Swallow Falls Canyon Trail

The adventure of the day was to walk around Swallow Falls. It is a state park in the Deep Creek area of Western Maryland not far from where I am staying.  There is a small entry fee that goes toward preservation of the park.

There are two different waterfalls in the area and are connected by a looped path.  The group of us decided to start with Swallow Falls. The trek to the falls is simple, with some steps that lead you down to the falls. We knew we were almost at the waterfall as the sound of rushing water grew.  When we reached the falls we could see it was a popular spot. Lots of people were observing the falls and taking pictures or wading through water to feel the water flow over them. Since we didn't bring a towel or change of clothes we decided to watch and take pictures.

This first set of falls were relatively shallow but still a good drop.  The first picture only shows the top section of the falls from where I was standing, left of the frame is maybe a 20-30 feet drop and right of frame is the river that leads to it.  As we all know I don't like to get too close to the edge, but it was fun scrambling up some of the rocks along the water.

These are my friends going on an adventure between the rocks and trees. They were climbing around and then started to do funny faces when had my camera aimed at them.  Throughout the forest there are a lot of fallen trees. According to signage, the hurricane winds knocked many of the trees over.

We then trotted off to find the next waterfall, I spotted a really cool looking flower along the trial. Just as I pulled my phone out to take a picture the butterfly landed.  It moved around a few times drinking nectar from the flower as I took its picture.  Do you recognize it from a previous post? It is very similar to the one I found in the garden back home.  Can you spot the honey bee? Both the butterfly and the bee are pollinators.

After some winding paths we finally made it to the second waterfall called Muddy Creek Falls. According to the state park's website it is 53 feet tall.  The pictures to the left and below don't show the scale well but it is much taller than the first waterfall we walked by.  To the left of the falls there was a staircase that leads up to the top of the falls.  At the top there is a platform and a paved path to make it handicap accessible. 

 
 Over all it was a great time.  If you are ever in the area I'd recommend checking it out for yourself.  I look forward toward my next adventure as the week continues.  Go check out what your local state parks have to offer they might surprise you, Meet Me Outdoors.

So Many Stars!

I am vacationing with some friends in western Maryland near Deep Creek Lake.  After dinner it was dark out so I decided to go see what the night sky looks like.  We are staying in a semi-wooded area far from the city, to see the stars you have to look between the branches of the trees surrounding the house. Being from a city suburb with lots of street lights, the only stars you could see the brightest of the bright. The crazy amount of stars one can see in the middle of nowhere never stops to amaze me.  I even dragged my friends out to show them and point out what stars and constellations I could identify between the branches. We just kept saying "there are so many stars!" Then we would turn around and see even more stars. It is dark enough to see the faint Milky Way stretch across the sky.

My work in a planetarium allows me to show visitors a digital projection of the night sky and all of the thousands of stars and I hear how awed they are by the view.  Nothing beats seeing the real thing, it is even better. Take a trip away from the bright city lights, Meet Me Outdoors.

Out by the Water at Kent Island, Eastern Shore, MD

Went out to the Eastern Shore, MD and saw a pretty sunset and some really cool wildlife.  There was an osprey nest, a heron, and ducks. (Yes, more ducks...) 

It was really peaceful by the water.  I could see out toward the Chesapeake Bay with Baltimore beyond the horizon.  It was a great evening with my family eating out on the deck watching the sunset and seeing the animals.

The osprey nest had been made on a post that was put out especially for them. They build the nest though.  My family was passing around binoculars to see them better from the deck.  Apparently the baby osprey are nearly fledged and ready to fly off soon so it was nice to see them still in the nest.

When we saw the heron I wanted to get a closer look so I quietly walked down to the dock and tried to get a few pictures. At first it just stood where it was, but it eventually flew off, I caught it on my camera but since it was dusk the lighting was low.  It blended in well along the shore line after landed farther away from the dock, but I could see it in the distance. Of course the camera on my phone doesn't do well in the dark. I will try to add more pictures when I can. Enjoy summer, Meet Me Outdoors.