Mar 15, 2014

Joanna came down and we headed south(ish) to Patapsco State Park in Maryland for a hike. We found a nice loop that started out heavily wooded and rocky. We descended for a while before leveling out along a stream.

We had to cross the stream at this railroad bridge with a tunnel out to the other side and the river. This is where the path began to climb back up. We encountered an overlook that let us see the tops of trees and a small parking lot. Very exciting.

The trail continued on a paved path along the river and past the dam. There was a nice, big bridge that helped us get across the river and then we had to walk along the far bank where the trail was pretty degraded. It was pretty muddy and close to the water in a lot of places before it returned to being paved.

We followed the path up and around another incline area which I recognized as having done previously with Jess. We crossed over the river again on a shaky bridge and continued until we passed under the railroad again. This trail took us on a steep climb up to a big open field that turned out to be part of a Christian retreat. It might not have been the path we were looking for, but it got us back to the car.

We headed over to Rockburn Branch DGC for a game as the sun was dropping. I remember the course pretty well and I was able to play much better than the previous time I was there.

We got through the course before it got dark so that was nice. We had a good round.

We stopped at the Land of Kush, a vegan restaurant close to downtown Baltimore, where I got this amazing BBQ seitan and mac & cheese that gives The Abbaye's a run for its money. So good.

The Brewer's Art was right around the corner so we headed over to the really cool basement bar and I got a sampler of their Belgian beers. They were all quite good. Knowing that they were Belgian going in was helpful, but one was a sour Belgian that I really liked. The best part was the bar itself; dark and filled with beers lovers. I'd like to spend a night here with some friends.

We went up to DuClaw next where I was greeted with the Dirty Little Freak, a coconut caramel chocolate brown ale. It is just as wonderful as it sounds. I also tried their "Roulette" tap, which is a random beer that isn't offered on their list at all. It could be anything. The one I got tasted like a Belgian strong ale. It was pretty good, just not what I was craving.

I had a Euphoria and another Dirty Little Freak before we left. It was a fun night at the bar and then we went and found ourselves a Wal*Mart parking lot to camp in for the night.

Feb 26, 2014

My third day at Memorial covering meetings was somewhere in between. I had a good amount of break time so I watched New Girl and Sherlock as I hung out eating my yogurt parfait thing.

We went to The Abbaye for DuClaw's U Buy the Glass night early enough to get a good table. They had six beers on the menu. I had forgotten how good the Euphoria was, but I was happy to have that.

We ordered our food and the beers kept coming. There was the Venom Pale Ale, Bare Ass Blonde, Misfit Red, and Sweet Baby Jesus. I had forgotten about the Mysterium, but it didn't sound like one I would like. I was very wrong. Might be my favorite of the night.

People got drunk. Matt had to leave for his volleyball game and we stuck around until they stopped pouring. Once the raffle was over Kate had won a shirt and I didn't get anything. Earlier I had talked to the DuClaw rep, Chris, about being a big fan of their brewery for a long time so he told me to come out to his car after the raffle if I didn't win anything.

I did just that and he hooked me up with two bottles: Hell on Wood, which I'd never heard of, and Cocoa Fuego, which I actually haven't had yet. That was pretty awesome of him and just solidifies my love of that brewery and all that they do. After hanging out for a while longer we headed home to drop everyone off.

Feb 6, 2014

I needed to get outside after spending the morning inside at home. I went to Belleplain to walk the lake trail. It was pretty good for a while, but then I got to a point that was totally flooded. I walked through some of it since my boots are waterproof, but it got too deep for even that so I was walking along the edge and blazing through vines and thorns to get past.

Luckily that was the only time I encountered flooding along the trail so the rest was a nice easy walk listening to music and podcasts. It always seems so much longer when I'm not running. Either way I enjoyed my time outside.

I went up to Philly and picked up Davonne later to go to Barcade. DuClaw was having a tap takeover and it's a good thing Barcade has a shitload of taps to accommodate all of their beers! It really did seem like they brought everything.

I turned Davonne on to the Sweet Baby Jesus, loved by all. She was hooked. I had some of my favorites including the Misfit Red and the X6. It was a fun time at the bar and we didn't even end up playing any games. We went back to her apartment for a little while before I headed home.

Nov 6, 2013

I got an early start heading up to Roseland, NJ for a photo shoot at a law firm. On the way I stopped at the post office to ship my old telephoto lens. I don't know if it was worth selling for what I got, but I don't have the patience to keep trying to sell it for more. I got to the firm and met up with my contact there then got right to shooting. The office was in the process of being packed up so I had to get creative and was limited to certain rooms. I put the lawyers and some aides in the conference room and shot a "meeting" for the marketing firm that hired me to put up on the new website. Everyone I met there was very nice and accommodating. I had a good time.

(Not my photo ^) Once done I headed straight back down the Parkway and Turnpike. I was home for long enough to eat and change before I had to get right back in the car, pick up Kate and head south. Well, north, then west, then south. Damn south Jersey. We got to DuClaw in pretty good time and got right to picking out our flight of 8 beers we hadn't ever had before. I was surprised at the amount. It has been a while though. The X6 Winter Warmer Wit was amazing. Totally my favorite of the night. There was also an imperial pilsner called Snake Oil that was fantastic and a black IPA called The Dark Side of Oz that was roasty, lightly hopped, and delicious. They always manage to have some of the best beer I've had. I still wish they were closer. I only had a sip of Kate's Sweet Baby Jesus because I didn't want to get a second full beer before finishing our drive.

After our tasty dinner of spicy appetizer and beer we headed to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and parked near the venue before walking a half mile to Pratt Street Ale House which houses one of the Oliver Breweries locations. We did a full menu flight because, as always, we can't choose. There were a few good beers in there, but a few I didn't care for much. I enjoyed most of the Solo Album series, but my favorite was the EVOL #2: Fast & Loose pale ale. Fantastically smooth and full of hop flavor, this is the one I got a pint of.

Once we finished our beers we headed back to Ram's Head for the show. After a short wait, Taking Back Sunday took the stage, playing through an awesome set. They played songs I haven't heard in a while that I always want to hear including My Blue Heaven and Call Me in the Morning. The latter was a little odd live, but that might have been the performance. They played a few new songs that all sounded good and have me excited for the new album. I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't bother to take out my phone or my camera to take a single picture. It seemed like they played for a long time, and that's always nice. After the show we found a Wal*Mart about five miles away and made camp for the night. I fell asleep almost immediately upon lying my head on the pillow.

Feb 20, 2012

After a long sleep, I got up and went to Parvin for a run. It was cold, but nice to be out in the fresh air with the sun.

Kate, Chuck, and I decided to go down to DuClaw Brewing in Maryland to sample some beers and get some food. They have an amazing tuna melt and tons of beer to sample. 

We got two full samplers of everything they had on tap. I shared mine with Kate, but Chuck went for his all on his own. We liked pretty much all of them, but we ended up coming home with a growler of the Misfit Red and the Venom. I really wish this place was closer. 

Somehow when we got home we decided we needed to drink more beer, so we came to my house and did just that. We hung around the table talking for a couple of hours sipping bottle that we had in the fridge.

It was quite a beer filled day, which is nothing too unusual. At least I didn't sleep in the car this time.

Jan 30, 2012

I felt like I had to get away for a while and I didn't get a job so I headed south to Susquehanna State Park in Maryland. It didn't take that long to get there, surprisingly. I found the trail and put on my layers and my pack and headed out.

I was bundled up, but as I walked it got warm quickly so I was shedding my layers a bit. The trail was mostly wooded with a few brief breaks for a view over the water.

Eventually I came to another entrance point to the trail where I could get off and check out the scenic view down the Susquehanna River. I love this view of all the bridges in the distance. It was a nice little stop and then I continued on. The path didn't get strenuous until about two miles after this point.

The rolling hills started and there were a few steep spots and stream crossings. That part was fun and there were some ruins of an old barn and silo that I walked through.

I was famished by the time I finished the hike and I headed straight for DuClaw when I got in my car. I sampled a few beers that I hadn't tried before while I waited for my blackened tuna sandwich. The sandwich took forever, but the beer was good and the sandwich was amazing once I finally got it.

I slowly made my way home after this and had a shower and hung out for the rest of the night.

Oct 22, 2011

I got to Tracy's house at 5am so we could leave for Maryland. It wasn't a bad drive, but we got a late start after Wawa took forever. The parking situation was in a muddy field and we had to catch the bus on the road near there to get to the race. It was very cold, but we weren't worried until we got on the bus and were told there was a backup of buses that had to travel one at a time down the small road to drop off racers.

With less than ten minutes until our heat time, we rushed through the packet pickup lines, checked our bags and then I realized that I needed my flags and Tracy didn't have her monitor. We met back at the starting line and got running about five minutes after everyone else.

I was still putting my belt on when I encountered the first field of zombies, allowing one of them to snag two of them with one hand. Not cool. So I was down to one flag at the very start. The race was through the woods, up some mild grades, and over bails of hay obstacles. The hardest part was sprinting full speed past fields of zombies so they couldn't steal my only flag.

I didn't even hesitate when it came time to jump in the water and cross. It got really deep at some parts. While running down some forest paths a zombie would pop out from behind a tree and try to grab me. I managed to avoid them somehow.

After a very large hill we came to The Gauntlet. There were tons of zombies and, much like the rest of the race, I was mostly by myself to get through them. I zigged, zagged, and spun my way through them all and got over and under the obstacles then dunked in the big pool of blood red that I needed to cross before the final wooded path run to the finish line. After ducking under a chain link fence that said "Safe Zone" I was done the race and they separated the dead from alive. I lived with one flag!

Tracy was waiting for me by the tents. She took a different path than I did. That's one of the interesting things about this race: you can go different ways and still end up at the end. We took our drink tickets and got a pretty crappy free beer and then perused the clothing tents and tried some salsa. There wasn't a lot to do there after the run. The bands didn't start until afternoon so we decided to get back on the shuttle and go.

I looked up a nearby brewery called DuClaw and we went there for lunch and drinks. I made a good choice because they had an amazing blackened tuna sandwich. Best I've ever had. They also had a ton of good beers I wanted to try...

So I did. I got the sampler of all of their beers on tap. So many amazing ones. Very different. One was made in whiskey barrels and had quite a kick to it. I was pretty loaded after drinking all of those. Not really drunk, but not very far from it. I wouldn't have let me drive. Luckily Tracy had the wheel so I was free to drink at my leisure. I wrote up a nice post for it at Beer Me That Blog.

Not very long after getting home we headed right back out to Philly to JD McGillicuddy's for some pre-show drinks and food. I got one Golden Monkey-yeahhh and some Old Bay fries that ended up being free because the waitress gave mine to the wrong person first.

We went into the Electric Factory a bit before New Found Glory came on. They opened up with a surprise and got into a set full of all kinds of songs. They played a few new ones, two of which are my favorite tracks. They played a few songs I didn't expect but skipped some I did.

The encore was the big surprise. They covered "Basket Case" by Green Day and added a nice little NFG-riff in there. It was a good cover followed by "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "My Friends Over You" of course.

It was a great show as always and a crazy fun day! From zombies to beer to New Found Glory. Can't complain about any of that.