This adventure was thirty years in the making . . . and happened so fast it was over before I even truly realized it was starting!
First, a little background …
Like so many others, I discovered Misty of Chincoteague as a young child. I can’t even guess how many times I checked the book out from our local library with it’s velvety, blue, worn cover. I was as horse-crazy as they come – I collected horse statues, read every horse book I could get my hands on, and filled notebooks with pictures that I cut from magazines.
For my 13th birthday, my parents bought me a sweet bay mare named Sarah Jane. We lived in town so we rented a barn and small pasture, then after Steve and I were married, Sarah went to live on his dad’s farm. That sweet girl was my best friend for many years, until she passed away a few years ago. As much as I loved my Sarah Jane, I still dreamed about a Chincoteague pony of my own. One that I could raise, that would live on my own farm where I could care for it and raise it all on my own.
In the spring of 2019 Steve and I were able to purchase his grandparents’ home and a few acres. His grandparents had owned many more acres that they farmed, but most of the land was divided and sold separately from the homestead after his grandparents passed away. Our journey to purchase our home and the few acres we now call Grit and Grace Family Farm is a story for another day.
In the summer of 2019, we adopted two rescue horses from SHARE (Society for Hooved Animals Rescue & Emergency) who we’ve enjoyed very much getting to know. We also brought home a mini horse for our youngest son. It was so exciting to have these horses of our very own, on our farm, in our barn. But that special Chincoteague foal was still in my dreams.
Then 2020 rolled around. What a year it’s been for all of us. We lost my dad in January after a brief but very brave battle with cancer. Dad had grown up on a farm and shared my love of horses. I can just remember his last horse, an ornery little pony named Coco who lived on his family farm even after he moved to town. Dad loved our farm, and he and I shared some special times there visiting the animals on our way home from his doctor’s appointments in a nearby town. He would always tease me about how fat the hens were, how spoiled the pigs and goats were . . .
I’ve followed several of the Chincoteague pony Facebook pages/groups for a few years now, but really found myself drawn to them this year. I’ve learned so much about the different bands and bloodlines over the last few years. I’ve told my husband for several years now that when we finally brought our Chincoteague pony home, that it would be a Riptide baby. Riptide is my favorite stallion on the island, and a son of the famous Surfer Dude.
I’ve always dreamed about Pony Penning and visiting Chincoteague. This Midwest girl had never seen the ocean, never been farther east than Cincinnati, Ohio! I always knew it would be a challenge to get to Chincoteague, especially with the hope of purchasing a foal. The crowds, the 825 mile trip pulling a stock trailer, not knowing if we’d even be able to win a foal to bring home in that trailer . . . these were all obstacles that I was having a hard time getting past my husband who isn’t much of a traveler to begin with!
So, I was thrilled when it was announced that the auction would be held online! I still had no plans of actually buying a foal this year but was excited to “watch” the action for the first time ever. Still I was pouring over pedigrees, dreaming about that perfect foal. I had done this a few times in the past, picking my favorite foals and dreaming of names for them. I even made a priority list of things to search for . . . (I’m a shameless list maker even if I’m just dreaming; at this point I still had no intentions of bidding on a foal.)
My priority list:
- Fall Pickup (I figured I had a better chance of convincing the family to go if we could avoid large crowds.)
- Under budget (a very, very modest budget)
- Riptide baby
I had a few favorites – Cinnamon Blaze’s filly, Misty Mill’s filly, Thetis’ colt, Suzie’s Sweetheart’s filly . . . all were absolutely beautiful! But I kept coming back to homely little foal #2 – a plain looking little chestnut filly with a whole lotta spunk out of Pappy’s Pony. . . and Riptide!
Auction week rolls around – the auction began on a Thursday evening, and right away, some of the bids were rising quickly.
On Friday, I placed an order online for a 2020 Pony Penning shirt – “the year that wasn’t.” I’ve never ordered a Pony Penning shirt before, planning to wait until I got to attend in person. This year, though, I figured I could order one since everyone else was in the same situation and no one would be able to attend.
On Saturday or Sunday, I saw a post asking for a little “Pony Love” for Foal #2. Bidding had stalled on this sweet little filly. I placed a bid just to get bidding going again; I bid just a little over my budget but not too much.
After placing the bid, I said to Steve “On a scale of one to divorced, how much trouble will I be in if I win a bid for a Chincoteague pony?” (I never would have placed the bid without talking to him first if I thought I’d really win.)
He just laughed and said “We’ve talked about this – we’ll go get your pony when we have a newer truck to drive out there.”
We had no immediate plans to buy a new-to-us truck. We’d just paid Steve’s truck off in January and were trying to go a year or two without truck payments. Then, Sunday evening, a used truck popped up online at a dealership near us. Almost exactly what we were looking for (it seemed to me like everything we wanted, but Steve can tell you what it’s lacking. LOL) and for a reasonable price. We emailed the dealer Sunday evening and received some info Monday telling us that those used trucks usually move quickly off the lot so we should come see it ASAP if we wanted it. Steve called the dealership and then spent 3 days playing phone tag and getting excuse after excuse – it was being detailed, the hood was being painted, etc. Finally, Wednesday evening they called and said that we could come look at it. I wasn’t feeling well, so Steve and one of our boys went to test drive it. Steve loved it, so he made plans the next day (Thursday, July 30) for us to sign papers and pick it up.
July 30th was the day the Chincoteague Pony Auction was ending. We were literally at the auto dealership signing the papers for this new-to-us truck when the auction ended! In between meeting with the salesman and signing papers with the finance lady, I was checking my phone. I apologized to them for being on my phone and explained what was going on. They learned way more about Chincoteague, Misty, and Riptide than they ever wanted to know. I just couldn’t stop after they asked me about it.
Twice she went into extended bidding – if a bid was placed in the last three minutes of the auction, additional time was added before closing. I was biting my nails and sure I was going to throw up before it was over. If anyone placed one more bid, we were out . . .
Then we won and the whole place cheered. The salesman high fived us; the finance lady asked to see pics.
It was hands down one of the best moments of my life.
And, well, she met the most important criteria on my list – she might have been a little over my budget and not a fall pickup but she was a Riptide baby!
Later that evening, while driving through town to get dinner, I was crying and Steve knew it was different tears than the initial shock of actually winning the bid. He asked what was wrong and I said “I just want to call my dad.” He said “Oh, babe. Your dad knows. I think he’s the reason you got her.”
Since the auction, I’ve heard several stories of people who liked this little girl but didn’t bid on her for a variety of reasons – a problem with the online system so their bidder number wasn’t issued in time, a feeling that it just wasn’t the right pony to bid on …
I had poured over her pedigree and thought I had the perfect name picked out… but then I realized it was all wrong. She had to be “Riptide’s Cocoa Dream” in honor of my dad’s beloved pony.
Friday is a blur – I think I left work early because my mind just wasn’t there, but I honestly can’t remember. I do remember receiving and paying the auction invoice – I mistyped my card number and my payment was rejected. I had a moment of panic, almost cried, took a deep breath, re-entered the card info and she was mine! I also renewed our trailer plate online and booked a hotel on Chincoteague for Saturday night.
We spent Friday evening prepping the trailer. It is just an old stock trailer that we rescued. Steve tore it down to the frame, put in a new floor, new tires, sanded, patched and painted the metal last summer – just for sometimes hauling goats or steers I purchase locally for the farm. We never really thought it would make the long journey to Chincoteague!
We made a quick trip to our local farm supply to pick up a spare tire for my peace of mind. Then we packed the wood shavings, hay, water bucket and wrapped a metal bar that ran across the front of the trailer in a blanket so she wouldn’t hit her head on the ride home. I packed a cooler full of drinks and a bag full of snacks for us.
There was an issue with the trailer lights hooking up to Steve’s new truck but he quickly got that fixed. We grabbed a quick supper and headed to bed, knowing it would be an early morning and a long day.
For the third night, I couldn’t sleep. Wednesday night I was so nervous about the auction – just sure I’d get outbid. And, honestly, a little surprised by how hard that hit me. When I first bid, I never dreamed we’d win. But as the week wore on and we were still the top bid, I began to get nervously excited. What if this really happened?! No, no way it will! My mind went back and forth.
Thursday night – couldn’t sleep. I was so excited and my head was spinning making plans. She was really mine!
Friday night – couldn’t sleep. I felt like a young child on Christmas Eve! I just couldn’t stand it. The plans were made and we would be heading east about 5 am. Why didn’t we plan to leave earlier, I kept thinking.
Now, I have to admit, I can be a little like Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation … holidays, anniversaries, birthdays – I get so excited for them and they rarely live up to my expectations – as parents of four boys, there’s always a disagreement of some sort, or something always goes awry.
Was that what was going to happen to this trip, this dream? Had I waited 30+ years for this weekend and it was going to be a complete disaster?
No, my fears were for nothing. It turned out to be an absolutely wonderful weekend with just a few mishaps that now make great stories!
Only our youngest son, Bryce, who is 13, decided to make the journey with us. 5 am, we’re up and headed for the truck. As Bryce and I were carrying out the cooler and snack bag, I asked him one more time if he was sure he was up to the journey. I really wanted him to go with us, but wanted to make sure he knew what he was in for.
“It’s a long drive, buddy.”
“I know, Mom.”
“I mean really long – we’ll get there about 9 pm tonight. Then go to the hotel to sleep, have a few hours to explore, and then pick up the filly and be back on the road again.”
“Ok”
“Um, Roni, there might be some ‘hold the post’ moments. It’s a long drive and I can’t pull the trailer so dad has to do all the driving.”
“It’s ok – I still wanna go.”
This conversation may need a little explanation –
- Roni is his nickname. When he was little I called him Bryce-a-Roni and it just stuck. The first time we showed him an old Rice-a-Roni commercial on YouTube, he said “Please don’t tell my brothers!”
- The “hold the post” moment occurred earlier this year, during our state’s mandatory Covid stay at home order. We were building a new outdoor run for the chickens. I was holding a corner post while Steve fastened a wall. It wasn’t going as he planned and he grumbled “Hold the post, Jamie!” I responded, maybe a little too loudly, “I am, Steve!” To hear Bryce tell the story you’d think it was World War 3.
- Steve typically does not enjoy travel – especially while pulling a trailer.
So, with that we piled into the truck and were on our way. The first several hours were uneventful – we got on Interstate 70 just a few miles away from home and were to continue on it until Pennsylvania or Maryland.
We stopped once for gas just inside Ohio and then drove a few more hours before stopping for lunch on the other side of Ohio. Of all the places we could have chosen, we pulled into a large parking lot next to a Kentucky Fried Chicken only to go in and find out their restrooms were out of order and they couldn’t serve fried chicken! I don’t remember what we ordered, but we managed to get lunch and then hit the road. We were supposed to get gas in that town, but all the gas stations were on the other side of the interstate. Somehow, the GPS and I had a misunderstanding and we ended up back on the interstate instead of at a gas station. We decided to continue on for a bit then get gas.
Just inside West Virginia, we were supposed to be pulling off for gas but somehow got onto another highway heading north instead of southeast. I’m a “Hey, we’ve got 40 miles after the low fuel light comes on” kinda gal while Steve fills up when he hits ¼ tank.
So… this did involve a “hold the post” moment while the GPS and I sorted things out. We took the next exit off the highway and wound our way to the world’s smallest gas station at the intersection of about six roads. I still can’t explain how Steve managed to get the truck and trailer in and out of there, but he did. We found our way back to the interstate and were on our way again.
It was a pretty uneventful, but beautiful, journey through Pennsylvania and into Maryland. It felt like we were driving through Maryland forever! We grabbed a quick dinner at McDonalds and continued on our way.
About 7 pm, I received a call from the motel in Chincoteague. They wanted to confirm that we were still planning to come. “Yes”, I said, “we’ll be there around 9:30 pm. We are picking up a foal tomorrow so have a truck and trailer. Will parking be ok?” The clerk assured me that our room would be waiting and parking would be no problem.
It was about 9 pm, we were rolling through one of the last towns on the mainland, and I realized that I couldn’t see any trailer lights. Steve was sure they were ok, but I tend to be a bit of a worrier. I had gotten comfy for the drive and taken my shoes off. At a random stoplight, along this last stretch of highway, I jump out of the truck, barefoot, to run back and check the lights. Sure enough, Steve was right, and everything was ok. (I really should listen to him more but I always seem to have to do things the hard way.) I swung myself back up into the truck just as the light turned green. (It’s a tall truck and we hadn’t had time to put running boards on it yet!)
We made it to the motel a little later than expected, about 10 pm. The parking lot was jam packed!! Steve was able to pull in just enough to get out of the road, and I went inside to talk to the desk clerk. The clerk said he’d come out and help us. He first tried to take us through a spot where the dumpster stuck out too far and the truck wouldn’t even fit! Steve had to maneuver back into the road and enter from the other side of the parking lot. He wound around the buildings, past cars parked where they weren’t supposed to be, and parked in the grass where the clerk pointed. I still don’t know how he managed it but I’m so glad he was driving!
We went in and fell right into bed, exhausted. Up early the next morning, I spoke with one of the men coordinating the pickups and we decided to drop the trailer at the carnival grounds for a couple hours to do some exploring, then pick up Cocoa around noon and get back on the road to head home.
We missed the turn for the carnival grounds the first time and had to circle around the block which wasn’t an easy task with the trailer in tow, but we made it!
We dropped the trailer and then had a fantastic morning exploring Assateague! We even saw ponies – who I now know were Rider, Dexie, and Skeeter. We drove to the beach where I got to see the ocean, or as my friend Cheryl calls it “the edge of the map” for the first time. Then we took a short hike.
One of my favorite moments came while we were taking pictures at the lighthouse… Steve, the up and coming king of dad jokes, pinched Bryce on the rear end and said “Now you can tell people you’ve been pinched on the Ass-ateague!”
I wanted to hike longer but my fellas had spotted a miniature golf course in Chincoteague and couldn’t wait to go play.
The only hiccup to all of it was a car full of teens headed to the beach who teased us for stopping to watch the ponies. We had pulled off at the lookout point and gotten out of the car to watch the ponies. It was then that I realized I had really packed only for our pony (hay, bucket …) and not for humans – no camera, water bottle, bug spray, binoculars. Anyway, we were watching the ponies and I was crying (only a little!) – it was such a dream come true. Then this car drives by yelling at us and making fun of us for stopping to watch ponies. At first I was so hurt and angry, but then I started to feel sorry for them – that they couldn’t see or understand the wonder and beauty that was right there around them.
After a highly competitive game of mini golf, we headed back to pick up our foal. I couldn’t wait to see her – we were actually about an hour early for pickup. Everyone at the carnival grounds was very kind and helpful. We had one small issue with our trailer (the slats on the back gate were spaced too far apart to haul her safely), but they helped us with that and we were soon on our way.
Cocoa rode like a pro; we didn’t have any problems with her at all. At first, we stopped every hour or so to check on her. At one stop, I needed to refill her water bucket but there was no outdoor faucet. When I walked through the station to use the bathroom, I noticed a nice deep sink with a tall faucet. I’m sure the cashier thought I was a little crazy when I said “Excuse me, sir. We’re hauling a pony and I need to refresh her water. Could I bring it in and fill it up at your coffee sink there?”
As we neared the Bay Bridge, traffic slowed almost to a standstill. We weren’t sure what was going on, but we were stuck in traffic for nearly an hour.
We At one point, Steve asked “Did you remember to throw away those beer cans you picked up while we were hiking?” (I just can’t help myself – anytime we’re hiking I pick up garbage. I’d picked up a couple of beer cans and water bottles during our hike on Assateague).
“Shoot, I forgot!” I said as a I started shoving them into a McDonalds bag. So, now we have:
- An “open container” of alcohol
- No proof of insurance for the new truck (we couldn’t get ahold of our insurance office after buying the new truck, but then via email they told us to use the card from the old truck as proof of insurance for the new truck)
- Expired license plate on the trailer (expired in April but our state extended all renewals through November due to Covid. I was worried about other states not knowing this, so I renewed online and had the printed confirmation but the sticker on the trailer showed expired)
- Temporary plate on our truck issued by another state because we bought it in a neighboring state just a few miles from home.
But… I had my paperwork in order for Cocoa! Bill of sale, health certificate…
We made it through without incident and continued on through to Pennsylvania. We had originally planned to drive straight home, getting home around 2 am. But, with Covid, we were worried about getting fuel – many stations were no longer open 24 hours.
We decided to stop in Ohio. So at our last gas stop in Pennsylvania, I mapped it out to see where we’d be about 9 pm. I started calling motels in that area and quickly found one with room available and parking for our truck and trailer where I could keep an eye on the trailer.
About an hour from the motel, around 8 pm, we realized we were starving. Breakfast had been a “continental” breakfast at the motel that, due to Covid, was a hard boiled egg and granola bar in a brown paper sack. Then we just sort of forgot to eat. We made sure Cocoa had hay and water all day long but just didn’t bother to stop and get food for ourselves.
I googled local pizza restaurants and placed an order to be delivered to the hotel right about the time we arrived.
We finally found the hotel, after exiting the interstate and winding through a few country roads. Just as we pulled up, I saw the pizza delivery car parking out front.
I jumped out of the truck and flew into the hotel like a tornado. Greeted the desk clerk, then paid for our pizza. The desk clerk was so kind and patient. She actually pulled out a map of the hotel and showed us the available rooms. The best choices were a third floor room with a sideways view of the parking lot or a first floor room without a window view of the trailer, but with the exterior door just outside the room so we could easily peek out to check on Cocoa and then exit to get to her quickly if needed. We chose the first floor room and quickly made our way there to scarf down our pizza. There was so much food – it was clear that we were hungry when I ordered!
After filling our bellies, and all of probably 20 minutes away from Cocoa, Steve and I went out to check on her. She was settled in and doing fine so we went back inside the motel. I went out once more before going to bed. I knew I’d never sleep … I was too worried about my girl.
The parking lot was really just a bit of gravel on a lot next to the hotel. No lights, no security cameras. There was a fence, then Route 40. Another fence and Interstate 70. It didn’t seem to bother Cocoa but I was so worried! Our trailer, an older stock type, didn’t have locks on the door or the gate. What if someone messed with her? What if they scared her or turned her loose?
I waited for Steve to fall asleep. Poor guy had been driving for about 25 out of the past 40 hours. Once he was snoring good and loud about 11 pm, I told Bryce (who was thrilled to be watching motel tv since we don’t have cable at home) that I was going to check on Cocoa. I knew darn well then that I wasn’t coming back in to sleep.
Cocoa was content as could be, munching on her hay. I climbed into the trailer with her and sat in the wood shavings up front. We eventually both settled in and dozed off. A few hours later, about 3 am, Steve came out. I knew I was in trouble when he came out the door without his boots on! He never goes anywhere barefoot.
He came to the trailer, peaked in, and said “What are you doing?”
“We’re fine”, I said, “just go back to sleep.”
“You can’t stay out here. Come back inside.”
This went on for a few minutes before I gave up and followed him back inside. I knew it would be an even longer ride home in the morning if he was mad at me.
We got back to our room and Steve said “What were you thinking? What were you going to do if something happened? Get shot?!”
Feeling smart, I said “Actually, I deleted all my recent calls except you. So if I needed you, I just had to click my phone once and it would call you!”
From his side of the bed, facing the wall away from me, he said “Well, that might be good if my phone wasn’t on silent on the other side of the room!”
We were both silent for a few minutes before he reached over to the bedside table, picked up the truck keys and handed them to me saying “We both know you’re not going to sleep. Go back out there with your horse. But for Pete’s sake woman, at least sleep in the truck and lock the door!”
I went back out to the trailer, checked on Cocoa, who was still calm as could be, then climbed into the backseat of the truck. I’m not gonna lie – I thought quite seriously about getting back in the trailer!
About 6 am I went inside to shower, filled Cocoa’s water bucket in the bathtub, and we were on our way again.
We were still about 6 hours from home and made the trip with no problems. We did stop at one small station with a restaurant attached to get gas. I ran in to use the restroom and felt so weird – why was everyone staring at me?! One my way back out, I noticed that there was a television on the wall between the entry door and the restrooms. That’s what they were staring at – not me!
We made it home by early afternoon Monday and got Cocoa settled in her new home. After we were safely home and the trailer unhooked, Steve laughed and said “I didn’t tell you before but that new spare tire that made you feel so prepared wouldn’t have done us much good since I forgot to put the jack in the new truck!”
The mail came a bit later and my Pony Penning t-shirt that I’d ordered just a week and a half ago, when there were no immediate plans to visit Chincoteague Island, was delivered.
I took the next day off of work, as well, to hang out with Cocoa. I spent a good part of the morning reading to her. We read Lois Szymanski’s Surfer Dude and, of course, Misty of Chincoteague – the same, velvety soft blue covered book that I’d read so many times as a child. When it was time to weed it from the library’s collection, the library where I now work, our director had kindly insisted I take it home, knowing how much I’d loved it.
It’s been several months now, and there are still days I can’t believe I have my very own Chincoteague pony living on our farm. She is, without a doubt, the best part of the year and my very best buddy.
