The Assateague Uh Oh

Thursday September 26, 2013
Site 39 Loop 2
Assateague Island National Seashore

 

 

Is all this planning getting too complicated for me?

 

 

Remember just two days ago when I got the time wrong for the ferry and very luckily we didn’t have to pay twice since we were no shows?  If you’d like to read about it, use this link.

 

Well I did it again.  We leave Killens Pond and take the nice and short trip of 66 miles from Delaware into Maryland and out onto Assateague Island.  I am very excited about this.  We will be boon docking for 8 days right on the seashore.   Well on the bay side anyway.

 

 

 

 

We pull in, show our Senior Passes and the smiling woman asks if we will be camping with them. <DUH>  Since we are talking to her from inside a 35’ motor home, I almost laugh but instead I give her a BIG smile I BIG and say “you bet”.   She tells us to go over to the campground check in.

 

We do,  I skip up the steps and go inside where I tell them we have a reservation.  They ask me for my name and site number.  I give them both. 

They look, and look, can’t find it.   Uh-oh!  
What’s the reservation number?  
I go back to Winnona and look it up, and that’s when I see the problem.  Our reservation is for next week.   Assateague is so hard to get a site in that I made the reservations about 6 months ago.  Before David had his fall doctor appointments set.  He tried to get the appointments he needs two weeks after Assateague but his doctor was out of town.  He made the latest appointment he could get and in the confusion, I wrote down the new dates we needed at Assateague in my calendar and forgot to call the park and change the dates.  

 

 

 

Boy have I messed up my 8 great days in Assateague!

 

 

So, here we are on a Thursday night thinking we’ll stay until a week from tomorrow.   I ask “Can we change our reservation to tonight and 7 more days?”  NOPE not a single site for Friday or Saturday but we can stay tonight.

Well I’ve sure made a mess our of our stay in Assateague.  We drive around through the campground to see what spot we’d like and we see that unbeknownst to me, the loop we were supposed to be in is the only one which allows NO generators.  If you don’t have big solar, you really do have to use a generator some over the course of 8 days.

 

 

 

 Could this turn into another one of those blessings in disguise like the ferry mistake?

 

 

 

We find a great site on the ocean side that I wish we could stay and stay in but one night is all we get.  And we have to find somewhere to stay for Friday and Saturday.   Thank goodness it is off season or we would stand no chance at all. 

 

 

 

 

OK so now what do we do about Friday and Saturday??

 

First we call the state park which is at the very top of the island before you get to the National Seashore.  It’s location is an interesting story for another time.  There water and electric are $36 a night, boon docking is $28.   As compared with our intended $12.50 to boon dock here.  Oh well that’s my penalty I think.  But they have nothing for Friday or Saturday.

 

 

 

We call some local private campgrounds and the least expensive thing we can find for W/E is $43.  FHU are $57 even off season.  One place wants $75 a night.  This is going to be an expensive mistake.  But it’s only two nights so we go on about enjoying the one afternoon and night we do have here.   I get on line and make reservations for the remaining 5 days from Sunday through next Thursday.

Since we could not have stayed 8 days in the loop with no generator perhaps this is a blessing in disguise though unlike the other one, this one is costly.

 

 

But it’s beautiful here.  Perfect actually.

 

 

And we’ll just enjoy our time now and be happy we were able to make a second reservation in a loop that allows reasonable generator use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The duckies have been looking so longingly out their view  toward the beach that we take them out for a swim.  Pooh has his inner tube.  Some pretty big waves coming their way.

 

 

 

So far so good

 

 

but then Oppps.  I rush out to rescue them.

 

 

 

 

 

What a beautiful though seriously windy day.

 

Thank goodness our drive was short and we arrived early so we could take care of the mess up and still have some time to enjoy this gorgeous place.. 

 

 

 

 

 

These fellas are gathered on shore.  Perhaps they don’t want to get into the wind either.

 

 

 

 

 

When we walk back to the campsite, this pair is in the site behind us.  Looks like the fawn’s spots are starting to fade. 

 

 

 

I could really love 8 days of this.  Or even longer ‘NEXT TIME’!

 

We get a wonderful sunset and some beautiful pink afterglow. 

 

 

 

 

Sure wish we didn’t have to leave.  But it’s only for 2 days and then we’ll be back.  I’m already thinking about when we can return for a full two weeks of boon docking here.   Out of season of course.  :-)

 

 

* of course you know by now that we have gotten into the middle of the government shut down.  I’m several days behind on the blog but how that affects us is upcoming.