Montgomery County – Splattered Brains

A Trip to Sugarloaf Mountain

We are in the middle of winter. It is the time of year when it is usually quite cold in this part of the world. But it has been unusually warm during the last few days, with the temperature threatening to reach the upper 70s (Fahrenheit, that is) later on this week. We hiked up Sugarloaf Mountain, just across the border of Montgomery county in the neighboring Frederick county, last weekend. It has been a long time since we visited Sugarloaf even though it is quite close to home. We have been dissuaded by the crowds that are attracted to the location because of its proximity to the high population area of Washington DC and its suburbs. The crowds are especially overwhelming during the other seasons when families come in large numbers to picnic on the mountainside. The place is littered with cars, adults, children, and dogs when this happens. It is not the kind of place one would go to if you were hoping for a little bit of quiet and solitude. We saw more people than we expected last weekend because of the nice weather, but we had fortunately gotten to the park early enough to avoid the biggest crowds.

It was a beautiful day for a hike and we ended up walking over 8 miles. We got to some areas of the park that are less accessible and therefore quieter. Here are some pictures from the hike. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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A Walk on a Foggy Morning

The fog began to increase in intensity as we approached the parking lot at Carderock next to the Potomac river and the C&O canal. The temperature was below freezing as we bundled up and stepped out of the car and on to the trail. The sun began to rise into the sky through the trees behind us as we started our walk at a brisk pace, trying to get rid of the cold in our extremities. The fog began to lift slowly, creating a unique and somewhat surreal lighting over the still waters and in-between the trees. There was some kind of magic happening!

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The sky had completely cleared up by the time we finished our walk and returned to the parking lot a couple of hours later.

The Tent Angel

“We just gotta outlast the storm by one day,and I just want to be there to help someone through their storm”.
Arnold Harvey, Garbageman, Montgomery County, MD.

Here is somebody who is actually actively doing good work with the less fortunate in our part of the world. Read the story of the tent angel.

I did a little more research on Arnold and found out that I had just touched the tip of the iceberg regarding the background of this remarkable person. He is an amazing chap who with his wife Theresa has already been doing other notable charitable works in our part of the world for many years. He is called “The trash truck driver” by the homeless, and he has done a lot to help them in their immediate needs. He manages to run a charitable organization while working as a garbageman, and he is making a difference the best way that he can.

Read the article that appeared about him in the Huffington Post here. His life story is also quite interesting.

Here are a couple of videos.

https://youtu.be/EXUYujwCRGI

https://www.facebook.com/godsconnectiontransition/videos/vb.584956878230174/858936434165549/?type=2&theater

What would you rather be doing at 5:00am on a Saturday morning?

I might have saved a Turtle’s life today (6/12/04)

It is Saturday morning here in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and it is just beautiful outside – the sun is up but it is not too hot. I usually try to either help with the Church furniture program on Saturday mornings, or go down to the C&O canal towpath by the Potomac river for an early morning run/walk. Today’s morning plans have been thrown slightly askew. Another meeting that had been planned has not materialized and the morning could be free, but it is too late to do the usual stuff. Being the nice guy I am (he! he!), I volunteer to take Christina to her dance class at 8:00 am. After dropping her off, I decide to explore the byways of Montgomery County by motorized means. I take to the back roads that parallel The Potomac River, heading north towards Edwards Ferry and Whites Ferry. The goal is to find parking lots along the river where I can park the car at some future date and explore the canal towpath (which winds its way all the way up to Cumberland, MD, 184.5 miles of hiking/biking trails in all). The scenic countryside of Montgomery County, and its hidden woods, are seldom seen by us folks living in Suburban Paradise. We scurry around like ants taking care of our businesses and experiencing the hustle and bustle of daily life. We very rarely make a serious effort to learn about the place we live in and become familiar with what surrounds us. So here I am on the back roads of America, bouncing around on the gravel pathways that we seldom experience, the roads that we always find a reason to avoid in our rush, for God knows what reason, to get from point A to point B.

What about the turtle, you ask? Heading north on River Road from Riley’s Lock, on a reasonably fast road (40 mph), (not one of the gravel roads that I noted earlier), I encounter a turtle crossing the road. The turtle is on the opposite lane, which is a good thing because I could have killed it otherwise. I quickly pull over to the side, turn around and drive back to where I had seen the turtle. Luckily there is not much traffic around. This is not a well-traveled road, and it is also a Saturday morning at that. Mr. Turtle is still trying to make his way across the road. (Wait a minute – I guess it could be a female! I am going to call her Mr. Turtle anyway.) A couple of cars zoom by on the opposite lane. Mr. Turtle appears to hesitate with the noise and the gusts of wind from the passing cars. I look around, make sure there are no cars coming, get to Mr. Turtle in the middle of the road, and pick him/her up. All four legs and head are out, and I stare into Mr. Turtle’s eyes. I think I said something along the lines of “How are you doing”, or “What are you trying to do”. Mr. Turtle quickly disappears into his/her shell (not very friendly, I thought!). I take Mr. Turtle across the road to where I guessed he/she was going, and put him/her down by the bushes facing the approximate direction in which I thought he/she was headed. When last I left Mr. Turtle, he/she was still under the shell. All the best, Mr. Turtle!

Now, I do not know if I really saved Mr. Turtle’s life, because, for all I know, he/she could have just turned and headed back for the road, and gotten hit by another passing vehicle. Does it matter what I did? Was the risk I took of getting hit by a vehicle myself worth it? Maybe it does not matter in the big picture whether a turtle survives or not. But it felt good!!!!

Boys and girls, that is my story for today. If you have not been bored, I might even be tempted to tell you about turning the other cheek – a very naughty story indeed! Or about the other day I saw a big snake on the towpath (it gets bigger with every week that passes!).

S’all for now.