Category: MD VA Getaways 2019
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Where there’s a Wills, there’s a way
There’s a fine line between brave and stupid. When a cold snap hit Cumberland on Friday with temperatures dropping into the freeze zone, most Rocky Gap campers hunkered down into hibernation mode, or left. These campers bundled up with every piece of winter clothing in the coach for a day of mountaintops and Friday night…
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Bird, Bet and Bike at Rocky Gap Casino and Resort
The injured birds of prey at Rocky Gap State Park may not get altitude. But, they certainly give attitude at the campground aviary. While there are no regular visitation hours, you can stop by in the morning. Arrive with a staff member during feeding time. Go Eagles! Eat the Patriots! Gamble at Rocky Gap Casino…
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Cumberland by eBike
Eight miles of rolling hills separate Rocky Gap from historic Cumberland. 10 minutes on I-68N and you’re downtown ordering ‘two wit’ at Curtis’s Famous Coney Dogs. 30 minutes on your pedal assist e-bike and you’re riding a two-wheel friendly route with a rolling tour of a geographically significant city on the comeback trail. Hill Helper…
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Blazing Trails at Rocky Gap State Park
Eight miles and 4 hours of see your breath hiking with nothing but the sound of crispy brown leaves crunching underfoot gives mind and body the freedom of space and time to wander. It can be a clear your head or get inside it moment. It all depends on how you choose to channel your…
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Maryland Mountain Mission
It’s hard to find fresh lacinato kale (LK) in Bethesda. Safeway and Harris Teeter used to carry it, but wilted greens don’t sell so they stopped stocking it. Trader Joe sells it cut in a bag under the name Tuscan Kale, but it’s rib-rich, which is the inedible part that is banned in all recipes. …
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Rapidan Camp
It was a “Those Were the Days” Friday on our last full day at Big Meadows. Rangers run seven tours a week to The Brown House at Rapidan Camp, the summer White House of Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry, by reservation only. Eric snagged two of 10 tickets on the two o’clock NPS…
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The Sounds of Shenandoah
There are dozens of hikes along Skyline Drive, but without a car they were out of our reach. Surprisingly, bicycles are allowed on these shoulder-less, hilly, curvy roads and while our Comos can help us tackle the upride, our instincts told us to avoid wandering driver eyes. With the rain in the rear view mirror,…
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Big Meadows
The ranger warned us about the impending weather. He recommended we leave before the front came through. He said that once we paid our camp fees, there were no refunds. Were we sure we wanted to commit? “Game on!” Big Meadows is smack dab in the middle of Skyline Drive at mile marker 51, complete with a National…
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Loft Mountain
What a difference a year makes. This time last October we left a consulting gig in Pennsylvania to take Betty west to Phoenix but landed in Tucson cause sometimes things don’t go according to plan. On that GET TO THE WEST adventure we booked three nights in Great Smokey Mountain National Park, unaware that the campground…
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Tangier Island: The sinking softshell capital of the world
Mainland Marylanders know that crossing the Bay Bridge on a Friday afternoon in the summer can be a slow and torturous process but if you want to jump waves and crack crabs it’s all part of Goin’ down the Ocean, Hon. On a Wednesday in September it’s clear sailing and instead of destination Ocean City,…