Go Visit: Harpers Ferry

 

Harpers Ferry lies at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers where Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet. The town is in West Virginia and the lower part of the town is within the US Park Service run Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. 

 

You have probably heard of Harpers Ferry when you learned history in school.  It is the site of the abolitionist John Brown's raid on the US arsenal there. Brown attacked and captured several buildings; hoping to secure the weapons depot and arm the slaves, starting a revolt across the South. The raid ultimately failed when the US army sent an expedition commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee (who would later become a general in the Confederate army) stormed the fire house where Brown and his men had taken refuge.

In addition to the downtown area, there are a number of hiking trails and beautiul sights to see.  There are two railroad bridges that cross the Potomac here as well as the piers of a couple of older bridges.  This one was built in 1894 and carries the CSX Shenandoah Subdivision line toward Winchester Virginia. The other bridge is just upstream was built in 1930 and caries the CSX Cumberland Subdivision line to Martinsburg, WV.

The bridge also carries the Appalachian Trail across the Potomac River.  This crossing was closed in late 2019 because of a train derailment, but the damage was fixed and the trail reopened in early July of this year.

A popular hike is to start in downtowm Harpers Ferry, cross the Potomac on the Appalachian Trail, travel north on the C & O canal a short distance, then take the Maryland Heights trail up to an overlook with a stunning view of Harpers Ferry and the rivers.

Here's the view of Harpers Ferry, the two railroad bridges, and the confluence of the Shenendoah River (top) and the Potomac River (bottom).  You can see piers from older bridges crossing the Potomac just to the left of the railroad bridges, and piers from a bridge that crossed the Shenandoah just before the confluence.

The C & O canal also runs along the Maryland side of the Potomac River.  The canal doesn't have water in it but the tow path is well maintained and is a popular place for hiking and biking. Here we are looking down at the bright ribbon of the C & O canal towpath and the Potomac River.  As seen from Maryland Heights, a large rock outcropping that overlooks Harpers Ferry, WV.

 Another hike you can do is to cross the Shenandoah River on the US Route 340 bridge (which is also used by the Appalachian Trail, so there is a separated walkway), follow the trail up the mountain then take a left on the Loudoun Heights overlook trail.  This takes you to an overlook where you can see Harpers Ferry from just below the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.

It's Bethesda Big Train baseball season

Did you know that Bethesda, MD has its own local baseball team?  Bethesda Big Train part of the summer collegiate baseball program.  The season is on now and runs through the end of July.  They play at the Shirley Povich field right next to Cabin John Ice Rink.

I went to see them play the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts tonight and it was a fun, casual affair with the fans full of families.  you can look at the schedule and see if you can go to any of the games.

More Montgomery County Fair photos

 Here are some more pictures I took at the Montgomery County Fair (which runs through Saturday).  I posted other pictures and more information yesterday.

First, a video of one of the pig races.

 Lots of people go to the fair just for the rides.  They have rides for all ages of kids, here is the merry-go-round and the dizzy dragons (below)

 Before being judged, most sheep get a very close hair cut.

 

Small animals get their place too.  Here are the chickens.  They also have an incubator full of eggs, some of the chicks have already hatched, but the rest will over the course of the week.

  

  

Old MacDonald's barn has some cute baby ducklings.

 

They also have a birthing center with half a dozen pregnant cows, due to give birth during the fair.  Last year I got to see a birth in person.

 There is a flock of dressed-up geese wandering around the fair.  The geese drink gatorade to keep themselves hydrated.

 Towards the top of the fair you can take a camel ride.  Not something I have ever done.

 One booth near the kidzone had live birds sitting on perches.

I got to see Michelle's magical poodles for a second time.

Go visit the county fair

The Montgomery County fair in Gaithersburg, MD runs from August 9th to the 18th.  There is tons to see and do there, especially if you have kids.  The first can't-miss event is the pig/sheep/duck/goat races.  These little critters race around a track to the cheers of the crowd.  Lots of people go so plan on getting there 5 minutes early if you want a good view.

Right next to the race track is a stage where they have different shows.  I saw Michelle's magic poodle show (suprisingly, not a magic show) and Agricadabra (not surprisingly, a magic show)

Old MacDonalds Barn is another great place to go, they have various animals such as a lama, an alpaca, sheep, goats, horses (including two miniature horses), baby ducklings, and piglets.  This year the piglets are really small and cute.

In the evenings at the grandstand there are events such as tractor pulls, demolition derbys, and monster truck shows, there are also numerous free events throughout the day.  Take a look at the schedule of all events.

Rockville this weekend

Rockville, MD is pulling out all the stops this weekend, it is their annual "Hometown Holidays" celebration. Three days of events culminating in the Memorial Day parade on Monday at 10:30. The bad news is you have missed the first day already. All is not lost though, the festivities continue on Sunday.

"Taste of Rockville" try food from the menus of restaurants such as Lebanese Taverna, Armands, Potomac Pizza, Rocklands BBQ, Whole Foods, Phillips Seafood, Spice Xing, Bombay Bistro, Oro Pomodoro, Vocellis, Yogiberry, Noodles & Company, Gifford's, Baci, Carmen's Italian Ice, La Tasca, and others! There is also more of the Visarts Fine Arts Festival with jewelry, paintings, photograph and more.

Rides and lots of blow-up things to climb and jump on for the little kids (individual rides between $1 and $3, unlimited rides for $20). These are mostly geared at the younger kids, lots of 3 to 5 year olds on them and pretty much all the kids were under 10.

There are also six stages with music, puppets and more, the going green expo, and a smattering of other events. Check out the schedule and see if anything interests you.

As you might have guessed by now, I went on Saturday, it was fun.

Kid's days at Lebanese Taverna in Bethesda

Tuesdays in December and January, the Lebanese Taverna Restaurant in Bethesda, MD is having Kid's lunch days on Tuesdays. There is a musical performance then lunch where kids eat free (one per adult purchase). Last Tuesday we went, but missed the performance. After we ate I was shocked to find out the kids eat free was only for the people who made it to the show. The manager was nice though and gave it to us free anyway. I'll be going again on Tuesday, but will make sure I get there on time.

The food is good. I got a Mediterranean Mezza Platter, which is a sampling of nine different things (I couldn't explain what most of them are). It looked a little sparse when I got it, but it turned out to be very filling. Especially since some of the foods are meant to be eaten with the delicious, fresh made bread they bring you.

The kids menu is different than most, more than just chicken strips and burgers (but they have those too) I liked the Chicken Schwarma Pita Pizza.

The shows are from 10:30am to 11:30am with lunch immediately afterwards.

[where: 7141 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD]
[where: Montgomery County, MD]

Playing at Bonkersville

The beach is made for warm sunny days, not windy, rainy ones. So, what should you do on a rainy day at the beach? I went to Bonkersville. It is an indoor play place with some large inflatable play stuff. A really big inflatable doulbe slide, a maze with a big slide, another maze inflatable thing, and a moon bounce/slide. Yup, everything there included a slide. All that in a big room with a padded floor and a big open space for running. They also have a wooden train table and some areas set aside for parties.

We were the first ones there, about 15 minutes after the place opened. It wasn't crowded at all, but then, it was a school day. At first I was worried that there wouldn't be enough to do, but my kid had fun running and climbing, getting pretty tired after an hour. It made for an extra long nap that day, which is my criteria for success. Once you pay, your good for the whole day, so we left and came back late in the afternoon to burn off more energy. They also have free wifi, so I was able to surf the internet on my phone, which was a nice bonus.

It is reasonably priced and good for an hour or two of activity. I think it would be best for a small group of kids, like a play date. It also sounds like an excellent party idea. We almost went back the next day too, but the weather cleared so we were back at the beach.

The major downside is that they don't allow outside food and drinks, that kind of bugs me, since it is clearly not for a good reason except to enhance their revenue (You can't bring a bottle of water in, but you can buy one there).

I couldn't help but think of was it could be improved, and came up with a few suggestions, More comfortable chairs for the adults would be one, as would beanbag chairs. Another train table would be good, and if they also had the plastic trikes, they could charge for the under 2 crowd (currently free, but not much for them to do, the inflatable stuff is too big). A ball pit would be good too, but that would take up a lot of space. The air blowers where not obnoxiously loud, but you could always hear them, they never fully faded into the background, so muffling or moving them outside would be good. Don't take the suggestions to mean I didn't like the place, I would go back there again even with no changes.

Bonkersville is located in Lewes, DE, just up the road from Rehoboth Beach.

[where: Lewes, DE]

BabySmart Cooshee Booster Classic

The Cooshee Booster claims to be more comfortable for your kid so they stay put. I can't tell you if it is more comfortable, but I rarely have trouble when my child is in it. This booster seat is a single piece of molded foam that is brightly colored. The foam is firm, but a little bit yielding. I haven't had any trouble with it sliding around, even though there are no straps. Since there are no seams it is easy to wash with a cloth or sponge. I have had good luck using it, the only small negative is since it has a couple of inches of foam at the back, and the way my chair's back is, sometimes my kid leans back pretty far, causing spilled food (plastic bibs with pockets are great.) It also claims to be portable, and though it is light, it is also fairly bulky since it doesn't fold. View at Amazon

Book: That's not my puppy

A great "touch and feel" book. Each of the thick board pages shows another dog, some part of him you is textured and you can touch it. Babies can tug on the shaggy ears, or rub the bumpy paws. There are only 5 puppies (each one on two pages, and six if you count the hairy one on the cover) but kids this age have short attention spans, so that doesn't turn out to be bad. Buy it at Amazon

Annie's single serving Microwavable Mac & Cheese

Annie's foods are all natural, which is supposed to make them better for you. This one even has organic pasta. This box comes with 5 single-serving packets, all you do is put the pasta in a bowl with half a cup of water and nuke it for 3 minutes, then mix in the powdered cheese and let it sit for a minute. It is quick and easy and tastes pretty good too. The only downside I see is the amount of sodium, 24% of your daily allowance for a side dish, ouch. (230 calories; 4.5g fat; 9g protein; 40g carbs)

Melissa & Doug chunky Wooden Safari Puzzle

This all-wood puzzle has chunky animals that fit into the cut-outs on the puzzle. Both the puzzle and the animals have a thick coat of bright paint and the area under the cutout has the same animal painted on it so your toddler will know what to put where. The edges of the animals will get the paint chipped off with
use, but that pretty much goes without saying. My kid loves this puzzle, especially the blue rhino and purple hippo.
View at Amazon

Pretzel Goldfish

Hmm, what should I compare this to? Regular goldfish or pretzels? They are the same size and shape as goldfish, but a bit denser and harder. Of course they also taste different, more like pretzels. I think the closest pretzel comparison is medium thickness pretzel sticks, not the really thin ones or the really thick ones either. Aside from the fun shape, why choose one over the other? I don't know, but you might have a preference. (130 calories; 2.5g fat; 3g protein; 24g carbs; 18% sodium; per 43 piece (1.1 ounce) serving)

Melissa & Doug Flapping Duck Push Toy

This is a cute little push along duck that flaps it's wings as you push it. It seems like the perfect toy for toddlers, they love walking around pushing things and this sturdy wooden duck is just the ticket. However, all is not well in toyland. The part that makes the wings flap also makes it much too hard for a 2 or 3 year old to push. An child will probably outgrow this toy before they can use it effectively. View at Amazon

Ikea

Ikea is suprisingly kid friendly. I have always known about their play area (for toliet trained kids, three and up), but I recently went there and noticed that the eating area, in addition to the normal high-chairs, has free disposable bibs, a bottle warmer, and a microwave. The bathrooms not only have changing tables, but also free diapers.