Day trips!

[lavendertook]

There are worse times of year to be laid off. I've been making use of the gorgeous fall weather to take hikes in various pretty places. My standard walking route is, as I've mentioned before, around Greenbelt Lake, which is behind my apartment building through a patch of woods. The colors are slightly more subdued this year than in this picture, but it's turned out to be a way prettier fall than I expected with all the drought we've had. I love walking there just before sunset because when the sun is just above the treeline it sets the trees along the path on the east end of the lake aglow in brilliant gold and orange flames.

I visited Assateague State Park Beach a couple of weeks ago, though that's a pretty far day trip, so I don't know when I'll next get out there, but here's a site with some nice photos of it. I think it's the prettiest beach in Maryland with the finest whitest sand in the state, and almost as lovely as the Outer Banks of NC with smaller dunes. No wild ponies were about last time I was out, but they're usually hanging around when I've been out there in the summer time. Did I tell ya'll the story about how I was made honorary Assateague pony gang leader one afternoon a few years back? It was one of my most fun social experiences with beings I was unacquainted with eva.

Last weekend I took a much closer drive out to Quiet Waters State Park in Annapolis along the South River leading into the bay. I hadn't been there before and it was a nice mix of wooded paths and creeks and a little stretch of beach--I love this view opening out on the bay from the gazebo, as well as down the hill from there on the beach where the lapping of the small waves over the sand sounds sweet. I got a good couple hours walk there. The trees' fall display was a little more subdued than here, but these pics catch how it pretty much looks about now.

Last Tuesday I took off the day and drove out to Rocks State Park north and east of Baltimore to see Kilgore Falls and hike around it. I hadn't been there before and it well satisfied all my waterfallish expectations with nice mosses and ferns all around Deer Creek, which had the clearest water and nice little pockets of mica flecked pebbles. It's not as big as Cunningham Falls out north of Frederick, but I liked it's shape and setting a great deal more, as it felt more remote and less touristy. My other favorite waterfall in the area is a much gentler small falls in the part of Gunpowder State Park off of Rt. 1, much resembling my icon above, but Kilgore fits the bill for your more grand waterfall needs.

Then I drove back along some gorgeous back roads north of Baltimore through rolling hills interspersing woods and farmland. It really reminded me of New England, though with big old southern style houses, at least where the mcmansions weren't taking over. I passed through the town of Monkton, and I wish I could find good links to show you, but I haven't found any--it had some wonderful old houses and buildings, that I'm sure went back to the 18thC, tucked in among the hills. Then I wound up at the Wegmans in Hunt Valley, which is too far away to make a habit of, and came home with really good bagels and raspberries to yummy up my breakfasts for the rest of the week.

Next time I visit these places, I'll have to bring a camera to take pics of my own to show ya'll. Not the fucking Wegman's--the other places.

Comments

[fancymcsnazsnaz.livejournal.com]

That's the Wegmans we discovered last night! And we too came home with raspberries. (Unfortunately, it's very, very close to home for me, and now I'm going to have to get a second job, because I will be in there all the time.)

I'm glad you're getting to see all these places, even if the reason wasn't good. Thanks for posting the pics. :)

[seaya.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you lived up this way. I thought somehow you lived in DC.

[fancymcsnazsnaz.livejournal.com]

I used to! (I moved to Baltimore four years ago. And I still work in DC.)

[seaya.livejournal.com]

I live in Owings Mills (because I work in Westminster and it's like halfway between there and city stuff.)

(Icon is me in the water ballet from 2 years ago. http://www.fluidmovement.org/ It's my Baltimore icon, among other things.)

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you taught in Westminster. I haven't been up there--is the town pretty?

[seaya.livejournal.com]

Not really. It's just a town. I mean it's clean and not run down and there is a wee bit of non-crap food, also they have some great cycling and some good local festivals.

It's not that special though on the whole.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Heee--I figured--we both posted about Wegman's. (-: Their raspberries are a better quality than any in the regular supermarkets and cheaper--they may even be better than the ones you can get at Whole Paycheck. Their bagels and chocolate chip cookies are good, and their eclairs are divine. Their muffins kind of suck though. Their cakes are too expensive--for which my scale is thankful. One opened near my mom a couple years ago and she was addicted for a while to the chicken tikka they serve in their food bar. They're supposed to open one in Largo next year, so I'm looking forward to that.

Thanks--and you're very welcome.(-: