It's not all sprawl out there
I went out for a drive this morning at rush hour. Along the way, I passed some pretty country churches, a couple of live bait shops, some wide open spaces and nice walking paths.
Montgomery County never looked so rural.
That's right, It wasn't a trick, and I wasn't lost. I was in suburbanland. I had to cover an event in Aspen Hill, which the State Highway Administration had scheduled for 10:30, leaving me no choice but to contend with Washington traffic at rush hour. Or so I thought.
A quick consult of the map showed I could take 70 to 29 south, then amble through on Md. 198 to the site. Excellent!
The route was fast. I drove through towns I had never heard of, such as Spencerville and Norbeck. I spent my early years in Montgomery County, though I consider myself from Pittsburgh, and I never knew they had such small, unspoiled towns. But you can clearly see development is coming -- from the parking lot at Leisure World to the townhouses and for sale signs, even this area is changing.
So, two lessons here for me: if I ever have the misfortune of going to Montgomery County at rush hour again, I will once again take 29. And Montgomery County does have a pocket or two that is still rural -- for now, anyway.
It's not really a bay story, but I think my story about the State Highway Administration finding an ancient Indian rock quarry in the path of the Intercounty Connector will be in tomorrow's Maryland section.
Happy Halloween!
I report on the environment and Chesapeake Bay. A native of West Virginia, I have focused mainly on Maryland's environment since moving here in 1983. Along the way, I've crewed aboard a skipjack in the bay, canoed under city streets up the Jones Fall from the Inner Harbor, and gone deep underground in a western Maryland coal mine. Recently, I have been covering the growth and development transforming the landscape. I love seafood, rambles in the country and good stories. I hope to share some here.
Comments
How fitting: You needed to cover a story about the Intercounty Connector, and you discovered that it really isn't needed! I drove from the Aspen Hill area to Baltimore every day for nearly 5 years, and I took Route 198 to Route 29 and rarely had any problems.
What a huge waste of money this highway project would be. Hopefully, the legal case will lead to its cancellation.
Posted by: Roger Plaut | November 1, 2007 10:38 AM
The is more empty land out in the nation than anyone would ever imagine. Theres no need to live in crowded cities...
Posted by: Mike | February 5, 2008 11:00 AM