Deep Creek Lake Maryland - Deep Creek Lake Blog

Deep Creek Lake-Sunrise Pontoon Trip

Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor

Deep Creek Lake-Sunrise Pontoon Trip. This morning Betsy and I got up at 5am (well I did, later waking Betsy at 5:20am) with our sights set on our first sunrise cruise of the summer. Normally it’s our weekly ritual to enjoy quality time at sunrise, or Dawn Patrol as it’s referred to by surfers. We loaded all our gear up and set sail for the dock where we had the pontoon boat running and pulling out of the slip by 5:45am. Darkness slowly morphed to a grainy grey and as we hit the 219 bridge the sky turned into a fantastic pink hue that reflected through an early morning fisherman’s wake. Fishermen were the only company we would see for the next hour, as we slowly cruised toward the Glendale Bridge. As we approached the bridge we noticed off to our left the sun starting to surge toward the mountain top directly in between the Deep Creek Lake State Park and State Park Road. We turned the boat off and sat there for a good hour watching another beautiful new day being born in Garrett County. Soon the pink glow started to wake up the blue and white glows of mid-morning which signaled us to start heading to Trader’s Coffee House for a fresh cup of coffee, a sausage bagel and a spinach wrap. What a wonderful way to start the work day! After breakfast it was time to do what we love most…helping people find their dream second home here at the lake!

Deep Creek Lake-Mud Bog-Garrett County Fair

Deep Creek Lake-Mud Bog-Garrett County Fair. The crowd was amped for the annual mud bog competition at the Garrett County Fair and the weather was fantastic. Classes ranged from stock to modified to super modified. The thunder roared through the fairgrounds as these gung-ho men and women tried to blast off across this 100’ mud pit. This year the mud was extra slippery and deep which made for challenging conditions to say the least. There was also the “dash for cash”, which lines up pairs of ladies in hand holding positions with the mission of running (yuck, yuck) from the start of the mud pit all the way through to the finish while trying not to be disqualified by letting go of your partner’s hand. I am sure that many ladies lost shoes and some had a hard time getting their legs unstuck from theGarrettCountymud. This event is always a success and a heck of a lot of fun to either participate in, or to watch with the family.

Deep Creek Lake-Garrett County Agricultural Fair 2012

Deep Creek Lake-Garrett County Agricultural Fair 2012. Garrett County Fair week starts today!!!! Old school living with tractor pulls, horse pulls, mud bogs, crash up derbys, and Dukes of Hazard’s own Craaaaazy Cooter leading the parade in THE General Lee!!! You have to check the schedule as there are many, many other things going on including of course the livestock sale. Garrett County stands tall in providing locals as well as outside visitors with a genuine glimpse into small town Tom Sawyer-ish old town county fair experiences! This event staggers throughout the week giving you no excuse to bail on spending a little time with us here at Deep Creek Lake. The wheels on the car go round and round… so point them toward Garrett County and Deep Creek Lake and get more than your tires spinning on thrill rides like THE TANGO!!!

Artist Studio Tour-Garrett County Arts Council

Artist Studio Tour-Garrett County Arts Council. The 4^th annual Artist Studio Tour is on the horizon for this weekend on Saturday, July 28^th from 10am-4pm and Sunday July 31^st from 1:00pm-4pm and is brought to you by the Garrett Count Arts Council. This event gives everyone a chance to drive around beautifulGarrettCounty and pop by local artists working studios and experience a vast collection of various styles of art. Enjoy watercolors, photography, paintings, jewelry, sculptures, wood crafts and many more art categories for your viewing pleasure. Take some time and talk to artists first hand on how they are inspired and support them by purchasing a piece of their inspirational creations.

For More detailed information, call the Garrett County Arts Council at 301-334-6580 or visit http://www.garrettarts.com/calendar.html.

Art in the Park Review-Deep Creek Lake

Art in the Park Review-Deep Creek Lake. This weekend I had the opportunity to attend my first Art in the Park event. I really loved all the beautiful art work ranging from jewelry, pottery, photography, and wood works. The event held at Deep Creek Lake State Park had a steady crowd of people even though the weather outlook was suspect. They had local restaurants like Archie’s Barbecue catering the event, and live music to keep you satisfied while enjoying the art show. If you plan to attend this event next year, I recommend starting to save/budget some money because you will fall in love with the talented artists that are assembled yearly at this classic small town event! Two thumbs up!!!

The American Chestnut Tree-Deep Creek History

The American Chestnut Tree

I had a fantastic morning before work snowboarding & skiing with local folk hero/historian, Ed King, who has 77 years of life lessons and life long memories & experiences that provide much more insight than a Google search! Ed is a colleague of mine here at Long and Foster who is respected immensely by the people of Garrett County. While on the chairlift the other morning, he shared his memories of the blight that destroyed the queen of timber in the Appalachians, The Chestnut Tree. Our fascinating and unique history here in the United States always revolved around perseverance and ingenuity when faced with disaster, and the chestnut tree has engrained itself in the fables. The chestnut tree has run a full circle of life going from a huge part of the economy, then being wiped out, reclaimed, recycled, reused, and eventually re-established for the future.

The lightweight American chestnut tree was of huge economic importance to the people of Garrett County for many reasons. It was an extremely important component because it could grow to 100’ tall with huge diameters around the base, equating to a large amount of lumber. The tree has a reddish-brown color characteristic that was lightweight, soft, easy to split, very resistant to decay and did not shrink or warp, which made it a goldmine for a developing country.

Unfortunately, a very deadly blight/fungus was introduced in 1904 from the Orient and after 40 years of contamination the Chestnut stands were completely demised throughout Garrett County and the Appalachians. Because of their natural resistance to rot, these dead trees stood for many years as ghosts in the vast forest. The fact that they were very dry was a serious concern for the National Parks, as they were considered fire hazards. Mr. King told me that back then you could go the National Forest and ask for a certain amount of trees and they would give you a paint color to use so you could paint the trees you wanted to cut at a later date. You can imagine that this cheap valuable resource became the go-to wood for locals here at the lake.

When looking for real estate here at the lake, you will often hear of homes where they have reclaimed wormy chestnut and used them in construction details. You probably wonder how the tree got their famous wormy characteristics. After the tree stood year-after-year, the worms started to bore through the lifeless trees so that after harvesting them it would give them the patented black wormy trails through the beautiful red-brown chestnut grain.

The next time you run into a home decked out in wormy chestnut while looking for real estate here at Deep Creek Lake, remember the interesting history associated to this special tree.

Garrett County Agricultural Fair-Deep Creek Lake

Garrett County Agricultural Fair Deep Creek Lake. Try to remember through child eyes the fantastic moments you experienced at the local summertime fair. I used to love the feeling of riding the “Round Up” spinning so fast that you could pick your feet off the ground as if you were flying. Then after getting off the ride simply trying to navigate walking for the next ten minutes while your head is spinning like a tornado. It can be as challenging as a tight rope walker.

There are all the rides that normally entice you to play like the scrambler, apple turn over, the star ship, and of course the ferris wheel. Cotton candy, funnel cakes, candy apples, fresh lemonade, beef brisket, hot dogs, local corn, and the famous rotary vinegar fries are just the start to Garret County fair cuisine. The familiar sights, sounds, and smells are nothing short of perfection to the senses at this All American small town fair.

There are truck pulls, tractor pulls, dirt bike exhibitions, and my favorite ‘”the crash up derby”. People from all over the county put together make-shift ram rods to see who can take the least amount of punishment and survive the longest. The leaking radiators leading to blow motors and back wheels being plowed into the car frame seem to be the master of demise in this grand event.

Remember that this is an Agricultural Fair. A popular event is when animals come through the auction gates. People pack the fair bleachers to bid on a large selection of farm animals ranging from Cows, Lambs, and Pigs. There is something special about the auctioneer taking control of the bidding and the electricity of the crowd competing for these beautiful fair animals. There is also the standard competition of trying to get the coveted blue ribbon for the best vegetable, photograph, painting, quilt or wood working piece.

After the fair, I went up to an special place overlooking the fair with the sun setting, the fair lights shining brilliantly, and the rumble of the crash-up derby all framed in by Wisp Resort in the background. What a great way to finish up the summer and the catalyst for the start of fall.

Deep Creek Lake-Garrett County History

A Little Deep Creek Lake Garrett County History

Deep Creek Lake-Garrett County History. Long before Deep Creek Lake came into existence it had plenty of history pre-dating the area as we know it now. Native American artifacts uncover that many tribes like the Cherokee, Delaware (Lanape), and Shawnee have extensive history here in Western Maryland. The Mingo Tribe were indigenous people to the area who annually returned to mountaintops to hunt, fish, plant crops, and trade. There is evidence left from floods through the Potomac River Valley that indicate that some villages have been in existence for over 2000 years.

The first known permanent resident /settler of the Garrett County area was John Friend Sr., who came from the Colony of Virginia with his brother Andrew and son Gabriel in 1762. Eventually they ended up at an Indian village along the Youghiogheny River, which now bears the family name, Friendsville.

In 1872, they divided Allegheny County and formed Garrett County, which was the last County to be formed in Maryland. The county was named after railroad executive, industrialist, and financier John Work Garrett who served as president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1858-1884. An interesting fact to note is that the Maryland-Pennsylvania line was surveyed and marked by astronomer Charles Mason and surveyor Jeremiah Dixon. This famous dividing point became known as the Mason Dixon Line, which symbolized the cultural boundary between the Northern and Southern United States, Garrett County representing the South.

In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson signed a bill from the United States Congress setting aside money for building the National Railroad. This was to be the first federally constructed highway in the nation stretching from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, West Virginia. As Americans, we all are very fortunate to live in the greatest country in the world that possesses abundant history and keeps us grounded on where we have been and where we are going in life.

Deep Creek Lake, Maryland

Deep Creek Lake, Maryland

Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Just a hair west of the Eastern Continental Divide on a large Plateau called Tablelands, and just a bit East of Morgantown, West Virginia home of the Mountaineers, you will find the up and coming resort town of Deep Creek Lake. Maryland. The mighty Youghiogheny River carves through the panhandle of Maryland’s Garrett County mountains as it flows north through Pennsylvania and finally merges with the famous three rivers in the steel town of Pittsburgh then funnels to the Mississippi River and eventually drains into The Gulf of Mexico. Deep Creek Lake was a very popular get away for the rich and well-to-do folks who were trying to escape the brutal humid heat that dominated the East Coast at the turn of the century. Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison often camped at Maryland’s highest waterfall, Muddy Creek falls which is only minutes from the northern end of the lake. Deep Creek Lake was in fact created when the DCL Dam was constructed in 1928, which gave this tranquil mountain environment another valuable asset and catapulted the area into becoming Maryland’s diamond in the rough. The lake slowly evolved to support lake recreational activities such as boating, sailing, fishing, swimming, and waterskiing and whose main stream popularity gained momentum through the decades to become the centerpiece for tourism in the state of Maryland. In 1955, Mr. Ace Heise turned the cow pastures of Marsh Mountain into a make shift ski area that slowly evolved into one of the premier ski resorts on the east coast, Wisp Resort. The power trio of Wisp Resort, Deep Creek Lake, and the Youghiogheny River stand as the nucleus to the county thriving abundantly with recreational activities year round. Activities include; hiking, river and lake fishing, camping, snowshoeing, boating, sailing, wakeboarding, slalom skiing, ATV riding, snowmobiling, kayaking, snow skiing, snowboarding, zip lining, dune buggy trails, ice skating, a roller coaster, and jet skiing to name a few. With the popularity of the lake came more and more events to entertain locals and tourist alike. Events like: The Autumn Glory Festival & Parade, The Deep Creek Dunk, The Cardboard Box Derby, Deep Creek Lake Art and Wine Festival, K-9 Tunes and Brews, Winter Fest, Aquapooloza and many more throughout the season. Take a little time before your next visit to DCL and dig up some facts and history in the archives of the internet so your appreciation for this special town can be fully understood.

Drag Racing Snowmobiles-Deep Creek Lake

Drag Racing Snowmobiles Deep Creek Lake

I have been seduced by the mountain life and loving it!!! Bucket list…Snowmobile drag racing…CHECK! I can’t reiterate how much I enjoy life here in Deep Creek Lake after the work bell rings! I am a self-professed surfing and beach junkie and wondered if I could ever be disconnected from the ocean life that has always been my roots and co-exist with the mountain lifestyle. The answer easily screams YES!!

Yesterday I participated in snowmobile drag races, an event that was put on by The Snowdrifters Club. Temperatures ranged from cold to freezing with stiff 20-25 mph West winds bringing horizontal snow and walloping wind chills. Sign up’s started at 8’ish and went on until 10am. The event kicked in with the classic old snowmobiles leading the charge. Next came everyone’s favorite class which was the Kitty Kat class. Little youngsters were getting their feet wet in a sport that surely will be engrained in their hearts forever. The smiles of these wonderful children and the cheers from the supportive spectators really kicked this ice cold event off with warm feelings by all. The rest of the day rotated classes ranging from 400 cc’s to 1100 cc’s and were separated by classes – Stock, Super Sock, and Pro Mod. The rush of sitting at the starting line awaiting the stage light to go green can only be experienced; words do not describe these types of emotions. As the light goes green and you hammer the throttle, you explode off the starting line like a rocket ship and the peripheral vision blurs as your focus becomes the finish line. Sure, these sleds hit speeds of 100- 120mph on the lake but you only have 500’ to reach your top speed when drag racing. Factors influencing speed are where you take off and the snow conditions beneath your sled, how you distribute your weight on the sled, the line you choose, visibility, and most importantly how quickly you get into the throttle as the light turns green. Unbelievably exciting event!!

We have one more drag race coming up next weekend for those of you that missed it this year. Check out Deep Creek Home this week for more details.

Category: Deep Creek Lake Maryland