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links to learning
(and some very cool adventures)

A few of my favorite things, places and adventures. Most of these are great for anyone of any age, particularly families and kids. The ships and paddling sites are on the lower Susquehanna River, in the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay and east/mid-Atlantic Coast. The mushers are mainly in York County PA and run mostly on wheels. Nixon Park is part of the York County Park System. Bluehound Farm is near Pinchot State Park PA.

Click on the pics to go to the pages or websites about that subject.

Nixon Park

York County has one awesome set of little parks: mountain bike at Rudy; paddle Lake Redman (watch for Night Herons, bats and the glowing jeweled eyes of fishing spiders at dusk!); hike, bike, ride a horse or mush those huskies (really: scootering or bikejoring with your dogs is great here!) all the way to Maryland on the Rail Trail; explore the Nature Center, the trails, and the Sensory Meadow at Nixon Park (hands on stuff for kids!), participate in one of Nixon Park's excellent (and usually free) programs; do an archeaological dig for summer camp.
Lake Redman rents various kinds of boats (row, peddle, kayak, canoe) in summer.There are public starwatches (info at Nixon Park). Moonlight Boat rides (Lake Redman, call Nixon Park), and owl prowls! And an aquatics program where you can uncover treasures like the salamander above. Go outside and play!

Horses

I grew up watching westerns and riding ponies, then training my own horses in 4-H. Here's a tip of the riding helmet to Saraf, Lor and the others who helped me be a centaur.

Wild Things

Some pages of wildlife art, some links to websites (like critter cams watching eagle nests and zoo animals).

On Island Time

Chincoteague and Assateague are barrier islands off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Chincoteague is home to watermen, artists and craftsmen, and the only wild horse roundup in the east. Assateague is home to wild things, including pony herds descended from early colonial horses.

Chestertown Maryland

A day trip from southcentral PA, this colonial town on the Delmarva Peninsula has great eateries, cute shops, art galleries, bed and breakfasts... and its own pirate ship. Schooner Sultana is a reproduction of a topsail schooner from 1768. She spends most of her year educating middle schoolers in the fine art of sailing, ecology of the Bay, history, math... and makes it a riproaring adventure. You can sail too, even if you've graduated from 4th grade, just sign up for one of Sultana Project's public sails or kayak paddles.
   Chestertown boasts several fun public events: a Tea Party in the Spring (the kind where the colonials throw the tea, and the Tories, off the ship), and Downrigging Weekend on Halloween. This awesome little waterfront festival brings great food, music, and tall ships from all over the east coast and Chesapeake Bay.
   Just down the road from Chestertown is Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge (hike it, bike it, paddle it, photograph it, swim it), Rock Hall (nice little hidden beach, good eats), and Bayshore Campground (luxury camping on the Bay).

Go Play Outside

Cool places to take your kids... and yourself. Parks, beaches, trails. Southcentral PA, Chesapeake Bay, and DelMarVa.

Mushing 101

Sleddogs, Iditarod, history, Siberians, the serum run, how to train your pit bull to mush, your mini-poodle to weight pull, scootering with any dog, and other goodies.

Paddle This

There's no simpler, more elegant way to explore Planet Water than a kayak. This long lean boat, originally designed by northern tribes as a hunting and fishing vessel for use in rough arctic water carries us into places bigger boats can't reach.

When You Want a Bigger Boat

Now that's my idea of a cruise ship. Masts, sails, cannons. Most reproductions of historic tall ships do public sails or guest crew passages, hands-on experiences where you might sing a sea shanty, haul on a line, and heel on the wind till the cannons are drinking the sea!. The Pride of Baltimore II, Schooner Sultana, Kalmar Nyckel, Viking ship Sae Hrafn, Downrigging Weekend in Chestertown MD, and Privateer Day in Baltimore MD are a few of my favorite high seas adventures.

When you don't want any boat

Except the floatin' one to jump off of to look at the sunken one. SCUBA, and snorkelling, are easier than you imagine. Here's some excercises for kids to learn about Planet Ocean.

I worked there a couple years, and the farm was an icon of reduce, reuse, recycle. It did school trips, birthday parties, weddings and more. It showcased a wide variety of classic farm animals (I got to try pig training and goat milking). It was, in the 80s, a wild horse distribution center, which is where I got my wild black mustang mare, and several other mustangs. It has changed hands and the website promises "coming soon"...

ESSER ESTATE AT BLUE HOUND FARM

​"Our beautiful 70 acre farm offers a setting that is truly like no other. Set in the rolling hills of Northern York County, this picturesque and well preserved farm welcomes you by the tree lined drive, views of our stunning 5 acre natural pond and endless pastures which are home to our horses and other farm animals that can be seen roaming the ridge."