me on day trips to Barnegat Light. Although I don't remember too many details from those trips because I was really young, I couldn't wait to visit Barnegat and see it through adult eyes. We drove to the Barnegat Lighthouse, walked along the jetty there, and then toured the rest of the town on our bikes. This section of the LBI is narrow. You can see the beach and the bay simultaneously from the main drive. The houses are impressive, especially the ones on the water. The few shops and restaurants we saw were quaint and old-fashioned in the very best way. My favorite spot on the island was the Barnegat Light Beach Patrol Lifeguard House. It's the first official lifeguard house I've ever seen in any of the beach towns I visited.

I loved the small town vibe in Barnegat.

You can't get more "beachy" than an official lifeguard house.

Good eats at Kelly's Old Barney Restaurant

10. WE DID IT!

Thanks for following our progress with Wanda and our vintage mobile sales adventure. I hope you learn something useful, and enjoy hearing about our experiences. Please subscribe to this blog to hear about all the amazing vintage resale venues we plan to visit, all the cool spots we intend to camp at, and all the important business (life) lessons we are sure to learn along the way. I hope you enjoyed the highlights from Wanda's first camping excursion. Next time, it's Assateague Island in Maryland.