Arrived on Friday during the full-moon high-tide and a strong nor'eastern storm that closed the causeway out to the island that evening. Had to wade though several inches of water to get to the restaurant for dinner. The bar had one to two inches of water on the floor but was still serving drinks - and the power cords for the band were being run across the ceiling to avoid short circuits. However, the biggest frustration was in the choice of beers and wines, Budweiser or Miller, Sutter Home or Corbitt Canyon. But the crab balls and Oysters Rockerfeller were good.

On Saturday we drove around Assateague Island National Wildlife Refuge. The storm had blown enough sand on the road that the parking lot near the beach was closed. We drove around a little and went to the visitors' center where we ran into Jackie's former neighbors who had moved to Colorado but were back to go to the Oyster festival, which had been postponed for a day, due to the storm. It was interesting getting caught up on the latest news.

On Sunday the weather improved and we drove to Crisfield, MD, to catch a boat to one of the Chesapeake Islands, Smith or Tangier. Using the scientific method, we flipped a coin and stopped at the Smith Island ticket office first and they said the trip was canceled for the day, the tide was too high to land on the island. We noticed a drive-through liquor store across the street that we checked out later, just to add to the general knowledge of the universe. Two blocks away was the ticket office for the Tangier's trip. After getting our tickets, we had lunch at the Side Street Cafe, and then boarded the Capt. Rudy Thomas for the trip to Tangier Island.

It is about an hour ride on the Chesapeake Bay to Tangier Island. Passed by many small islands that all seemed to have been owned by the wealthy at one time but have since been donated to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Even had a couple of butterflies flying along with us (tail-wind sure helped them).

When we arrived for our two and a half hour stay, our touring was limited as the high tide and storm had flooded most of the streets on the mile by three and a half mile island. The locals, about 850 people, make their living from fishing, crabbing and tourists. The Island was settled in 1686 by John Crockett and the Crockett name is still seen, on the tombstones, on the plaques remembering those who fought in the World Wars, etc. In fact only a few family names seemed to dominate those plaques, Crockett, Parks, Pruitt, and Dise. The 'streets' are narrow, there are only a few cars and small trucks on the island, most folks get around on bicycles or golf carts. Someone had posted a 'Speed Checked by Radar' sign next to the '15 MPH Limit' sign, next to the golf cart parking lot.

As the tide went out, the water retreated and we were able to see some more of the town, including a wonderful break at the Channel Marker Restaurant with brownies covered with ice cream. We returned to the Capt. Rudy Thomas and the trip back to Crisfield.

Before leaving Crisfield, we did our research at the drive-through liquor store and the then returned to Chincoteague, about a one hour drive. As it was near sunset, we could drive the loop around the Snow Goose Pool (they allow driving from 3 pm until twilight). There were Canada Geese walking on the road and were able to get some good close-ups of them and some snowy egrets. I tried laying down in the grass to get a low angle, and managed to land right in the middle of a big patch of thorns, which cut right through my jeans and stuck to my pants, shirt, etc. Jackie had to help brush them off as every step I took was painful. We were taking photos as the sun set and a car drove by scaring the Canada Geese. One flew right in front of the sunset and I got a good shot, though the bird is out of focus but the sunset is nice. As we drove on farther, we saw a deer who quickly disappeared into the bush. But a little farther on we had a beautiful view of the sunset across the Pond with the deer in the foreground eating. Shot some photos of the deers silhouetted against the pond, but they kept moving into the dark areas, making it a challenge. I did get a shot or two with the beam from the lighthouse reflected in the pond with the deer in the foreground.

Monday morning we drove out to the beach again, parking lot still closed from the sand, stopped and photographed some egrets on the way back and did a walk along the edge of the Snow Goose Pond. Found a nice painted turtle walking along the path and saw a black-racer snake racing back into the bush. Leaving the Refuge, we drove back across the causeway and stopped and filled up the gas tank with gasoline at $2.15 a gallon! (it will be interesting to compare that price in the future).

We then drove up through Snow Hill and Berlin and turned back to the beach to visit Assateague Island National Seashore. Driving in we saw one of the famous Chincoteague ponies eating on the side of the road. Upon arriving at the Seashore we spotted a red-fox running through the dunes, an unexpected sighting. We walked along the dunes trail, noticing the remains of the 'Baltimore road' that was built so that a 9,000 unit development could be built along the seashore. But a big storm shortly after finishing the road wiped it out and the development was never started. On the way out of the National Seashore we saw a couple of deer eating along side the road.

All in all a nice trip, even if the first two days were pretty much a wash-out (pun intended) with the weather.