< more recent | 16-21 December 2022 | older >
21 December 2022: Today was the solstice and I usually do a photoshoot on the beach at sunrise, but this year the weather made it a washout — literally. Stormy weather and dark overcast skies blocked out the morning sunrise and transformed the usually inviting beach into a more threatening landscape. And it rained all day…
20 December 2022: The weather forecast for the Christmas holiday weekend is crazy cold — some kind of arctic air mass is moving across the USA and northern Florida is going to get down into the 20s at night for the whole holiday weekend. With that in mind, today was all about preparing camp to survive the cold (and the rainy days that are going to proceed it). Number One priority was getting a lot of firewood so that we will be able to stay outside in the early evenings and cook Christmas dinner (and eat it without freezing to death). Went out in search of wood, and found a few really good, big, tree trunks that will make for great “Yule Logs” then brought them back to camp and covered them up with a secured tarp to keep them dry as the rain was beginning to fall. After preparing and securing everything at camp, it was time to head into St. Augustine for a couple of days to see friends and family and celebrate the solstice on the beach…
19 December 2022: Got into Ocala National Forest before noon and was able to set up camp at Hopkins Prairie, though my favorite spot was already occupied. I chose my second favorite, a larger campsite that is very protected and private, and got the tent set up and went out to get basic supplies for camp, before settling in to watch the sunset and get the fire started for the night…
18 December 2022: Long drive day without any real stops to get from Maryland all the way to Georgia. I don’t usually like to drive such a marathon day, preferring to take the slow road and explore, but as we need to arrive and be set up in time for the solstice, I had no choice. Was a good driving day at least, in terms of both weather and traffic and we arrived in Savannah not too late in the evening…
17 December 2022: Began the annual holiday roadtrip today. This year we are headed south to Florida and our favorite place to set up Christmas Camp in the Ocala National Forest. Day One of the journey went from New York to Maryland, with a late afternoon stop at Assateague Island National Seashore to look for the wild ponies. We did see a few ponies grazing here and there, but the highlight of the afternoon was actually the sunset and amazingly beautiful skies reflected in the marshlands of the barrier island’s bay side…
THIS MONTH:
Holiday Roadtrip time. Getting ready to celebrate the Christmas holiday somewhere warmer and out in nature — will be setting up Christmas camp and enjoying exploring in the southeast this time…
COMING UP SOON:
Getting ready for the next big road trip. Heading southwest and into the desert for some new exploration as well as a few of our favorite events. Lots of details still to be determined, but it’s “on the calendar”…
USnomads.org is very proud to be presenting the second edition of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally in 2023. This is a new 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 2023 rally will run from 5 June – 13 August and is open to any driver within the United States who has an off-road capable vehicle — stock or modified. Registration for 2023 is open now. For more information see the Rally website …
ASSATEAGUE PONIES
Assateague’s wild ponies are actually feral animals, meaning that they are descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state. Horses tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant mosquitoes, stormy weather and poor quality food found on this remote, windswept barrier island have formed a unique wild horse society. Local folklore describes the Assateague horses as survivors of a shipwreck off the Virginia coast. While this dramatic tale of struggle and survival is popular, there are no records yet that confirm it. The most plausible explanation is that they are the descendants of horses that were brought to barrier islands like Assateague in the late 17th century by mainland owners to avoid fencing laws and taxation of livestock. The horses are split into two main herds, one on the Virginia side and one on the Maryland side of Assateague. They are separated by a fence at the Virginia/Maryland State line. These herds have divided themselves into bands of two to twelve animals and each band occupies a home range. The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company owns and manages the Virginia herd, which is allowed to graze on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, through a special use permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The permit restricts the size of the herd to approximately 150 adult animals in order to protect the other natural resources of the wildlife refuge. It is the Virginia herd which is often referred to as the “Chincoteague” ponies…
ASSATEAGUE ISLAND
The Assateague Island National Seashore, managed by the National Park Service, stretches for 37 miles along the Atlantic coasts of Maryland and Virginia and is part of a vast chain of barrier islands extending from Maine to Texas. Barrier islands form when offshore sand deposits accumulate sufficiently to break the water surface or when sea level rise causes inland dunes to become separated from the mainland. These islands are highly dynamic constantly reshaped by storms and currents that transport sand south along the coast throughout the year. On a seasonal basis, harsh winter weather pulls sand from dunes and upper beaches, depositing it into offshore sand bars and reducing beach width. This process is reversed during milder summer weather, as gentler wave action acts to restore the shoreline. Assateague is also moving westward as a result of sea-level rise and the force of the surf through a process called “island rollover.” During severe storm events, sand is eroded from the ocean beaches and carried across the island by flood waters and re-deposited in marshes along the western shore, steadily narrowing the bay that separates the island from the mainland. These events can break through dunes, spilling sand in fanlike deposits or even carving inlets, such as the one that has separated Assateague and Ocean City since 1933. Long shore currents will eventually deposit sediments and close these gaps unless, like the Ocean City inlet, it is maintained with jetties and dredging. Assateague’s terrain includes sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays connected via a series of small bridges and causeways. Assateague is most famous for its resident Wild Ponies …
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
1-15 December – Long Island
November – Long Island
22-31 October – Roadtrip East
15-21 October – Moab LONCON
8-14 October – Moab LONCON
1-7 October – Roadtrip West
22-30 September – Roadtrip West
16-21 September – Roadtrip West
1-15 September – Long Island
August – Long Island
15-31 July – Serbia
1-14 July – NE Roadtrip
16-30 June – NE Roadtrip
1-15 June – Long Island
May – Nomad Rally Prep
16-30 April – Long Island
7-15 April – Heading Back to NY
1-6 April – Heading Back to NY
27-31 March – Death Valley- DVE
21-26 March – LON Skills Camp
15-20 March – Death Valley
8-14 March – Nevada
1-7 March – Glamis Training
16-28 February – Roadtrip Southwest
1-15 February – Long Island
8-31 January – Long Island
1-7 January – Florida to NY
28-31 December – Okefenokee NWR
24-27 December – Ocala National Forest
19-23 December – Heading South
Archive
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]
RE-OPENING
Report from the first trail run with the Off Road Consulting group at Rausch Creek Off Road Park as the post-pandemic phased re-openings begin in Pennsylvania and some of our favorite local trails re-open to the public after the two-month shutdown… [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]
