May 30, 2014

First State National Monument



Dover, DE

Monday morning I headed out bright and early because I was a long way from home. I stopped in Delaware at the sites of the First State National Monument. It is so new that there are no NPS facilities yet. I started out on The Green in Dover which is surrounded by the capitol complex. It was the prettiest government complex I’d seen with all the historic brick buildings. There is also Woodburn, the home of Delaware's governors since 1965 and Hall House, which serves as the Governor's guest house.
Woodburn

Hall House












My next stop was in New Castle and it was such a quaint little town. It is right on the water and the streets are cobblestoned with brick buildings. I really enjoyed strolling around.
Courthouse

Waterfront in New Castle

My last stop in Delaware was at Brandywine Creek State Park and it was stunning! There is a road up to a place called Hawk Watch where you have a view of the rolling hills, which are lined with low stone walls. It is quite picturesque so I decided it was a perfect place to heat up a can of soup and have lunch. I also did a short walk on a nature trail by the visitor center. I wish I had more time to spend here but it was already afternoon so I had to get going. 
Brandywine
Brandywine


An hour later I was stopping again at the Daniel Boone Homestead. It was actually closed but other people were parked outside the gate so I decided to go in and wander around. It was actually a much larger place then I imagined but without the ability to go in the buildings I didn’t really learn much.  

Daniel Boone Homestead

I finally hit the road for the final stretch towards home but I drove past a Cabela’s which I was not expecting and got waylaid for an hour there. I did manage to make it home by sunset. I had a wonderful weekend and am so glad I got to see a part of the country I had never visited before.


Assateague Island National Seashore



On Sunday my destination was Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. I did the three hikes that are available that all take you through the various ecosystems of the island (Life of the Marsh, Life of the Forest, Life of the Dunes). It was really interesting to see how such a small island contains so many different landscapes.

Life of the Dunes

Life of the Forest

Life of the Marsh

Of course the highlight for me was seeing the wild horses that the island is known for. Although they look sweet, there are signs everywhere warning to keep back because these horses do kick and bite.

Assateague Horses

Assateague Horses

I had wanted to rent a kayak to actually get out on the water but the stand was closed so I contented myself with reading a book on the beach. The beach soon got pretty crowded and by the time I left at 1pm there was a line at the entrance station that was backed up about 3 miles. So I decided to head out to the southern end of the park. 

Chincoteague Horses

Approximately an hour south of the Maryland district is the Virginia district of Assateague Island National Seashore. Since I got there mid-afternoon most of the traffic had abated which was a good thing because you have to drive through the tourist drag of Chincoteague, VA to enter the park. There is a herd of horses here as well and they even had some foals which were adorable to see. Hiking the Woodland trail I finally got to see the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel (5 of them)! Or maybe I saw the same squirrel five times.

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A short hikes takes you up to a restored lighthouse. It always fascinates me to see lighthouses sitting in the middle of a forest because it really hits home just so much change barrier islands go through in a relatively short amount of time. .

 

There is also a wildlife loop to drive where I got to see another bald eagle.

 

Although there is more to do in the Chincoteague area of the park, I actually preferred the Assateague portion as it was more primitive to me. Because Chincoteague is so close to the town, it tends to be more overrun with tourists. Both are amazing places to see horses though.


Blackwater River NWR and Furnace Town



I was on the southern end of the Harriet Tubman byway and many of the sites were not marked or interpreted but I had printed out a brochure ahead of time so I knew where to stop and what the story was.
o    Bestpitch Ferry Bridge
In this countryside, knowledgeable local people could hide for days, even weeks, and follow the waterways north


o    Bucktown Village Store
Harriet Tubman received a blow to her head that fractured her skull while she attempted to assist a fellow enslaved man


The Blackwater River National Wildlife Refuge is along the way and is a chance to see some spectacular flora and fauna. The Wildlife drive costs $3 to drive and is the highlight of the park. It is a 4 mile road that takes you along the Blackwater River and offers several stopping points along the way. At my first stop, I got to see a bald eagle, thanks to a kind woman who offered to let me use her scope. By the end of the drive I had spotted 3 bald eagles!

Bald eagle in a tree

There are also herons, egrets, and numerous other birds to view. 
Egret and blackbird

Taking flight

I hiked the Woods Trail along the drive in hopes of spotting the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel but alas I did not.  After leaving the drive, I headed over to the Tubman Road Trail which is a 1.5 mile hike through forest and marsh. It got a little wet in spots towards the end and there really wasn’t much to see along the way so I guess it was more about getting the feel of a place.
Tubman Road Trail



I stopped for lunch in Cambridge and also to see the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center. 

It was a free stop with some more information about what an amazing woman Harriet Tubman was. Also in Cambridge is Long Wharf where there is the Choptank Lighthouse which you can visit. It was just built in 2012 and is a replica but is quite picturesque.
Choptank Lighthouse

My last stop of the day was at Furnace Town in Snow Hill, MD. It costs $6 to visit but I can never pass up a living history museum. The only other visitors were an elderly couple so I pretty much had the place to myself. The museum contains various historic buildings with exhibits on life in a furnace town (where a furnace was used to smelt bog iron ore to make pig iron). The broom maker was on hand that day so we could see how brooms were made. It was such a quiet, peaceful spot and all the buildings had great information. It was a nice place to end the day as my campsite was only a few miles away.
Furnace
 
Inside the church

Quilt shop