My 16-year-old son needed more driving hours, so we headed out one Saturday afternoon last summer on an impromptu and entirely unplanned “day trip.” We ended up checking out the three covered bridges of Frederick County: Roddy Road Bridge, Utica Mills Bridge, and Loys Station Bridge. It was a win-win. He got some highway experience, […]
Civil War
Wishlist of Adventure for 2015
I didn’t do too badly on my 2014 wishlist — of the 11 items I wanted to do, I did 8 1/2. Check out the entry from a year ago to read about what I wanted to do, and see what I actually did get to go see and do by following the new links […]
Accidental Tourist: How Playing a Game Brought Me to New Places
My husband and I recently discovered Ingress, a game we can play on our phones, either during a day trip or as the goal of a day trip. We first started it while biking along the C&O Canal. For those of you not familiar with Ingress, it’s an augmented reality massively multiplayer online role playing […]
Two Days and Eleven Lights: Day One
My sister and I had been on the shorter “Passage to Five” excursion offered by Chesapeake Lights in May; before we’d even gotten off the boat that day, we’d signed up for the once annual 2-day trip that takes place every August. Update May 2021: Unfortunately, Chesapeake Lights no longer offers lighthouse tours. The lighthouses […]
Retracing a Veteran Ancestor’s Steps in Cold Harbor National Battlefield
When my husband and I had visited Richmond last June, my sister reminded me that our ancestor, George Washington Spertzel, the second generation of Spertzels in the United States, had fought at Cold Harbor. I’m pretty proud of his story and his service to our country, and that’s why I’m writing about our visit to […]
Remembering Our Dead
The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat The soldier’s last tattoo; No more on life’s parade shall meet The brave and daring few. On Fame’s eternal camping-ground Their silent tents are spread, And Glory guards with solemn round The bivouac of the dead. The Confederate graves at Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA. In honor of Veterans […]
Pedal Through the Past: Biking through History
The prospect of biking through three national parks and two states in one day was intriguing, and doing so while gaining some insight into local Civil War history and heritage was almost too good to be true. That’s what I was thinking as I signed my husband and I up for Pedal Through the Past […]
Tredegar Ironworks and the Confederate White House
When we were planning our time in Richmond, I put visiting the Confederate White House on “the list.” I’d toured it years (and years) ago, but wanted to see it again — I love old houses, and an old house with some history attached is like icing on the cake. The Museum of the Confederacy […]
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 […]
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 […]
Sugarloaf Mountain Sort of Day!
Recently, two friends and I headed over to Sugarloaf Mountain, to check out the park itself, visit the winery at its base, and then eat at a local restaurant. There were some surprises and yes, a disappointment. But more on that later. Late fall is a fine time to check out the place that was […]
Harpers Ferry: Stepping Back in History
My husband and I probably spend a day or an afternoon at Harpers Ferry at least once a year, generally just walking around and then we’ll have lunch. Sometimes, such as on this most recent visit, we’ll bring a beagle or two. I’ve also taken my sons there multiple times — sometimes focusing more on […]
Segway into a Battlefield Tour: Gettysburg National Battlefield
I have been visiting Gettysburg periodically for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Frederick and drove through the battlefields (on route 34) to visit my aunts and uncles and cousins who lived just north of Gettysburg my entire childhood. Even as an adult, I found myself returning there every few years, […]