Episode 3 of Sea to Shining Sea, my podcast on the American Discovery Trail and trans-continental walking across the USA, is now live. Here are the details:
The American Discovery Trail’s approach through Maryland and Washington DC tells a history of American transportation. After following minor roads and–by necessity–taking a car over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the route leads a traveler past Annapolis’s naval base, Bowie’s rail hub, College Park’s airport (the oldest continuously operating one in the world), and the C&O Canal. And that’s certainly not the extent of the history, in a state that was marked by early religious persecution, caught in the middle of the Civil War, and home to a capitol that reshaped its priorities. This episode features interviews with the ADT State Coordinators for Maryland and Washington DC, Peter Schoettle and Donna Loop respectively, along with Alexander Lothstein, the School Programs Manager for the Maryland Historical Society.
Here are some relevant links to go deeper into this episode:
Connecting with the State Coordinators: You can find Peter and Donna through the ADT’s site, specifically on the Maryland & DC page
Maryland Historical & Cultural Organizations: Be sure to check out the Maryland Historical Society, where Alex works. While the MDHS is based in Baltimore, its website has a lot of useful resources to help learn about the state. On the ADT, you can find Historic Annapolis, a great organization that does a lot of work to protect the city’s historic sites and legacy
The Navy: Annapolis is dominated by the US Naval Academy. Of greatest interest to visitors is likely the Naval Academy Museum, Before you go, check out C-SPAN’s tour of the academy
Maryland’s Rail History: While many of the major sites are located off of the ADT, the legacy of Maryland’s railroads is reflected in many of the communities encountered along the way. The best place on-route for a close look at the state’s rail history is at Bowie’s Railroad Museum
College Park Airport: The NPS blurb is a good, concise place to start for checking out the history of this airport. This 2003 WaPo article lays out the preservation challenges that have been faced in taking care of the airport’s historical legacy. Those walking may want to check out the airport’s museum en route
The C&O: Of most practical relevance is the Current Park Conditions page of the NPS, where it’s possible to track flooding and other trail issues. To dig into the history, the C&O Canal Trust’s page offers a really useful set of links
Episode 4 on West Virginia is coming soon!
