Exploring Two Historic Estates in the Brandywine Valley

Guest blogger Julie grew up an Army brat, living in Germany and other interesting places. She recounts her memories of her childhood: My parents would take the family castle hunting on weekends and when we came back to the States it was with some trepidation that we would no longer have that immediate connection to history. Just a […]

Arlington National Cemetery: Quick Visit and Detour to Robert E Lee’s Historic Mansion

When Mike’s out-of-town guests requested to see some of DC’s lesser known attractions, they helped him take another look at local attractions he’d been taking for granted. He cheerfully agreed to blog about this — to encourage others to do the same! As someone who has lived in Maryland for close 20 years, I tend […]

Hiking in Ricketts Glen State Park: 3.2 Miles, 18 Spectacular Waterfalls

Ricketts Glen State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on more than 13,000 acres in Columbia, Luzerne, and Sullivan counties. The park also is a National Natural Landmark, known for its old-growth forest and the more than 20 named waterfalls along Kitchen Creek. I was enticed by the number of waterfalls in such close proximity. […]

Blackwater Wildlife Refuge

The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located 12 miles south of Cambridge, includes more than 28,000 acres of rich tidal marsh, mixed hardwood and loblolly pine forests, managed freshwater wetlands and farmland. The various habitats of Blackwater promote a diversity of wildlife that change in numbers and species with each season. We were there on […]

Often Overlooked, Cambridge, MD Is Worth Stopping For

If you’re like me, you have driven past Cambridge dozens of times, on your way to some place else — usually Ocean City, Assateague Island, or even Chincoteague Island. But Cambridge isn’t just the fast food joints, gas stations, big box stores, and chain restaurants you see from Rt 50 — there’s a quaint little […]

Living History: Sailing on a Skipjack

This is NOT the Nathan of Dorchester skipjack, but another one, name unknown, which we saw on our recent daytrip on the Passage to Five Lighthouses Tour.  The skipjack is a traditional fishing boat used on Chesapeake Bay for oyster dredging and was the predominant oystering boat in the Bay — there used to be […]

In Search of …. Kayaking to Assateague Island to See the Ponies

Photo courtesy Assateague Explorer This day trip would take us on a kayaking trip from Chincoteague across Assateague Narrows to Assateague Island to see the wild ponies. We’d have to get up very early — Chincoteague is just over 3 hours away from where we live, near Baltimore, and I knew I’d have to get […]

Finally, Biking the C&O Tow Path!

I bought my bike in February expressly so I could bike the C&O tow path. Getting back into shape after so many years not riding a bike took me to other paths first, as I became acclimated to biking. But it was time to ride the tow path! I’ve been walking the C&O Canal for […]

Butterflies and Gardens: Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

I wasn’t prepared for excitement and wonder I felt in the butterfly garden. And if I hadn’t suddenly realized that our staying in the garden longer was preventing some folks from entering, I would have stayed a lot longer! So even though butterflies are really just (creepy) bugs with gorgeous fairy wings, it was a […]