We’re Back and Extra Crispy

Please allow me to preface this by saying; we (the EC-5) love camping down on Assateague Island with the wild ponies. We do it every year and if you haven’t yet done so, you should. We have camped up and down the eastern seaboard and it’s a great (and relatively cheap) way to see the countryside with the family. Seeing what’s going on at Assateague Island is no different.

Every year around Father’s Day, we and several other like minded individuals make the trip down to Maryland for a big bonfire on the beach. It’s a blast – and this year was no different save for the fact that 3 out of 5 of the EC-5 (my family) are sick and we are all (to one extent or another) now sunburned. Unfortunately the baby, Chicken Little got the worst of the sun. For the life of me I don’t know how since I kept lubing her and the rest of the kids up all the while their mother (Mother Hen) was Geocaching in Chincoteague. The poor kid is now sleeping in air conditioning and she’s glowing. Come to think of it, 4 out of 5 of us are – only Mother Hen does not share our fate; she escaped it by caching and not going to the beach. Such is life; you see, we love the ocean. We love the waves. I grew up outside of Wildwood, New Jersey and I can easily go on record and say that the waves on Assateague are much nicer (and by nicer I mean bigger, more successive and, in some cases, more violent). I’m a big guy and some of those waves will roll me easily – big time. Please don’t let me give you the wrong impression, I’m no surfer but I can tell you what it’s like to be pushed to the bottom of an eight foot wave.

Ouch.

Pryor to the scalding from our home sun, we took a canoe trip in the back bay with about 20 other friends. It was a blast and a half. If you’re down that way pay the $15.00 entrance fee (it’s good for 7 days) into the federal side of the island and rent yourself a kayak or a canoe. We were in two canoes, got real close to a couple of herds of wild ponies. The water in the bay isn’t as deep as one would expect and if one were to capsize all you would have to do is stand up and drain you boat; too much fun. They also rent clamming rakes so you can collect your own appetizer for your evening meal. Nice – hey, everything’s better with Old Bay and butter.

We made everyone as comfortable as possible and enjoyed the bonfire to the best of our ability. A friend of ours by the name of Silent Dave had procured a cross section of a hollowed out tree which burned all night long; simply amazing.

There was a group heading into Ocean City, Maryland today (to escape the heat) but we bailed. Three out of five of us were in no condition to continue. Chicken Beta was throwing up, as were Mother Hen and Chicken Little, as previously stated, was/is extra crispy and could not effectively move. That’s three members down. The math didn’t add up so we came home early. I had the three sick ones sitting in our Ford Explorer in the air conditioning while Bad Wolf and I broke camp.

God Bless my first child. She rocks out loud. The process would have been much longer without her.

Of our friends, most stayed; we and a few others bailed on account of sickness, the sun, or because of the Dreaded Monday Morning. I thank them all – each and every one, for another unforgettable time on Assateague Island. Yes we were bested by the fates this time but next time? Well, that’ll be a different story all together.

…We shall return…