The BICO Monthly Outings Summary

July, 2006


OUTING #1 DATE: July 15, 2006

TEAM:  Franciscan Youth Center

ACTIVITIES:  Canoeing

DESTINATION:  Loch Raven Fishing Center, Baltimore, MD

Loch Raven Fishing Center is located on Loch Raven Reservoir, 10 minutes from the Baltimore Beltway at 12101 Dulaney Valley Road, (410) 887-7692.  The Fishing Center offers an assortment of services for anglers, canoeists, boating.  Rent a boat and enjoy a relaxing day on the 2,400 acre reservoir.  Also, the fishing center provides numerous services, offering boat rentals, freshwater fishing licenses, bait and launching permits.
 
GETTING IN:  $14.70 for a canoe for the whole day!

DIRECTIONS: From Baltimore about 20 minutes
Take  I83 North from Baltimore
Exit at I695, the Baltimore Beltway, towards I695/I83/Beltway/York Pa
Merge with Beltway Traffic
At Exit 27B, take Ramp onto SR-146 [Dulaney Valley Rd] towards MD-146 / Dulaney Valley Rd
Keep LEFT onto Dulaney Valley Rd
The road to the Fishing Center is on the right hand side of Dulaney Valley Road

NEAREST HEALTH FACILITY:  Greater Baltimore Med Center
6701 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21204-6892
Phone: 443-849-2000
5.63 miles from your search location

OUTING HIGHLIGHTS:   We hadn’t taken the group up to the reservoir before and it turned out to be a great location.  Canoes were great – kids loved them and everyone got a chance to try it out.
Bringing lunch along with us and eating out was great rather than coming back in to the Fishing Center for lunch.

OUTING SUGGESTIONS:  Make sure that the destination is feasible and be flexible if the boats aren’t  as fast as you had anticipated – have back up plans!


OUTINGS #2 DATE: July 15, 2006

TEAM: College Gardens Community Center

ACTIVITIES:  Biking

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.

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.

With the closing of Chakra Cycles, bicycles can now be rented in Monkton at Monkton Bike and Tube Rental.  The bike shop is at the center of the very small town that lies along the NCR Trail. Monkton Bike and Tube Rental ( 1900 Monkton Road, Monkton, MD 21111  410-771-4058) bikes run about $10 per hour.

DIRECTIONS:  Provided by Alliance for the Chesapeake

NEAREST HEALTH FACILITY:  St. Joseph Medical Center,  7601 York Rd., TOWSON, MD 21204 (410)337-1000

OUTING HIGHLIGHTS:  The bike trip went very well.  The kids were able to navigate the bike trail without too many difficulties.  We ate lunch at the picnic tables outside the Sparks Nature Center.  Once again, all of the kids loved the animals at Sparks Nature Center (and some even remembered them from last year). 

OUTING SUGGESTIONS:  This year we went with a different bike rental company as Chakra Cycles has gone out of business – Monkton Bike Rentals.  Something to consider is that Monkton’s prices are  higher than Chakra’s.