A Wild Horse on Assateague

Maybe his wild days are behind him. He looks a bit old. But he was having a pleasant afternoon munching grass on Assateague Island.

I took this photo with a disposable camera. I had Frank's camera with me but the battery was used up, and I had left my Nikon back in our room. I usually carry a disposable camera in the car, one of those soft-sided lunch bags which mostly serves as a snack bag.

Misty's Descendants

At Chincoteague Pony Centre

The Pony Center is on Chicken City Road. It was closed when we drove by but we saw some of the horses.

Linda On the Pier

Frank took this picture on the pier that extends into the marsh at the Assateague Inn. We were out there looking at gulls and geese.

I was wearing my new Chincoteague Island hat.

Trio

Geese, Chincoteague, VA

Bird Watcher

Note the guy on the left watching the geese float by. Chincoteague, Virginia

Visiting the Beach

At Assateague Island National Seashore

Frank, Eastern Shore 2008

On a Pier Near Quinby, VA

Want to hear the ocean?

Click on the arrow -- sounds more like the ocean than any conch shell does.

The Assateague Inn in Chincoteague

The place we stayed is named the Assateague Inn after the nearby island of Assateague. It's just off "Chicken City Road." There's a motel called the Chincoteague Inn not far away; we stayed there a few years ago. It was nice enough but I wanted a place with a kitchen.

So we reserved a one bedroom apartment. The fridge was a bit small with a freezer just big enough for a couple of ice trays, but I was happy to have a two-burner cook top so I could make wheat-free pancakes.

The air conditioning was in the living/dining area only but the bedroom had a ceiling fan and the nights were not too hot. Since our previous stay, wireless high-speed internet has been installed. (Dave may remember how challenging it was to try to get online over the hotel phone system.)
Above is a rear view of the half of the inn which contains our unit. Below is part of the view from our sliding door. Note the large bird perched on the sign.

Not TOO wild horses

The wild horses of Assateague and Chincoteague have been famous since Misty of Chincoteague was published in 1947. This trio has gotten used to people and vehicles. They were in the parking lot next to the "wildlife loop" on Assateague Island.

See Marguerite Henry's Treasury of Horses including Misty on Amazon

The 2008 "pony swim" will be July 30. I've never seen it but many people love it and come year after year.

It is illegal to pet or feed the wild horses. Click for an interesting page about the horses and how they sometimes harass campers.

Dinner in Wachapreague

On our first night on the Eastern Shore, we went to the Island House Restaurant in Wachapreague for dinner. We remembered it fondly from a prior visit and it did not disappoint. The food was good and the view is soothing.

We're back from East Virginia

Six days on the road is apparently enough. Frank was anxious to get back, and we did have a lot to do. Here's our basic itinerary:

• Drove three hours to Williamsburg via I-81 and I-64, an easy drive. Spent two nights at the Marriott Manor Club in Williamsburg. It was adequate but parking spots were scarce.
• Drove south and then east across the beautiful Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Traversed Virginia's Eastern Shore on US 13, followed the signs to Chincoteague.
• Spent three nights at the Assateague Inn, where we stayed several years ago. We had a comfortable unit with a living area, small kitchen, and bedroom. It's a short ride from there to the gorgeous and fascinating island of Assateague. (To see pictures of an earlier trip to the Eastern Shore, click here.)
  
• Made the long ride back home.

I'll be posting photographs of the Eastern Shore. Here's one taken near Quinby.

A Great Gaggle of Geese

The View from the Parapet

Walk up the steps from the Casement Museum and see the view. We're looking toward Fort Wool.

Lee's Quarters, Fortress Monroe

Sometimes we forget that Robert E. Lee had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Army before resigning when Virginia seceded from the United States. At Fort Monroe there's a marker for his quarters. I've read that because he knew how strong the fort was, he never ordered an attack on it during the Civil War.

Robert E. Lee, future Confederate General, was stationed at Fort Monroe 1831-1834 as a lieutenant of engineers. He had almost complete charge of construction and put the finishing touches on the fort. Lee's first child was born here in 1832.

See also Lee's 26 Years as an Officer in the Corps of Engineers.

Jeff Davis at Fort Monroe

Here we see the cell where Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, was held after the Civil War. He was suspected of being involved in the assassination of Lincoln but there was no evidence and eventually he was freed without being charged.

I've seen a website that claims he died there and came back as a ghost, but he lived for many years after being released from Fort Monroe and died at the age of 81. Also, although the room seems a bit dank, all the rooms in the casemate seem that way and they were used as living quarters for officers and their families, so the room was not considered substandard at the time. It's actually a fairly large room.

• 1905 Article on Davis's imprisonment
• Biography of Jeff Davis
• My photo of Davis's grave in Richmond
  

Poe at Monroe

The Casemate Museum has some surprising exhibits. This one depicts a life-size Edgar Allan Poe. It turns out that Poe was once stationed at Fort Monroe while in the military and later returned for a stay at the Hotel Hygeia. It’s said that the inspiration for “Annabel Lee” came from his time at Fort Monroe.

“It was many and many a year ago,
in a kingdom by the sea…”

Fort Monroe Changes

The military base at Fort Monroe is scheduled to close in 2011. The Commonwealth of Virginia will regain the land and is working on plans to preserve recreational opportunities while considering commercial opportunities. See the APVA press release and the Daily Press story. for details.

On this sign, the fort is drawn in at the lower left. The other white areas (except for the legend at the top left) represent water. The ships on the right represent the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (Merrimack), which battled near there in 1862.

Crossing the Moat

Entering Fortress Monroe

Frank had never seen historic Fort Monroe and I remembered it from a field trip that I took over 15 years ago. We had talked about going there but would have skipped it as we headed for the Eastern Shore, except that traffic was slowed by an accident as we neared the Hampton Roads Tunnel.

"Why don't we get off the highway and see Fort Monroe?" I proposed. He agreed and we followed signs to the fort.

It took a while to get through the military gate because several cars were in front of us, but we were entertained by some dolphins playing in the river next to the road. Before long we spotted signs to the Casemate Museum, located in the old stone fort. It's a great place to visit except that it's a bit musty from being on (and in) the water.

Link: History of Fort Monroe

Bird guarding the moat

This fellow watches the moat at Fortress Monroe. He appears to be a heron of some sort.