July, 2005
DATES: July 23&27, 2005 TEAMS: College Gardens Community Center and CHOICE |
ACTIVITIES: Biking and Visit to Sparks Nature
Center |
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| DESTINATION: NCR Trail and
Sparks Nature Center
Maryland's
Northern Central Railroad Trail (NCRT) extends 20 miles, stretching from Ashland
Road in the Hunt Valley area to the state line. The trail is 10 feet wide
with a stone dust surface. The most popular activities on the trail are
hiking, jogging, bicycle riding and horseback riding. The trail also provides
access for fishing. |
DIRECTIONS: From Baltimore Approx. 30 min. Take York Road north of Shawan Road to Sparks (Exit 20 off I-83). Turn right (east) on Sparks Road. Go less than 1 mile to parking lot. This location features the Sparks Band Nature Center.
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| GETTING IN: Call
Sparks Nature Center ahead of time. They are not usually open, but will
open up and do an hour program if you have a group. Bike have often been rented at Chakra Cycles, which is a full service cycling shop, offering bike rentals, sales, service and repairs. Hourly and full day rentals available. Call for rental charge. Chakra Cycles, 1235 Paper Mill Road, Cockeysville MD 21030, 410-527-0593 Another option is to go further north and rent bikes in Monkton. The bike shop is at the center of the very small town that lies along the NCRT. Monkton Bike and Tube Rental |
NEAREST HEALTH FACILITY: St. Joseph Medical Center,
7601 York Rd., TOWSON, MD 21204 (410)337-1000 |
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| OUTING HIGHLIGHTS:
The kids really enjoy biking. There is a feeling of freedom, speed and
independence that few of them rarely get while living in the city. This is
also a shady trail so even on hot days everyone will enjoy it. It worked well
to split the adults up with a few in the front, the middle and the back. We
listed all of the ground rules in the opening circle and the kids were great
about listening and following directions. We stopped at Sparks Bank Nature
Preserve. Each year that we have done this it has been a hit. Walter, who
runs the nature center is great and really lets the kids get involved (holding
and feeding animals, asking questions, etc…) |
OUTING SUGGESTIONS: Trail users should
note that the southern end of the trail receives heavy use on weekends. Parking
areas from Monkton south are often filled. The trail is less congested and
parking is more available at the northern end during peak times. |
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DATE: July 30-31, 2005 TEAM: Franciscan Youth Center |
ACTIVITIES: Camping |
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| DESTINATION: Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
Cape Henlopen's beaches attract thousands of visitors who enjoy ocean swimming and sunbathing. Two designated swimming beaches provide lifeguard patrols between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. The park also borders Delaware Bay, and offers abundant opportunity to explore aquatic life first hand. Furthermore, Cape Henlopen has many year-round hiking and biking opportunities. |
DIRECTIONS: From Baltimore Approx.
3.0 Hours 1) Start at 100 E PRATT ST, BALTIMORE going toward MD-2 SOUTH - go 0.1 mi; 2) Turn Left on S CALVERT ST[MD-2] - go 0.1 mi; 3) Turn Left on LOMBARD ST - go 0.6 mi; 4) Turn Left on S GREENE ST - go 0.1 mi (S GREENE ST becomes RUSSELL ST) - go 1.1 mi; 5) RUSSELL ST becomes MD-295 SOUTH - go 4.2 mi; 6) Take the I-695 EAST exit toward KEY BRIDGE/GLEN BURNIE - go 1.5 m; 7) Take Left exit #4 onto I-97 SOUTH toward BAY BRIDGE/ANNAPOLIS - go 18.0 mi; 8) Take the MD-665 exit onto US-50 EAST - go 24.4 mi; 9) Take the US-50 EAST exit onto OCEAN GTWY[US-50] toward OCEAN CITY - go 6.9 mi; 10) Turn Left on WYE MILLS-QUEEN ANNE RD[MD-404] - go 4.8 mi; 11) Continue to follow MD-404 - go 24.8 miMD-404 becomes DE-404-BUS - go 1.4 mi; 12) Turn Left on MARKET ST - go 0.4 mi; 13) Turn Right on S MAIN ST[US-13-BUS] - go 1.5 mi; 14) Turn Left on SEASHORE HWY - go 11.3 mi; 15) Continue on N BEDFORD ST - go 0.7 miN BEDFORD ST becomes THE CIRCLE - go 0.1 mi; 16) Bear Right on E MARKET ST - go 1.1 mi (E MARKET ST becomes LEWES GEORGETOWN HWY) - go 11.0 mi; 17) Continue on SAVANNAH RD[US-9-BUS] - go 3.3 mi; 18) Turn Right on CAPE HENLOPEN DR - go 0.2 mi and 19) Arrive at 42 CAPE HENLOPEN DR, LEWES, on the Right |
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| GETTING IN: The
primitive youth campsite is just wonderful, and it was much cheaper than the
family campground! It cost only $20 to reserve + $1 per person.
The site offers PLENTY of space, and provides a large field on which we played games. The large field also has a pavilion, “port-a-potty” toilets, and potable water. This campsite can be reserved through the BIDEN CENTER at Cape Henlopen State Park. BOOK IN JANUARY!!!! |
NEAREST HEALTH FACILITY: Notify
Park Ranger. |
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| ITINERARY: Saturday, July 30th 8:15am Meet at the Franciscan Youth Center - A volunteer will leave early from home for Cape Henlopen to get the youth site as they are first-come, first-serve 9:00am Leave for Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, DE 9:00am-12:00pm Drive to the park and complete check-in process 12:00pm Eat lunch 1:30pm Opening circle with safety rules and delegation of weekend responsibilities 2:00pm Set up tents 3:00pm-5:30pm Go to beach 6:00pm Start preparing dinner 7:00pm Dinner and cleanup 8:30pm Night hike to the beach 10:00pm Start getting ready for bed 10:30pm Quiet hours Sunday, July 31st 8:00am or later Breakfast 10:00am Break down camp 11:00am Explore bay with seining equipment 1:00pm Lunch 2:30pm Closing circle 3:00pm Start driving back to Baltimore 6:00pm Arrive back at the Franciscan Youth Center Items to bring - Please keep to a minimum, as we will be very limited in van/car space. Kids do not need to bring their own camping gear as BICO will provide this for them. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own though. If a volunteer does not have camping gear, then BICO will provide it. Below are additional items you may choose to bring on your own: Medicines, Sunscreen, Lip balm, Insect repellant, Windbreaker, Sandals, flip flops or aqua shoes (for showers), Blanket, Binoculars, Water bottle, Bathing suit, Beach towel, Beach coverup, Sunglasses, Hat, Soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste and other toiletries, Towel, 2 or 3 changes of clothing, including underwear and socks, Light long sleeve shirt and pants, Light jacket, Sneakers, Pillow, Sleepware appropriate for camping, Bandana |
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| OUTING HIGHLIGHTS:
- We first broke up into teams and laid down ground rules in the opening circle. Each team was given a set of chores to do for the weekend. This helped to establish some structure at the beginning of the outing. - The ocean is a natural wonder for all. Since the water was a little cold and rough this year, most kids stayed in the water only a limited time. They still managed to enjoy themselves though by flying kites and playing in the sand. - The night hike to the ocean drew the group together. Everybody enjoyed the beauty of the ocean at night, and we managed to find a ghost crab! The kids were fascinated by the ghost crab for some time. When the kids did become bored, one of the volunteers came up with the idea of having relay races near the ocean’s edge. This diverted the kids’ attention, and tired them out. - One grand highlight was seining on the Delaware Bay. We came across several species of sea life, including adult and baby hermit crabs (in a really beautiful shell) and horseshoe crabs. On past trips we also have seen minnows, pipefish, shrimp, Say’s Mud crab, and snails. - Showers before dark. This avoids confusion at night, and doesn't wake the children up before they go to bed. - Grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. - Stopping for a long break halfway on a three-hour journey each way. |
OUTING SUGGESTIONS: - Have a camping gear check-in and check-out. In this way, each child will know exactly what gear he/she is responsible for. This also ensures that we have the proper equipment and that things work (i.e. have proper amount of tent poles and stakes for tents, have lanterns that work, etc.) - Create simple things to do for children that are not participating in chores (i.e. games, etc.). - More team-building games. This will help the group realize that the group can't move on to the next activity until all group members are finished with the present one. This is especially relevant on a camping trip where a large degree of togetherness is almost unavoidable. - Games during a van ride. Unfortunately, we are often besieged with a group of tired kids, who sometimes sleep and sometimes don't. Those who are awake are typically few, but then this allows for free time, in which kids might start to fight. |
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