After I recovered from my Couch to 5K run on the Trolley Trail, my friend, M, and I decided to continue the day with a visit to Patapsco Valley State Park. I had never been there, even though I've driven by it a hundred times, and it satisfied my desire to soak up the nice weather. Despite the heat, it was probably the best decision I made the entire day.
We started out at the playground, just swinging like a couple of kids, and then moved to the trails. I'm not sure which one we took exactly as it's not featured on the Patapsco River Map, but it started at the Valley Overlook and ended up crossing the CSX Railroad tracks. As we were sitting there, contemplating how often the train actually ran the along those tracks, we felt the rails start to vibrate and a hissing sound rolled down the metal. We stepped to the side and let the train pass. I was fascinated by how the weight of the train depressed the Railroad Ties (Wooden Slats) into the Track Ballast (Crushed Stone). The Ties moved up and down in the Ballast as each car passed over them. Even after the rain has disappeared around the bend the rails were still hissing with the sound.
The Patapsco River was a welcome sight. There were about 20-30 people wading into the water. In the middle it was probably only waist deep, but the current was pretty fast and parents were warning their kids to stay close to the banks. We sat down on some rocks and dipped our feet into the river. It was a nearly perfect day for this and I couldn't believe I hadn't taken advantage of the state park before. I lived within 5 minutes of it for about 10 years and never knew there was a place to swim and sun bathe so close to home.
Sitting there, underneath the old Route 40 bridge, it easily could have been any point in time in the last century. The only reminders of modern day life were the cell phones hidden in shoes and the McDonald's lunch one couple brought with them.
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