Friends of Cabin John Park picnic and ducky race

I was out for a walk on Cabin John Trail and saw a sign advertising the Friends of Cabin Joh Creek picnic and ducky race. It was on Sunday the 30th, and, since I can't resist a good race, I went.

They had hotdogs, hamburgers, pizza and sides at the picnic, and I signed up to have a rubber duck in the duck race.  To my surprise, there were several elected officials there, Sara Love, Maryland State Senator for the 16th district was there as well as Sarah Wolek and  Marc Korman both members of the Maryland House of Delegates for district 16,
 

 Here's a group photo of some of the people involved. In the pink shirt is Sara Love, the woman in the white shirt is Sarah Wolek, and the man with the net is Marc Korman.  The other woman is a candidate for a political office, though I didn't get her name.  The other people in the picture are part of Friends of Cabin John Creek.

The race was held in Cabin John Creek, so everyone made their way down the hill and cheered our ducks on.  It was a fast-paced race at the beginning with ducks shooting through the rapids, or, getting stuck on rocks. Later, it got to a calm portion and all the ducks slowed down.  My duck didn't win, I don't even know where it placed.  The top three finishers got a bottle of maple syrup as did the last duck to finish (duck number 7).

After ducks crossed the finish line, delegate Marc Korman scooped them up with his net, making sure none escaped or were injured.

Duck races are every bit as silly as you expect them to be, making it well worth my time to go there.
 

Beaver in Cabin John Creek

Swimming beaver, Cabin John Creek

Last week I saw unmistakable evidence of a beaver in Cabin John Creek.  I decided to try and take a picture of the actual beaver.  It took me a couple of days to do it since beavers are nocturnal and go to bed right around sunrise, but as you can see, I managed. 

When this beaver noticed me it swam upstream for a bit then, with a splash went under water and didn't come back up.  I believe it swam to it's lodge and decided it was bed time.

Beaver stripped branch

Beavers eat the bark off tree branches, so there were branches without bark floating in the water. This is one of the telltale signs of active beavers. 

Beaver Branch closeup

Here's a closer shot of a branch that a beaver has eaten the bark off of. You can see the gnaw marks on it. 

Beaver eaten tree

A beaver stripped some of the bark off this sapling but left it standing.  You can see a few gnaw marks on it.

 

 

 

 

Sewer Rehab project at Great Falls this week

 

Sewer Rehab project sign

I went to Great Falls (Maryland side) this morning and the person at the gate alerted me to a sewer rehab project going on this week.  Apparently, there is a sanitary sewer line connecting Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. and this week D.C. Water will be drilling some rock cores from a few places just below the Washington Aqueduct dam to help understand the area geology and plan for a replacement of the sewer.

Three of the four places they are drilling are only really visible from the Virginia side, so besides the helicopters, don't expect to see anything aside from an occasional helicopter. 

There is more information at DC Water.

Signs about the sewer rehab project

The sidewalk leading up to Great Falls Tavern has several signs with information about the project.

Off to work

While I was there, this helicoptor delivered two people (Look below the helicopter, by the tree branch) to work on the project.

Icy towpath

The canal towpath at Great Falls was icy.  Be careful and wear sturdy shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

Have you seen the Aurora Borealis?

 

The Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights) have been strong recently.  A couple of times there have been predictions of them in the DC area and I have tried to go see them without luck.  Last Thursday night was a super strong one and I happened to be in Shenandoah National Park. I watched them for a couple of hours and got some great pictures. Some friends of mine posted photos they took in Olney, so they were visible in Montgomery County, but, with all the light pollution we have around here I'm not so sure about Bethesda.

This one is from early in the evening. It started out as a pale green that spread across the sky, the reds came in later.

To my naked eyes, this looked a but like light pollution on high clouds, but a long exposure on the camera really brought out the color.  I highly suggest taking pictures. The night mode on your camera app does a decent job.  I used a full-frame mirrorless camera and all this pictures were 30 second exposures.  Later in the evening, I could see the reds spread across the whole sky and some pale green even without using my camera, it was incredible.

If you have missed them so far don't give up. the Northern Lights are caused by sunspot activity and they go through an eleven year cycle that is peaking over the next few months.  The aurora isn't visible every day, I use a couple of websites to keep track. Space Weather is the first one, usually the top paragraph is telling you the chance of a solar flare (this is what causes the aurora) hitting earth.  Look for G4 or G5 class flares if you want a chance of seeing them around here.  The second site I check is SolarHam, which is for amateur radio, but they have a page with the forecast and pictures that show how far south the aurora should be visible.

 

 

 

 

Caroline Freeland Park renovation continues

The park's progress

 It has been over a year since they closed Caroline Freeland park in downtown Bethesda, MD for renovation.  The park still isn't open, but progress has been made. The new lights are in and tables with umbrellas are sitting on a new concrete pad for example. but there is a lot more to do.

Park and Road

The park sits at 7200 Arlington Road between the library and the Giant Food store. It has long been a popular place to take kids to play or to eat lunch.  Despite how it looks in the photo, Arlington Rd is quite busy (except early on Sunday mornings apparently). The sidewalk used to be right next to the road, now there is a grass strip separating the two.

Repainted Sculpture

The round sculpturey thing of people walking in a circle was designed by George Greenamyer and was installed in 1989. It remains and has gotten a fresh coat of paint.

Playground

The playground has been enlarged and has more, larger playground equipment.  It looks much the same as when I last provided an update in February. The fences and benches are new since then.

Elm Street entrance

The Elm Street entrance the park is a bit more open and has a bit more concrete than the old entrance.

Heavy equipment

There is still a lot to do on the library side of the park with lots of bare ground and piles of dirt, sand, and gravel.  According to the county, the park should be open this fall.

Calm Cabin John Creek

 I took this picture yesterday afternoon while walking Along Cabin John Creek in Cabin John Park. It was a beautiful day and today looks like it will be great as well.

 

 

 

 

Trail through McCrillis Gardens

 

A dirt trail winds its way among the flowering bushes and trees at McCrillis House and Gardens on Greentree Road in Bethesda.

 

 

 

Caroline Freeland Park renovation update

 

Caroline Freeland Urban Park on Arlington Road in downtown Bethesda, MD closed last July for renovation.  I posted about the progress last August when they had just started ripping out trees and other park parts.  Here we are 6 months later and it is time to take another look at what is going on.

 

New Playground

 

The most notable change is the new playground.  It is larger than the old one with all new equipment. Much of the playground equipment has been installed including a very tall structure with multiple slides. The playground area was last renovated in 2010.

 

On the other side of the park, the progress is much less noticeable.  Most of it is bare dirt, but you can see wooden stakes outlining where future work will be done.

The project should be completed later this year. Caroline Freeland was the first woman to chair The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC).

 

 

Seen at Great Falls, MD

 

High above the C & O canal near Great Falls Tavern is this stone.  Two peoples names are carved into it. C. J. Isackson and Olga Anderson.  Along with that is carved N.D.  It was obviously inscribed long ago because the lichens growing on the rock also grow into the engraved initials. The sun is at a low angle this time of year which really makes the letters stand out.

 

 

 

Little Falls robot

 

Over a year ago I first noticed a little blue tent and a solar panel alongside Little Falls Branch stream. I had no idea what it was for, my best guess was some sort of shelter for wayward ducks or a beaver rehab center, but both of those seemed unlikely.  Yesterday I noticed they have a sign explaining it is an automated water monitoring robot that can measure Temperature, pH, Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, and Water Flow.  I'm not really sure why it has to physically move to the water as opposed to just having sensors in the creek all the time, but that's how it is.  You can learn more at the Little Falls Watershed Alliance Robot Project. You could also take a look at it yourself, it is located where Little Falls branch goes under Massachusetts Avenue, across from Little Falls Parkway.

Caroline Freeland Park Renovation

Caroline Freeland Park in Bethesda, Maryland is currently closed for renovation and has been since July 10th.  The park is still in the demolition phase with piles of concrete and stacks of tree trunks and roots scattered around.  This renovation will be significant and will take a while. The park isn't scheduled to reopen until some time in 2024.
 

This is where the playground was. As you can see, almost all the play equipment has been removed and is strewn about. The replacement playground will be in the same spot and according to Montgomery Parks, it will be larger.  The current playground renovated in 2010.

Piles of wood and piles of concrete at the site of the Caroline Freeland park. This area of the park will retain an emergency vehicle accessible Hampden Lane and will have an open central plaza

This is a photo from today showing that the park is blocked off with a chain link fence. Arlington Road is on the left, the library is not in the picture but is just to the right.

 

This is a photo from June, showing the park from roughly the same spot prior to construction starting.

 

Looking down on Great Falls

Most of the time, when I go to Great Falls, I either walk or bike on the C & O Canal, or I go out to Olmstead Island, or I do the Billy Goat Trail.  All fun things to do and experience.  There is, however, more to do there.  There is a whole network of trails on the far side of the canal from the river, and one of them leads up to this overlook where you can get a nice view of the area (though your view is punctuated by trees).
 

Go Hiking: Seneca Ridge Trail

 It is winter now, and I don't do a lot of hiking in the winter.  Friday, however, was in the upper 50's and, after how cold it was Christmas weekend, getting out of the house was welcome. Sunday will be equally warm, so it is another good day to get out and hike.  I went on the Seneca Ridge Trail which starts on Road in Darnestown, Maryland.  From here the trail goes West towards Maryland Route 118, Germantown Road.

Winter is a good time to find signs of prior habitation, like this old, rusty cooler.  There are what look to be foundations of a couple of houses on the left of the trail near the start.

The trail soon crosses an old, disused, road. If you follow it up to the end you will find a couple of parking lots. I didn't see any other remains of what was here. I believe this is the National Capital Trap and Skeet club.  From a video I found on YouTube, it looks like in 2015 there was a lot more remaining. If you know have any more information, leave a comment.

 

The trail goes through an area with many dead pine trees.  Several of them have been broken off about 10 feet above the ground.

The trail continues around through the woods for several miles. Since it is winter and you are on a ridge, you can see pretty far through the trees.

Go Visit: Lake Frank

 I haven't paid a lot of attention to Lake Bernard Frank, it is kind of like the forgotten sibling of Lake Needwood.  Lake Needwood is the big star with many activities, the nearby Lake Frank is smaller and there is less to do there.  However, that doesn't mean it is a bad place, it is actually pretty nice and worth a trip or two.

There is a parking lot at 15211 Avery Rd, Rockville, MD and trails leading off from that. This park is run by the Montgomery County Department of Parks.

The main trail is the Lakeside Trail, it goes around the lake (but often not right at the lakeside).  A portion of this trail is dirt as seen here, but a portion is paved.  You can also access the Rock Creek trail from this park.

What would a lakeside trail be without a lake?  Here is Lake Frank, looking towards the dam at one end. The overflow drain is visible in the distance.

A large portion of the trail is actually an old abandoned road for vehicles with access to a parking lot at the lake shore.  Vehicles are no longer allowed on it.

Since the trail was once a road, it is no surprise that there were once parking lots.  The remnants of them are still visible, with lots of grass and weeds growing through the cracks in the pavement.

McCrillis house and gardens

 

One of the lesser known parks in Montgomery County is McCrillis house and gardens.  This is a five acre park donated to the county in 1978.

There are numerous paths winding their way throughout the property with a large variety of trees and shrubs, many of which have signs with their names on them.

There is also a house which you can rent for special events but isn't normally open to the public.

The park is located at 6910 Greentree Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20817 and is  open daily from 10am until sunset.

Fallen tree on Little Falls Trail

Another observation from my walk on Little Falls Trail yesterday. A long-dead tree fell and currently blocks Little Falls trail.  In the background you can see a car that is driving on Massachusetts Avenue.

You can see this is not the first time a tree has fallen down this hill and blocked the trail.  I wonder what is causing this.

 

High water at Great Falls

 Wednesday the remnants of Hurricane Ida came through the Bethesda area and left a lot of water. I have been tracking the forecasts for the Potomac River and it was projected to peak this morning.  I went to Great Falls today to take a look, here are some comparisons for how it looks today and how it looks in slightly more normal times.

Great Falls on the Potomac River as seen from the Olmsted Island overlook.  This photo was taken in July of 2020, the water is a little bit higher than normal for mid summer.

Great Falls on the Potomac River as seen from the Olmsted Island overlook.  This photo was taken this morning. Compare it to the photo above that was taken last year,  All the rocks seen in that photo are submerged, only a few small trees on them poke above the water on the left side of the photo.

From Olmsted Island overlook looking across the Potomac River to the Virginia side.  This photo was taken in April of 2021, the water in the spring is usually higher than in the summer. On the far shore you can see the Virginia overlooks, and in the middle of the picture you can see a large tree trunk wedged between the rocks well above the waterline.

This is a photo taken this morning from almost the same spot as the prior photo. You can see the overlooks on the far shore, and, you can see the same tree trunk wedged between the rocks (and partially obscured by tree leaves. This time the river is within a few feet of it.