31 December 2024: Started the celebration early, toasting my friends in Paris at midnight their time, and then keeping the fire going until midnight my time. Except at a certain point it started to rain and I had to move the “celebration” indoors, without the magic of the bonfire to accompany me for the final countdown…
30 December 2024: Reached home late last night and it’s a bit warmer here in New York than it was in North Carolina last week! Spent much of the day preparing for the New Year’s Eve backyard bonfire, but did got outside a little bit in the afternoon …
29 December 2024: Decided to spend some time at the Assateague Island National Wildlife Refuge this morning in search of my favorite wild ponies. I hoped to catch them doing something interesting or at least against the beautiful background of the marshland as a sort of “compensation” for my failure to capture any interesting action with the Bankers while I was in Carova. The weather was nicer already (warmer and less wind) as that really bad coldfront is leaving the region and some of the ponies were out and about, though not doing anything more than grazing. I spent the morning with them, following a “family” that was lingering around the bayside — and we did get some interesting photos and just had a cool experience of following the ponies when they surprisingly decided to take the boardwalk trial where they then stopped to drink at a waterhole before going back outside to the woods near the road. I also saw one pony by the RV campground and it was really funny because he was grazing between the RVs and at a certain point was drinking out of someone’s bucket that was attached to the back of a big camper, as if he was their horse and it was put out there for him. While I didn’t get any cool action shots, I did enjoy my time out there and did all the short hikes on the bayside (“life of the marsh,” “life of the dunes” and “life of the forest” trails). Then in the afternoon I began the long drive towards home…
28 December 2024: Met up with some friends in the morning to look for wildlife at the Alligator River NWR but with overcast skies, wind and cold temperatures we didn’t see many animals apart from a massive flock of white swans that are wintering there. Afterwards I went back to the campground and broke camp and loaded the Jeep to begin the return drive later tonight. Once loaded I swung back to the refuge in the afternoon to explore some more. I saw a few hawks and herons as I drove the refuge dirt roads and picked up some nice landscape shots as the sun started to get lower in the sky below the clouds for a rather beautiful “sunset” through the swampy woodland trees of the refuge. As darkness fell I got on the highway towards Ocean City MD where I stopped for the night …
27 December 2024: It’s funny how the weather plays such an important role in these kinds of journeys. Today the sun came out and the winds calmed and it was pleasant enough to go for a hike along a marsh trail near the Bodie Lighthouse and capture a sunset over the marshes from the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge walking trail. At camp I was surprised by the multitude of stars I could see — almost like in Africa! And despite the cold (and the fact that campfires are prohibited) I sat out watching the skies until quite late. I saw two shooting stars and just marveled at the magic of it all. The stars, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, the profile of the dunes surrounding me, and the solitude of the almost empty “tent camping” area on such a cold winter’s night …
26 December 2024: Left Carova this morning heading to camp a bit further south at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, but the weather is brutal. Hovering around freezing with winds 20mph. Not much of an “outside” kind of day unfortunately. Did a bit of driving to keep warm and went to Pea Island and all the way down to the Hatteras lighthouse, which was hidden behind scaffolding. The sun did make an attempt to break through the clouds right before sunset, but the clouds “won” the battle and there was no spectacular color …
25 December 2024: A beautiful Christmas morning, with a nice sun and mostly blue sky — a “present” from Mother Nature to celebrate the day. Went for another morning drive along the 4×4 beach and the same landscape looked completely different with the sun. Even saw one of the horses on the dunes. Drove to Carolla and made a few photos by the marsh there before returning to Carova for Christmas dinnner and a last big campfire…
24 December 2024: The weather remains challenging. It was drizzling in the morning when I went for a drive down the beach to look for horses and capture some imagery along the wilderness section of the island. I didn’t see any horses as all, but got some decent photos of the beach drive, including the “ghost forest”, then came back to start preparations for the long evening vigil. I normally like to do a big bonfire and keep it going until midnight, and I had gathered A LOT of wood. The rain stopped around 4pm, so I was able to get the fire started before dark and kept it going late into the evening (if not exactly to midnight), welcoming Christmas in my own way …
23 December 2024: The sun came out a little bit today, though it remains unseasonably cold for the region. Made a few “horse sightings” around the area near the house. Apparently this is part of the “usual route” for a pair of the Bankers that I have seen most days. Was also able to go exploring a bit on foot after I found a woodland path through part of the maritime forest on the bay side of the island, but I had to be careful, as it might be hunting season and I am not sure if this property is public land or not — I hear gunshots everyday in the “near distance” so I am imagining that there is hunting happening nearby. I also had some fun photographing a random racoon running across a field and climbing up a tree — surprised to see him in midday. Then later in the afternoon I spent time gathering firewood, as it is cold and forecasted to be colder and windier for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and I need enough firewood to stay warm outside during my Christmas Eve bonfire vigil…
THIS MONTH:
Getting ready for this year’s Holiday Roadtrip south, where we are changing it up a little bit and spending more time on our favorite barrier islands along the Outer Banks as we celebrate the season with plenty of good cheer out on the sand …
COMING UP SOON:
Returning to the “city of light” after a way-too-long hiatus and reconnecting with friends, favorite places and some urban exploring to change things up a little bit …
Joining the Barlow Adventures Rebelle Rally training for an intensive sand dune driving and navigation practice at the Imperial Sand Dunes in southern California. This is a seven-day driving and navigation program that focuses on moving safely and effectively through large dunefields with skills-building exercises intended to improve pace, line choice and vehicle control. There is a full classroom day of navigation instruction focused on mapping and understanding the basics of plotting and route planning on paper maps, as well as increasingly challenging in-the-field practice to develop precision map and compass navigation skills. It all culminates in a final day of “chasing checkpoints” out in the big dunes…
Trail Guiding for the California 4-Wheel Drive Association’s fifth annual Death Valley Experience fundraiser event. Each day will feature a choice of runs to some famous, some infamous and some secretive points of interest within Death Valley National Park. Some of the points of interest we may visit during Death Valley Experience 2025 include Zabriskie Point (famous), Barker Ranch (infamous) and the Racetrack (learn the secret of the moving rocks). Other points of interest include Dante’s View, 20 Mule Team Canyon, Artists’ Drive, Chloride Cliffs, Aguereberry Point, Skidoo, Titus Canyon, and Darwin Falls. All of the trail runs are suitable for novice drivers and SUVs with high clearance and 4-wheel drive…
USnomads.org is very proud to be presenting the fourth edition of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally in 2025. This is a unique kind of rally experience — a ten week event that participants can do from anywhere within the continental U.S.A. Competitors design their own routes as part of the rally, then drive it in a points-based online competition that includes optional activity tasks, quests and weekly challenges. The 2025 rally will run from 2 June – 10 August and is open to any driver within the United States who has an off-road capable vehicle — stock or modified. Registration for 2024 is currently open. For more information see the Rally website …
WILD HORSES OF THE BARRIER ISLANDS
The wild horses found on some of the Atlantic barrier islands are a majestic symbol of the wildness and free spirit that is such an integral part of our American national myth. But how they ended up roaming these narrow strips of land in such a seemingly unlikely habitat remains uncertain. What we know is that horses descended from Spanish mustangs have been living wild here for hundreds of years. Some legends say they are survivors from Spanish shipwrecks. Ships participating in transatlantic trade often followed routes that took them very close to the barrier island, but many ships fell victim to the hidden shoals and unexpectedly shallow waters. At least eight Spanish shipwrecks have been discovered in the area, dating back to the mid-1500s, and any horses on board would have been close enough to swim to shore. But researchers say it is more likely that the horses were brought here by early settlers and left behind. However they got here, the horses have been on these islands longer than any human residents —- and have survived hurricanes and human settlers alike. These Colonial Spanish descendents have distinct features that make them different from domestic horses. They have fewer ribs and vertebrae, shorter backs, and unique posture, color, and weight. Today they live in several herds — totaling around 400-500 -— and each distinct herd occupies a different barrier island. The “Bankers” roam the area between Carolla and Carova, with a southern herd on Shackleford Banks. On Ocracoke, the “wild” ponies have been penned in and are cared for by the National Parks Service. The “Chincoteague Ponies” roam on the Chincoteague Island National Wildlife Refuge land in Virginia and part of the herd lives on the Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland…
ISLANDS IN MOTION
Barrier islands are constantly changing. Waves continually deposit and remove sediments from the ocean side of the island. Longshore currents that are caused by waves hitting the island at an angle can move the sand from one end of the island to another. For example, the offshore currents along the east coast of the United States tend to remove sand from the northern ends of barrier islands and deposit it at the southern ends. The tides move sediments into the salt marshes and eventually fill them in. Thus, the sound sides of barrier islands tend to build up as the ocean sides erode. Winds blow sediments from the beaches to help form dunes and into the marshes, which contributes to their build-up. Rising sea levels tend to push barrier islands toward the mainland. Hurricanes and other storms have the most dramatic effects on barrier islands by creating overwash areas and eroding beaches as well as other portions of barrier islands. The natural movement of barrier islands poses no problem until humans decide to put hotels, swimming pools, and highways on them. Then, somewhere down the road, it becomes necessary to build sea walls, to shore up dunes in front of buildings by pumping in sand from offshore, or to build rock jetties to keep the island from continuing to transport itself somewhere else. What engineers have found, though, is that for every mechanical thing done to make the island stay put, there is a reaction somewhere else. For instance, the rock jetties built on the southern end of the next barrier island to the north — the one that holds Ocean City — have caused wide beaches to pile up there. But, in turn, the adjacent northern end of Assateague is eroding severely and migrating toward the mainland at a much faster speed than it once did.
BARRIER ISLAND FORMATION
Barrier islands are coastal landforms with a dune system formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen. Chains of barrier islands can be found along approximately thirteen percent of the world’s coastlines. These islands protect the coastlines and create areas where wetlands can flourish. A barrier chain may extend uninterrupted for over a hundred kilometers, excepting the tidal inlets that separate the islands. The length and width of barriers are determined by tidal range, wave energy, sediment supply, sea-level trends, and basement controls. Scientists have proposed numerous explanations for the formation of barrier islands and there are three major theories: offshore bar, spit accretion, and submergence. However there is agreement on the general requirements for barrier formation. They develop most easily on wave-dominated coasts with a small to moderate tidal range. Along with a small tidal range and a wave-dominated coast, there must be a relatively low gradient shelf. Otherwise, sand accumulation into a sandbar would not occur and instead would be dispersed throughout the shore. An ample sediment supply is also a requirement for barrier island formation. The last major requirement for barrier island formation is a stable sea level. It is especially important for sea level to remain relatively unchanged during barrier island formation and growth. If sea level changes are too drastic, time will be insufficient for wave action to accumulate sand into a dune — constant sea levels allow the waves to concentrate the sand into one location.
Nesconset | Paris | Belgrade | Lanoka Harbor | Cape May | Carolla | Mandeville | New Orleans
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
16-22 December – Holiday Roadtrip/a>
18-15 December – New York
8-30 November – New York
1-7 November – Roadtrip South
23-31 October – Roadtrip South
15-22 October – Roadtrip South
8-14 October – Roadtrip South
1-7 October – Roadtrip South
September – New York
August – New York
26-31 March – Eastbound
20-25 March – NM
15-19 March – DVE
9-14 March – AZ
1-8 March – NV & AZ
23-29 February – Glamis
16-22 February – Roadtrip SW
1-15 February – Roadtrip SW
January – Paris
22-31 December – Holiday Roadtrip
15-21 December – Holiday Roadtrip
Archive
ROADTRIP
An epic journey crisscrossing the USA from east to west and back again, exploring some of the beautiful wild spaces that make up our “public lands.” The roadtrip covered almost 15,000 miles, much of it off-grid and off-pavement, focusing on the deserts of the American southwest. Some locations were truly “iconic” while others were little known, and the segments of independent exploration where punctuated with some fun events across the region… [read]
SPECIAL REPORT
All about exploring ghost towns and abandoned places in the USA and beyond, with tips, and information on the many different types of sites to be found across the globe, including detailed guides for eight specific sites… [read]
REFLECTIONS
EGYPT: CAIRO REFLECTIONS
A quick overview of impressions from a stop in Cairo during our recent scouting mission in Egypt and Sudan … [read]
SPECIAL REPORT
A look into south-eastern Algeria on the border with Libya and Niger: overlanding with the Tuareg in one of the most remote corners of the Sahara … [read]
LOCATION
This installment of a series that focuses on locations around the USA takes a look at some favorite places near our home base in NY. We share a few places we like to explore, where you can experience something of the raw natural beauty of coastal beaches, pine barrens and a little bit of obscure military history… [read]
