Wrapping up our Western Maryland Adventure

Every morning at the Lock Keepers Cottage started with a couple of hours of front porch sitting.  We put a bunch of miles on that swing!

Saturday afternoon we gathered our belongings in preparation for an early Sunday morning departure from Sharpsburg.  We were both amazed at how quickly the month went by and somewhat melancholy because we had such a great time.  There was one more item on the agenda before settling in for the night.  

We hopped in the Silver Bullet and made the short drive to downtown Sharpsburg for one last visit to Nutter's Ice Cream.  We've learned by now that if Nutter's is open there is going to be a line, but Saturdays line was really impressive.  We estimated it to be about 60 people deep when we got there.  Undeterred we took our position at the back of the line.  We only held our position at the rear of the line for a minute or so before a nice family took our place at the tail end.  Of course, this influx of newcomers continued at a faster pace than folks exited with their mounds of ice cream.  When we got our frozen delight the line looked close to twice as long as it was when we got there.  

Waiting patiently with some of our Nutter's brethren!  I guess we're all nutty for Nutter's!

Western Maryland and the surrounding areas of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia were amazing.  I've blogged about many of our adventures and it's close to time to wrap this adventure up but here's a little bit on four more day trips we enjoyed during our stay.

Greenbrier State Park-Boonsboro, Maryland.  Greenbrier is a multiuse (camping, hiking, swimming, fishing, picnicking, etc.) park located in Maryland's Appalachian Mountains.  The centerpiece of Greenbrier is the 42 acre man made lake and two white sandy beaches.  It was early in our stay that we went to Greenbrier and it was unseasonably warm.  We didn't venture out on any of their numerous trails but we did enjoy a nice swim in the lake until an afternoon thunderstorm brought the party to an early end.  As we left we talked about going back for a second visit.  Little did we know how much we would find to keep us occupied and we never made it back.

One of the two sandy beaches at Greenbrier State Park.

Greenbrier State Park

Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.  Berkley Springs is a small town of around 1,000 residents, located about 30 miles from us, with a long history and some notable guests through the years.  Evidence of Native Americans inhabiting the area dates back several thousand years.  The area became a popular settlement for early European immigrants as they ventured inland and was even visited by George Washington.  The big attraction to the area, the mineral rich spring water.  In 1853 a local physician named Dr. William Burke proclaimed boldly that simply by soaking in the water "the nervous system generally would be tranquilized, the feeling of wretchedness and fear of impending evil would be removed, and the whole man restored to gaiety and hopefulness".  With such magical water, it's no wonder Berkeley Springs is known as "The Country's First Spa".  We didn't get to completely soak in the magical waters, but we did sit for a while with our feet soaking while small minnows gave us a "fish pedicure".  I was concerned about the long term health of the fish that were nibbling on my feet.  I'm pleased to report that as we left I did a quick glance back and didn't see any floaters!

There is a spa that offers the opportunity to soak privately in the magical waters as well as other spa services.  We were interested in trying the soaking, but they were booked for the day.  If you go to Berkeley Springs and are interested in soaking the wretchedness out of your body, book it in advance.

Downtown Berkeley Springs on a Sunday morning.  There was a nice farmers market that had plenty of people up and moving early.

The magical waters of Berkeley Springs flowing through the park!

There wasn't too much to nibble on the foot on the left..........the one on the right was like an "all you can eat buffet"!

Prospect Peak near Berkeley Springs.  From this overlook you can see West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, although they all look the same to me.  National Geographic rated it as one of the top overlooks in the US.

Berkeley Springs

Johnstown, Pennsylvania.  We were looking for a place to meet Ben on one of his days off and Johnstown was the perfect meeting point.  The drive was very close to two hours for both of us. Additionally, Johnstown had an interesting, although mostly tragic, history.

On Friday, May 31 1889 the South Fork Dam which was located fourteen miles upstream from Johnstown collapsed.  This released a wall of water estimated to be 37 feet high into the small, narrow valley killing 2,209 men, women and children.  There is museum in the downtown area that details the events of not only the tragedy, but the events leading up to it as well as the recovery and rebuilding efforts.  Shortly after the flood a funicular was built to evacuate residents in the event that another flood occurred.  While it is now a tourist attraction, it was used for evacuation for several additional but smaller floods.  The funicular is currently undergoing renovations but it's an easy drive to the upper station which gives you a great view of the entire valley.

Look who we met up with in Johnstown!

There are three markers on the right side of the wall of City Hall showing what the height of water was for the three major floods that have hit the city.  The one at the top was from the flood of 1889.  The building that was there at the time was completely destroyed.

Construction on the funicular started shortly after the 1889 flood.  It made evacuations of the town faster for floods that occurred later.

 

View from the upper funicular station looking down on downtown Johnstown.  The funicular is expected to reopen in the spring of 2023.

Another view of Johnstown and the valley.  The water from the flood came from the river you can barely see in the top middle and around the left side of the picture.

Another interesting flood related site to visit if you go to Johnstown is the Grandview Cemetery.  The cemetery is near the funicular upper station.  The cemetery has a section referred to as the "Unknown Plot" which contains the bodies of 777 flood victims that could not be identified.  As we drove through the cemetery we spotted numerous graves with the date of death listed as May 31, 1889, the date of the flood.

Plot of the Unknows in Grandview Cemetery.

Johnstown, Pa

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia  Shenandoah National Park is over 200,000 acres of protected land running northward along the Blue Ridge Mountains from Waynesboro, Va. to Fort Royal, Va.  The featured attraction of Shenandoah National Park is the 105 mile long drive (Skyline Drive) between the two entrances.  

A National Park always makes for a good day!

We entered the park at the north entrance (Fort Royal) and drove southward for approximately forty miles to the Skyland area before turning around.  There are great views along the drive (although at times due to fog we had to use our imagination).  The drive runs close to the ridge line so the views constantly alternate along the way from the drivers side to the passengers side.  

Skyline Drive

When we arrived at Shenandoah we really had to use our imaginations to see.  Thankfully the fog burned off and we had great views along the drive.

Most of the trails within the park are listed as moderate to difficult but the ranger did point us to a trail (Lands Run Fire Road) that he said was scenic and fairly flat.  He was half way right, it was scenic but his definition of "fairly flat" is a little different than ours.  We did enjoy the hike, but did the rest of our exploring of Shenandoah from the comfortable confines of our car. 

Shenandoah National Park

All four of these adventures were easy day trips from our base in Sharpsburg and helped make this adventure such a memorable time.

As we made our way back to Ben's house on Sunday we had two stops.  First up was Deep Creek Lake State Park.  Deep Creek Lake has over 69 miles of shoreline, making it the largest inland body of water in Maryland.  The state park has over 1,800 acres near the southern end of the lake.  Much like Greenbrier (see above) it is a multiuse park that is popular with both campers and day visitors.  One of the most surprising things we learned was that during the winter months the entire lake freezes over with ice so thick that ice fishing becomes a popular activity.

Deep Creek Lake State Park

Deep Creek Lake State Park

We also stopped at a place we had visited previously, Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania.  Ohiopyle is a beautiful area with a name that at first appears quite unique, but is actually very practical.  The name Ohiopyle is a combination of Native American words which mean "white, frothy water".  This is an accurate description of the Youghiogheny River as it flows through the area.

Accurately named once you understand it.................

.........white, frothy water!

Downtown Ohiopyle

This bridge over the Youghiogheny River is part of the GAP Trail

Although the population of Ohioplye is very small (around 100), it is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking or biking the Great Allegheny Passage Trail, which connects with the C&O Towpath Trail to form a 335 mile long trail from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C..  Many others were testing their white water skills on the "white, frothy water".  We enjoyed watching some very skilled kayakers going over fairly large falls and somehow managing to stay in their kayaks.  After watching them I came to the conclusion that it was better them that me!

No, that's not me (or Beth) in the kayak!

Ohiopyle State Park

Allie (Ben's dog) is so excited about this blog she can hardly contain herself!

Wining, Dining and Nutter's Ice Cream!

Is this Heaven..............no, but pretty darn close..........it's Nutter's Ice Cream in Sharpsburg

It's hard to believe, but we can count the days we have left at the Lock Keepers Cottage in Sharpsburg on just one hand.  We'll complete our four week stay this weekend.  We'll pack up the Silver Bullet and head back to Ben's house for several days before flying back to Florida.  We'll stay in Florida for a month before heading back to Pennsylvania to reunite with the Bullet, and then on to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

As I've mentioned previously, this area of Western Maryland has exceeded our expectations in every way.  It's really a beautiful area with a wide variety of things to see and do nearby, which has made taking day trips several times a week fun and easy.

One of the unexpected and pleasant surprises has been the local wineries.  Certainly Western Maryland will never be mistaken for Napa or Sonoma, California when it comes to the number of wineries.  In Washington County, where Sharpsburg is located there are seven wineries listed.  Three were recommended by our Airbnb Host and previous Lock Keeper Cottage guests.  We tried all three and enjoyed each one very much.  One (Antietam Creek Vineyards) so much, that we've made two additional visits and hope to get in one more before we leave.

Sunday afternoon at the Antietam Creek Winery.........bring your own food and bring your own lawn chair!

The old barn has been converted into the winery at Antietam Creek

Antietam Creek Vineyards 

Big Cork Winery

My attempt at "artistic photography" at the Big Cork

Good wine, music and fun at the Big Cork

When you go to the Big Cork pay close attention....there's a right way and a wrong way to get in.

Big Cork Vineyards

The Red Heifer Winery.

More live music and another winery with a great view!

Another day, another winery, another selfie!

Red Heifer Winery

All three of the wineries allow you to bring your own food and offer live music to enjoy.  Sometimes there is music on Friday evenings, and there is music on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as well.  You can check the websites of the individual wineries for their days, hours and music lineups.  If you see that the Acoustic A-10's are playing, that's the place you want to go. They're fantastic!

The Acoustic A-10's.  Three very talented musicians kept us entertained for hours.

We eat the majority of our meals at our Airbnb homes, but we do enjoy an occasional meal out.  When we do eat out we try to do our homework ahead of time and pick a place that is "local", serves items that may be special/unique to where we are and of course not too expensive.  I've highlighted several places we've enjoyed on some of our daytrips.  A few other fun places we've enjoyed are Betty's Restaurant in Shepherdstown, which is a small diner that specializes in lump crab cakes and boasts of having the worlds best sausage gravy.  I didn't partake in the sausage gravy but can attest to the crab cakes being really good. Rad Pies (Pizza) in Williamsport is located inside the Cushwa Brewing Company.  At Rad Pies you can build your own pizza or choose from a number of their unique creations.  All their pizzas come in one size but unless you're hungry or can't agree on toppings, one pizza will easily feed two people.   

Betty's Restaurant does not have a website but can be found on Facebook

Rad Pies

Our favorite nearby place to eat that we've discovered is the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Hagerstown.  This unassuming place in a strip mall is the type of place you'd ride by without giving any thought to unless you had heard about it or wondered why all those cars were there.  When you open the door you might just think you've died and gone to heaven.  Fresh pizza is being prepared on the left, fresh fruits and vegetables are on the right and that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Don't make your selection too soon because there are around ten more "food booths" in the back serving up an amazing variety of food.  Favorites that we found include the steak and cheese pretzel, chicken pot pie, fried chicken, bbq sandwiches, fresh vegetables and a variety of sweets.  All this food is prepared and served by local Amish who have a well earned reputation for being great cooks.   One other thing before moving on from "dining".   Even when eating in, we've enjoyed some amazing fruits and vegetables from local roadside stands.  At this time of year there's plenty to choose from, our favorites include sweet corn, cucumbers, peaches and apples.

Unassuming on the outside..........

spectacular on the inside!

Pennsylvania Dutch Market

Rounding out the holy trinity of wine and food is Ice Cream!  Hands down the place for ice cream in this area is Nutter's in downtown Sharpsburg.  Nutter's has been scooping up frozen delights since 1996.  While they might has raised their prices since opening, this is still the best deal around.  Two Dollars and fifteen cents will get you a small cone or dish.  Don't despair and for goodness sakes don't order anything larger than a small unless your sharing it.  Also, if you find yourself at Nutter's on a hot day, get your ice cream in a dish.  It's not humanly possible to eat it all before it starts melting down your hand and arm.  I tried, and I failed miserably, but with a big smile on my face.

Yep, these are "small".  As usual Beth was smarter than me and got her's in a dish instead of a cone.  I ended up wearing a lot of mine.

 

Nutter's Ice Cream

The C&O Canal and Towpath..............better than originally planned!

The hiking and biking along the C&O Canal Towpath is fantastic!  A flat, wide trail with plenty of shade!

The two hundred year anniversary of the opening of the C&O (Chesapeake & Ohio) Canal is less than ten years away.  The planning and construction goes back much further.  It can even be traced back to George Washington who had a vison of connecting the great lakes and Ohio River to the east coast by a series of waterways.  His vision, and a lot of hard worked proved to be a success with the opening of the Erie Canal which was completed in 1825.  If it worked once, surely it would work again.

After years of study, a two phase building plan was developed.  An eastern section adjacent to the Potomac River, connecting Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland (184.5 miles).  An even more ambitious plan of a western section over the Allegheny Mountains to the Ohio River and Pittsburgh was phase 2 of the masterplan.  The western section was never built, but the eastern section was completed in 1850 and is still being enjoyed today, even if for a very different purpose than it was originally intended.

Groundbreaking took place on July 4, 1828 and the guest of honor to turn the first shovel of dirt was President John Quincy Adams.  Maybe it was an omen, but according to newspaper reports from those in attendance, the ground was so hard and full of roots that President Adams had such a difficult time scooping up that first shovel full of dirt that he worked up a sweat and had to take his jacket off to complete the task.

For it's time, the canal was considered an "engineering masterpiece" that required the building of 74 locks along the way to raise and lower the water levels to accommodate for the elevation changes..  The canal was around 60 feet wide and could handle boats up to 90 feet in length and 14.5 feet in width.  The boats were guided along the journey by teams of mules who were led by "mule drivers", who were often children.  The path along the canal was known as the towpath.

The canal worked as it should and was operational for 74 years before it closed in 1924.  In spite of the fact that it was well used, it was not considered a financial success due in large part to constant challenges with flooding that required expensive maintenance.  The railroads that were being built were major competitors as well.  The railroads could move larger loads of goods and people faster and more efficiently.  Even though it has been gone for nearly a century, evidence of the canal can still be seen today.  Although there is some stagnant water in places, in most places we've seen, it looks simply like a ditch that has been overgrown with trees and brush.  A far cry from the nickname of "Grand Old Ditch" it was given early on. 

What has lived on with great success is the towpath. The towpath is now a trail for hiking and non-motorized vehicles that continues to run the full 184.5 miles with 31 designated hiker/biker campsites along the way.  Since January 8, 1971 it has been under the care of the National Park Service and is designated as a National Historic Park.  It certainly must win the award for being the longest/narrowest park in their system.

Near mile mark 87 (above the dam) there is a section called the "Big Slack" where the boats were able to navigate in the river.  A paved path was built along this section about ten years ago which allows hikers and bikers to go the entire distance without interruption.

Chesapeake & Ohio National Historic Park

Camping along the C&O Canal

The Lock Keepers Cottage where we are staying is located at the 84 mile mark of the canal.  We've enjoyed hiking and biking a little bit each way.  Going as far as McMahon's Mill at the 88 mile mark and in the other direction to Taylor's Landing near the 82 mile mark.  Toward McMahon's Mill is "above the dam".  The river is wider and deeper with plenty of boats pulling skiers or fisherman trying their luck.  Below the dam, in the direction of Taylor's landing, the river is shallower with occasional small, rocky rapids.   The section of the trail that we have covered is flat, tree lined (great shade) and hard packed enough that unless there has been a hard rain it is great for biking.   

McMahon's Mill located above the dam near mile marker 88.

That's not my bait....that's my catch!  I fished above the dam for blue gill and sun fish.  I caught about 20-30 blue gill in no time.  Had I kept them and caught about 200 more we would have had a meal.

Below the dam, which can be seen in the background, it is much more shallow and rockier.  I've enjoyed wading out in the water and fishing for small mouth bass.........

I even caught one!  I'd say he weighed about 1.5 pounds.  I was pleased with myself and he was pleased when I quickly returned him to the water.

We can obviously only vouch for the section of the towpath that we have seen, which is outstanding.  The cottage has numerous books about the canal and towpath and based on pictures, the other parts look equally scenic and interesting.  We feel very fortunate to have such an historic park to explore just steps from our front door.  Either from the trail or while sitting on the front porch listening to the water flow over the dam, we enjoy the C&O Canal daily.  Even if isn't in the way George Washington envisioned.

 

   

Fredrick, Maryland.............even better than we expected!

Carroll Creek Linear Park in Historic Downtown Fredrick, MD

As we were researching places to visit during our stay here in Western Maryland, the city of Fredrick quickly made it's way onto the list.  There were nice reviews on TripAdvisor and previous guests to the Lock Keepers Cottage had mentioned it in the guest book.  I was also able to get a thumbs up from a lifelong friend who had lived fairly close to this area for a number of years.  Thanks Kim, you've never steered me wrong yet.

Fredrick, Maryland is a city of approximately 70,000 people, located along I-70.  According to Google Maps it is 49 miles from both Baltimore (via I-70) and Washington, DC (via I-270). Even though it's population is less than 100,000, it is the second largest incorporated city in Maryland.  If you're keeping score, Baltimore is the largest city, with a population of around 600,000.  There are also five unincorporated cities in Maryland with populations slightly larger than Fredrick.

We knew that Fredrick had an interesting looking downtown that we wanted to explore.  We had also planned on eating somewhere in the downtown area and depending on the weather possibly taking in a few innings at the Fredrick Keys baseball game before heading back to Sharpsburg.  But first on the agenda was a visit to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Fredrick Visitors Guide

As we have toured the battlefields of Antietam and Gettysburg, as well as the small towns nearby, we've learned a lot about the care of those wounded in battle, as well as the challenges that troops faced from diseases due to poor sanitation and living conditions.  The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is dedicated to preserving the legacy of care and caregivers as well as the surprising humanitarian efforts shown in caring for all the injured regardless of if their uniforms were blue or gray.

National Museum of Civil War Medicine

The two story museum is located in the Fredrick Historic District near the intersection of Patrick and Market Streets.  Currently the museum is open Thursday-Sunday.  However, you can request a time to visit the museum on other days and the staff will try to accommodate you.  We requested a mid-afternoon time on Wednesday that ended up being available.

When we arrived we were greeted by two enthusiastic staff members who gave us a quick overview of the museum layout and told us that they would be closing in an hour.  The exhibits and information displayed throughout the museum were outstanding.  The themed exhibit rooms were Medical School Education, Recruiting and Enlisting, Camp Life, Evacuation of the Wounded, Field Dressing Stations, Field Hospital, Pavilion Hospital, Embalming and finishing with Modern Military Medicine.

Keep in mind that this was in the 1860's and that much had yet to be discovered about the complexities of the human body, surgical/sterile techniques (no gloves, mask or sterilizing instruments between cases), anesthesia (thankfully chloroform had been discovered a few years earlier), pain management (whiskey or morphine) and most importantly the lack of an understanding of  infection control.  Two thirds of those who died in the Civil War died not from battle wounds but from disease.  Surprisingly, for as archaic and barbaric as the medical care seemed to be, there were numerous success stories and practices such as triage, evacuation of injured, centralized care (hospitals) and levels of care that are now common practice.   One of the success stories that is told throughout the museum are the letters from a Union Private named Peleg Bradford.  His letters home documented everything from his induction into the army, his training, combat, injury and recovery.  As with many of those injured by bullets, his injury resulted in an amputation.  His leg was amputated at the hip.  However, as documented in his letters, he received compassionate care, therapy and a prothesis.  After the war he returned home, he was employed, and he and his wife raised eight children before he passed away in his seventies.

It may look pretty routine, but this is actually showing several firsts in medicine.  Triage, evacuation (the buggy in the background is the first concept of an "ambulance").  The injured is being transported to a centralized care facility "hospital", which is also a first.

Peleg Bradford

We used up our full hour in the museum and while we didn't feel that was too little time, we both agreed that we could have easily spent another 20-30 minutes or so enjoying learning more about this part of the Civil War.

On our way out, the friendly staff gave us a couple of suggestions of local restaurants.  Among their favorite were a Thai and a Cuban Restaurant.  They both sounded good, but we set our sites on the Thai place that was just a few doors from the museum.  Unfortunately when we arrived they were not yet open for dinner.  The Cuban Restaurant happened to be right across the street so we quickly adjusted our taste buds and made our way to Sabor de Cuba.  As Floridians we may think that we have a monopoly of great Cuban food, but we really don't!  While we may have more options, great Cuban food can be found in many places around the US and it certainly can be found at the Sabor de Cuba in Fredrick!

Sabor de Cuba

After the early dinner we strolled 8-10 blocks up Market Street past local shops, restaurants and galleries and then along the very impressive Carrol Creek Linear Park.  As with Market Street, there were more local businesses as well as old homes and warehouses that have been renovated for urban living.  After a while I told Beth that I must be sounding like a broken record because I kept saying "this is really nice"!  She quickly agreed with my assessment of both myself and Historic Downtown Fredrick.

A few more pictures from Fredrick..............

Carroll Creek Linear Park

A brief rain had cooled down what had been a very hot afternoon, so we decided to finish off our time in Fredrick with a little baseball.  The Fredrick Keys (named after Fredrick native Francis Scott Key) had been a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles since 1989.  Unfortunately, when baseball reduced the number of minor league teams last year Fredrick was one of the teams on the chopping block.  Thankfully, they were awarded a collegiate summer league team so the team lives on, just in the form of younger, draft eligible players.  

Harry Grove Stadium.........Home of the Fredrick Keys.  Who knows, maybe we were watching the next baseball superstar!

It was a beautiful night for baseball and when we left in the sixth inning the Keys were in control.  Our afternoon/evening in Fredrick was done.  Krumpe's Donuts was calling our name and was only a short detour off our route back to the Lock Keepers Cottage in Sharpsburg. 

Even though we knew Fredrick was going to be nice, we didn't know how nice.  It was another unexpected and pleasant surprise, one of the many that we have found during our time here.