Wild Ponies!

**I wrote this soon after arriving on Saturday night -- it's still spectacular all these hours later!**

Jill's Journal: We made it! It was a long trek over multiple bridges, in three ocean-floor tunnels (but who’s counting?), and up the Eastern Shore of Virginia, but when we pulled into Assateague State Park on Assateague Island in Maryland, it was all worth it. Immediately greeting us was the stunningly beautiful sight of wild ponies grazing. And it just got better.

Time and time again, we spotted small herds of wild ponies, some so close we could have touched them. The tiny foals, surely no more than a month or two old, earned particular “oohs and aahs” from the girls (and if I must admit it, from me too!). We quickly noticed deer as well and unlike usual deer, these creatures have no fear of people. One small one with five points on his antlers walked so nonchalantly through our campsite that I swear he nodded hello as he passed.

And if that weren’t enough points in the amazing factor, we are literally camping on the beach. Only a small sand dune stands between us and the Atlantic Ocean. This place is spectacular. We’d heard it was – this is why we had to make these reservations a year ago and why we pushed so hard to get here. I’m so thankful we did. This is an experience the girls are going to remember for the rest of their lives.

Like with anything in life, there are a few drawbacks – first, it’s hotter than blazes (where’s that ocean breeze?) and there are no hook-ups. We’re “dry camping,” which means no power, no water, no air conditioning, no nothing. Rob planned for this, so we do have our own limited power (lights and fans and refrigerator) from battery and generator and we do have a full 95-gallon tank of fresh water to use. But this is roughing it. The old me thought staying in anything less than a five-star hotel was roughing it, so I’ve come a long way. But I’m definitely still not a camper in the traditional sense and have no desire to become one. At the moment I’m enamored by the whole thing…there’s wild ponies, after all…but seven nights of “roughing it” may wear on me!

But right now, there’s wild ponies!

Facing Fears

Jill's Journal: I have three “irrational” fears in life and apparently I’m going to have to face two of them today. One is a strange disdain of long, high bridges. I like looking at them, but driving over them gives me the willies. I’m told the bridge we have to go over today is approximately 20 miles long. It will be a special kind of torture.

Another of my irrational fears is of tunnels. Actually, it’s more of a claustrophobia thing. Apparently one exits this particular bridge only to be thrust into more than a mile-long tunnel on the ocean floor. We’ll see if I’m still breathing at that point.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel has been designated one of seven engineering wonders of the modern world. All it needs is snakes (irrational fear #3) and my horror will be complete.