Saturday, February 11, 2006
Wye Island 01-16-05
URL to Album:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meabbott/sets/72157604479207117/
Wye Island was my next discovery on Microsoft’s mapping service. I went over there on a cold but nice day. This place is different from the other parks because it did not appear to be geared towards public use although there are facilities there for the public to enjoy. I found a trail guide on Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources website which lacked a map. It was here that I discovered that they have a very shortsighted policy of having people buy guides. So in order to get people to buy the guides, they omit the maps from the online trail guides which makes planning a trip more difficult. I would like to learn the logic behind this.
Wye Island has been my favorite spot to visit so far because it is so quiet and the variety of wildfowl present. Their trails end at coves where a variety of different kinds of wildfowl can be seen if you approach slowly and quietly. There were not very many people on the trails which was quite nice. One thing I had forgotten to mention about the Patuxent Refuge in my last entry was that dogs were permitted and unfortunately there were a lot of them. Many people treated the trails of that park as a play area for their pets so if you plan to go there to watch wildlife, keep that in mind. Anyway, as I was saying, there were not many people on the trails, but keep in mind I was there on a cold day in the middle of winter. The very small parking lots at the trailheads suggests that this is a seldom used park except for the Ferry Landing trail which seemed to have a decent sized parking lot. This particular trail also has restroom facilities at the head and end of the trail (no sink) that were built by a boyscout troop. The Ferry Landing trail is the easiest one to walk having been at one time a road to the ferry that had once been at the end. I had been hoping to see a deer at this park but I did not. I saw a variety of different kinds of ducks as well as geese and swans at this park. I am definitely planning to return to this place.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meabbott/sets/72157604479207117/
Wye Island was my next discovery on Microsoft’s mapping service. I went over there on a cold but nice day. This place is different from the other parks because it did not appear to be geared towards public use although there are facilities there for the public to enjoy. I found a trail guide on Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources website which lacked a map. It was here that I discovered that they have a very shortsighted policy of having people buy guides. So in order to get people to buy the guides, they omit the maps from the online trail guides which makes planning a trip more difficult. I would like to learn the logic behind this.
Wye Island has been my favorite spot to visit so far because it is so quiet and the variety of wildfowl present. Their trails end at coves where a variety of different kinds of wildfowl can be seen if you approach slowly and quietly. There were not very many people on the trails which was quite nice. One thing I had forgotten to mention about the Patuxent Refuge in my last entry was that dogs were permitted and unfortunately there were a lot of them. Many people treated the trails of that park as a play area for their pets so if you plan to go there to watch wildlife, keep that in mind. Anyway, as I was saying, there were not many people on the trails, but keep in mind I was there on a cold day in the middle of winter. The very small parking lots at the trailheads suggests that this is a seldom used park except for the Ferry Landing trail which seemed to have a decent sized parking lot. This particular trail also has restroom facilities at the head and end of the trail (no sink) that were built by a boyscout troop. The Ferry Landing trail is the easiest one to walk having been at one time a road to the ferry that had once been at the end. I had been hoping to see a deer at this park but I did not. I saw a variety of different kinds of ducks as well as geese and swans at this park. I am definitely planning to return to this place.
