September and October are the season most folks check out ghost walks and ghost tours — one of my favorite activities! Ghost tours are always intriguing — they’re a little bit of sight-seeing, a little bit of ghost story, and usually a lot of history. It’s a good way to get to know a city or […]
budget-friendly day trip
Hiking at Jerusalem Village in Gunpowder Falls State Park
Established in 1959 to protect the Gunpowder River and the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls, Gunpowder Falls State Park is now one of Maryland’s largest state parks. With more than 18,000 acres in Harford and Baltimore counties, Gunpowder’s narrow corridors host a varied topography ranging from tidal wetlands to steep and rugged slopes. My first […]
Exploring the W&OD Rail Trail
The Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad Regional Park stretches almost 45 miles between the Potomac River in Alexandria and Purcellville. The park is approximately 100 feet wide, and of course, its primary feature is the rail trail, a paved path about 10 feet wide, that closely follows the original rail bed of, and derives […]
A New Look at a Lake Revisited
I’ve been visiting Lake Elkhorn, in Columbia, MD, for longer than two decades. Years of walking dogs around the lake has made the lake familiar and comforting. It’s one of my favorite places in Columbia, and despite its local popularity, it’s restful and relaxing. Lake Elkhorn is a 37-acre reservoir located in the Owen Brown […]
Reflections on Trap Pond
Freshwater wetlands once covered a large portion of southwestern Sussex County, DE. Featuring the northernmost natural stand of bald cypress trees in the United States, Trap Pond State Park retains a part of those wetlands’ original beauty and mystery. (The bald cypress is a wetland tree adapted to areas of calm, shallow standing water.) Ironically, […]
Hike to Annapolis Rocks
“Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. … Of all the upness accessible to mortals, there is no upness comparable to the mountains.” — John Muir, Naturalist For almost any hiker in the East, the Appalachian Trail has a curious draw. Colleagues of mine have spent […]
Smell the Lavender at Deep Creek Lavender Farm
…a magic and lavender space, unpinned from the world around it Unfortunately, this blog cannot share the scent of lavender on the breeze, the subtle aroma that surrounds the farm as the breezes sweep across the lavender fields. To experience that, you should go yourself to a lavender farm. I went to the Deep Creek […]
Shinrin-yoku at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve
Forest bathing — essentially just being in the presence of trees — is the practice of taking a short, leisurely visit to a forest for health benefits. The practice originated in Japan where it is called shinrin-yoku (森林浴) in Japanese. The Japanese practice of forest bathing is proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, […]
Baltimore – Washington Area’s Best Urban Oases
When the urban jungle becomes too much for us, we naturally seek an oasis of peace and calm amidst the asphalt and pandemonium. I’ve found eight surprising urban oases offering us the promise of lovely vistas, green relief, or a pleasant walk. These are all near or in Washington DC and Baltimore. Check them out […]
Patriotic Bike Ride Along the Mount Vernon Trail
The Mount Vernon Trail is a paved multi-use trail that stretches from George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island, paralleling the George Washington (GW) Parkway for its 18 miles. It connects with regional trails, including the Potomac Heritage, Custis, Rock Creek, Four Mile Run, and Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trails. Its paved surface was […]
Lovely Urban Oasis at the US National Arboretum
Dogwood Alley. I’m always excited to discover an urban oasis — a place to retreat far from the madding crowd! In fact, I spent this past Sunday morning exploring just such an oasis: the U.S. National Arboretum. The National Arboretum is a garden, a park, and a research institution, part of the USDA. Its 446 […]
Eagles at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorite places to visit. Recently I unintentionally visited while exploring the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, retracing some of the important places to the African American community in the 1800s in Dorchester and a few of the stops along the Underground Railroad. The driving tour led […]
American Moses: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Born in Maryland in 1820, Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in 1849 to become a leading abolitionist. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom along the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she helped the Union Army, working as a spy, among other roles. After the Civil War ended, Harriet dedicated her life to helping […]
Forgotten Fort Foote
I happened upon Fort Foote accidentally. I was on my way to Fort Washington, which I’d visited with my two sons years ago. I saw signs for Fort Foote and since I had all afternoon at my disposal, I turned and followed the signs to the fort. Fort Foote was constructed in 1863 on top […]
Frederick Douglass and His House on Cedar Hill
Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them. Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass’ was a 19th century American hero, but his story still resonates with our times. He was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, husband, father, […]