Wednesday Walk On The Torrey C. Brown Trail aka The NCR Trail

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Today, I'll be showing you a different area of the Torrey C. Brown Trail that is formerly known as the NCR Trail. I entered at Parking Lot 1 - 1302 Paper Mill Rd #1300, Cockeysville, MD 21030. I've always known it as the NCR Trail and the last time I was at this location was approximately 15 years ago. Back then I biked the trail and on this visit I walked it up to the Big Gunpowder Falls River. It is a wide and paved trail that is big enough to accomodate bicyclists, walkers, joggers and riders on horseback. They also allow you to bring your dog so long as he or she is on a leash. If you want to bike it and don't have a bike then there is a bike rental just across the street and the rates are reasonable. The shop is Hunt Valley Village Bike Rentals & River Tubes 1235 Paper Mill Rd S.E., Hunt Valley, MD 21031 and this is their website. Now ... lets go check out the trail! We parked on Lot 1 and there was ample parking. At one end there is a park like setting with benches to sit and a couple of plaques at the entrance. There is a water fountain but it was turned off due to covid.

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The plaque in the first photo reads:

"North Central Railroad Trail"
"COMPLETED IN 1832, THE NORTH CENTRAIL RAILROAD CARRIED PASSENGERS AND FREIGHT BETWEEN BALTIMORE, YORK AND HARRISBURG FOR 140 YEARS. AFTER THE DECLINE OF THE RAILROAD THE RAILROAD BED WAS CONVERTED TO A RAIL TRAIL IN 1984. TODAY THE MARYLAND PORTION OF THE TRAIL IS TWENTY MILES LONG AND IS MANAGED BY THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AS PART OF THE GUNPOWDER FALLS STATE PARK. YORK COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA MANAGES AN ADDITIONAL 20 MILES FROM THE MASON-DIXON LINE TO YORK, PENNSYLVANIA."

Here is the ramp that leads down to the trail and a bulletin board with some park info at the bottom.

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The following photos show the trail, some pretty flowers along the trail and some green scenery. Things have changed some (a lot) since my last visit all those years ago and the foliage is much more abundant now.

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While there we (husband and I) came across some "ruins" including this old Lime Kiln. The plaque here reads:

"Lime Kiln"
Lime Kilns in this area were built into hillsides for support. A fire was maintained at the bottom of the pit and crude lime from a nearby source was thrown on top of it. The heat from the fire would separate the pure powder form of the lime from the other rocks and minerals. Lime in Balt. Co. was used to white-wash buildings, as a disinfectant, and poured over dead bodies to slow decay. Although the exact age of this kiln is not known, it probably was constructed in the late 1800's."

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It was right about here that I could hear some beautiful flute music but I had no idea where it was coming from. We continued on and saw some mushrooms along the way, a natural stonewall and there were several benches along the way if one needed to stop and rest.

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The next thing that we came across looked to be the remnants of an old bridge. I wondered if it could be the bridge that was burned that I read of on a plaque at the entrance. I can't say if it is but I have a feeling that it isn't as I would think it would be decayed more. I couldn't find any kind of marker that may give more info but it was an interesting thing to see regardless.

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Right up here is the bridge over the Big Gunpowder Falls River. I think this may be the bridge that was burned and it was rebuilt. Here there are amenities should one need and a bike rack where you can lock up your bike in case you want to walk down to the river.

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A view from one side of the bridge and a couple from the opposite side.

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It was also from the bridge that I found where the beautiful flute music was coming from. A gentleman was playing down below on a small island off the trail and right by the river. I was interested to find out who he was and an internet search provided the answer. His name is Marlin Ballard and he decided to play his music there to help people take their minds off of covid. He plays beautifully and it was a delight to hear! It was so relaxing that I didn't even think to record it..sorry! Source

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We headed down a trail to the water and saw an old building in ruins. I wondered what it was used for as it was a small building. I was also tempted to get a closer look but thought it best not to wander too close.

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The following are some water views and some views of the bridge.The bridge looks a little spooky from here too!

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Back up the little hill and a last shot of the old building in ruins and back on the trail to head back to the parking lot.

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On my way back I saw some pretty Goldenrod plants and Pale Jewelweed!

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On my walk I saw a lot of interesting and beautiful things. I did see a lot of birds but the sightings were fleeting as they darted in and out of the brush. I did see one little creature that was both colorful and cute but I didn't see it looking up or around! I saw it as I was looking down and I was actually surprised how quick he or she was!

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Before long we were back to our starting point and although I had an awesome time I was tired and ready to get home. I hope you enjoyed joining me on my visit to the Torrey C. Brown Trail aka the NCR Trail! 💖

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Thank you @tattoodjay for #wednesdaywalk and everyone at #haveyoubeenhere!!

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26 comments
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Hi @deerjay, what a fabulous way to retreat into nature. I for one would love to walk or bike along the paths here. Loved your photos, thank you.

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Thank you so much @angiemitchell!! It is a great path for both. I may try to get on at another entry points to check out other parts of it as well. This is the second entry that I've checked out so far. Our weather just started to cool off which made it more enjoyable.😊 💕

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Beautiful park to explore.. You have a lot places to walk among near you.. Thanks for the walk @deerjay

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Thank you very much @manorvillemike!! I've been to 2 entry points on the NCR trail and hope to see other areas also. You have some pretty awesome spots near you as well. Have your leaves started turning Autumn colors yet? Our's not so much yet but some have started falling from their branches. 🙂

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What a breathtakingly beautiful area for a walk, I was intrigued by the flute music so was glad you found the musician :)

Thanks for joining Wednesday Walk

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Thank you so much Jay!! I was happy to have found out who the gentleman was and it was lovely to hear him play in that setting. I tried to add a lot of photos also to make anyone reading feel like they were walking right along with me. Always happy to join in on Wednesday Walk! 😊 💖

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I think its cool he finds a spot with nature to play, I know if me and LUlu had been there she would have wanted to sit there and listen to him for ages :)

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What a nice Wednesday Walk on the old Railway bed, Dee.

The Lime Kiln was interesting. Many people here on the Island used to white-wash the outside of the house with lime. I remember seeing a bag of lime in outhouses. It was used to help decay the waste. May I never have to step inside one of them again.😁

The bridge did look spooky with the two openings underneath that looked like two large eyes.

Love the idea of Mr. Ballard playing his flute to help people take their mind off this COVID virus.

!tip

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Thanks so much Jo!! I'm glad we decided to visit! Oh yes, when I was a child and visited my moms family out in the country we used outhouses. In the summer I always hurried up when I had to use it but more from the bees than anything else. 😉
Not gonna lie..I got a real creepy feeling from that view of the bridge. It was still cool looking but I don't think I'd want to be around there after the sun went down. Hearing the flute made it a little less spooky looking though! 🙂 💕

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Most welcome Dee. Some outhouses weren’t too bad,. The Johnny-on-the-spot used at fairs or other temporary places can be just as stinky.😲

You have to trust your feelings about that bridge. Perhaps it’s haunted. I wonder if there is anyway you can find out if anything happened there.❤️

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Nice area of the Torrey C. Brown Trail photography.

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Thanks so much @kamrunnahar!! I enjoyed seeing your Wednesday Walk as well! I hope your father -in-law is doing better now! 💖

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What a beautiful nature walk that really looks like a very enjoyable walk so much green 🙂

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Thank you so much @kohsamui99!! It was even more enjoyable as it was fairly cool during the walk. The summer here can be brutal with the humidity on top of the heat so it was a welcome change. 😊

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An excellent journey along the Torry C. Brown Trail you visually took us on @deerjay and congratulations on getting curated by @darthknight

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Thank you very much @ninahaskin!! It was a very nice surprise! 💕

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Love the random, positive and well deserved surprises! Hope all is going well with you and the family, Dee!💕

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