A visit to western Maryland
We’re finished with the family visits after 5 days in Cumberland, MD with Susan’s Mom. We went exploring and found the Great Allegheny Passage and used it for 2 days of walks. It’s a biking/walking trail that runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, following a rail line. Walking in 2 different directions, we found the Brush Rail Tunnel and the Cumberland Bone Caves where prehistoric bones were found about 100 years ago.
![Western Maryland Mountains](https://361532.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Western-Maryland-hills.jpg)
Western Maryland is full of eastern mountains – highest point is about 1600 feet. It’s very green and full of trees.
![Wild Mushrooms](https://361532.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/mushrooms.jpg)
Some wild mushrooms we found along the Great Allegheny Passage
![Mark along the GAP](https://361532.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Mark-along-GAP.jpg)
Mark at the start of our walk on the Great Allegheny Passage. We didn’t walk all the way to Frostburg!
On 9/10 we drove over to Shanksville, PA to visit the Flight 93 9/11 Memorial. It’s a very quiet, peaceful place and very moving. I needed a few tissues as we toured the Visitor Center and walked down to the Memorial Plaza where there’s a huge panel for each of the 40 victims.
![Flight 93 Memorial Plaza](https://361532.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Flight-93-Memorial-Plaza.jpg)
Looking down on the Flight 93 Memorial Plaza from the Visitor Center.
![Flight 93 Memorial](https://361532.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Flight-93-Memorail.jpg)
Visitor Center of the Flight 93 Memorial