Baltimore And Annapolis

You may soon be able to follow the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail to San Francisco.Both the B & A and South Shore trails have been included along a transcontinental hiker-biker route that trailblazers hope one day will be as well-known and well-traveled as the AppalachianTrail.Called the American Discovery Trail, it is the brainchild of the American Hiking Society and Backpacker magazine. The route begins at the Pacific Ocean just north of San Francisco Bay, then crosses the Sierras, the Rockies, the Great Plains and the Appalachian mountain range before swinging through the county on its way to Delaware's Cape Henlopen State Park.

Connor Plasse and his pal Robbie Grammer hit the North Central Railroad Trail yesterday afternoon and headed north, two 8-year-olds aboard their bikes on a quest for serious adventure. "There's this waterfall up here," Connor said. "With poisonous snakes!" "Maybe copperheads!" Robbie said. They pedaled off, leaving Connor's father, Scott Plasse, to follow and contemplate the fortune of living near one of the great destinations of Maryland autumn weekends - this broad path of hard-packed gravel, winding 20 miles along the Gunpowder River to the Pennsylvania line and beyond.

One of old Baltimore's most somber and funereal moments came in late April of 1865, when Abraham Lincoln's funeral party paused briefly in the city for a lying-in-state ceremony at the Baltimore exchange and custom house.But there had been an earlier presidential mourning here -- for the first president to die in office.William Henry Harrison stands out in history as one of the few U.S. commanders who won any victories in the War of 1812. But his brief time in the White House (31 days) was ended on April 4, 1841, when he died of pneumonia.

If you like outdoor recreation, you'll find plenty to like in Anne Arundel County. State, county and city of Annapolis parks and trails provide a variety of environments for running, walking, hiking, biking and picnicking, as well as ball fields, tennis courts and other areas developed for team sports, and the county is home to a number of public and semiprivate golf courses. If nautical recreation appeals to you, Anne Arundel, with its rivers and numerous creeks and its location on the Chesapeake Bay, offers many opportunities to spend time on the water.

Options for outdoor recreation in Anne Arundel County are diverse and abundant. State, county and Annapolis parks and trails provide a variety of environments for walking, hiking, biking and picnicking, as well as ball fields, tennis courts and other areas developed for sports. If nautical recreation appeals, Anne Arundel, with its location on the Chesapeake Bay, rivers and creeks, offers opportunities to spend time on the water. Sandy Point offers fun on the water With 786 acres off U.S. 50 at 1100 E. College Parkway, Sandy Point State Park is busiest during the warmer months when its location on the Chesapeake - hard by the bay bridge - makes it ideal for water-related activities like fishing, crabbing, swimming at the beach and boating.

If you like outdoor recreation, you'll find plenty to like in Anne Arundel County. State, county and city of Annapolis parks and trails provide a variety of environments for running, walking, hiking, biking, and picnicking, as well as ball fields, tennis courts and other areas developed for team sports, and the county is home to a number of public and semiprivate golf courses. If nautical recreation appeals, Anne Arundel, with its rivers and numerous creeks and its location on the Chesapeake Bay, offers many opportunities to spend time on the water.

Baltimore has a little less competition in its quest to bring the Volvo Ocean Race, Round the World back to the Inner Harbor -- and possibly Annapolis -- as Boston, New York and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are no longer under consideration.When the world's top racing yachts circle the globe in 2001 and 2002, they will stop at two U.S. ports, and Baltimore is left to vie with Newport, R.I.; Charleston, S.C.; and Miami, according to race organizers.In 1998, the race stopped at Fort Lauderdale before coming to Baltimore.

One can't help but think about the environment on a bicycle. No other mode of transportation -- besides one's feet, perhaps -- provides man with such intimate glimpses of nature.You not only see the passing landscape, but you hear the rush of animals moving away from the brush along the road, and you smell the sweet fragrance of flowers and ripening fruit.There may be no better way to let the senses experience the state's environment than by participating in the annual Cycle Across Maryland tour, which showcases a different part of the state each year.

Carson W. Clark Sr., 83, who retired from Maryland Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. after 34 years as a storeroom clerk, died of pneumonia Monday at his Severn home.The lifelong Severn resident was a graduate of Anne Arundel County public schools and enjoyed fishing and gardening.No services are planned for Mr. Clark, who is survived by his wife of 56 years, the former Olwin P. Griffith; two sons, Carson W. Clark Jr. of Glen Burnie and Paul W. Clark of Pasadena; two sisters, Gladys Ringgold and Doris Kalvoda, both of Severn; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

THERE WAS A time in Baltimore when you could hear a train whistle almost anytime -- short and shrill during the day, long and seemingly lonely at night. In recent decades, those sounds have faded as the number of trains declined.Now AMTRAK has announced plans to cut service drastically nationwide, eliminating some routes and reducing the number of trips made on others. Few routes through Baltimore will be affected. But the cuts remind us of how much the city has lost due to the decline of railroads and the rise of the popularity of automobiles.