Eastward Ho!

The call of adventure had me antsy for the road again today.  I tried so hard to stay put and take care of domestic chores, but I just couldn't get my mind and heart off the need to go.  So my intrepid road warriors and I headed eastward for Hancock, MD.  It's a place I've seen Main Street as a passenger in someone else's car a handful of times so it seemed like a good jumping-off point to start today's explorations.

Photo from Hagerstown Magazine.
Today these rocks were covered in ice that looks like
a curtain of flat icicles.  The Rest Area is just around
the bend.

First, we had to pull off for a potty break at Sideling Hill.  All this time I thought it was just a good spot for a Rest Area... but it has a history.  There was a Civil War battle there on what's known as the Gettysburg Campaign.  I got the boys out to take care of their business.  They were so intoxicated by all the unfamiliar smells they almost forgot to get their legs lifted...  And then I went to take care of my need and saw the historic marker explaining more about the battle.  There's also a Vietnam Memorial I want to take time to explore one day and some of those pay-per-view binoculars that let you look out over the many layers of blue-tinted hillsides.

Just off Main Street in the center of Hancock, you'll find this
access point for the Rail Trail and a section of the Chesapeake
& Ohio Canal National Historical Park.  Looking uphill from
the driveway, you see St. Thomas Lutheran Church that was
used as an Army hospital during the Civil War. It was such
an important establishment to the Union Army that they
fortifications to surround it during the Confederate invasion.

Sideling Hill is only 30-some odd miles away but even at freeway speed, it felt like it took forever to get there!  Hancock is just a quick 8 miles further.  It marks the end of I-68/beginning of I-70.  We cruised down Main Street with me taking note of the many antique stores.  Oh for the time and money and place to put all the treasures I'm sure I could find!  Our first stop was a central access point to the Rail Trail built on the abandoned rail right of way which ran parallel to an even earlier mode of moving goods to market, the C&O Canal and its towpath for the men and animals that pulled the barges along.  193 miles of the Canal and towpath, running from Cumberland to Washington DC, are under the protection of the National Park System and known as the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

Hancock Visitor's Center,
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National
Historical Park.

A bit farther up the road, you'll find this old mansion right on the bank of the Upper Potomac River that now serves as the Hancock Visitor's Center.  Parking was a bit far to leave the dogs in the car and the gate was only half-open so it was foot traffic only today.  And the dogs were so naughty that I wasn't about to walk them up there!  Everywhere I got them out of the car, they had no manners that are good... it was pull and strain and cry and circle around my legs like obnoxious little maniacs.  More than once I told them I didn't want them along on future adventures if this is how they're going to act.

Just about a mile past the Visitor's Center, there's a store that I've wanted to stop at as long as I've been in Maryland.  But I was always in a rush or I was the passenger and so it never happened until today.  I made a stop at the Blue Goose Market!  They have a fun selection of merchandise, local wines, gourmet canned goods, and their own bakery!  It's pricy.  But so worth the stop...  For a treat tonight, I picked up a caramel pecan sticky bun that's as big as my outstretched hand.

Entrance to the Blue Goose Market.  You can't tell from
my photo, but the flag in the background is huge.  From
the road, it looks as big as some houses!

For our final stop, I decided to make a short side-trip to see what's the big deal about Berkeley Springs.  The sign said it was only 8 miles into West Virginia... The claim to fame is the public baths.  I think they were once marketed as having some sort of healing properties because they are fed from warm mineral springs.  The town also hosts an International Water Tasting event.  I might just have to look into that more!  Again, I passed lots of antique shops and one with the windows full of handblown glass.  I also caught a glimpse of a giant cat's head painted on the side of an old house and a sign that said Cat Cafe and that you could adopt.  I think lunch with the felines is in order.

Warmer weather, a few dollars to spend, and an early start to the day... Hancock and Berkley Springs both deserve a deeper exploration!  And I think I'll get a sitter and leave the dogs home...