September 3-10, 2019

Martinak State Park

Denton, MD

 After entering into Maryland we made our way to Martinak State Park.  It wasn’t an issue that we did not have reservations because when we arrived there was only one other camper in the loop. 

The park has a self-reservation system where there is a list of available sites on a list at the kiosk at the entrance to the loop.

One of the places we explored during our stay at Martinak State Park was to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park and nearby Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP is a 480-acre National Park Service unit. 

It commemorates the life of former slave Harriet Tubman, who became an activist in the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War.

While at the Visitor Center we watched a short film about Tubman before entering the museum space that includes exhibits.

Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and then bravely made 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.

 

 

When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army as a spy. 

 

 She guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 slaves and she was active in the women’s suffrage movement.

The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1933, consists of over 28,000 acres of freshwater, tidal wetlands, open fields and mixed evergreen and deciduous forests.

The name comes from the tea-colored waters of the local rivers which are darkened by the tannin that is picked up as the water drains through peat soil in the marshes.

The Visitor Center has exhibits specific to the refuge and a bookstore and gift shop.

During the winter migration, the refuge is home to upwards of 35,000 geese and 15,000 ducks in addition to falcon and bald eagles but the only wildlife we observed along the wildlife drive was birds and squirrels. 

 

 

One day we drove over to Tuckahoe State Park, the sister park to Martinak where we visited the aviary, home to the beautiful birds for their Scales and Tales program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scales and Tales is a program that gives people the opportunity to see life wildlife, mostly native to Maryland, up close and person.

Our final excursion of the week was to First State Heritage Park in Dover, Delaware.

The urban “park without boundaries” links historic and cultural sites in Dover, the city that has been the seat of state government since 1777.

 

Delaware is known by the nickname “the First State”, due to the fact that on December 7, 1787, it became the first of the 13 original states to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

One of the sites we visited was The Governor’s House, the official residence of the Governor of Delaware. 

 

 

At the nearby Johnson Victrola Museum there are exhibits that highlight the life and achievements of Eldridge Reeves Johnson, founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company and a pioneer in the development of the sound-recording industry.

 

 

 

 

At the Old State House we sat in on a lecture by an archaeologist discussing his research on the Lenape culture.  The Lenape are an indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands.

Our favorite part of the visit to Dover began at the John Bell House when we were treated to a private walking tour of the square by a delightful young woman dressed in period costume who entertained us with tales of local lore including a murder mystery.

August 27-September 2

Trap Pond State Park

Laurel, DE

Concerned that we wouldn’t find a place to stay during the Labor Day holiday, we made reservations at Trap Pond State Park.

The park is in a beautiful forest setting.  The first few days we were at the park there were only a handful of campers. 

We chose to stay at Trap Pond State Park because it was within an hour drive to Assateague Island National Seashore.

The island, along the coasts of Maryland and Virginia, is 37 miles long.  Most of the Maryland district is managed by the National Park Service with the State of Maryland managing two miles as a State Park.  The Virginia district is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

We began our visit at the Assateague Island Visitor Center where we watched a short orientation film.

Assateague Island is the largest natural barrier island ecosystem in the Mid Atlantic states region that remains predominately unaffected by human development.

The island was going to be turned into a private resort but a storm in 1962 halted the plans for development when the nor’easter destroyed the few existing structures on the island.  Realizing that the island was too unstable to build upon, the firm that owned the land sold it to the federal government.

We came to the island in hopes of seeing its most famous residents, the bands of feral horses commonly known as Chincoteague ponies.

Local legend claims that the horses are descendants of animals that survived a shipwreck on the coast, but it is more likely that the horses are descendants of domestic horses confined on the island by local residents.

There are several warning signs to keep at least 40 feet away from horses and deer. 

It didn’t take long for us to get our first glimpse of the horses.

We drove directly to the far end of the island to South Ocean Beach where we walked the Life of the Dunes trail.

At the conclusion of the trail we walked across the boardwalk toward the ocean when we came upon these cuties.

 

Several people, including us, got closer and closer to the horses until a ranger warned us that we were in danger of getting a fine.

 

 

 

 

Our next hike was on the Life of the Forest trail.

The final hike we took was on the Life of the Marsh trail were we encountered more horses.

 

We stopped at the North Ocean Beach to take a few pictures before leaving the seashore.

For dinner we drove to nearby Ocean City and ate at OCM Crabs (Ocean City, Maryland)

For the remainder of our stay at Trap Pond we mostly stayed close to the park relaxing. 

 We did take advantage of the 5 miles bicycle trail with an access from the campground.

 

 

Another early evening we took advantage of the pontoon tour offered at the park.

On Saturday evening we attended a free concert at the park sponsored by Drive Sober, Arrive Alive. 

The featured band was the Reminders who played a mix of songs including Country and Gospel.