Critter Sitter's Blog: beach

Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts

Friday, June 30, 2017

Things To Do On Chincoteague With Children - Part 1

When I write about things to do on Chincoteague Island in Virginia, I must make it clear that these items include things to do on and in the waters surrounding both Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia, as well as some wonderful places to visit on the nearby mainland of Virginia. The island of Chincoteague is, due to it's very nature, tied to the water and marine life. The portion of Assateague Island located in Virginia is both a seashore and a wildlife refuge - Assateague National Seashore and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (which, confusingly, is located on Assategue, not Chincoteague). People live on Chincoteague Island; people visit Assateague Island.
As a former teacher of kindergarten and third grade, as well as being an assistant in high school classes, and being a step-mother and grandmother, I know very well that each child is unique, each has his/her own interests, and that attention spans can vary wildly - pretty much the same as adults. As a parent, you know your child's likes and dislikes and attention span. I am providing a list of multiple items that you can do with your child while on the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague.
* If you have never visited the island before, the first thing that I recommend that you do is - open all of your vehicle's windows (weather permitting) as you go around Pump House Turn on 175, having passed the NASA Visitor's Center, and once you see the causeway and bridges that will lead you to Chincoteague. If it's high tide, you can smell the salt air and listen to the calls of the gulls and other waterfowl. If it's low tide, you'll be hit with the very distinctive smell of Chincoteague marsh mud, along with the smells of salt water, salt air and the sounds of local wildlife. Also, be aware of turtles on the causeway and try to avoid them - they are precious usually only one son or daughter will survive to reproduce.
* Depending upon where you are staying, your choices immediately multiply upon arrival. People visit for a great many reasons, and it depends upon your interests as a group, as to what you do. If you're staying at a hotel/motel or residence with a pool, and either are afraid of the ocean, or don't like to be sandy, then the pool is the best place to swim, period.
* Once you have checked into your residence for the visit, I suggest that you visit the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, where friendly island natives will answer your questions, and can provide brochures and information on just about everything on the island. You can also visit their website - http://www.chincoteaguechamber.com/ and get up-to-date information.
* Chincoteague has been the home of people who make their living on the water since the late 1600s (when my family arrived there) - the people are called watermen, and they fish, shrimp, crab, clam, oyster, and now aqua-farm for their livelihoods. Up until 1920, people lived on Assateague, and horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs had free range there. We also hunted ducks and geese and deer there. In 1921 most of the village of Assateague was moved by raft and barge to Piney Island and the East Side of Chincoteague.
If you are interested in learning about sea life and the ecology of the waters surrounding Chincoteague and Assategue Islands, the best thing you can do is take an eco-tour with Barry Frishman. Captain Barry's Back Bay Cruises is a hands-on experience for young and old (or if you prefer to sit back and just watch, that's OK, too), and each time you go out with him you have a different experience. Since the waters, shoals, sandbars and tumps are always in flux, you never know exactly what you'll see and/or do. Barry is an experienced waterman, a previous tug boat captain, has been a Red Cross volunteer around the world, has a huge crew of grandchildren, and is a well-known artist, as well. He is an extraordinary man, and his excursions never fail to delight - many people return for his cruises each summer. His website may be found at: https://captainbarry.net/ and he is also on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Captain-Barrys-Back-Bay-Cruises-155032211287774/
Captain Barry is a must do each and every time I revisit my old home.
* Bike all over the islands - bring your own or rent one by the hour, day, or week.
* Hike the trails on Chincoteague and on Assateague.
* Go to the beach - swim, sunbathe, collect shells, fly a kite, picnic.......
* Visit the Museum of Chincoteague ( http://chincoteaguemuseum.com/ )
* Birding - the CNWR is on the Atlantic Flyway, and over 300 species of birds may be seen over the course of the year. Last year, the Fall Flight Index estimated that over 90 million ducks passed through the area...

Much, much more tomorrow.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Assateague Island Photos

Above, first foal of 2017; below, the sire, Tornado's Legacy

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Seen on Assateague Island (Maryland) - Photos

Photos by "Beached Paws" and "Cat Nonamehere"

Reflected serenity

Old anchor

Sika deer

The beach on 1 March

Fox at sunset

Pinecone study

Three generations - (left to right) mom Charmed, grandma

Ninka, grandson Phoenix

Monday, November 14, 2016

Views On (or From) Maryland's Assateague Island

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Fun Things To Do On Chincoteague and Assateague Islands

In Virginia, people live on Chincoteague and only wild things live on Assateague. In Maryland, a person can camp on Assateague, which isn't possible in Virginia. There are a myriad of things to do and see in either state and on, or around, both islands.
Assateague Island is a National Seashore in both states, and, in Virginia, Assateague is also the site of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR). This confuses a lot of people. Chincoteague ponies run wild on Assateague Island in both Virginia and Maryland - but each state has a unique way of dealing with the ponies. All of the different kinds of wildlife on Assateague mingle and breed together - except the ponies (usually). There is a fence separating the Maryland and Virginia sides of the island, but ponies do, on occasion, break through and mingle. I can definitely say the ponies on the Virginia end of Assateague Island are branded and micro-chipped. The Maryland ponies are not branded. I don't know if they are chipped or not. A person, or family, can legally camp on the Maryland side of Assateague with a permit. No over-nighters are allowed in Virginia.
Chincoteague Island is located within the Virginia state borders only. It's where people live, work and play. If you visit Chincoteague or Assateague for the annual festivals, you know that you usually stay on Chincoteague in a hotel, motel, rental, or bed and breakfast. There are all sorts of festivals on Chincoteague. The most widely known, thanks to Marguerite Henry's book and the 20th Century Fox movie, Misty) is Pony Penning. There are also a Blueberry Festival, Seafood Festival, Oyster Festival, Decoy Festival, Arts and Crafts Festival, Chili Festival, the Volunteer Firemens' Carnival and multiple bird-watching festivals, throughout the year.
If you visit the islands, be prepared for heat, humidity and mosquitoes in the summer. Storms come from the Atlantic regularly - northeasters and hurricanes. I can easily remember the five high tide lines on the wall paper in my Grandfather's kitchen. A seemingly huge storm can sweep across the island in a few hours and wash everything new again.
What is there to do on the islands?
Well, first and foremost, Assateague is a National Seashore. The beach is highly recommended. Get some sun, play in the surf, or walk the beach. There are many walks and trails available for hiking on Assateague in both states. Check in at the respective Visitor's Centers and see what is recommended, or is off limits, for the day. (Some beach areas may be closed due to bird and/or turtle nesting.) There is also a widely varied group of wildlife on Assateague - from over 400 different kinds of birds, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, to otters, muskrats, the Delmarva fox squirrel, water and grass snakes, turtles and terrapins, white tail deer, miniature elk (aka Sika deer), seals, ponies, frogs and toads, butterflies, raccoons, fox, groundhogs and rabbits, to name a few. Take a birding guide and/or a guide to wildlife tracks. Wild turkeys are in abundance and might startle you. With a fishing permit, you can surf fish from the beach. And you can tour the Assateague Lighthouse from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. during the summer.
Water activities? There is swimming and surfing, or one can take out a canoe, kayak, paddle board, or small motorboat. You can see all the sights on a guided tour; take a fishing boat into the bays or channels, or out into the ocean; you can fish, crab, clam and oyster - as long as it isn't on private or posted property. You can cook and eat what you catch - flounder is running well, I hear. On small cruises, one can take a hands-on ecological tour of the marshes and bays (with Captain Barry), tours around the island of Chincoteague with some local history thrown in, sunset cruises with champagne (with Captain Barry, and others), a guaranteed pony-sighting tour (with Captain Dan), sunrise and sunset cruises on the Miss Chincoteague, and just about anything you can imagine, or want, to do.
On Chincoteague, the choices seem endless - walking, biking or trolley tours; shopping; eating; reading; the library; the cinema; coffee houses; the Carnival on weekends in July; Second Saturday art shows; the Saturday Farmers Market; the Chincoteague Island Museum; the Chincoteague Bay Field Station; the Chincoteague Pony Center; the Chincoteague Natural History Alliance; the Refuge Golf and Amusements Center; or just kicking back and relaxing.... There are three parks on the island where you can picnic. And I mentioned eating a little earlier in this paragraph - the home made ice cream on Chincoteague is to die for! The Island Creamery is known as having the best ice cream on the east coast of the United States; then there's Mueller's Ice Cream Parlor and Mister Whippy - all delicious!
If you don't mind taking a short trip off the island, you can visit the NASA Visitors Center, go hang gliding with Virginia Hang Gliding, take an air tour with Carter Crabbe aviation, visit the Delmarva Discovery Center in Pocomoke City, or the Barrier Island Center of the Eastern Shore in Machipongo. You can also go horseback riding at Queen Hive Farm in Assawoman.
I never get around to doing everything I want to when I'm there - I have to pick and choose. You will, too.