Last summer, we stayed the weekend in Pittsburgh, but on our way back home to Maryland, decided to stop for a couple of hours and start what I hope will be an ongoing exploration of a new (for us) rail trail: The Ghost Town Rail Trail. This rail trail stretches 36 miles between Black Lick […]
biking
Great Allegheny Gap: The Bridge-to-Bridge Ride
A friend and I took advantage of great spring biking weather and rode a short segment of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). This was my first ride of the season, so I kept it short, just 10 miles all told. This was my first foray to the GAP, so I wasn’t sure what to expect of […]
C&O Canal: From Swains Lock to Seneca Aqueduct
It was one of those rare, incredibly gorgeous summer days: 75 degrees, low humidity. As any Marylander will affirm, those kind of days are to be treasured indeed. In fact, any beautiful summer day is likely to find me either biking on the C&O Canal or thinking about biking on the C&O Canal. I wish I […]
Exploring Delaware Canal Towpath (New Hope)
The 60-mile long Delaware Canal towpath runs from Easton to Bristol and is a National Recreation Trail. Once trod by mule teams pulling cargo-laden boats along the canal, the towpath is used today by walkers, joggers, bicyclists, cross-country skiers and bird watchers. During our four-mile walk, we encountered dog-walkers galore, joggers, families strolling with little […]
High Bridge Rail Trail
High Bridge Trail State Park in Southside Virginia is a rail trail converted from a railway line, last belonging to Norfolk Southern and having originated as a portion of the South Side Rail Road. Norfolk Southern’s last train crossed High Bridge on October 26, 2004. Just two years later, in December 2006, the company wonderfully […]
Taking Pride in the C&O Canal and a Couple of Recipes
This year the Blog officially volunteered for the Ninth Annual Canal Pride Days, a program sponsored by the C&O Canal Trust to work on projects, in coordination with the C&O Canal National Park, to improve or help the park. Projects such as pulling out invasive plants, planting gardens for the lockhouses, cleaning garbage and debris […]
The Lost Post
C&O Canal Between Monocacy Aqueduct and Catoctin Creek Aqueduct I call this the lost post because I had this article almost completely written — I was just feeding in the photos, when my beagle, Meeko, sat his big fat hairy butt on my little laptop and butt-erased most of the post. I was more sad and […]
Biking the Battlefields
Each time I visit the Gettysburg National Military Park I learn something new. This Sunday morning, however, my intent was just to focus on the bike ride and scenery, and not try to read the signs or follow a narrative to understand how the battle unfolded. The day before the weather had been rainy and […]
My Favorite 5 October Activities
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is the third of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!The weather is cool, leaves are starting to turn the gorgeous colors […]
My Top 4 Things to do During a Government Furlough
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is the second of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!It’s 27 September and Congress has just 3 more days to pass […]
My Top 4 Maryland Bike Rides
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks on a Sunday or Monday; right now I’m aiming to post a Top Pick at least twice a month. This is the first of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know […]
Western Maryland Rail Trail: West from Hancock
The Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) still beckoned to us, even though we hadn’t liked the east-from-Hancock section of it very much (for that stretch, recommend sticking to the C&O Canal, which is further away from the highway and a little more pleasant, but read more about that here). The blurb about the western half […]
On the Trail of the Lower NCR: Ashland to Mile Marker 10
I’ve blogged about riding on the NCR several times before (check out here), but with today’s ride, I’ve now ridden almost the entire Maryland length of the NCR Trail (except for 1 mile). The plan for this ride was to meet at the parking lot off of Paper Mill Road in Ashland, then bike up […]
Biking Between Fort Frederick and Hancock: C&O Canal Towpath and Western Maryland Rail Trail
Our goal, that cold April Saturday, was to park at Fort Frederick State Park, ride up to Hancock on the C&O Canal towpath, grab lunch, ride back on the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT), and then tour Fort Frederick. Check out last week’s post for the narrative about Fort Frederick.I’d read about the WMRT in […]
A Walk Through Time: Patapsco’s Grist Mill Trail
I’ve blogged about Patapsco River Valley State Park before (check out this post and this one), but this post will focus on the Grist Mill Trail, in the Avalon part of the park. I’m writing again about it because, of all the places I have been to or go to regularly, this is the place […]