Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

memorials

This weekend, Rob and I decided to do a little exploring, our game plan to check out two state parks near Frederick, Md., and then cap the day off with a late lunch at Mexicali Cantina.

Our first stop was Gathland State Park, home to the War Correspondents Arch. The tall brick wall, built in 1896, honors reporters, photographers and cartoonists who covered the Civil War. It was commissioned by George Townsend, himself a Civil War journalist, and built on his own land.

Our second stop was the nearby Washington Monument State Park, which boasts the first monument to George Washington in the United States. Along the uphill path to the kiln-shaped edifice were orange signs marking various events in Washington’s life. At the monument, we climbed a narrow stairway to get to the top, where we had a 360-degree view of the valley below. Standing on the top of a small tower at the top of a hill on a windy day, we were buffeted by freezing gusts, and I could hardly hold my camera steady.

The light was pretty hazy that day, so the photos didn’t come out as well as I would have liked. Still, it was a great excuse to get out of town on an otherwise lazy Sunday.

Photos »