Everyone’s probably heard of famous Fort McHenry in Baltimore, which tells the story of the War of 1812 and is immortalized in Francis Scott Key’s “Star-Spangled Banner.” But seven other fabulous forts are worth exploring in the mid-Atlantic region: three in Maryland, and two each in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Each fort has a unique history […]
Author: Jody Arneson
A Treasure of a Hike — the Harford Glen Loop Hike
Mysterious bridges leading over the river, waterfalls, the relaxing sound of rushing water — the Harford Glen Loop Hike has it all! Plus, with an approximate elevation gain of 800 feet, your heart will get pounding during the first half of the hike. During the second half, you get to cool down in deep shade […]
Three Budget-friendly Day Trips in Dover DE Sure to Please the Kids
An Airplane Petting Zoo Is Incredible Fun for Kids of All Ages! Even if you’re not an aviation geek, you’ll likely enjoy the Air Mobility Command Museum. This is a great place for kids and families to explore aviation history. The different shapes of the planes are impressive — a couple of them are bigger […]
Southern Carroll County Barn Quilt Driving Tour
This four patch quilt block on a bank barn in Westminster was popular in the early 1900s.This block was chosen by the farm owners to represent the soybeans and corn grown on their80 acre farm. Four generations of the Nelson family have farmed this land since the farm was established in 1868. If you love barns, […]
Bear Pen Hike Is All About the Journey
This enjoyable hike in Watoga State Park, near Marlinton WV, is all about the journey and not the destination. Some hikes show-off their payoffs — gorgeous views, outstanding waterfalls, ruins and the like — but this loop hike is all about the walk itself. You start just off of Watoga Park Road, near Cabin 11, […]
7 Amazing, Must-See Views in West Virginia
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’ ” — Sylvia Plath Seeing the beauty of nature is good for the soul — and West Virginia has more than its fair share of beautiful forests and […]
Eight Great Hikes, Kayaking, Ruins, Forgotten Cemeteries and even Ghost Hunting in Patapsco Valley State Park
Maryland’s first — and largest — state park (not to be confused with much larger state forests) is strung out like glittering glass beads on a necklace along the Patapsco River south and west of Baltimore. Established in 1912, the Patapsco Valley State Park (PVSP) was Maryland’s first state park. It’s also Maryland’s most visited […]
Rosendale Trestle and Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
When it opened to rail traffic on April 6, 1872, the Rosendale Trestle was the highest span bridge in the United States. We’d seen the entrance for the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail along Binnewater Road, as we were driving to check out the Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale. I wished we’d brought our bikes along […]
Cloudy Day Hike on the Soapstone Loop Trail in PVSP
Patapsco Valley State Park is near my home — at least part of it is: it’s strung out along 36 miles of the Patapsco River like exquisite glass beads on a necklace. Because of its location, it’s my go-to park for a hike, especially when I only have a couple of hours. PVSP is a […]
Hiking Marshy Point Park
Marshy Point Nature Park is a quiet little park in Middle River, MD. The park is on the peninsula of land jutting out between the Dundee and Saltpeter Creeks, and offers more than eight miles of hiking trails, a wildlife observation platform, a butterfly garden, a paddle trail, and a canoe launch and pier. The […]
Frederick County (VA) Photo Safari
Stonewall Jackson made Winchester his winter headquarters between November 1861 and March 1862. He was much beloved by the townspeople. Winchester’s historic homes and churches offergorgeous details such as this door knob. Historic Victorian homes such as this one fill the neighborhoods adjacent the oldest part of Winchester. Mount Hebron Cemetery holds four cemeteries, church […]
An Afternoon in Strasburg
For such a small town, there’s a surprising number of things to in Strasburg, VA. Here’s how we spent an afternoon exploring this quaint little town. The scenic and lovely Shenandoah River runs lazy along the town, offering a refreshing backdrop to the town. We started with lunch at Jaliscos, a neat little Mexican food […]
Late Fall Hike to Hone Quarry Waterfalls
The out-and-back hike up to the Hone Quarry Falls will take you just approximately 2.5 miles up a mountain, yielding some pretty glimpses of the ridges of mountains on the other side of a small gorge/valley to a pleasant falls area, an ideal area, had we timed it right, for a picnic listening to the […]
Kayaking Gunpowder Basin and Little Gunpowder Falls
The pandemic has forced us to explore new places to kayak, in addition to our favorite standards: Piney Run Lake, Trap Pond, Centennial Lake and Daniels in Patapsco Valley State Park. That day last summer, we launched from Mariner Point Park onto the Gunpowder River. Along the way we encountered on one or two others […]
Hike to Dark Hollow Falls
IT sounds like an ominous thing, Dark Hollow Falls — there should be a ghost story or something associated with it, but I couldn’t find any mention of ghosts, nor how Dark Hollow Falls got its name, although I could well imagine how shady and dark the falls would be if the leaves still fluttered […]