Coal fired America’s Industrial Revolution, and helped shaped the country we live in today. Anthracite coal was the heating and iron-making fuel of choice, and Pennsylvania’s coal mines, which produced anthracite coal, thrived in the late 19th and early decades of the 20th century. To fill all the jobs necessary to mine coal, companies employed […]
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 […]
Exploring Two Historic Estates in the Brandywine Valley
Guest blogger Julie grew up an Army brat, living in Germany and other interesting places. She recounts her memories of her childhood: My parents would take the family castle hunting on weekends and when we came back to the States it was with some trepidation that we would no longer have that immediate connection to history. Just a […]
Great Grapes 5k Series: Elk Run Vineyards
Wine seems to make everything a little better (chocolate does too, but that’s another blog). Wine even seems to make exercise better — two of the most popular posts for this blog are the ones about yoga at wineries (Elk Run and Black Ankle). So when my sister suggested I join her for a series […]
Arlington National Cemetery: Quick Visit and Detour to Robert E Lee’s Historic Mansion
When Mike’s out-of-town guests requested to see some of DC’s lesser known attractions, they helped him take another look at local attractions he’d been taking for granted. He cheerfully agreed to blog about this — to encourage others to do the same! As someone who has lived in Maryland for close 20 years, I tend […]
Hiking in Ricketts Glen State Park: 3.2 Miles, 18 Spectacular Waterfalls
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Often Overlooked, Cambridge, MD Is Worth Stopping For
If you’re like me, you have driven past Cambridge dozens of times, on your way to some place else — usually Ocean City, Assateague Island, or even Chincoteague Island. But Cambridge isn’t just the fast food joints, gas stations, big box stores, and chain restaurants you see from Rt 50 — there’s a quaint little […]
Living History: Sailing on a Skipjack
This is NOT the Nathan of Dorchester skipjack, but another one, name unknown, which we saw on our recent daytrip on the Passage to Five Lighthouses Tour. The skipjack is a traditional fishing boat used on Chesapeake Bay for oyster dredging and was the predominant oystering boat in the Bay — there used to be […]
If Only We Could Dance with Wolves
I have to say, I think this is one of my favorite day trips so far this year! Since its founding 30 plus years ago, the Wolf Sanctuary of PA has provided wolves and wolf hybrids a way out of institutionalized lives and deaths. Today, Wolf Sanctuary of PA has renovated infrastructure, beautifully expanded living […]
Winterthur
Winterthur (pronounced “winter-tour”) is one of the last of the original Wild Gardens. Downtown Abbey is one of our favorite shows, so when we learned that there’s a “Costume’s of Downton Abbey” exhibit at Winterthur (already on our list for visiting), we knew it was time to plan a day trip there. The exhibit “Costumes […]
In Search of …. Kayaking to Assateague Island to See the Ponies
Photo courtesy Assateague Explorer This day trip would take us on a kayaking trip from Chincoteague across Assateague Narrows to Assateague Island to see the wild ponies. We’d have to get up very early — Chincoteague is just over 3 hours away from where we live, near Baltimore, and I knew I’d have to get […]
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 […]