Race Across America Spins Through Maryland Again

There is an ultramarathon for competitive cyclists that makes even a 100 mile foot race seem civilized.  It's called the Race Across America , and for the second year in a row it will end at City Dock in Annapolis after taking competitors through Allegany, Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel Counties.

Look at the bright side -- at least it's all downhill at this point.  After travelling 3,000 miles from Oceanside, California in approximately eight days in June, they can use a little breeze in the home stretch.

I'm mentioning it now because the route has just been finalized.  We still have a few months before this display of endurance rolls past us, but it does show Maryland can handle and enthusiastically support these increasingly popular bicycle events.

(Can you even imagine what the desert must be like in June?  What about the Rockies?  Ouch!)

So visit the website and learn more about the Race Across America.  Their last waystation before Annapolis is Mt. Airy, so that is another place to watch the parade pass by. 

Break out the grenola bars and garden hoses, this sounds like an occasion for Maryland hospitality.

Of Coral and Carnelian

There's a wonderful scene in "Blind Side" where Leigh Anne Tuohy emotionally tells Michael Oher that she loves him and will support him and be there for every single one of his games if he chooses to attend loathsomeTennessee.  But she draws the line at wearing orange.  "It just isn't in my color wheel," she protests.  Fortunately, Michael chooses Ole Miss, so she is spared that indignity.

Believe me, I can relate.  While I love our O's ever bit as much as the Ravens, I have a real problem wearing the colors.  Reminds me of what some old Dodger fan said about the San Franciso Giants, who share our pallet.  "We hate orange and black so much, we don't even celebrate Halloween."

Around the Warehouse, it's customary for us to dress in team colors.  It's kind of a tradition.  Not every day, but the True Believers definitely wave the sartoral flag for home stands.  And Opening Day is a must.  No peach or dreamsickle allowed -- you gotta wear orange.

I've tried to adapt accordingly, but learned a few years ago that jewelry can make the transition work while accommodating theWarehouse dress code.  So when the Birds fly home, I break out the coral and carnelian.  Thanks to eBay, there are enough beaded baubles to get me through the summer.  It isn't amethyst or charolite, but it covers the bases.

I can't help but think Leigh Anne must have been relieved when the Ravens drafted Michael Oher.  Purple is definitely in her color wheel (and we certainly know how good it looks on HIM.)

Embarking the Great Eastern Trail

Now that the sock-burning ritual has occured, it is considered socially acceptable (at least in some cultures) to don flip flops.    (Note:  fashion cops will bust you for wearing sandals before a seasonal pedicure, but flip flops fly.) 

Thus with freed phalanges, my mind turned to hiking and all the opportunities Maryland presents for those who don't have bunions. 

Traditionally, the vernal equinox is when hard core hikers start their annual migration up the Appalachian Trail.  Starting in Georgia, many are passing through Maryland when summer solstice, aka "Hike Naked Day," occurs.  Unfortunately for modest Marylanders and au natural hikers, the two frequently collide because the Appalachian Trail through Maryland is a popular and well traveled route.

This is merely one example of the drawbacks that popularity of the Appalachian Trail -- the most famous of all long distance trails -- has brought to the rugged outdoorsmen who love the solitude of nature.  The Appalachian has become, well, too pedestrian.

Which brings us to the efforts to blaze a long distance trail for the hardiest of hoofers, extending 1,800 miles from Alabama to the Finger Lakes of New York, threading through some of the most remote regions of the mountain chain and connecting nine states.  Of all the states comprising the Great Eastern Trail, Maryland is the only one that has its entire segment (with two options) complete.

(Disclaimer:  Maryland is only one mile wide at this point between West Virginia and Pennsylvania, but that isn't the reason our portion is complete.  Read on.)

Benton MacKaye’s original vision for an Appalachian Trail in the 1920's showed a network of “braided” trails running the length of the Appalachian Mountains.  Blazing the original trail was accomplished almost entirely through volunteer efforts.  When a route for a new trail was identified about ten years ago, the same model was incorporated.   Implementation of this path will involve existing volunteer trail clubs, augmented where necessary by new volunteer groups.

Governmental entities are involved, of course (particularly where $$$$ and easements are needed) but the emphasis will be on volunteerism.
 
Maryland is fortunate because the pass through routes were already in place -- the C&O Canal towpath in Hancock is accessed via the Tuscarora Trail which splits from the Appalachian in Shenandoah National Park and extends 220 miles into Pennsylvania, and the 43 miles circuit trail system through Green Ridge State Forest near Flintsone.
 

Maryland Department of Natural Resources declared the Green Ridge trail system part of the Great Eastern Trail in 2007.  This map shows the options for accessing the trail and continuing into Pennsylvania.  (Pennsylvania's webpage brags their Mid State Trail is so wild you are likely to encounter more bears than people, which probably makes it a good choice for summer solstice.)
 
One of the largest volunteer groups responsible for building and maintaining these trail systems in our watershed is the Potomac Appalachian Hiking Club.  They were among the original visionaries who made the Appalachian Trail possible and they are taking the lead in blazing the Great Eastern Trail through our region.
 

The development of this trail is good news for Maryland, as it creates more interest in Western Maryland and our natural resources there.  Hancock is a wonderful destination for exploration because of the hiking trails and the Western Maryland Rail Trail -- one of the most beautiful in the country.  Small restaurants and bed and breakfasts cater to trail travelers, so the popularity of these outdoor adventures has a significant economic impact on the communities along the route.
 
So now that it's officially spring, try hitting the happy trails to enjoy what Maryland has to offer in natural beauty and healthy recreation.

Protect this House!

Securing our premises and ensuring the comfort and safety of those millions of fans who visit Camden Yards every year is paramount to the Maryland Stadium Authority.  Our security team is vigilant and resourceful in their efforts to address all threats.

Therefore, it was not surprising to see they've picked up an additional sentry to guard M&T Bank Stadium.  This candid shot was caught on the security camera his first day on duty.

Our red tail hawk is the newest recruit in the ongoing battle against bomb dropping pigeons.  Oriole Park has been outfitted with netting to discourage roosting in the rafters, so we'll have to see which system works better.

While the Tower of London has been protected by ravens for more than 400 years, we don't think Rise and Conquor are quite ready for that assignment in our fortress.  But if this feathered fan is successful in keeping M&T pigeon free, we may offer him a contract to train R & C to patrol the upper deck.

After all, if ravens have protected the Crown Jewels all these years,  a plague of pigeons should pose no problem.

Toasting Socks on the Equinox

My hometown of Annapolis, steeped in traditions both historic and whimsical, has a peculiar celebration of spring.  The Maritime Republic of Eastport, where working boatyards are still scattered among million dollar waterfront homes, is the site of this ritual signifying the change in seasons.

The official footware of America's sailing capital is docksiders.   Whether Sperry or Sebago, the slip on moccasins with the non slip sole is de rigeur on deck.  It's one of the few things sailors and boaters agree on.

Another is that after March 21, only wimps and tourists wear socks with deck shoes.

A few years ago, one of the boatyard laborers tore off his socks at the end of winter, tossed them in an empty varnish can, and torched it.  Legend has it that they were the only socks he'd worn all winter, so the olfactory experience was as memorable as the gesture.  It became the stuff of legends.

It does not take a great deal to concoct celebratory occasions in Eastport, so this quaint practice became an annual rite of spring, complete with bands, speeches and ceremonial toasts on the beach as participants toss their socks in a bonfire. 

For one such celebration, Jefferson Holland, Poet Laureate of Eastport, composed a verse which has become a part of the ritual every year since. 

Them Eastport boys got an odd tradition
When the sun swings to its Equinoxical position,
They build a little fire down along the docks,
They doff their shoes and they burn their winter socks.


Yes, they burn their socks at the Equinox;
You might think that's peculiar, but I think it's not,
See, they're the same socks they put on last fall,
And they never took 'em off to wash 'em, not at all .


So they burn their socks at the Equinox
In a little ol' fire burning nice and hot.
Some think incineration is the only solution,
'Cause washin' 'em contributes to the Chesapeake 's pollution.


Through the spring and the summer and into the fall,
They go around not wearin' any socks at all,
Just stinky bare feet stuck in old deck shoes,
Whether out on the water or sippin' on a brew.


So if you sail into the Harbor on the 21 st of March,
And you smell a smell like Limburger sautéed with laundry starch,
You'll know you're downwind of the Eastport docks
Where they're burning their socks for the Equinox.

Team Terry, Mining for Gold

While our bids for future World Cup competitions are marinating somewhere, Team Terry went prospecting for gold.  The CONCACAF Gold Cup, that is.  CONCACAF is the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football and it is one of six continental confederations in the FIFA family.

Gold Cup occurs the year before and after World Cup, and two years before FIFA Confederations Cup, which will be in Brazil in 2013.   They are all qualifiers for the quadrennial showdown in some way or another.

The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and 21st CONCACAF regional championship overall.  A host nation for the Gold Cup has not yet been announced, so Terry and the Ravens are in the hunt -- not for the final match, but for one of the qualifying rounds.  This would work into other stadium complex uses much better, and is potentially more lucrative because it involves a longer stay for the teams and use of practice facilities.

In 2009, the Gold Cup series was held in the United States.  RFK in Washington was selected for an early round and hosted a double header on July 8th.

I'm learning that the world of international soccer offers many opportunities to bring top teams to Maryland, whether they be these continental tournaments, or barnstorming "friendlies."  As interest in soccer continues to grow, OSM and our partners will keep pursuing them.

Cycling Season

I picked up the latest edition of Spokes Magazine last week.  This periodical, based in Frederick, covers bicycling interests throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.  I find it interesting because every issue has articles or commentary which relate to bicycling as a transportation option, recreational pastime and competitive sport.

This is becoming more relevant to Maryland as we develop trails and incorporate them into commuting options along with their amenities as parks and open spaces.  The most recent issue has a calendar of recreational excursions, advocacy events (remember the "Wear What You Dare" to Capitol Hill last year?) training exercises and professional competitions.

It's amazing how many cycle centric activities there are in Maryland.  And how many opportunities this time of year to combine fitness with heritage tourism via the historic trails (think:  C&O Canal, Allegheny Highlands, Capitol Crescent.)

I have to give a shoutout here to Nate Evans, the bicycle and pedestrian planner with the City of Baltimore, who is working with us to make Camden Yards more bicycle friendly for the fans and commuters who pass through our transit center.  You'll be reading more about that this spring, along with a potential major statewide event Team Terry is working on.

As the days get longer and the weather warmer, more people are thinking about cyling events.  Pick up a copy of Spokes, or read the online edition to catch up on some activities of interest here in Maryland.