I left the Annapolis suburb of Parole early this morning with Dad as my walking companion. The conditions were ideal all day, with temperatures in the 60s with no chance of rain. Grothar, the Santharian god of weather was rooting for us and our pace was fantastic as a result.
The roads were the only issue, with less shoulder than we felt safe with at times and our first hills combining with some twisty thoroughfares to make the going a little tense at times. Even so the fifteen miles to our hotel in Bowie went quickly and we arrived shortly after one thirty.
The most intriguing of the man-made objects on our route was the Patuxent Bridge. This rusty hunk of iron looks about ready to call it a career. The surface is akin to walking on an open grate, giving one an opportunity to see the water below and imagine what it will be like for the person's car that is unlucky enough to be rolling over the span when the decrepit structure finally collapses.
We also saw some interesting avians along the way. A pair of guinea fowl acting like guard dogs chased us along the edge of one home owner's property. Later I saw a downy woodpecker, the smallest of the woodpecker species found in the United States, according to amateur birder/walking companion Peter McCandless.
After arriving at the hotel in Bowie so early I regrouped and decided to head out to knock out a few more miles during the afternoon. I trod about five more to make my total distance for the day 19 miles, pushing me above the one hundred mile mark to a smooth 109 for the first week's total.
The Bowie I saw mainly consists of shopping centers and doesn't have the amazing history that Annapolis boasts, but they can brag of the Belair Mansion, where several Maryland governors have called home. The Fresh Prince was not in residence at the time. The city also once held one of the world's great treasures, my mom's childhood friend Duffy, her husband Michael and their two fabulous daughters Sara and Liz.
I'll be starting back up in the Old Bowie area tomorrow with my destination point Greenbelt, Maryland. From there I can take the metro to visit my friends Sue and Scott.
19 miles/109 total miles
3 comments:
Watching your progress. Godspeed.
Sharon & Paul
Being the nature nerd that I am, I was excited to read about the wildlife you have spotted along the way, sounds pretty cool. I also enjoyed the history tidbits on Annapolis. I had no idea that it served as the nation's capital at one point, that was interesting. What I remember of that city it was a beautiful place, and it sounded like you gained that impression as well from your commentary. Glad to hear that Dad and Nalan are still tearing up the ADT with you. Tell them as well as Sue and Scott I said hi hoping they are doing well.
Cheers,
Colin
excellent article. But I need more written
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