New Market Battlefield State Historical Park is a historic American Civil War battlefield and national historic district located near New Market, VA, in Shenandoah County. The park is also the site of the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, which is operated by the Virginia Military Institute. Lieutenant General Ulysses Grant designed a “grand strategy” to […]
dog friendly
A Return Visit to Bombay Hook
I have yet to find a bad month to visit Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, but I’m setting a new goal to go more often this year, maybe even every month, and share the photos and notes with the blog. There are always interesting things to notice — the birds and different species. Bombay Hook […]
Mackinac Island
This is the fourth of five posts about our late summer trip to Mackinaw City and Michigan’s upper peninsula; we visited the area after bringing my son up to college in Michigan. The Victorian Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. After exploring Mackinaw City, we wanted to go over to St Ignace to explore it too. […]
Two Lakes, a Bridge, a Fort, and a Park
Focusing on Mackinaw City, MI, this is the third of five posts about our late summer trip to Mackinaw City and Michigan’s upper peninsula; we visited the area after bringing my son up to college in Michigan. If you drive to the top of Michigan’s lower peninsula, you will arrive at Mackinaw City, which lies […]
Marsh of the Blueberries and More to See in Michigan’s UP
This is the second of five posts about our late summer trip to Mackinaw City and Michigan’s upper peninsula; we visited the area after bringing my son up to college in Michigan. We were impressed with how much there is to see and do in Michigan’s upper peninsula and just how lovely it is. What […]
The Ghost Ships of Lake Superior
This week we depart the Mid-Atlantic states for a brief journey across Michigan, which brought us all the way up to Lake Superior to see shipwrecks underwater, back down to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island — a magical place — and then down the coast of Lake Huron to visit a few lighthouses. This post […]
My Top 4 Dog Friendly Day Trips
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is another in the series 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! 4. Tail Lights at Columbia, MD’s Symphony of LightsA lot of […]
Visiting Maryland’s Ghost Town: Daniels
Good friends of ours offered to take us to some “local ruins” that were “only a short hike.” They had me at “ruins.” I lept at the chance, and so a windy, blustery late October Sunday found us hiking off of Hollifield Road, following what’s left of old Alberton Road into the ghost town of […]
Leafpeeping in Shenandoah NPS: This Time the Sun Shone
Last year we went leaf peeping in Shenandoah and when it wasn’t blindingly foggy, it was raining! Still, we saw some gorgeous trees and the fog leant a mysterious beauty to the autumn scenery. We made the best of it. This year, though, I was hell bent on seeing the Skyline drive in all its […]
Westchester Riverwalk in Tarrytown, NY
We were actually playing Ingress — I’ve blogged about how that game has led us into accidental day trips before — and I saw a “mission” called Riverwalk. It sounded promising — we were only a mile or so away from the Hudson River and I was hoping for some lovely views. We were having […]
Annamarie Sculpture Garden: Exploring Art Outdoors!
“The Gateway,” by Peter King and Marni Jaime, 1995, Stonehaus Pottery. Permanent collection. Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center is located near Solomons, Maryland, where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay. The sculpture garden features a short walking path that meanders through the woods past a variety of sculpture, including over thirty works on […]
C&O Canal at Williamsport
Most of my blogs about the C&O Canal recently have been about biking the towpath — a great way to explore the canal, but sometimes you can see more if you slow down a bit and see it on foot. That’s what we did last Sunday. I hadn’t planned on going on a day trip […]
Hiking Maryland Heights, Part 2: Stone Fort Trail
Fellow blogger J. Hammer graciously agreed to guest blog for the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips Blog about hiking along Maryland Heights, near Harpers Ferry. This is part 2 of his two-part series. Last post I mentioned that I hadn’t hiked the Stone Fort Trail section of Maryland Heights due to a lack of time. Well, I […]
Hiking Maryland Heights, Part 1: Overlook Trail
Fellow blogger J. Hammer graciously agreed to guest blog for the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips Blog about hiking along Maryland Heights, near Harpers Ferry. This is part 1 of his two-part series. Worth a Voyage across the Atlantic Over 1400 feet high, Maryland Heights offers stunning views of the town of Harpers Ferry, WV, and the […]
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 […]