Outdoors Girl: All aboard - Maryland parks and outdoors: Life in Maryland’s great outdoors by Candy Thomson

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July 10, 2010

All aboard

I should have stolen a bicycle.

Just joking, kids.

You can do the Gunpowder State Park Quest by bike or on foot.

Bike is faster, but you'd miss a lot of the scenery and sounds.

Naturalist Brenda Yarrison sends me on my way.

The rain makes my worksheet soggy, but not illegible, and the ink stamps at each stop along the trail don't run.

Neither do I.

Luckily, on my way back to Monkton Station, there's a white truck waiting at the final road crossing.

It's Ranger Paul Roberts, who offers me a lift back.

Park Quest tradition dictates that those who complete the challenge get to ring the big, brass train bell in the station.

Brenda rings it in celebration.

I ring it with a feeling of accomplishment.

Sweet sound, indeed.

Slap the beaver is the Monkton Station mascot.

Brenda rings the bell.

Posted by Candus Thomson at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Park Quest 2010

Comments

The blog is quite interesting and gives a thumbnail of many of our Stste Parks. But...Gunpowder Falls is the largest of the State Parks. The 'bike trail' is a small portion of ot, but attracts over a half million visitors a year. I think that it desrves more than what was presented.

Posted by: Lee Fleishman | July 12, 2010 8:47 PM

I agree that there's lots more to Gunpowder than the NCRR trail. But the sole point of this blog is to highlight the Park Quest challenges. It is my hope, once people experience a tiny slice of each park they will seek adventures of their own.
I have written a great deal about Gunpowder during my more than 10 years as the Sun's outdoors writer: from windsurfing at Hammerman to paddling on the river to trout fishing in crystal-clear waters.
Like you, I am in awe that such a resource is so available to more than 1 million people.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Best,
Candy

Posted by: candy | July 13, 2010 7:40 AM

Rang that bell!

I have gotten several smiles out of following your Quest adventure...thanks for sharing!
It was great fun to meet you...and we hope to see you around the park again soon!

Brenda
Park Naturalist/Monkton Station
Gunpowder Falls State Park

Posted by: Brenda | July 19, 2010 11:21 AM

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About Candus Thomson

In a world of paper vs. plastic and candy mint vs. breath mint, my early memories involved a debate about the merits of freshwater vs. saltwater.

On the one hand, a great uncle’s fishing cabin on the Susquehanna River beckoned, but so did family gatherings on the Jersey Shore.

The correct answer, thankfully, was, “both.”

As The Sun’s outdoors writer for more than a decade, I’ve fished across Maryland in one day, hiked the width of the state in one hour, camped overnight in the median of I-95 to experience the wildlife between the fast lanes and chased mountain bikers in a 24-hour marathon race.

Those are some of the highlights. I’ve also fallen in a raging Gunpowder River during a trout survey (photo available upon request), had a shark spill its guts on my clothes and been stuck in a sub-freezing Vermont wilderness with men armed with flintlocks and hatchets, shuffling along on ancient wooden snowshoes.

And, in my travels I’ve met lots of you, who share a love of the outdoors and the good times and mishaps that go along with it.

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