Outer Banks National Park Service Sites (NC), September 21-23

Chesapeake Bay from north end
of Bridge-Tunnel

 To get to Cape Hatteras from Assateague Island, I continued traveling south over and through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel which is an amazing 20-mile long toll crossing.   Two of its tunnels dive under the water!

Oregon Inlet campsite at sunset

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a set of barrier islands on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  My first night I stayed at the Oregon Inlet Campground on Bodie Island.  Here I watched the moon rise and slept to the surf's song. 

Bodie Island Lighthouse
under restoration

The next morning I tried to take the free ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, but there was a 3+ hour wait, so I retraced my way south and visited a couple of other nearby Outer Banks National Park Service locations -- Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and the Wright Brothers National Monument.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Fort Raleigh was "England's first home in the New World," 1584-1590.  Although Sir Walter Raleigh never visited this fort, he sponsored the colonization.  The fort is an earthen works; that is, the English soldiers "dug in" on this spot to defend the colony.

Earthworks of Fort Raleigh

The spot where the Wright Brothers achieved flight has been preserved.  Here I attended a ranger program sharing the events and challenges that led up to that first flight.  It is a story of science, competition, and passion.



Field where the Wright Brothers
achieved flight for the first time

 My second night was on Hatteras Island at Frisco Campground.  I had a great campsite.  It was the Autumnal Equinox and the Full Harvest Moon.  The picnic table on my site was perched on a rise from which I could see and hear the ocean.  It was private, quiet, with a spectacular view.  It was perfect ... I watched the sun set, the moon rise, a deer and doe making their way through the bush, and got umpteen mosquito bites ... well, I guess it wasn't totally perfect.



Painting based upon a photo
of the first flight



I got up early the next morning as I decided to take both the free ferry ride within the park, and the longer toll ride south to the mainland.  Thankfully, I got there early enough and was one of the last to board, sailing south toward my next stop, Congaree National Park in South Carolina.



Full Harvest Moon over the
Atlantic Ocean on the
Autumnal Equinox



Getting ready to board
a ferry from Okracoke to
Cedar Island, 2.5 hrs.



originally posted 10/26/10

Assateague Island (MD/VA), September 20-21

Hurricane Igor made for
rough surf and rip tides

Assateague Island National Seashore is a barrier island off the Delmarva Peninsula.  It spans 2 states, Maryland and Virginia.  I came in from the north as that is where the campgrounds are located. 

One of the wild horses

Assateague Island is probably most famous for its wild horses.

The wild horses on the northern Maryland end of the island are managed like wild animals.  That is, the NPS allows nature to take care of itself.  The only interventions they provide is putting a dying horse out of its suffering, and an innovative birth control program to keep these non-native horses from destroying the island's environment.

View of Chincoteague Bay
from Bayside Camp Ground

Recent genetic testing has debunked the folklore that the first horses swam to the island from a shipwrecked Spanish ship.  The real story is that colonists put the first horses on this island to avoid being taxed on them.  To be sure though, there are hundreds of ship wrecks off this island.

I decided to camp on the bayside of the island because it was both quieter and more private.  However, at dusk I had visitors to my campsite.  A small band of horses browsed their way through.  See the video below of one of the horses scratching itself on a tree.

A few of the wild horses
 at my Bayside Campsite

And, because the island is so narrow, I could still hear the surf as I slept.

The next day I traveled to the southern, Virginia end of the island.  To get there, visitors must drive around, off the island.

A different herd of horses live on the south end of the island.  They are owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department and are managed like livestock instead of wild animals.  Once each year there's a round up where the horses swim across the bay for veterinarian care and to sell off some of the fouls to pay for the herd's care.

Cranes flying and fishing

Near Tom's Cove, at the far southern end of Assateague, I saw lots of birds in the salt marsh.

Surf was still rough on
day 2 on the southern end

My next destination is another NPS site and another barrier island, Cape Hatteras.

originally posted 10/25/10

A Scenic Route (VA/MD/DE), September 19-20

My next and last National Park east of the Mississippi was to be Congaree in South Carolina.  I saved this to last because I knew it to be very hot and humid, and I figured the later I waited, the cooler it would be.  I plotted my course from my current location in Virginia to Congaree.  I decided to take the scenic route south along the coast.  I searched the National Park Service web site for places to camp on the way.

Potomac River off of the
George Washington Memorial Pkwy
Fort Washington in the distance

My first stop was at Prince Williams Forest Park, a beautiful piedmont forest set aside for hiking and camping.  I took a scenic drive and had lunch.  But, it was still too early in the day for camping; so, I moved on.  I then continued my trek through Maryland, into Washington DC.  I'd considered exploring DC for the day, but decided to wait for another time.  But, I did take the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway next to the Potomac River.

While doing my research, I was surprised to find a NPS site for camping just 13 miles from the White House, inside the beltway.  Greenbelt Park provided a beautiful oasis of green for camping.   When I come back to explore DC, this will make a great home base.

After a good nights sleep, I began my way onto the Delmarva Peninsula.  So named for the states on that peninsula -- Delaware, Maryland, and VA (Virginia).  Assateague Island, here I come!

originally posted 10/23/10