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. […]
budget-friendly day trip
Back to Blackwater Falls
Canaan Valley draws us frequently. We’ve been going up there as a family for almost a decade. It is, frankly, one of my favorite places, and I usually find a weekend or two every year to go back and visit, maybe go on a hike or two, or three. I almost always take time to […]
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 […]
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 […]
Capitol Hauntings: Taking a Washington Walk Around Capitol Hill
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 town and the people who once lived there. Ghost stories start with people and usually a tragedy, a life cut […]
Civil War History Galore at Hollywood Cemetery
Hollywood Cemetery is a classic example of the Victorian notion of creating park-like cemeteries, where families could go spend the afternoon or picnic in a picturesque and natural setting, contemplating nature’s beauty amidst reminders of life’s certain ending. Hollywood Cemetery is definitely a destination cemetery for sight-seers, even if you are not into tombstones. History, art, and […]
NCR Trail in PA: Exploring Heritage Rail Trail Park
Wonderful summer weather lures all of us outside. Always on the lookout for new destinations, we decided to bike the path that continues on from Maryland’s NCR Trail (read about our exploration of that here). Established in 1992 and covering 176 acres, the Heritage Rail Trail County Park is 21 miles long and runs north […]
Beach Combing at Calvert Cliffs State Park
It can be really fun to go fossil hunting — at least, it sounds fun to a 12 year old. It sounded fun to me too. That’s why an early summer Saturday found us on our way to Calvert Cliffs State Park. Calvert Cliffs State Park is unique among hiking opportunities in the region for its […]
Brandywine Valley Wine Trail: Three Very Different Wineries
Just over an hour north of Baltimore and maybe 45 minutes from Philadelphia lies the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, a string of six wineries along the trail that ranges some 50 miles. The last weekend of April found us veering out of Maryland to check out three of the wineries that were closest to the […]
Brookside Gardens: Oasis in Suburbia
I decided to write this blog as a Mother’s Day special — for all those looking for a lovely place to bring their mums! An overcast Saturday afternoon found us heading over to check out Brookside Gardens, in Wheaton, MD; I had my new macro lens in hand and was eager to experiment. Thunder bumper […]
Scenic Vistas Along the Indian Head Trail
We would see amazing things if we could learn to be travelers in our own neighborhoods, Henry David Thoreau once said. Since beginning this blog last June, I have discovered some hidden delights in the mid-Atlantic region: Susquehanna State Park’s Rock Run Historic Area and Hampton Mansion both come to mind. And once again, this […]
Battles of Bull Run: Manassas National Battlefield Park
When we headed to Manasses, VA on a spring day, I realized we were not the first tourists to have visited and wandered the battlefields there. In fact, the very first sight-seers were those rather naive Washintonians and Congressmen, who, in mid-July 1861, followed Gen. Irvin McDowell’s army of some 35,000 green Union soldiers on a […]
Biking, Lunch, and then Some Wine: The NCR Trail, Woodhall Winecellars, and Royal Rabbit Vineyards
Courtesy of Maryland Department of Natural Resources There is not much that wine doesn’t enhance. Is there any better way to round out a few hours biking on Maryland’s Northern Central Rail Trail (renamed the Torrey C Brown Rail Trail) than with a trip to two local wineries? The itinerary for this day trip — […]
Three Wineries on a Spring Sunday
A warm March Sunday beckoned me out of my winter hideout, and what better way to do than to go visit a few wineries in the beautiful Maryland countryside? I’ve lived in my neighborhood for over a decade, but I’ve not been a good neighbor. I like my neighbors but I realized recently I hardly […]
Cookies are the Goal on the B&A Trail
The recent warm weather in Maryland enticed me to try out my new bike. Since I hadn’t ridden a bike for 20 years, we decided to start with small goals. A comfortable 2.5 mile ride to — get this, a coffee shop along the scenic Baltimore & Annapolis Trail purported to sell the most delicious […]