Whenever there is a three-day weekend approaching, we should always take advantage, even if the travel and traffic is chaotic. Booking the trip was absolutely worth it. I visited Maryland’s Ocean City and Assateague Island with the same group that vacationed in Greece last summer. On the way back, we also took a quick visit to DC. None of us had time to take a regular vacation this summer, so when we all realized this opportunity, we jumped on it. I’m very glad that we did because the memories and stories will last forever.
I caught the first flight out of Florida and met up with my friend at the airport (DCA). We drove out to Ocean City from there. Traffic wasn’t too bad getting to the outside of it, but we quickly realized that it was bad getting to the boardwalk. It was only a few miles, so we decided to walk over there after we had lunch and got settled into our hotel. Back and forth, the total was at least five miles. It was worth it because we got to see stingrays on the way. Ocean City’s boardwalk is very much an American Carnival type of deal. There are all kinds of fair food and rides to do. We explored a little bit and had dinner down by the inlet, where we saw dolphins jumping at sunset. A word of advice about finding the best view for fireworks. You want to be able to have your eyes on the truck that carries them. We had an incredible view of the fireworks, and the show was quite spectacular. Every single time we thought it was over, they had more fireworks to pop. Quite a few people were chanting, “USA! USA! USA!” as the show went on.
Assateague Island is stunning. I was especially excited to see the famous wild ponies that live on the island. We wanted to make a day of it with some time on the beach, a kayaking trip, and a sunset cruise. The beach had some surprisingly large shells that the waves tossed right at our feet with a lot of force. We swore they bruised our ankles. On our way in, we saw quite a few ponies and a foal, which were very cute. I love how they know they own the island.
The kayaking trip was a blast. It was also a perfect day for it with a nice breeze and not a cloud in the sky. We got to see all kinds of creatures that live out there, including the famous Maryland Blue Crab. Our guide showed us how to look for clams with our feet as well. I gave it a try and found what I thought was clam. Turns out, it was a sea squirt. The guide told me to put it down quickly because apparently, they squirt out all kinds of things when they feel threatened. That was the end of my clamming. I did help catch some creatures in a large net with our guide. It was nice to do an outdoorsy activity that afternoon.
We had to move on quickly for our sunset cruise, so we made a mad dash over from Assateague to Ocean City. Our cruise was quite relaxing. Our guide told us numerous stories about how the ponies ended up on the island. His favorite is the one about the Spanish Shipwreck. I’m inclined to agree that’s the cooler story. As we cruised along, we saw an osprey nest. I remember seeing them when I was growing up in Virginia. We also passed by where we had dinner the night before. It was a truly beautiful evening. We trekked back to Sunset Grille for dinner after the cruise. The sunset from our table was gorgeous as we enjoyed a delicious meal after a big day.
Since I was flying out of DCA anyway, we decided to go to DC for the day before my flight. The traffic getting out of Ocean City was a bit heavy, so we did not have a lot of time in DC. We were able to check out a few exhibits at the Smithsonian and swing by the Washington Monument and the Capitol. It was a very quick visit, but I’m still very glad that we got to do it.
Had I known about the chaos I was about to experience trying to get home, I might have stayed in the city longer. I had a later flight that was delayed five times. They finally let us on the plane around 11:30. However, we were kicked off at midnight and told that it was delayed till the next day. Everybody was frustrated and scrambling to find a place to stay. Some fellow passengers were very kind and shared the customer service card with me. I passed it along to the next person when I was finished using it. The reps were very helpful, and we were provided with vouchers for the hotel, Uber, and a meal. This was my first time handling a situation like this, and I was traveling alone. It was unique. When I got to the hotel, I also met some people who went to Beyoncé’s DC show. Once I was settled in, I found that the flight was delayed again. I logged on and switched. I was able to get home that Monday morning and get to work to finish the rest of the day. Despite the chaos, I’m still happy I went on the trip. I’d rather be tired from an adventure than not have gone at all.
Livvienitup 