Travel

Assateague Island: Maryland’s hidden weekend getaway

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My mom & I enjoying the Assateague Island National Seashore

When my mom & I were invited weeks ago to a weekend getaway at Assateague Island National Seashore, it sounded like the perfect excuse for a girls weekend. Last Friday, we packed our bags, met up in Annapolis for lunch, & then drove the remaining few hours together to our quaint Airbnb just 30 minutes away from the beach.

My mom & I have always been close. I know that is something I am blessed with. There are so many mothers & daughters I know who do not get along, but my mom is someone I have always been able to come to in good times & in bad, who I enjoy sharing a bottle of wine with & watching our favorite Netflix shows. Since starting my career, getting married, & officially moving two hours north, we don’t get to spend much time alone together anymore. This weekend was the perfect opportunity to reconnect & just relax together.

When we first arrived, my mom was eager to see the beach. Neither of us had ever been to Assateague before, & we both wanted to see the wild horses. So, we changed our clothes, put on our flip flops (despite the fact that Assateague is still rather chilly in April), went to Starbucks for a much-needed caffeine boost, & then headed to the shore. We dipped our feet in the cool & soft sand & gazed out at the ocean from a distance. The wind was so strong & the waves were crashing so loud that we could barely hold a conversation over the din. Despite this, the beach was serene. 

It is surprising to me that Assateague is only a short drive away from Ocean City, which is always busy, overly-commercialized, & full of material beach flair. Assateague, however, looks almost untouched. The beach is not combed, & there are no shops or restaurants for miles. Even with it being the “off season,” the beach was less busy than I had imagined it to be.

My mom enjoying the beach at the Assateague Island National Seashore

We didn’t see any horses, so once we had our fill of watching the waves, we headed to the Full Moon Saloon for dinner. We split a half rack of ribs as an appetizer & then a perfectly grilled & succulent tuna with freshly steamed green beans for dinner. For dessert, we ordered a slice of bumbleberry pie, simply because I was so enamored by the name. For those who do not know, bumbleberry pie is a pie served cold that has at least three different kinds of berries – this one had blueberries, blackberries & raspberries. Served in a flaky, buttery crust, this pie was so dense with berries it seemed impossible that it held itself together. It was refreshingly sweet, making it the perfect end to a delicious, comforting meal.

All the while, my mom & I chatted. Despite talking regularly on the phone & visiting almost once a month, it seemed we had so much to catch up on! There was never a break in the conversation. From family to jobs to hobbies to plans for the future, there was so much to share & discuss.

After dinner, we headed back to our Airbnb, where we opened a bag of popcorn & watched WandaVision. I had seen it months ago, but my mom had never watched it. I knew with her love of old TV shows like I Love Lucy it would be a big hit. We watched two episodes, at which time neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer, & we retired to bed.

The reason we had been initially invited on this weekend getaway was to attend a pollinator event run by the Maryland Conservation Corps at Assateague. A childhood friend of mine had helped create the event, & her mom had invited us all to attend. Saturday morning, my mom & I got ready & headed back to the state park to check out all the excitement.

Multiple tents had been set up with displays that included activities & information for different sustainability efforts. At the first tent, we watched two small owls (one of which startled my mom, who believed the owls were stuffed animals), a horseshoe crab & a box turtle. At the next tent, we were able to get seeds to plant our summer gardens, & at the next, we had the opportunity to paint bluebird houses. Aimee, my childhood friend, was helping at a table where participants were planting new flowers & grasses in a field. We caught up briefly, talking to Aimee more about the event & what she has been up to recently. Then, we met up with Aimee’s mom, Tammy; her cousin, Caroline; & a family friend, Cheryl, who had come on the trip as well. They invited us to come back to their Airbnb in Ocean City that afternoon for charcuterie & wine, which we excitedly accepted.

We tried first to go to the national park with Tammy’s borrowed park pass, but we couldn’t get in. Disappointed, we turned around to return her pass. As we drove, we caught site of one lazy pony on the side of the road, & we both ogled at it, eager to see more. However, this was the only pony we saw on our way in & out of the park.

For lunch, we headed to downtown Berlin, a small town filled with shops & local restaurants. Here, farther from the water, the day was warm & sunny, & we were able to shed our many layers & walk around in sunglasses. We perused the shops, chatting casually. We stopped for lunch at Blacksmith, a gastropub that serves delicious farm-to-table meals, & then we got coffees at a cleverly named shop, On What Grounds?

My mom & I enjoying coffee from On What Grounds? in downtown Berlin

After a few hours of perusing, we headed back to our Airbnb to change for dinner & then went to spend time with our friends. We sat on their balcony, eating charcuterie & sipping Moscato, catching up on everyone’s lives. When it was time to go to dinner, we carpooled in two cars to OC Wasabi, a Japanese restaurant that serves delicious sushi. Aimee & her roommate, Jess, as well as another childhood friend, Gabby, joined us for dinner. 

What was most surprising to me was that the majority of people sitting around the table I had not seen in years or I had never met. However, we fell in place like old friends do & spent the entire night talking about our lives since we had last seen each other. Aimee & Jess intern for the National Parks Service & live just a few minutes away from the Assateague Island National Seashore. Jess is working on a novel, & the two of them recently went to Comic-Con together dressed as characters from Star Wars. Caroline is going to school, & she is currently working at Starbucks with what sounds to be a great group of friends & her boyfriend. Tammy & her husband are in retirement, & she shared with us about what she & her husband have been up to as well as their two sons. Cheryl works with preschoolers & is soon leaving for a vacation for her eldest son’s college graduation in Montana & then to go on a Disney Cruise to Alaska. Gabby is about to graduate & then go on to medical school to work with the deaf community. 

I did not want the evening to end. It was so much fun to catch up with everyone & hear the stories from their lives. We said our goodbyes in the chilly parking lot & then headed to our own Airbnbs. My mom & I were both exhausted from the activity-filled day, but we still couldn’t help staying up late in the living room, still bursting with things to talk about. It wasn’t until nearly midnight that we both collapsed in our beds, exhausted.

The following morning, mom & I headed to the Assteague Island National Seashore in search of horses. This time, we decided to pay the $25 visitor fee & go hiking. As soon as we arrived, we saw two horses playing together, & as we approached, we noticed three more standing not too far away. Tourists had gathered to watch, & we, too, joined the crowd, smiles stretched across our faces. The horses were elegant, with long mains of hair & shiny coats. Despite being wild, they looked well groomed. We had been warned by signs to stay at least 40 feet away from the horses, so we kept our distance, watching in awe.

We traversed the Dune Trail next, which, despite being less than a mile, was challenging because of the shifty, sandy terrain. With every step, our feet dug into the sand, slowing our gait. Today was much warmer than the days prior, & the sun beat down on our skin. By the end, I was desperate to change out of my planned attire for another chilly day at the beach & into shorts & a tank.

Wild horses enjoying the sunshine at the Assateague Island National Seashore

We didn’t see any horses on the first trail, so we headed next to the Marsh Trail, which led us onto a pier over shallow water & wet grass. Here, we saw four more horses, one of which was just a foal! She was so tired, she spent the entire time lying next to her mother in the grass, & her mother grazed lazily beside her.

It was the perfect way to end the trip. We had finally seen the horses we had come to see, but more importantly, we had finally had the chance to spend a weekend away together, & it was everything we had hoped for. Unlike the wild horses that live in herds, we, as humans, often split up chasing our own dreams & passions. But every once in a while, it’s nice to come together once again, reliving old memories, sharing new stories, & making new memories to be cherished. 

Trip map created with Wanderlog, the best trip planner app on iOS and Android
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Health, Lifestyle

Sustainability & health: What’s the connection?

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Me in Redwood National & State Parks

Happy Earth Day!

Around this time last year, I posted a blog post about easy ways to incorporate sustainable living practices into your daily life. Today, I want to share with you why it is important to focus on sustainability, not just for the environment, but for our own physical & mental health.

Often, the mentioned benefits of sustainable living include reducing climate change, limiting fossil fuels, & making the world a cleaner place. These benefits are important, but they are not the only advantages of sustainable living. Like I always say, we only have two places to live: our bodies & the earth. We have to take care of both of them. Sustainable living practices help us to do that.

First, sustainable living practices encourage limiting waste in our world. This includes not only our garbage, but also food & water waste. Sustainable living practices encourage us to only purchase the foods we need to limit the amount of food we are throwing away. And, when we do have leftover food, it is recommended that we package it & eat it as leftovers the following day. Instead of focusing on meat-heavy diets, plant-based foods limit the amount of fossil fuels released into the air, but this is also a healthy choice for your body. Eating a diet heavy in animal-based foods raises your intake of saturated fats to unhealthy levels & it can increase your risk for disease, including heart disease & cancer. Eating plant-based foods, however, increases your intake of healthy dietary fiber, which promotes a healthy gut. It naturally increases our water intake, as many plant-based foods have water in them, & it supplies you with a number of antioxidants, which help prevent diseases.

I will never advocate for anyone to eat an entirely plant-based diet (while it is a healthy choice for some people, not everyone benefits from completely eliminating meat from their diet). However, when you do eat meat, try to choice organic and/or grass-fed options. These animals are raised in better living conditions, which is good for you & the environment. Fewer fossil fuels are used in the raising of these animals, & the meat is of a higher quality, which means there are fewer chemicals entering your body.

To reduce waste even further, if you are able, you can use your food scraps to create a compost, which can be used to nourish gardens. If you have waste from packaging, try to recycle or reuse what you can to keep your garbage levels low.

Second, sustainable living practices encourage reducing the amount of energy consumed. This helps decrease the amount of fossil fuels released. You can do this by making sure to turn off lights & electronics when not in use & by using energy-efficient light bulbs. This is not only good for the environment, but it’s good for your financial as well as mental health. Less money spent on energy means more financial freedom, & more financial freedom often means less mental stress about money. Additionally, if you are able to walk or bike to work or school, this can be a great way to take some time for your mental health & benefit your physical health, while doing something healthy for the environment.

Third, sustainable living often finds new ways to make products we use every day to have less impact on the environment. Using these products can be just as or even more enjoyable than their alternatives, which is good for your mental & physical wellbeing. For instance, switching to sustainable cleaners means fewer chemicals in your home, which is good for your immune & digestive systems. Similarly, switching to natural beauty products also decreases the amount of chemicals your body is absorbing, & they can even be better for your skin health. I often find sustainable clothing is softer & more comfortable than their alternatives. And for over a year, I have been using paper towels & toilet paper made of bamboo – it has had no affect on my life, & to be honest, I feel like these products are higher quality than their paper alternatives.

Sustainable living practices do not have to greatly disrupt your life. In fact, most of the sustainable living practices I have adopted have made my life simpler. My biggest recommendation for adopting a sustainable lifestyle is to take it one step at a time. What is one small change you can make in your everyday life to make the world a better place, & to benefit your own physical & mental wellbeing? It may seem small, but if every person made just one small change, we would be living in a much healthier & happier place.

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