Well summer 2018 looked to be the longest time we have ever spent at the beach. Joanne has talked about living at the beach as long as I can remember. Having visited Assateague State Park for nearly 40 years with family reunions, she always wanted to stay longer if possible. Several years ago we extended our 1 week to 2 weeks and experimented with that for several years. In 2017 we signed up to spend the entire month of July at the beach or 4 + weeks. With that experience now behind us we thought we could try it for 2 months or 8 weeks?

We had already committed to camp host for the month of July at the Maryland State Park, though since they had no options at the time for August we thought maybe we should apply to camp host at the Assateague Island National Seashore for the NPS (National Park Service) for August 2018.

Late July we were approached by Donna (our Volunteer Coordinator ) asking us to stay on for August at the State Park, though since we had already committed to the National Park for August we had to decline the offer. Since Donna and the park are like family we really wanted to help them so we recruited Joanne’s sister Deb and husband Tony to do August for our friends. While they had never camphosted before they jumped right in and quickly became fast friends with the State Park volunteer community.

We departed Connecticut for Assateague on June 25, 2018. Our goal was to drive to within an hour of Assateague  Island that first day. We had joined a program called “Harvest Hosts” which is a network of wineries, farms, orchards, and various other commercial agriculture establishments that will allow you to park and camp for one overnight on their property. We always thought this was a creative alternative for one night boon-docking while on the road so jumped at the opportunity to utilize the app on our way to Assateague this year.  We contacted TS Smith & Sons about spending a night on their Delaware Peach Farm.  They were very receptive to our inquiry and we got to spend our first evening with a “Harvest Host” member. FYI… don’t forget to stop by for some fresh produce or cider donuts in the morning of your stay…YUM!

Our first “Harvest Host” overnight…

Our first “Harvest Host” overnight…

One of the good habits we have developed is making sure our RV and car are washed and cleaned before parking for an extended stay anywhere. Parking for a few months in the sun, and in this case salty sea spray, can really play havoc on your coach’s or car finish. There is no way to avoid all the road grime and all the dead bugs on the fronts of your vehicles from traveling from place to place. Not cleaning your vehicles regularly or especially when getting ready to park for a longer duration will no doubt permanently damage your vehicles finish while parked in the hot sun. We have looked for a place to clean our vehicles close to Assategue for years and were fortunate to discover Sammy’s Car Wash in Salisbury this year. The facility, staff, and a bay that could accommodate a vehicle over 12.6 feet tall was refreshing. We spent over 1.5 hours in the bay cleaning our units and it was time well spent. I would give Sammy’s 5 Stars…

Sammy’s Car and RV Wash- Salisbury, MD

Crossing the bridge from the mainland to Assateague Island is always a special time for us. The smell of the bay/seashore coupled with the first glimpse of Assateague Ponies that hang by the causeway is always a moment that brings back so many positive memories.

Checking in was easy as usual and then we were on to our site. In all the years we have been visiting here 2018 promised to be a new adventure for sure. We arrived for set-up on June 26, 2018 and were scheduled to remain on the Island until August 31st. Wow more than 2 months straight we were going to be here this year…

Having  posted about our camp hosting at the Assategue State Park in 2017 this year we easily found our groove with responsibilities and duties. We were fortunate to have the same campsite as 2017, which we love. In addition to the park we had constant visitors including our son (from Colorado), daughter and  fiance (from Boston), and many family from New York to Florida during the month.

Saw this brochure at the Camper Contact booth. That’s our RV on the cover from our 2017 host site…(Are we famous now?…Not)

The big change for summer 2018 happened when we moved to the National Park as camp hosts at Assategue Island National Seashore which is about 2 miles farther down the island from the state park. Having always camped close to the beach at the state park our assignment found us on the bayside of the the National Park. Those that have visited this area for years can attest that some years the mosquitos and flies can be very challenging. July we had no issues and great weather. August we had sunny, very hot conditions and the bugs were just awful… (I guess the clue is when you camp host at the National Park they give you free bug spray for the month and free refills… thank goodness…)

Our camp site actually turned out to be terrific. The location, size,  (water & electric hook-ups), view, horse herd visits, NPS golf cart, park radio, organized schedule, co-hosts, NPS staff, and fellow campers all contributed to just an outstanding experience for the entire month!

Our National Park Campsite for the Month of August…

The NPS responsibilities are similar in some ways though very different in others. Our schedule was a 4 hour shift every day with 2 days off a week. The morning shift (8-12) included site cleaning, turn-over, daily do-outs, courtesy tickets, and camper contact. The 2nd shift (12-4) included site cleaning, courtesy notices, free cooler strap hand-outs to keep the horses out of food, and general camp hosting traditional duties.  The 3rd shift ( 4-12) (which we only were scheduled once), was more just policing the park being visible to campers, some courtesy notices, and anything that fell through the cracks on previous shifts.

A typical day as a camp-host at the Assateague National Seashore…

Mike getting some host work completed…

Not sure if this horse is looking to upgrade some couture to a new camp host shirt…

The biggest challenge was the morning shift where we had to, at times, clear as many as 80-90 sites as the only camp host on duty. Between the heat, the # of sites turning over, the # of primitive sites (nearly 50+), and the actual ground we had to cover it was a full day of work in 4 short hours… fortunately the golf cart was a big help, the NPS short-wave radios we each carry,  and the NPS team that was very supportive all went well every day. The National Park is beautiful, though it is a big area to cover for both the camp-hosts and rangers.

Some of the highlights of the summer and camp-hosting at the State National Parks:

• Meeting some great other NPS hosts: (Fred, Julie, Amy, Bill, Len, Barb, and Roxy, & Soupie…)
• Getting to build a relationship with the NPS team including (Betsy, Sandy, Dick, John, Ryan and the rest of the rangers…)
• A visit from Sean, Caitlin, and Bruce followed by a stop at Thrashers & “The Cork Bar”..

• Horses… We had a lot of company this year with horses. One day we walked out our front door and 22 horses were in our front lawn..

The Assateague Ponies greeting us one morning…

• The birth of a brand new pony on 8/17/18 while doing our rounds…

• The special treat of viewing a hump-back whale traveling between the National Seashore and Ocean City, MD that greeted us several mornings.
• Island Creamery, over in Berlin, MD …  You just have to go more than once!
• An early morning boardwalk bike ride in Ocean City & breakfast on the beach

Ocean City, MD – Early morning bike ride on the boardwalk..

The view of Ocean City, MD – Beach & Boardwalk

Ocean City, MD – Breakfast on the boardwalk…

• The Harborside Grill -and a few Orange Crushes..

The Harborside Grill – The home of their famous “Orange Crush”…

• The Full Moon Saloon
• The Shark for Happy Hour specials…
• Our bike ride between Bethany Beach/Rehoboth Beach, DE and Lewes, DE …

Bike riding on the Rehoboth, DE trail…

• Our first campfire actually on the beach at sunset with our daughter.

Camp fire on the beach…

Camp fire on the beach…

• All the other campfires at the Camp site…

• Burley Oak Brewery – Berlin, MD

A few of the samplings…

Burley Oak Brewery – Berlin, MD

• The “Trail of the Marsh” walk at sunset several nights only a short walk from our campsite.

“Trail of the Marsh” – Assateague National Seashore…

• The sunrise walks on the beach…

Our morning walks at sunrise are some of our favorite moments…

Sunrise by ourselves…

• The sunsets….

The sunsets…

Even after 2 months we still had a hard time saying our goodbyes and decided to extend a few more days over Labor Day weekend, helping again at the State Park until September 4th.

So with the summer coming to an end we decided it was time for our Revolutionary Journey to head north for the Fall…

Did I mention the beach is spectacular in Assateague? – until next time…