Basic Geography of our Island Trip

I've been posting pictures from Assateague and Chincoteague for several days so I thought I would explain the basic geography. Both are islands, with Assateague stretching out along the Atlantic Ocean and Chincoteague nestled between it and the mainland.There's another small island between Chincoteague and the mainland, and there's also a visitor's center for the NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility, much of which is on the mainland, although the actual Wallops Island lies south of Chincoteague Island.

"MARS" Spaceport location map

I may be using the term "mainland" too loosely here. This part of land is actually a peninsula, called the Delmarva Peninsula (short for Delaware-Maryland-Virginia).  To further complicate things, the region is also called the Eastern Shore because it lies east of the Chesapeake Bay.

Anyway, you can drive out to Chincoteague and Assateague Islands thanks to causeways and bridges. Chincoteague is both an island and a town, and to complicate things, it is the name of a wildlife refuge on Assateague Island.

For our trip to the Eastern Shore, we entered at the southern tip of the peninsula via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It's 20 miles long and quite an engineering feat. We drove up US 13 (for about an hour not including a stop for dinner at Wachapreague) and turned east at Wattsville to reach the islands. On our homeward journey we took a northward route, stopping at Ocean City and then driving to the upper Chesapeake Bay Bridge and from there westward toward home.

Chincoteague Ponies

Chincoteague Island, VA

Chincoteague is famous for its ponies and we saw some for sale next to McDonald's on Maddox Boulevard.

The 2011 Chincoteague Pony Swim is coming up in a few days: July 27! At "slack tide," ponies from Assateague will swim across the channel to Chincoteague. After resting, they will parade to the carnival grounds. See the Pony Swim site.


You might also like these posts:

• Wild Horses on the Dunes
• Misty's Descendants
• Not Too Wild Horses

Misty Miscellany

We went to Chincoteague Island for the weekend and I took many megabytes of photos. I'll start sharing them with you here while also sharing with three blog hops: Monday Murals, Mosaic Monday and Good, Random and Fun.

Perhaps you've heard of Chincoteague through the story "Misty of Chincoteague," which was a popular children's book that was made into a movie in 1961. Or perhaps you've been there to visit the wildlife refuge or the beautiful beach on nearby Assateague Island. (If you haven't, I recommend that you do.)

The Good: The annual pony sale made popular by the book and movie has raised ample money for the Chincoteague Fire Department. It has also drawn large numbers of tourists to the island, bolstering the local economy which had previously been dependent upon fishing.

The mural of a pony relaxing in a hammock is on the carnival grounds.

The Random:  Chincoteague celebrates it's famous ponies! You see ponies on local ranches and on neighboring Assateague Island, which has Misty herself, taxidermically preserved.

Click on image to see a larger version.

The Fun: Horseback rides are available. There are also boat tours that take you to see the wild ponies on Assateague.

History Told at Assateague Lighthouse

As we climbed the steps inside the lighthouse, I paused on the landings to look out the windows and read the paper signs. One told about the Civil War Years on Assateague and its neighbor Chincoteague Island. The lighthouse that existed at that time was shorter (45 feet tall) and dated from 1833. Here's an excerpt:

At one point rebels did manage to put the Assateague light out. The Confederates wanted to ship arms through the channel to the mainland and tried to get past Chincoteague and into the bay under disguise. A rebel schooner did reach the mainland and in response to a request for help, in 1861 U.S.S. Louisiana was sent up from Hampton Roads to intercept it.


After that a Union platoon was based at the lighthouse and another on Chincoteague. The loyalty of the islanders was recognized when free transport of seafood to the north was granted.


Throughout the war peninsula farms were an important source of food for the Union army.

(Notes by Chincoteague Natural History Association.)

Another sign tells the general history of the lighthouse and Assateague Island, beginning with it's use by Native Americans prior to European settlement in the 17th century.

Click on the image to see a large version.

• See all posts about Assateague.
• Browns Point Lighthouse, WA.
• Point Fermin Lighthouse, CA.
• Other posts about lighthouses.
• Visit Chincoteague Natural History Assn.

Ponies Behind a Fence

Next to the Days Inn on Chincoteague Island is a pen containing a couple of the famed Chincoteague Ponies. These ponies were born to wild horses on nearby Assateague Island and brought to Chincoteague to be tamed. Many are sold at auction to raise money for the fire department.

You may be thinking that they would prefer to run wild, but that creates a problem of overcrowding on Assateague and also threatens the other wildlife there. So on the Virginia portion of Assateague,  the fire department is allowed to round up a number of ponies from the herd.

I've posted pictures of Chincoteague Ponies and wild horses on Assateague previously.

Linking to: Good Fences

Chincoteague Restaurant

I took this waterfront photo while we were waiting for our wash at a laundromat. Later we had dinner at the restaurant that you see in the distance, the Chincoteague Inn Restaurant (which is not near the Chincoteague Inn Motel, so I think they are not related.) The food was delicious! I had broiled scallops and they did not have the bitter taste that I often find in scallops cooked in mainland restaurants.

We also had a good lunch at a restaurant called Mr. Baldy's. I had a tasty veggie-lovers salad - I think it was the half portion, but generous enough.

Link: Chincoteague Restaurants

Driving to Chincoteague

Poolside View at the Quality Inn in Suffolk, VA

Our plan was to spend a few days at a Carolina beach after visiting Kate's family. However, by the time we reached I-95, Frank decided he wanted to head for a beach in Virginia in order to be within a day's drive of home. So we headed for Virginia Beach.

We had not started out early and even though we made our lunch stop brief (Popeye's!), we got tired and hungry before approaching our destination. Considering this plus the high cost of hotels at the beach, we decided to stop in Suffolk. We found a decent restaurant and got a recommendation from locals for a hotel. However, that one had no vacancies so we wound up at the Quality Inn, which turned out to be comfortable and good enough for a short stay. Our room had a view of the pool.

By morning, Frank decided he wanted to continue on to Chincoteague, which was fine with me because I have enjoyed our previous visits to that island and nearby Assateague.

We made a brief stop at the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge and called in reservations for a hotel in Chincoteague. Then we enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Mallard's in Onancock.

Accommodations and Ponies, Chincoteague

We stayed at the Days Inn in Chincoteague. We had actually reserved a room at another motel but when we got there we discovered the room was old and musty. We were glad to find a room at the Days Inn, which was nicer although our room was a bit cramped.

Next to the motel was a pen with a couple of fine ponies, Sonador and Red Dawn.

Not far away is the Chincoteague Diner, which had some gluten-free dishes, which made allergy-free eating much simpler.  The staff was very nice.

Linking to: Camera Critters

and Weekend No Rules

From the Pedestrian/Bike Trail Bridge

Egret, Chincoteague, VA

A nice bridge takes cyclists across the marsh between the Museum of Chincoteague and the entrance to Assateague Island. Motor vehicles use Maddox Boulevard a few feet away.

You can rent a bike on Chincoteague and ride it through town and through the wildlife refuge. Just be prepared for mosquitos; they like the marshes they like to bite!

Sharing with Wild Bird Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

The Bridge to Chincoteague

This is the only road onto Chincoteague Island from the mainland. Construction is underway just north of here for a replacement bridge. See the VDOT page on the new Chincoteague bridge.

Chincoteague Channel at Dusk

On our first evening at Chincoteague, I was disappointed to find that the seafood restaurant that I remembered from previous trips had closed. Was it a victim of Hurricane Sandy? I wouldn't be surprised, since that part of town had suffered flooding.

While driving along Main Street looking for it, we stopped to take a few pictures of the sunset.

Chincoteague Island is a special place, quieter than some resort towns but offering plenty of outdoor activities. It's a barrier island off the coast of Virginia that's protected from the Atlantic Ocean by another barrier island, Assateague.

Linking to: Orange You Glad It's Friday

and Skywatch Friday

Wild Horses on Assateague

The horses on Assateague Island are basically wild, but the ones on the Virginia part of the island are owned by the fire department of nearby Chincoteague, which sells a number of them every summer in order to keep the herd at a sustainable limit and earn some money at the same time. It's not all profit though. The fire company rounds up the the ponies and gets them vaccinated! Their hooves are trimmed and a general check up is conducted by a veterinarian.

See 2011 post: Chincoteague Ponies

Pony Mural in Chincoteague

On the side of a shop on Maddox Boulevard we see a delightful mural of the Chincoteague Ponies. That's the Assateague Lighthouse in the background.

Close-up Showing Artist's Signature

Linking to: Monday Mural

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.

View of the New Chincoteague Bridge

Seen from the Island Resort, Chincoteague, VA

Wooden Men of Chincoteague

Above: Viking Across the Road from a Shop

Below: Sea Captain at the Chincoteague Inn Restaurant

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.

The Oldest House on Chincoteague Island

The oldest house on the island was the home of Captain Timothy Hill. It was built around 1800.

Europeans first came to the island around 1680. The name originated with local Native Americans whose descendants are said to be the Nanticoke people in nearby Delaware. The population of Chincoteague was small for many years, but grew after a bridge from the mainland opened in 1922.

Chincoteague Collage

Chincoteague, Virginia

Sharing with Mosaic Monday

P.S. I notice that the title is easily misread on a cell phone so here's clarification. The word is collage with an A, as in artistic assemblage... Or perhaps not so artistic, like when we tore out magazine pictures and pasted them together for a school assignment. I will try to remember that sometimes readers use very small devices to visit my blog.

Channel Cat in Sepia

Chincoteague, Virginia

Okay, in the title I'm playing with words. The term "channel cat" usually refers to a catfish, but here I'm referring to the cat's location beside the Chincoteague Channel.

He appeared to be stalking the seagulls. I wonder if he ever caught any!

Linking to: Sepia Saturday

and Saturday's Critters