Chincoteague and Assateague Islands

Recently my friend and I took a trip to Chincoteague and Assateague islands. Assateague is a small island in the Atlantic Ocean and Chincoteague lies between Assateague and Virginia. We entered Chincoteague across a small bridge and were greeted by a charming little town. There were rows of shops and old-fashioned bed and breakfast inns which included “Miss Molly’s Inn”. This was the inn that Marguerite Henry stayed in while writing “Misty of Chincoteague”. A short drive later, we arrived at the little house in which we would be staying for the next week. This house was no mansion full of technological devices, but its beach inspired décor and cozy fireplace created the relaxing atmosphere that we had been hoping for.

We spent the evening walking the town and shopping. We were feeling a little hungry and decided to stop by “The Island Creamery”   for a delicious cone of t ice cream. As I sat on the deck of the ice cream shop I realized that the pace of this island was much different from other places I have been to. It was more common for people to travel on bicycles and scooters than in cars.  It seemed as if people were in much less of a rush to get to where they were going and even the people native to Chincoteague appeared to be taking time to enjoy life. That night we decided to join in the spirit of the island by relaxing on our porch and listening to the sound of crickets in the patch of woods that surrounded our house.
 

The following morning my friend and I started the day at “Main Street Shop and Coffeehouse”. Here we could look at the Chincoteague Bay from the window. We then headed to one of the numerous bike rental shops and decided on a big, yellow, two person bike. Though it took a while for us to get the hang of pedaling in sync, we were soon on our way to the natural island of Assateague.

When going through Assateague, one should not expect to encounter heavy traffic nor should they expect an ice cream cart selling Popsicles. However, what one can expect is a gorgeous ride through undisturbed woods and marshland. They may even see a herd of wild ponies grazing peacefully in their natural habitat. My friend and I experienced all of this as we followed the bike path through the island following signs that read “Beach”.

Finally, through a patch of greens, we saw the endless stretch of ocean laid out before us. We ran to the warm sand where we skipped and laughed in delight. We realized that we had the day to make sand castles, jump waves in the ocean, and play with the little crab we had found scuttling across the sand. My friend and I could act as though we were five rather than 17 because there was essentially no one around to care.
 

I believe I learned many valuable lessons from my trip. One of them is to always wear bug spray when you’re on an island known for mosquitoes. From the ponies and people native to the island I learned that life is much better lived if we take the time to enjoy it. By seeing the natural beauty of Assateague Island, I realized that this earth may be better off if people could see less beauty in a newly built resort with all its expensive luxuries than in a serene preserved environment and all the precious creatures it contains.