John Downs Memorial Park, Pasadena, Maryland

After dropping my daughter off at her robotics competition, I headed over to John Downs Memorial Park. It's a county park that was originally owned by Charles Carroll, though much later (the 1880s) it was actually used as a farm. The land was bought in 1913 by H. R. Mayo Thom, who turned the area into a summer residence. The property was turned over to the county.

Typical park entrance

I noticed driving in that someone is collecting sap from the trees. From the variety of trees I was confused. Maybe it's a science experiment and not a maple syrup production.

Bleeding out a tree

The park has lots of picturesque bits, including Mother's Garden, a popular spot for weddings. I visited in early March, so the garden was not at its best.

Mother's Garden entrance

Statue in the garden

The garden has a "wishing bench" that dates back to the 1913 summer residence. A sign says if you are quiet and make a wish, it will come true. I tried it with no luck.

Wishing Bench

Proof I was there

A lovely feature of the park is its beach along the Chesapeake Bay. On a quiet Sunday morning, it was very peaceful and picturesque. The beach includes a pier for fishing.

View of the bay, not the beach

Sun rise (well, risen) at the beach

Rocky part of the beach

View from the pier

The park has lots of walking trails and a handful of geocaches, so I wandered all over. The park is split by Pinehurst Road, with a bridge over it.

Bridge

View from the bridge

With 235 acres, there's a lot of nature to preserve. I ran across this "bug hotel" set up near one of the geocaches.

Do bugs get better treatment than trees?

While a lot of the trails are paved, the Eco Trail is packed dirt with the occasional workout stops.

Eco Trail entrance

In case walking is not enough exercise

Work your arms, not your legs!

I returned to a paved trail that led back to the visitor's center.

Should have brought a bike!

Unfortunate tree

The park has many other amenities, including picnic pavilions, campgrounds, the visitor's center (which was not open since I was there before 10 a.m. on a Sunday), a concert stage, and a playground.

Picnic area

At least the bathrooms were open!

Outdoor stage

Deluxe playground

It was a fun park to visit.