On The Road In Eastern Maryland

Today I decided to take a road trip to the northeastern part of Maryland, and then northward into Pennsylvania.  My first stop was the Turkey Point Lighthouse, at the southern tip of a peninsula named Elk Neck.  This peninsula extends between two arms of the Chesapeake Bay, the North East River to the west and the Elk River to the east, and is largely taken up by Elk Neck State Park.  To get to the lighthouse, you must drive on Maryland highway 272 to its southern end, after which there is a dirt and gravel parking lot.  From there, you proceed on foot for about a mile.  Here are the lighthouse and an auxiliary building seen from their south sides.

The trail continues westward to form a loop.  I took this shot of the lighthouse and its environs from the west, just before leaving.

The trail continues near the west side of the peninsula, from which the bay can be seen.  On the far side might be Aberdeen, Maryland and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

I left Elk Neck and Turkey Point, retreating northward.  To get to my next destination, I had to retrace my course on Maryland 272, go eastward on US 40, go northward on MD 279, and go north on MD 316 (which passes over I-95, but has no interchange with it).  MD 316, a.k.a. Appleton Road, leads to a gravel road named Black Bridge Road.  The first part of this road is a parking lot off MD 316.  The road eventually leads to a covered bridge named Foxcatcher Farms Bridge, where there is another parking lot.  Here's the south side of the bridge, seen from its west end.

Only pedestrians and emergency vehicles are allowed through the bridge.  I walked through to see the east end of the bridge.

Back on the west side, a trail ran southward along Big Elk Creek, which the bridge spans, and which is a tributary of the above-mentioned Elk River.  Venturing out onto an area of rocks and mud, I took this picture of the bridge.  It was somewhat obscured by a large tree.

The bridge is near the Fair Hill Nature Center, which also includes a pond, of which this is a section.

After visiting Foxcatcher Farms Bridge, I returned to Appleton Road via Black Bridge Road and headed northward into Pennsylvania.  What I see there will be reported in a future post.