Category Archives: State Parks

Prothonotary Warbler Trail

26 Sunday Apr 2020

Posted by in Eastern Shore, Hiking, nature, Road Trips, State Parks, Trails

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Well that is a mouthful to say! Pronunciation is Pro-ton-o-tar-y, which by itself is a Chief Clerk in a court of law, which is apropos to what I have been going through the past couple of months (another story, another time). But with the warbler attachment, it is just that – a warbler. A trail full of them. This was a 2.3 mile hike.

For whatever reason, All Trails stopped recording our trip so I used their default map, adding an extra red line at the bottom left of the trail because we walked the road back. Not much parking. You need to park on the grass along the road. The guy that lives in the house to the left of the entrance trail was cutting the grass. He does a good job maintaining it. It is turkey hunting season and he wanted to know if we seen any? Glad this property belongs to the Nature Conservancy – No Hunting! I hate ducking bullets!

Entrance path

Some of the plants we saw

The path goes from Creek Rd. to Nassawango Creek. A nice trail with some boardwalks. No steep hills to climb. Molly did well and there were only 3 other people on the trail. We were spaced out accordingly.

It is part of a cypress swamp and the ‘knees’ always remind me of faceless people.

PEACE

Signage along the trail.

Nails in tree? and blaze.

More stuff along the way…

This was interesting. One of the bottles had AA written on it and I thought how weird is that? I looked it up and and it is an Ancient Age Bourbon Bottle. I immediately saw Alcoholics Anonymous!

Warbler in entrance hole

Well, Molly says enough of this. Although it has been a wonderful, peaceful hike, it is time to feed me! Thanks God for a wonderful hike with minimum people out there.

Quite a few of these photos were taken by Kathy. Thanks Kathy!

Last Hike 2019

29 Sunday Dec 2019

Posted by in Assateague, Eastern Shore, Hiking, State Parks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

It was a beautiful day Saturday, December 28, 2019 and there is nothing better than taking a hike on a beautiful day. If we had known it was going to be as warm as it was, maybe we could have went kayaking instead! Next time. We have a lot of favorite hikes that we do, but sometimes we look for new places. Although we have been to the Assateague area many times, we saw a spot on the map we never have been to – Rackliffe House and trail:

This historic site is behind the visitor center. There are 2 trails that lead there. We chose the wooded one instead of the asphalt.

Across from where Kathy is sitting is a path to Sinepuxent Bay with the Verrazano Bridge in the distance.

A very short beach hike.

Kathy pic
Kathy pic

Leaving the beach we head towards the house, passing the golf course.

Nice tree tunnel

This Geo-cache was hanging in plain site. At first I thought it was a wildlife camera.

Always nice to have a choice in the paths we take in life.

Historic house – from their website:

Rackliffe House, a 1740s merchant-planter’s home overlooking Assateague Island and scenic Sinepuxent Bay. Rackliffe House was constructed in the 1740s by Captain Charles Rackliffe, the merchant-planter grandson of one of the earliest English immigrants to Maryland’s seaside. The large two-story, three-bay Manor House features Flemish bond brickwork with random glazed headers, a steeply pitched gabled roof with kicked eaves, and large windows. Captain Rackliffe intended the house to be seen across the water. He built it on a prominent ridge atop a man-made terrace with expansive views of the water and island.

In its time, Rackliffe House has witnessed marauding Spanish galleons, Barbary pirate ships, and English men-of-war. The house has stood through the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Today, thanks to the restoration efforts of the Rackliffe House Trust and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, historic Rackliffe House now serves as a coastal museum that interprets 18th-century life along Maryland’s seaside.

View through the house

The second part of the loop includes a pond and a stream

Brave Molly stepped over Kathy’s feet to cross over

I thought all the bugs died off during the last freeze. Termites.

We leave the visitors center and the Rackliffe Loop and head over to the ocean. Always a favorite. And again we sought out an area we have never hiked. North of the Youth Group Areas. We hiked behind the sand dune and saw this. Who they keeping out or in?

Rounding the corner to the beach.

Kathy pic

The beach with not a lot of shells, just this small group;

Getting ready for the new year.

Not that we run around nude on the beach a lot, but this sign makes you wonder! Kathy says this use to be an unauthorized nude beach many years ago.

Beautiful day, beautiful hike and beautiful beach! Thanks God for another beauty!

Trap Pond State Park 9/11/2019

15 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by in Eastern Shore, kayaking, nature, Road Trips, State Parks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

First off, I would like to thank the team @KayakingDelmarva for writing and documenting their trips/adventures to places I had no idea about. Because of them, Kathy and I have been able to follow their paths on our own adventures. Thank you!

I had previously written about Trap Pond a while ago when we were looking for a new place to hike, but because it was $8 to enter, we passed. Seems crazy to pay to go hiking. Kayaking and use of a boat launch is worth it though.

In the above photo is a yellow sign to the left:

The water was nasty looking and we did everything in our power not to touch it!

We followed the shore, passing the camping sites, into the first creek.

Dead end
Floating root system of lily-pads

Turned around and headed back along the shore, occasionally heading out into the open water, then back into the cypress.

Lots of turtles

Kathy took some nice pics of the flowers and nature, adorning her kayak.

And of course me photo-bombing her pics!

We then headed into another creek. A sign says this is Terrapin Branch. On Google maps it is noted as Thompson Branch. Lots of signs pointing you in the right direction.

Only became aware of this guy because of all the noise he was making.

Water still green back here

Various nests (or spy cameras?). Also odd markings on trees. Looks like scrapings from falling trees maybe?

Uh-oh! End of the road? A fallen tree in the way. There were a lot of trees down but for the most part, people had cut them out of the way.

My kayak will fit under, but I won’t.

So, I tried backing up and going full speed, to get my kayak to leap over it! No luck – just bounced off!

Time to turn around and go back.

He saw us first.
Turtle very still – “Please don’t look at me!”
“Are you looking at me?”
Cypress reflections

After about 4 hours out there, back to the launch. It will take quite a while to clean the kayaks off.

Nice pond to say the least!

Our path. Not really sure of the ending point only because I had no GPS signal. Very nice day. Thanks God for another great one!

Chincoteague 9-3-2019

07 Saturday Sep 2019

Posted by in chincoteague, Eastern Shore, Hiking, Road Trips, State Parks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Kathy and I figured we would get at least a couple days of biking and hiking in before the weather took a turn for the worse (Hurricane Dorian). Chincoteague is always a favorite spot. First we biked over to the Bivalve Trail on the bay side.

Playing in storm drain
Kathy’s sister Gail’s bike. Kathy likes this one better.
Snails in high tide
Don’t tread on me.
Upside down in the grass. Grass cuts your legs up!
Reading Naturalist on the Nanticoke. Full chapter on these guys
Kathy’s photo of the Roy Orbison bug.
This was all dry last week.

Then we headed over to the ocean.

The female carries a male, digs a shallow hole for her eggs then tosses the male onto the eggs to do his thing. Then they go their separate ways. This group didn’t make it.
??
A bunch of trees with sea shell ornaments.

Packed up and headed through town to see if we could find a decoy carver’s shop. No luck but found this old house – Sign on left says: Capt. Timothy Hill House. Islands oldest home. 1800. Another sign says privately owned, visitors welcome.

Great day for the bike and beach.

Snow Hill – Kayaking, Goat and Future Adventure

15 Thursday Aug 2019

Posted by in Eastern Shore, kayaking, State Parks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Kathy and I had previously gone kayaking on the Pocomoke at Snow Hill’s southwest side, below Rte 12. This day we headed to the northeast side, at the Pocomoke River Canoe Company. I called beforehand to see if they had a public launch and they do. It is more of a floating dock, of which I have never jumped in my kayak from before. I did ok – I didn’t fall in. (Usually I walk in from a ramp). The employees there are very nice and helpful.

Here is our path. It was about 3-1/4 miles round trip.

Some highlights:

Here comes the rain!

After a couple hours of kayaking and the rain forcing an early exit (Stupid weathermen were calling for rain after 4pm. We were there at about 10am), we decided to grab something to eat at a place called Down Under on Rte 12. Great cranberry/walnut chicken salad for me. Kathy got a cheese steak sub which she enjoyed. Instead of sitting in the parking lot, we headed back into Snow Hill, Byrd Park, to eat. Finally saw the Goat of Goat Island!

The canoe guys gave us a brochure listing other launches. On the way home we stopped at one, to check it out. This one is on Red House Road and is very small.

Thanks God for another day filled with adventures!!

Algonquin on the Pocomoke

09 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by in biking, Eastern Shore, State Parks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Not too far from the house so we thought it would be a good day for a bike ride. Wrong! This trail is not made for leisure cyclists like us.

We should have heeded the ‘Mountain Bike’ icon and said – Nope!

It would have been a nice ride if not for the sand traps and branches in the path. Not well kept. And rocky.

A pond of some sorts. Not sure why it is red. Kathy suggested because of the reeds around the pond had red flowers on them that fell into the water…

I think she touched the water with her magic shoes…

First time seeing something like this – visitor counter.

Only went a mile and turned back. Did not like this trail at all.

Headed over to Milburn Landing to check the boat launch. Water moving quite fast. Headed home.

Still a very nice day to be out and about.

Assateague Revisited

06 Saturday Jul 2019

Posted by in Assateague, Eastern Shore, kayaking, State Parks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Return trip to Assateague State Park for some more kayaking. Paddled a little over 2-1/2 miles and were out there for a few hours. Nice day with a slight breeze, enough to keep the bugs off. We put in at the Old Ferry Landing. A few people there. By the time we returned, there were a lot more people. We pretty much went to a couple isolated waterways, opting not to head out on open water to the islands. Mostly hugged the shoreline.

Headed south-east which was a dead end.

Turned and headed north east, passing by the landing, towards the nature trail. Came across this.

Got close to check it out, then climb up on it.

It dead ends. Must have washed up here during a storm.

Taking a picture of Kathy taking my picture.

It was harder getting up and down that thing than it looks. Once I was able to crawl back into my kayak, we headed into a cove.

Then backed out to head to another.

Wind picked up so Kathy made a sail.

Could not find this in my bird book. May be immature and not be fully colored.

Back into another little waterway and as far as we could go.

Although we could only go so far, it was really nice and peaceful back here.

Parked the kayaks to chill in the water some.

Kathy’s pic of me trying to take a photo of a bi-plane flying overhead. Red Baron.

Kathy’s pic. My hands shake to much to get a good shot that far away.

Not only does Kathy do a good Ralph Macchio, she also picks up other people’s trash along the beach.

After some walking around looking at crabs and various shellfish, back into the kayaks for another cove.

Another dead end.

A shortcut on the return.

Lots of people. I think the ranger was giving crabbing lessons.

Nice day on the water and we then run into a traffic jam leaving the park.

Kathy’s photos of the ponies.

A very nice kayak adventure!

Indian Beach Vacation

01 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by in Photography, State Parks, vacation

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

After months of retiring, selling our homes, moving, working on the new house…we finally were able to take a vacation. Kathy’s sister let us stay at her place on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. Thanks Gail and John for a much needed break.

On the drive down we stopped for a rest at the Dismal Swamp Canal. Place has an interesting history. Google it. We also stopped on our way home.

While there, the hydraulic bridge was being moved for a couple of boats to go through. Boats have the right of way.

Raising the bridge

Molly needed a rest area too!

History

The canal

Whatever happened to this guy?

Onto Indian Beach. Some favorite shots.

Portuguese Man-o-War Jellyfish

Replacing dune grasses
50 cent
Turtle Nest
Wave Dancer
Peace

Night time, sun sets.

One night we went for a bike ride.

Bike ride sunset

Emoticons – Emoceans.

Headed over to Beaufort for a boat ride to Shackleford Island.

A beauty amongst the flowers
Putting a boat on a boat
Tour boat
Plane pulling a para-glider
On their own
Duke University lab
Lots of dolphins
Landing site for our adventure
Heading towards the horse paths
Higher than they look
I fell on this one. Saved my camera!
Skate
Fort Macon
Coast Guard yard
Fool

Bogue Inlet Pier

Thanks Gail and John! what a great vacation!

Looking for a Place to Hike

27 Monday May 2019

Posted by in Hiking, nature, Road Trips, State Parks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Nice day out Sunday so we headed out to go hiking. Our first stop was Trap Pond State Park in Laurel Delaware. They wanted $8 to get in?? They wouldn’t accept our Maryland State Pass nor our National Park Pass. And you would think it being Memorial weekend veterans could get in free! Nope! Not that we didn’t have the money – it was the principal. Maryland has lots of parks we can go to so we headed down Rte 13 to Leonards Mill Park. Their Website says they have a hiking trail – they don’t! It’s more of a visitor information center and park.

Kathy went in to get some info brochures.

I checked out the view.

We knew there is a boat launch in here somewhere, so we looked for that. Nice little bridge. some kids fishing down stream.

Sluice gates need adjusting.

Found the boat ramp. Get in here and head under the bridge to a larger pond. Looking forward to that.

The visitor center folks said we could hike at a park on Naylor Mill Road. So we headed there next. It is called the Henry Parker Sports Complex. Lots of mens slow pitch softball going on here. It has a trail, but it looks more like a mountain bike course.

The trail(s) [multiple switch-backs] were not marked for hiking with hash marks. We just headed towards the opposite area of the ball fields. Below the hill where Kathy is, is Leonard Pond Run. Couldn’t really get to it.

There were a lot of frogs on the trail.

More of the bike course.

Short hike but enjoying nature. Old growth trees.

The layers just peal away and fall to the ground.

Back to the car and Molly now has her own Yeti Tumbler. Spoiled dog!

Lesson for today – investigate where it is you are going before you go! Still a great day to be out. Thanks God.

Gail’s First Kayak Adventure

23 Thursday May 2019

Posted by in Eastern Shore, Family, kayaking, State Parks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

It was a nice day and with Kathy’s sister Gail visiting from N.C. we thought it would be nice to take her kayaking and for us to try out one of the new inflatable kayaks we bought. We bought 2 for when our kids or others visit.

Off we go. Kathy used the K1 Inflatable. With the skeg attached, Kathy had some trouble paddling in a straight line. She seemed to have to paddle twice as hard as we did.

Heading past Little Egging Island.

On the other side of that island was a bunch of people. Gail checking them out and doing a great job for her first time kayaking.

Here are their kayaks.

Maybe crabbing or clamming.

Now we head across the open water to Great Egging Island. Gail trying her hand at paddling in reverse.

This horseshoe crab looks to have been here for a while – barnacles growing on it.

Dead trees on the island…

And in the water. Some of these look like old pilings. If you look close at this one, you can see the high rises in Ocean City under the Assateague Island Bridge.

Octopus root.

Uh-oh?! What happened to Gail? Pee call??

Nope! Looking for drift wood!

Tried to take a photo of the tuning fork tree but was photo-bombed!

Some sisterly bonding on the high seas!

Drift wood and drift metal.

No clue why this pipe is here.

Bird 1.

Bird 2.

Heading back. It got a little crowded while we were away. Some Boy Scouts and others crabbing.

Here is our map. Under 3 miles but a good trip. Kathy thinks the inflatable kayak should only be used on still waters and not on open waters, which will be fine. There are a lot of rivers and streams around.

Another great adventure!