Wild Ponies and Rockets

I read “Misty of Chincoteague,” by Marguerite Henry, when I was in the 4th grade. Most of the girls I knew did, too. I’m not sure I even knew the island was a real place! I wasn’t really a “horse girl,” and I soon left ponies behind in favor of other mini-obsessions.

Fast-forward some forty-plus years, and a dear friend shared that her sister, N, also dear to me, had been fostering a dream since grade school to visit the ponies of Chincoteague. Several of us in my closest friend group had experienced loss (of parents, marriages, jobs) and change (of health, of parent/child role) over the last few years, and we agreed that a change of scenery was just what we all needed. We had planned the trip for March, but health complications forced us to push the trip out to late May. The five of us adventure-loving menopausal women set out from the West Coast to Philadelphia the day after Memorial Day. We had watched the weather forecast for weeks, and as departure day loomed closer, it looked like our entire visit was going to be cold and rainy. We all repacked our bags accordingly.

Day 1 started in Philadelphia. A couple of us had been there before and wanted to enjoy some history and cool Philly vibes. But the ponies were the real stars of the show, and N was eager to get on the road. We had a boat tour scheduled for the next morning, and jet lag was working against us. We arrived at our VRBO in the early evening. We made quick work of getting settled and headed out for our first island meal. The seafood was fresh and delicious.

Day 2 was our first boat tour with Captain Mike, the owner of Up the Bay Tours. He told us he was going to do the tour backwards, as he had a feeling where the ponies would be. He was right, and we were parked right in front of a band of them about five minutes after we left the dock! Absolutely amazing. There were lots of foals, and we had the luxury to just sit and watch these beautiful creatures for as long as we wanted. Mike educated us about the ponies, the island, and the region. He was an excellent guide; born and raised on Chincoteague, he loves the ponies and could identify them on sight. He told us stories of his youth, local characters, and of course the ponies. The time flew by, and we were heartened to know we had another tour scheduled with him on our last day. While we had seen lots of ponies from the boat, and even some dolphins, we weren’t even close to being done. We drove through the wildlife refuge and spotted ponies from the car. We visited the National Park Service Visitors Center and learned even more about the ponies. We also signed up for a Saturday minibus tour along service roads. After two delicious meals, we drove out to the end of the island to watch the sunset. The little spit of land jutted out with the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and the bay on the other. Our beautiful day finally ended and we all crashed out as soon as we returned home.

While called Chincoteague ponies, they actually live on Assateague Island, which spans both Virginia and Maryland. There are two herds: the Southern herd, in Virginia, is owned and managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. The Northern herd, in Maryland, is treated as wild animals, and other than contraception to avoid overpopulation, do not receive any human intervention. We did visit the Maryland herd one day, but spent the vast majority of our time with the Southern herd.

Day 3 was a nice, slow, tourist day. We joined some other visitors and took the service road tour. We ended up sharing the road with a couple bands of ponies we hadn’t seen yet. It was magical! Afterwards, we visited the Maryland ponies and enjoyed a picnic. The weather was lovely—not a cloud in sight.

Day 4 featured a jaunt to the mainland for a visit to the NASA Wollops Flight Facility. I’m a bit of a space nerd and was thrilled to discover that Wollops is super cool! They have launched more than 60,000 rockets since the 50s! In the spirit of science, once we returned to the island, we conducted a very important experiment: Ice cream! Chincoteague boasts two major ice cream parlors, and scientists that we are, we couldn’t take just anyone’s word for which was superior. Island Creamery features hard-pack ice cream and waffle cones. Mr. Whippy features soft-serve and loads of toppings. Our own group was divided, so if you find yourself on Chincoteague, you might need to conduct an experiment of your own….

Day 5: a hike up to the lighthouse, getting a little lost, and spotting more ponies from the car. Glorious weather and the best of friends.

Day 6, we were up before the sun for our 6 AM sunrise tour with Up the Bay Tours! It took us a little longer to find the ponies, but once we did—WOW. The wind was blowing, and the air hadn’t warmed up yet, but it felt like we were the only people out! N felt like it was even better than the first tour! Since it was our last day on Chincoteague, we threw all preconceived notions out the window and just went where the ponies were. They put on a really good show, as if inviting us back.

This trip was my first in a couple years, and filled my bucket in so many ways. Time spent in nature, with people I love and respect, helped me remember how much beauty is around me, and how discovering new places recharges my spirit.