Totally out of boredom and to get out of the house a week ago, went to see a dam near Daniels on the Patapsco river. Noticed a hiking trail along the river, so I came back a couple days ago and walked 6 miles total out and back on mostly the old flat rail grade which plays cat and mouse with the current operational tracks. This is all in the Patapsco Valley State Park. Came back yesterday and hiked from the other direction, Woodstock, and hiked to where I had turned around the previous time and then I got home and went down an Internet rabbit hole. Things I learned: Guilford Road which runs maybe 100 yards from my house is essentially the original road in the area put there in the 1600s, the road west. It is now essentially cut into bits and pieces by new highways, etc. and there’s nothing to mark its significance. I.e., it was the road alongside the Patuxent river all the way down to the Chesapeake Bay for back when the first English settlers arrrived. I did not know. There are two rock quarries very close to where I live I had no idea about. One excavates gabbro which is 400Mya old magma that cooled way underground so large crystals could form. I may have to drive by and do a look-see and even grab a sample if possible. Been interested in geology lately and find it interesting that we’re a lot closer to basement rock around here. I knew of a lot of quarrying activity around here but it’s all beginning to make sense now. Had dinner at the Woodstock Inn, nothing special although I had seen it on maps for years now, I stupidly bought a hamburger when the nightly deal was dollar chicken wings six minimum and six dollar IPAs could have gotten out of there for 12 bucks. Interesting how the landscape changes 10 or 15 miles from where I live though. This is one of those country bars, specials every night, bluegrass twice a month (me: yeah!) Yep out in the country pretty quickly from yuppie Columbia. When I walked out of there a train was blocking the road, lines of cars were waiting during rush-hour. When was the last time I’d seen that? Then I noticed that the CSX cars were loaded with…coal. Coal? Yep there is still one coal power plant left in the entire state of Maryland and you guessed it on the Patapsco river down in Anne Arundel County. Story behind that, being kept open to keep the regional power grids doing their thing. Now planning to be closed in 2029. Didna' know about that. Anyway, sign me up as the county historian, I mean, I already knew the area was pretty historic but a lot of things make more sense, I'm paying attention now. Things to do: Getting more interested in geology, there was a pretty cool rock w/large flakes of colorful mica in it, on the first walk. Pretty extensive hiking trails in Patapsco State Park, only just learning this after living here 36 years, don't need to drive an hour now to feel like I'm in west Virginia even though this is only minutes away from suburbia. You still here? I'll shut up now. Happy, got stuff to check out now. PS I watch AT through-hike blogs and there was this one guy named Vegas who apparently used this area to get his hiking in before that, but was thinking of a much more visited area w/campsites and pay to get it etc. downriver. Now I know this had to have been the area he was talking about, just a lot more room to stretch out. Just another one of those things that clicked. Hard to explain, doesn't even buy me a cup of coffee, just that inward smile when you figure stuff out. The damn at Daniels, not exactly pretty if they want to tear it down, fine, restore the river and all that stuff. ** Edited by `lag at 1/15/2026, 1:52:17 PM