Dinner in Chincoteague and One Last Try!

Following our sightseeing and shopping trip to Exmore and Onancock Virginia, we returned to Chincoteague via back roads… It was late afternoon and we decided to return to Assateague before dinner.  It was our last chance to see if we could get lucky and spot some of those famous Chincoteague ponies...

Our first drive thought yielded nothing…no ponies.  We made it all the way to the beach with zero sightings.  Of course there were plenty of water birds as well as this cheeky sea gull.  I guess that he/she was enforcing the parking rules…

Note: Did you know that there are 54 different species of sea gulls?  At least 28 different species can be observed in North America.  I believe that this is a juvenile ring billed gull.

Then our luck improved!  Still no ponies but this Bald Eagle was near the water on the shore and he didn’t fly away while we took a number of photos.  While we see plenty of Bald Eagles along the waterways in East Tennessee, with the exception of zoos, we haven’t been this close to these magnificent birds before.

Note: Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Africa and Eurasia.  Only 2 types, the Bald and Golden eagles, are found in North America.

As we meandered back along the road toward the exit from the Assateague National Wildlife Refuge, we keep looking for the famous ponies…

…and we finally got lucky!  Bonnie had suggested that we make one last attempt to find the ponies and it paid off…

The Chincoteague pony aka the Assateague horse is a breed of horse that developed and now lives in a feral or semi-feral population on Assateague Island.  There are 2 different herds, one in Virginia and the other in Maryland.  The horses in Maryland are truly feral…while the ponies in Virginia are owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department.  The ponies in Virginia receive veterinary inspections two times each year.  This prepares them for life among other horses if they are sold at the annual round up and auction, with the famous pony swim from Assateague to Chincoteague Island.  The ‘swim’ and auction takes place every year on the last Wednesday in July.  As many as 50,000 people attend this event…

The Chincoteague breed of pony or horse was made famous by Marguerite Henry, who wrote the best-selling “Misty of Chincoteague novels.  The first book was published in 1947 and there was a pony named “Misty”.

Legend has it that Chincoteague ponies are descendants of Spanish horses that were shipwrecked off the Virginia coast in the 1500s.  Another story is that they descend from horses left behind by pirates.  The National Park Service holds to the theory that the horses were brought to the island by mainland farmers to avoid taxes or fencing laws, neither of which applied to livestock on the islands.

After finally being able to see the ponies and take a bunch of photos, it was time for dinner…

I was surprised but our little family group decided to revisit Mr. Baldy’s, the restaurant where we had a very nice and reasonably priced breakfast.

Time for some obligatory photos of our traveling foursome… First up was Bill with his St. Louis Blues shirt and Laurie’s sister Bonnie.  Then it was our turn.  I even sort of smiled…probably because Laurie told me to actually try to smile.

This is Mr. Baldy’s Fried Flounder filet, accompanied by 4 fried scallops and a bunch of fried clam strips.  The flounder alone was a meal!  It was huge and it was very nice…but it was only part of the over-the-top dinner that Bill ordered.  He loves seafood and he couldn’t resist ordering the “Seafood Feast”. ($38.99)

Here was the rest of Bill’s meal.  It included a crab cake, fried oysters and fried shrimp.  Yes, he did have to share part of his dinner…that’s why I know that the flounder filet was very tasty.  He did get a lot for his money! 

Laurie and both went for the fried chicken.  She went for the more modest 2 piece chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy…dark meat is her preference. ($9.99) I went full monte with the 4 piece chicken dinner.  I ordered French fries as my side. ($14.99) The fried chicken, (actually broasted chicken), was very good and the price was right.

Not pictured: A cup of clam chowder ($6.99)…not great; a cup of crab soup ($7.99)…OK, and; a huge order of excellent onion rings which came as a side for one of our meals.  Then there was a slice of French Silk Pie...Good Stuff!

Bonnie ordered one of her favorites.  This is Mr. Baldy’s Liver and Onion plate. ($12.99) It isn’t something that you see on many menus in this day and age.  The liver, onions and mashed potatoes were smothered in brown gravy.  Bonnie definitely enjoyed her meal.  Liver and onions was a family favorite when the girls were growing up but Laurie doesn't care for it.

Let’s face it.  Mr. Baldy’s can lay claim to 2 facts.  First of all, they serve comfort food!  Secondly, the price is right by today’s standards!  Mr. Baldy’s is on Facebook at Mr. Baldy's Restaurant | Chincoteague VA | Facebook.

The next morning we headed north toward Rehoboth Beach Delaware, but as usual we made a few stops along the way.  That is coming up in my next post…

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave