Maryland, October 2019 & Summer 2020

My Maryland year proved to be a strange one for most of the world, as the Covid-19 pandemic shut down almost everything for awhile. Travel stopped as everyone quarantined. For my part, the timing worked for the location. I work in Maryland and live in a neighboring state, so I had more flexibility and more ability to control contact with others than I would if I had to fly to Maryland or stay in hotels from beginning to end. By summer, I had gathered enough local advice to realize how little I knew about my neighbor to the north and was in need of some adventures outside my house. So I planned a variety of road trips to see as much of the state as I could without violating any of the many restrictions in place, packed up my masks and hand sanitizer, and hit the road. What I encountered–in addition to a lot of locked doors–was some wonderful outdoor sites to explore. And I poked my way around a state that I had mostly just traveled through to get somewhere else. The good news is that, when the New Normal begins, I can find my way back through those unlocked doors because they are not far. So keep an eye on this state’s pages; I’ll be supplementing them when indoor attractions reopen. For now, here’s my effort not to get derailed by a virus and to keep exploring the US in the complicated and beautiful state of Maryland.