Chincoteague's ponies can leave visitors misty-eyed

Sunday, June 12, 2005

By Betsa Marsh, Travel Arts Syndicate

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. -- The ranger knows my question before I ask it.

"Where's the best place to see the ponies?"

It's the eternal question at Virginia's Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. For generations, families have arrived determined to see those long-maned ponies made famous in Marguerite Henry's children's book "Misty of Chincoteague."

Pointed in the right direction, I hit the Woodland Trail, looping through the pines, stepping up to the observation platform. Off in the distance, are some little brown specks. Could those be? ... Yes, they must be the ponies I've come so far to see.

A bit disappointed, I hike back to the van. There, inches from the bumper, are four wild ponies slurping from fresh rain puddles.

In between drinks, they look up at the startled human beings who hover near them, even coming over to nuzzle our pockets in hope of forbidden treats. Resolutely, we stick to the refuge's rules -- no touching, no food -- but it's tempting to spoil these beautiful creatures.

"Seventy-five percent of our visitors are mothers bringing their daughters after they read 'Misty' to them, and the mothers had it read to them as children," said Suzanne Taylor, executive director of marketing and tourism for Chincoteague.

Henry's 1947 classic stars two island children who crab and clam to save enough to buy a wild pony at the annual round-up and auction. No reader, young or old, who has followed the saga of "Misty of Chincoteague" is likely to forget the excitement of pony-penning days, captured through the young eyes of Maureen and Paul Beebe and their even younger wild foal, Misty. The island children were raised on the annual ritual of wild horses swimming ashore each July, and generations of outlanders have come to this licorice strip of land to watch the drama and savor a bit of the Misty mystique. This year's pony swim is July 27.

Each summer, the tiny resort island of Chincoteague, with its permanent population of 4,500, swells to 1.5 million visitors who cluster in town and spill into the wildlife refuge on its sister barrier island, Assateague. Some come to marvel at the wild ponies, while others are dedicated birders, fishers, kayakers and swimmers.

Chincoteague is just seven miles long and one and a half miles wide. It's protected from the Atlantic surf by Assateague Island, a long, narrow strip where the wild herd lives at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

The juxtaposition of a resort island with preserved wilderness just a bridge away makes for a both-sides-now vacation. Kayakers can paddle in the calmer waters of Chesapeake Bay, where they might spot Sika deer and foxes, or challenge the boisterous Atlantic. Seafood lovers can savor dueling feasts, sampling the bounty of the Bay one meal and the Atlantic's more briny catch of the day the next.

"I'm from the Bay near Annapolis, and I love the saltier Chincoteague oysters," said Dan Stotts, acting manager of the wildlife refuge.

Stotts and his colleagues prepare the refuge each year for the onslaughts: boaters, cyclists, canoeists, hikers and birders who stream in to see great blue herons, snowy egrets and piping plovers, a threatened species. The refuge was created in 1943 to save dwindling wetlands for migratory birds and to protect them from poaching for food and feathers.

In summer, a local fishing club demonstrates the intricacies of surfcasting to fishers who would like to hook striped bass, bluefish and sea trout.

Travelers can try their hand at clamming and crabbing, and beachcombers are welcome to take up to a bushel of shells -- uninhabited, please -- daily. Many zoom to Toms Cove right after a storm for the best pickings.

Out of the water, hikers like to explore the 1833 lighthouse, open weekends from Easter through Thanksgiving. The lighthouse's original lens is on display at the Oyster and Maritime Museum. At the Refuge Waterfowl Museum, a carver whittles away most days on new decoys.

After a full day of sun and surf, it's back to tiny Chincoteague, just in time to settle back with oysters and crab cakes as the sun dips into the Chincoteague Channel. For dessert, maybe a bite of the island's famous pony tails -- a long tassel of saltwater taffy -- will be just the thing.

Travelers steeped in Misty lore can ride her descendants, Black Mist and Twister, during classes at the Chincoteague Pony Centre. They can also book the Marguerite Henry room at the clapboard Miss Molly's Inn, where the author stayed while researching the excitement of pony-penning days.

Since 1925, Chincoteague volunteer firefighters have rounded up the wild foals on Assateague in late July and driven them across the water to Chincoteague, following a centuries-old custom. One legend has the wild ponies as descendants of mustangs who escaped from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon. Other historians insist that the horses were put here by ranchers who wanted to avoid taxes and fencing laws. Whatever their origins, the horses have been part of the wildlife and mythology of Chincoteague nearly since its founding in 1662.

The Saltwater Cowboys of the volunteer fire department, which now owns the herd, drive the foals and crown the first pony ashore King or Queen Neptune. A lucky raffle winner takes the royal home.

The ponies are then paraded to the Carnival Grounds, where they are corralled for auction the following day (this year on July 28). All proceeds go to the fire department, which receives no tax money.

A veterinarian, who monitors the herd year-round, certifies that the ponies are healthy to head anywhere in the United States and the bidding begins.

In 1925, a male horse sold for $75, a female for $90. Today, the average bid nudges $2,000.

Then, on July 29, the thinned herd swims back to its home in the wildlife refuge. There, travelers make their pilgrimages to catch a glimpse of those shaggy manes and switching tails, near or far.

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If you go: Chincoteague, Va.

Events: The pony swim takes place this year on July 27, with the pony auction on July 28, but these are just the highlights of a month-long celebration in Chincoteague. The 80th Annual Volunteer Firemen's Carnival, with "rides, food and fun" begins July 1. (Note, that there are no events on Sundays.) Among the special events are a magic show on July 3, a fireworks display on July 4, a bluegrass concert on July 14, the 18th annual Deborah Blueberry & Craft Festival on July 23 and the Frontier Riders Wild West Show on July 24. For more information, call 1-757-336-6161.

Lighthouse tours: The Assateague Lighthouse is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, through Thanksgiving weekend. Adults, $4; children, 2-12, $2.

Recommended accommodations: 1848 Island Manor House, 4160 Main St., Chincoteague, VA 23336; 1-800-852-1505; www.islandmanor.com.

Channel Bass Inn, 6228 Church St., Chincoteague, VA 23336; 1-800-249-0818; www.channelbass-inn.com.

Garden and the Sea, 4188 Nelson Road (Box 275), New Church, VA 23415; 1-800-824-0672; www.gardenandseainn.com.

Driftwood Lodge, 7105 Maddox Blvd., Chincoteague Island, VA 23336; 1-800-553-6117; www.driftwoodmotorlodge.com.

Sea Shell Motel, 3720 Willow St., Chincoteague, VA 23336; 1-757-336-6589; www.chincoteague.com.

Island Motor Inn Resort, 4391 Main St., Chincoteague Island, VA 23336; 1-757-336-3141; www.islandmotorinn.com.

Information: The Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce; 1-757-336-6161; www.chincoteaguechamber.com.

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(Betsa Marsh, author of "The Eccentric Traveler: A World of Curious Adventures," is a Lowell Thomas Award winner from the Society of American Travel Writers.)