Chincoteague

That's me and my little brother - an no, he's not half Mexican. Those were the days when we, among our aunts, grandparents, & cousins, all camped at Tom's Cove campground in Chincoteague, VA. Our cousins and aunts would travel in with their pop-ups from Ohio and Indiana, meet us at the Church on Capehorn Rd., and travel down rt.74, going the "back way" to the shore, because according to my grandpa, the back way was the quickest. We traveled in a caravan, all our pop-ups, trucks, & us in our long obnoxious station wagon, and we'd have a blast just in the journey to Chincoteague. I remember 2 of my cousins sticking one arm out each side of the car and flapping - they made the car look like it was a bird flying. We'd all roll down the windows as we drove across the land bridge to Chincoteague, sticking out our hands to feel the sticky salty air and breathing it in.

Once we got to Tom's Cove, we set up camp - about the same spot each year. We loved crabbing off the piers and playing in the game house. A Mr. Whippy icecream truck would travel through the campground in the evenings. We'd make most of our meals, all except for when we went to Famous Pizza for pizza. It takes about 15 minutes to travel over to Assateague to the beach - a torturous drive. Assateague is a wildlife refuge and the speed limit is 25 mph at the most - and please don't run over the endangered delmarvian squirrel (that thing is a monster). After 6 hours of sand build-up in dark and unseen places, the 15 minute drive "home" is excruciating. And heaven forbid if one of the aunts wants to drive around the wildlife loop on the way - add another 15 minutes. It doesn't matter if the bathhouse is gross and dirty, as long as you can dump out the 5 pounds of sand hidden in your bathing suite - it's the best place on earth. Once you're clean, you drench yourself in deet. I read a t-shirt once that had a picture of a mosquito on it and said "Chincoteague's Airforce". It's so true. We counted my brother's mosquito bites one time on the way back to PA one year - he had well over 50 bites. They take crop duster planes and spray the air over Chincoteague with bug spray. They also travel in trucks spraying the stuff.

My favorite bird is the sea gull. Why? Because with it's call, it takes me to the shore. I love their sound. We were awakened by the sound of sea gulls in the mornings. They love the trash bags waiting for the truck.

Chincoteague has only one fast food restaurant - McDonald's. Although, I think they allowed Subway to set up shop now. Famous Pizza now has competition with Ledo's Pizza. There are plenty of dollar stores on the island, and many cute shops, including a pottery/coffee house where I plan on taking Noel for coffee and hot chocolate one morning next week. It's my favorite little shop on the island. Across the sound is Wallop's Island where NASA sends up satellites - it sounds like an earthquake when one of those things goes up. (I can't imagine what the shuttle must sound like) Chincoteague is where they make the ponys swim across the sound and then they auction them off. We always avoid pony penning week - it's crazy crowded.

Imagine my delight when Jason's family decided to make Chincoteague a family vacation every other year? Instead of camping, we rent 2 houses side by side. Staying in a house is much nicer than camping - I have to admit. There are some things, however, that just can't be beat at Tom's Cove - how I miss it!

Chincoteague is where my brothers' love for surfing and my love for the ocean was born. Chincoteague is where we would spend some of the best times with aunts, grandparents, and cousins. Where my grandpa would fish. Where we ate the best ice cream. Where my little brother and I almost ran into a giant red jellyfish while floating on our tiny Chincoteague raft (we barely made it ashore alive!). Chincoteague is where I saw my first spider crab.

Don't you just love traditions?