I was driving down a long narrow highway headed east. I could see the Atlantic shore in the distance. At least I thought I could. It’s always interesting to me how your mind can trick you into seeing things that you know are coming but can’t quite see yet. Do I really see the crashing waves on the horizon, or is it just the endless blue sky losing itself in the curvature of the earth? But I digress. I was on my way to Assateuge Island, a small narrow island off the coast of Maryland. When I’ve heard locals talk about the area, their eyes have filled with wonder. They tell stories of sandy dunes, crab fishing, wind surfing and off roading. But most exciting to me, are the stories about wild horses that graze the fields.
No one knows how the horses got there. The most popular theory is that in the 1600s, they were headed to a Spanish colony and their ship was dashed to pieces of the rocky shores. Light houses hadn’t been built to help guide the boats yet, and these types of accidents were fairly common. The theory says that the horses made their way to this island and over the next 2500 years, slowly evolved to survive on the sparse sea grasses that grew in the sand. This isn’t a very hearty diet, especially for a horse, and as they bred, they started to shrink. Now, the full grown horses are the size of ponies.
A herd of wild horses stampeding in the distance is quite a sight to see. Clouds of dust rise up around them as they dart too and fro. Males (I’m assuming) spar with one another and their peers spectate, waiting to see who will come out dominant. Unfortunately, most of the area that you can see the herds from don’t have pull overs, so I wasn’t able to snap any pics of this, but that just means that you will have to go visit yourself.
The rest of the island is equally wonderful. One of my favorite parts was crab fishing. It’s really the most simple thing ever. You tie a raw chicken leg to a piece of fishing line, set it in the water, wait till a crab comes along to get a snack, and then simply scoop it out of the water with a net! That’s all there is to it!
The beaches seem to be the main attraction though, with pristine dunes, fine sand, and sun to last for hours. Along the beaches are miles of dunes to go off roading on. unfortunately, I don’t think my Model 3 is set up for that. Anyone got an X that is willing to make the trip and explore that area?!
Closest Supercharger Salisbury MD 31 mi
2300 N Salisbury Blvd, Salisbury, MD 21801
Assateuge Islands National Seashore
7206 National Seashore Ln, Berlin, MD 21811
