#Hikers365Challenge. Happy New Year! I think the question begs to be asked, will it really be a year of new and good, or a repeat of not-so-good that enveloped the past two years? Never give up hope, but oy vey, Omicron. What’s next?

Solomons Island is in fact an island, but you’d never know it to look at it on a map. There is just a small sliver of water that cuts its way across the peninsula. But one thing’s for sure, the big attraction to Maryland’s southern tip is water. Lots and lots of water. Solomons Island is where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay.

Founded in 1772, Ellicott City is one of Maryland’s many historic towns found along the scenic back roads. Located just about an hour’s drive north of Washington, DC and maybe half an hour west of Baltimore, it makes an ideal day trip from either city.

C&O Canal. It was a day to go outside. The C&O Canal in the Carderock Recreation Area was the destination. Turns out, we also discovered the Billy Goat Trail along the Potomac River. As much as I love winter and long for a beautiful peaceful snowfall, we embraced the warm December day and headed out on the backroads of Maryland.

Capitol Stones. You know how it is when you tell yourself you really shouldn’t have that third piece of chocolate, and then all you want more than anything else in life is that piece of chocolate? That’s what it feels like, in my mind, to have a passport collecting dust and being told we can’t leave the country. Nope, not even to pop up to Toronto, Canada to visit family. When someone tells me I can’t do something, it becomes the one thing I want more than anything. Is it just me?

The Charm of Kensington. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Well, it’s not so much a secret, maybe more of a confession given the current state of affairs. I’m having a tough time finding the motivation to put fingers to keyboard these days. Given that there is still an international ban on US travelers, it would seem likely that not too many people are dreaming of faraway places. Although, there are definitely people out there finding a way to change the scenario of their lives as RV sales rise.

Sometimes, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to take a detour. Stop and embrace the moment wherever it may be. Our most recent detour found us walking in a field of sunflowers. But first…

We unintentionally picked one of the hottest days in early July to further explore Maryland’s back roads. Our destination for the day, Historic White’s Ferry in Dickerson, Maryland. The temperature was right around 92 degrees. I don’t know what the actual humidity level was but I’d stand by guesstimating off-the-charts. Summer, in the Washington, DC region feels swampy and mosquitoes reign supreme. The surrounding countryside in Maryland and Virginia is beautiful, but it’s hot and sticky too.

Google memories reminded me that five years ago, April 2015, we were just finding our stride as we started walking what would be 350 miles on the Camino de Santiago across Spain. One year ago, April 2019, we set out to walk 145 miles of the Camino Portuguese. Taking on a long walk is a journey in which one can easily lose track of time and days. It becomes your life, all consuming. Now, here we are, April 2020, living by far the most surreal existence to date. I call it, life in a pandemic bubble. I can’t define it any other way. It too, is all consuming.

When the calendar page turns to the first official day of summer, I begin counting the days until the first official day of fall, as if I can hurry along the seasonal changes.  I can appreciate the beauty of summer with green grass, flower blossoms and wearing flip flops, but I am not a fan of heat and humidity.  Humidity tends to suck the life out of me so when the air cools in the fall, I feel as if I can breathe again.  There are those who profess they love the fall season but worry that winter is just around the corner.  I’ll take winter too.  One can layer on the clothing to stay warm, but only so much can be taken off to stay cool in the summer heat. You know what I mean?