Southwest Area Park Map and Picturess of Herons- Baltimore County, Maryland

This little unpretentious park is one of my favorites. A boat ramp, a pond and an airport for tiny little planes. What's not to love?


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Cotonou - Used cars galore fresh from the Port of Baltimore

Once again I am crossing the railroad bridge on the way to the fort that overlooks the Locust Point terminals and there is a sea of gently used cars that are lined up pointing toward the water, which is a clear indication they are outbound. Normally, here at the Port of Baltimore storage lots the cars are incoming and new. This particular lot at Locust Point has been utilized most recently for the import of Kia Minivans and compact cars and before that was the big windmill pieces. But now we have these used cars and bunches of them have the word "Cotonou" written on the back windshield. Being a curious person I did some research on what was going on.

Cotonou is the economic capitol of Benin. That is what Wikipedia told me, which was pretty much telling me nothing. I didn't know where Benin was, so I had to click on that too. It turns out Benin is in West Africa. Now, don't think I'm stupid, when I was in the 7th grade I had a social studies teacher that made me memorize all the countries in Africa. The problem was that was about 35 years ago and much has changed, changed in Africa not necessarily my brain content. Anyway, all I can gather was that there used to be these countries called Ivory Coast and Gold Coast and maybe Benin is one of them.

They speak French in Benin and they have about 7 million people. They also have one of the highest infant mortality rates in Benin and only 30% of the population gets adequate healthcare, according to sites on the Internet. The economic engine of Benin is subsistance agriculture. I can't imagine that these poor 7 million people are in desperate need of all our used Lexuses, Toyotas and Hondas. So I did more reading.

We learn there is a port there called the Autonomous Port of Cotonou. We learn this port is filled with corruption.

"The Autonomous Port of Cotonou –- a key gateway to the Benin market for any U.S. businessperson – is a good example of how corruption and static attitudes dampen Benin’s longer-term growth potential. The port serves as a gateway for the sub-region with many goods arriving in Cotonou destined for Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and other countries in West Africa. It is a transshipment point for about 350,000 used cars annually –- 90% of which are re-exported. "

Ah, the mere fact that Nigeria is a bosom buddy neighbor to Benin gave us a clue that things probably weren't so copacetic out there in Cotonou. A few paragraphs down from the same article we learn:

"Benin’s growth is heavily dependent on the "two pillars" of the country’s economy: trade with Nigeria, and cotton. Lagos’ population of 15 million –- more than double the total population of Benin –- is only 100 kilometers away from Cotonou. Beninese entrepreneurs profit from smuggling and re-exporting products on which Nigeria has imposed import duties or restrictions. The most profitable business in Nigeria for Beninese is in used cars."

I guess those cars are going to end up in Nigeria one way or another. Small wonder that the Beninis pick the fine port of Baltimore with which to do business. I wish those cars well in their trip to Africa.

Here is a google map of the port of Cotonou in case you are wondering what it looks like.


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Where is Benin?


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Short Hill Mountain, Virginia

I would never advocate trespassing. Private property should always be respected. If you were to go to Short Hill Mountain in Virginia this is what hypothetically you might see. The first photo is courtesy of Alexey.

Summer

Tubing on the Gunpowder, York Road to Big Falls Road, Maryland

All you need to know about tubing this area of the mighty Gunpowder River. Take a virtual tube down the river.

Gas is 4 bucks a gallon, money is getting tight and Baltimore area residents are desperate for an activity that won't cost an arm and a leg. So without further ado, let's talk about the section of the Gunpowder between York Road and Big Falls Road. This time I chose to potentially sacrifice a camera to get some tubing video, see how much I love you all!


Every time I tube down the Gunpowder I always think the section I have just completed is the nicest, and this time was no different. The segment from York Road to Big Falls proved to have steady water flow, constant movement that didn't require any hand paddling, and incredible scenic beauty. The area is absolutely lush with plant life and all sorts of birds. Rock formations abound. The best part of the segment is that it has trails on both sides that will get you back to your car on York Road. I am not a big fan of carrying an inflated tube, nor do I like to huff and puff my tube once I get to the put-in, so I like to inflate the tube at the car with a little car inflator, tube the river, deflate the tube and civilly walk back to the start. But you can do it any way you wish.

Another tuber admired my tube and asked where I purchased it. I bought my tube for $20 on sale over at Dick's Sporting Goods at the Hunt Valley Mall behind the Wal-Mart. If you don't wish to purchase a tube, you can rent one at Bike Stuff for and then deal with driving over to Monkton, renting the tube for $20, and then driving back there to return it, all the while being wary of their hours of operation. Whatever floats your boat.

Directions to get there: Take I-83 to Exit 27, Hereford - Mt. Carmel Road. Head east on Mt. Carmel Road to York Road. Head north/left on York Road. Drive 2 miles until you get to the parking area at Gunpowder State Park off of York Road.

Below is a map of the area.

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