Western Maryland 6/8/14, 6/9/14

Western Maryland  6/8/14

This morning we left Pennsylvania and crossed into Maryland.

Our GPS led us through several small towns, including…

 

The Accident branch of the Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County.

 

 

When we arrived at Deep Creek Lake State Park it began to rain,…

 

so we entertained ourselves at the Discovery Center.

This 12-pound howitzer canon is engraved with the Great Seal of Maryland, and the words “State Oyster Police Force, 1868.”  It was mounted on the bow of a steamer used in battles with oyster pirates in Chesapeake Bay as the oyster police tried to enforce oyster harvesting laws.

 

We spent the afternoon driving in and out of the rain trying to find the Nature Conservancy’s Cranesville Swamp.

 

We made a couple of wrong turns, but found dinner.

 

We also found some flora along the banks of the Youghiogheny (pronounced “Mississippi”) River.

We eventually found the swamp.  Cranesville Swamp is located in a "frost pocket," an area where the surrounding hills capture moisture and cold air that conspire to create a landscape more reminiscent of habitat found much further north in Canada, and contains many rare species of plants and animals.  We didn’t get to see any of them because another damn thunderstorm rolled in--but we did hike into the area.

 

We were happy to see that the Nature Conservancy spends funds on natural resources rather than paved roads.

 

We ended the day at Herrington Manor State Park.

 

 



 

Swallow Falls State Park, MD  6/9/14

We stayed in a cabin at Swallow Falls State Park, and in the morning hiked to Muddy Creek Falls before leaving for Washington, DC.



The Dunkard Brethren Church evolved in Germany in the early 1700s as part of the Counter-Reformation movement known as the Anabaptists.  Along with Mennonites, Hutterites, and Amish, Dunkards felt that because Reformation churches had sought political protection from governments, they had become state churches.  The Dunkards (whose name stems from the German tunker (to dip, or immerse), practice triple-immersion baptism, and, like the Mennonites and Amish, believe in simplicity, pacifism, separation from materialistic societies, conformity to biblical truth, and supplying physical and material help to others.

WILDLIFE TIP:  While hiking, when you encounter a snake and don’t know whether it’s poisonous, lift its tail and determine whether it has a divided or single anal plate. 

Divided anal plate, #4:

Single anal plate, #4:

 

A poisonous snake will have a single plate.