chincoteague, va

Sunday, June 22
We got up bright and early this morning so that we could drop off the dogs at the Cozy Inn on our way to Chincoteague, Va. Taking 3 dogs on a 45 minute trip was interesting. Buster got carsick even though he didn’t eat breakfast today. I can’t say I was surprised–I even took paper towels and other supplies for cleanup. After dropping off the dogs, it was smooth sailing from that point on. We arrived at the Hampton Inn in Chincoteague in late afternoon. After getting settled in, we caught some supper at Don’s Seafood Restaurant. The food there was ok, but nothing to write home about. Then we hung out for a bit in the hotel room before Jake and Brian took a dip in the pool. I sat on the sidelines reading my Real Simple magazine. Twice. Ahh, vacation.

Monday, June 23
There were no alarms going off for me this morning. Still I managed to get up at a respectable 8:30. Brian got up 2 hours earlier to sneak some work in. Today’s activities included checking out the NASA Visitor Center, shopping, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the Assateague Island National Seashore (here, we saw the lighthouse, did the wildlife loop, checked out the visitor’s center, and took a walk on the beach), and swimming in the hotel pool (Brian and Jake–I’m not much for swimming). We had lunch at Bill’s Seafood Restaurant and supper at Etta’s Channel Side Restaurant. The food at both restaurants was good. Etta’s had a nice view of the water.

Tuesday, June 24
Again no alarms, but I got up at 8am anyway. Brian was up bright and early again to do some work. After breakfast, we headed to the CNWR again and went on a little hike. The ponies were all hiding, so we didn’t get to see any up close in their natural habitat (we did see some up close in the parking lot and on the road, however). After that, we rented a scooter and a 2-seater car (based on a scooter platform) and had a blast cruising around the island for an hour. We grabbed some lunch from Subway and went back to the hotel to relax. Next up: the beach. Jake made a friend there and that kept him busy for the duration of our stay. For supper, we went to AJ’s on the Creek. So far, that’s the best meal we’ve had on our trip. We came back from dinner, watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and then Brian and Jake went swimming for a bit.

Wednesday, June 25
We all slept in today and got up around 8:30. Activities today included lots of swimming (for Jake), miniature golf, the Oyster & Maritime Museum, and collecting shells on the beach at sunset. Lunch was again at Subway and supper at the Village Restaurant. Dinner was good, but not quite as good as last night.

All in all, it was quite a relaxing vacation. As busy as this year has been, this was a welcome respite for us. And, we’re home just in time for Thunder in the Valley (don’t think that wasn’t planned)!