Camping at Assateague Island

[tlhdoc]

We got home yesterday from 6 days at Assateague Island National Seashore.  We left last Tuesday and got to the park a little after 12pm.  The day was nice and windy, so most of the mosquitoes were blown away while setting up.  When I was getting ready to fill up the water heater and removed the rubber cover to the city water connection and it ripped right off. :swear:  I forgot to put the cover back on when I was done filling the water heater.   I had to put the 4 long stakes for the awning in the ground and tie the awning off before I tried to set the awning up in the wind.  Everything worked out and we got the PU and the AAR up without any problems.   The site I had isn't one of my favorites, but it did have a nice view.  When you looked out the front side of the trailer or from in the AAR all we saw were the dunes.  No other campers.  There were "wild horses" in the campground.  We loved that.   It was hot and humid that day, but the wind made it bearable.  We ate dinner that night at a small Mexican restaurant that HersheyGirl knew about.  

The next day was overcast and we had showers off and on all day.  We went to the beach anyhow and I spent some time bobbing in the swells with the kids.  It didn't matter that the rain would sprinkle on us, we were wet anyhow.  We all had a cold shower.  It didn't feel that bad because the water was warmer than the ocean.  When I checked the kids they were still covered in sand so I washed their hair and helped them rinse of at our outside shower.  They liked the hot water.  

Thursday we headed south to the Wild Life Refuge on the Virginia end of the island.  We drove through Frontier Land Campground just to check it out.  The campground looked very clean, but it isn't my type of campground.  Everyone lined up in a row.  The tent sites were more wooded and had a little privacy.  The camp-store had a cover for my city water hookup, so I was able to fix my SPUT.  We had reservations for the Refuge tour and I am glad the bus was air conditioned.  It was still warm on the bus, but not as bad as it was out side.  The tour had a new guide that didn't really know the information and had to keep looking it up on flip cards.  We have gone on the tour before and it was very well done.  We did get to see some wildlife and a lot of the horses.  There was a Stallion that was really trying to get a fight started.  He approached 2 different bands and had some interaction with the stallions from both of those bands.  He ended up going back to his band and things settled down.  That evening we went crabbing and the kids caught 2 blue crabs that were big enough to keep.  The crabs were cooked while an electrical storm was coming in.  The kids loved them and wished they had more of them.  We ended up watching a movie in the car while we waited for the storm to pass.

Friday it was so hot and humid I didn't want to move.  I even thought about going home, but it was too hot to pack up.  We went to the water park at Frontier Town and spend a lot of the day there.  We had real showers there and then headed back to the beach in the late afternoon.  We didn't do much that night as it was too hot and humid.  Just sitting reading I was breaking out into a sweat.

Saturday was a much nicer day.  It was still warm but the humidity was gone and the sun was shining.  We went canoing in the bay in the morning, the kids played at camp until early afternoon and then we went up to the beach.  We stated there until early evening.  We packed up some of our stuff that evening and took down the AAR.

Sunday was a beautiful day.  Cool and dry.  I had to put an extra blanket on the kids overnight.  We packed up and the kids rode their bikes off the island while I had the pleasure of hooking up and going to the dumpstation to dump our cassette potty.  I met the kids on the main land and loaded their bikes on my new Pro Rack bike rack.  

http://www.popuptimes.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=P&Category_Code=New

It was much easier to load and unload than my Yakima system.  Then we left for our long drive home.

[HersheyGirl]

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip.:sombraro: :S

[tlhdoc]

We did.  

[jazman]

We did.  

But Tracy,

You didn't have BEARS...   :yikes:

On Saturday,a family on Loop 4 of the North Lake SP had a bear jump on their table and consume their dinner.


jazman

[tlhdoc]

But Tracy,

You didn't have BEARS...   :yikes:

jazman

We have had bears at Hickory Run in the fall.  If you want to be around something fierce try camping with mosquitoes as big as 737s.  They were trying to eat us for dinner, bears are nothing compared to a swarm of salt marsh mosquitoes.  :p  

Did you have to stand guard Saturday night so the bears wouldn't come and get another member of the group?

[whitestar505]

tlhdoc,

So I understand you like this Maryland weather we have? All I can say is that it is not hot yet. I know the humidify is out of this world. Will I see you at the ralley?

[jawilson]

We have had bears at Hickory Run in the fall.

When can you go to Hickory Run and NOT get bears? We always pitched our tents in the loop right next to the walk-ins, all the way at the end of the park. You see at least 2-3 bears a day down their. For the most part it's okay, unless it's at night and I have to escort one of the kids to the bathroom because they "forgot" to go before they went to bed! :banghead:

[tlhdoc]

tlhdoc,

So I understand you like this Maryland weather we have? All I can say is that it is not hot yet. I know the humidify is out of this world. Will I see you at the ralley?

Our weather in PA is not that much different.  It was in the 90s on Friday and the heat index was 105.  That is hot enough.  I am planning on being at the rally and I will have your tee shirts.

[tlhdoc]

When can you go to Hickory Run and NOT get bears?

I don't think anyone in our group saw one last September.  I think the new dumpsters are helping.

at night and I have to escort one of the kids to the bathroom because they "forgot" to go before they went to bed!

That is why I have a bathroom in the PU.

[whitestar505]

tlhdoc,

You know what happens when nitro and glycerin get together, especially when it is hot.
 
 

Our weather in PA is not that much different. It was in the 90s on Friday and the heat index was 105. That is hot enough. I am planning on being at the rally and I will have your tee shirts.

[tlhdoc]

tlhdoc,

You know what happens when nitro and glycerin get together, especially when it is hot.

No tell me.

[Gone-Camping]

I always thought the Assateage Island skeeters were as big as the ponies! Seems to me with all those wild horses around, there must be a bunch of horse flies too!!!

[tlhdoc]

There are horse flies, green headed flies and regular house flies.  All kinds of bugs on the island.

[SheBantam]

Tracy, my co-worker, and brother's family were there the same weekend you were, they were with a church group, her family had tents and were in the no electric section (not sure if was the State or Federal campground, State, I think), she said it was great, except for the H&H (heat and humidity) it was so hot that she could not sleep, moved her camping mat out side and the ants got her, so she moved to the picnic table and slept sitting up with her head on the table.  She said her and her son got up to go to the bathrooms on one of the cooler nights, and there were ponys laying around the campsite, and the deer were tame enough that they came up to people...that is really tame.

[whitestar505]

tlhdoc,
 
They have an explosive good time!! See you at the ralley!
 
 
 

No tell me.