By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 August 12th, 2009 Category: Deep Creek Lake Activities, Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do, Deep Creek Lake Events, Garrett County News, News

Now that the 53rd annual Garrett County Maryland Fair is well underway - here is a list of the top 5 things you must do at this year’s fair located in McHenry on the northern end of Deep Creek Lake.

5. Ride The Casino - tunes are blaring during this rock-n-roll type ride. It’s so popular long lines are common.

Jimmy Railey Enjoying Rotary Fries!

4. Eat a Funnel Cake - just hit the food row to buy one and you’ll soon be understanding why they are so popular.

3. Watch the Livestock Auction - held on Saturday night. Many prize winning cattle and pigs are auctioned off raising money for many local youths and charities.

2. Get some Rotary French Fries - freshly cut french fries prepared on site by the Oakland Rotary Club - best served with ketchup or vinegar.

1. The Demolition Derby - will be held this Saturday evening. Nothing quite like watching a bunch of locals smash up cars until only 1 is left running!

Fair Week is very popular for both locals and vacationers - many second homeowners and families renting a vacation home plan their summer vacation around this week. You can certainly tell that more people are in the Deep Creek Lake area this week than most other times - more cars are on the roads, the lake is a little busier, and the restaurants are more full.

Railey Realty - Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County’s leading real estate brokerage - has a booth at the fair. Stop by and see us whether you are considering buying in western Maryland’s premier four season resort - or if you are thinking about selling. We can handle all your real estate needs!

By: BrianHomberg bhomberg@railey.com 301-501-0131 July 22nd, 2009 Category: Deep Creek Lake Activities, Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do, Deep Creek Lake Events

Spotlight:  The Youghiogheny River, The ASCI Whitewater Course, & Upcoming Summer 2009 Whitewater Events

Looking for an unforgettable Deep Creek Lake area and western Maryland experience?  Try the exhilarating sport of whitewater paddling and experience the world class whitewater found right here in Garrett County - just a few hours from Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.  Rushing water and adrenaline race together in the mountains… Been there, done that?  Consider revisiting the thrill, energy and physical and mental challenge of working as a team or individually to navigate a boat on turbulent whitewater.  When you do this, you learn something about life…and yourself.  Water is a life force - and a teacher.  It fully absorbs you for awhile. Try it and learn what you can do!

It’s no secret among whitewater enthusiasts that Garrett County and it’s spectacular rivers make it one of the premier whitewater sport destination areas in the country.  Local residents warmly and skillfully hosted the 1989 World Canoe/Kayak Championships on the Savage River (first time held in U.S.) for an incredible event that many remember.

The real “gem” in the Garrett County whitewater collection is the Youghiogheny River. (pronounced: Yock like rock)

Upper Yough Rafting

It was designated as Maryland’s first Wild and Scenic River in 1976 which protects a 21 mile long segment from just north of Oakland Maryland to the town of Friendsville. This corridor is managed by the State Forest and Park Service to preserve the river’s wild and natural scenic, geologic, historic, ecologic, recreational, fish, wildlife, and cultural resources.  To learn more about the river and access points visit: Maryland DNR - Youghiogheny River

Whitewater rafting or kayaking on the 10 mile section from Sang Run to Friendsville  is an amazing experience also known as the “The Upper Yough“.  This section is world renowned for continuous whitewater, impressive gradient averaging over 100 ft per mile, and huge boulder strewn, tight and technical passages.  This is a physical run with non-stop intensity and adrenaline pumping action through a rugged, beautiful gorge right here in our backyard. Precision Rafting is the most experienced outfitter, located at the take-out point in the quaint town of Friendsville, MD.  Owner, Roger Zbel is an expert kayaking legend and winner of many, many  Upper Yough races and entrepreneur who pioneered commercial rafting here in 1981 with whitewater legend Phil Coleman.

Upper Yough video clip

Whitewater releases are guaranteed from Deep Creek Lake.  Go to www.deepcreekhydro.com for the recreational release schedule and current Deep Creek Lake water levels.  Mellow float (kids) trips are also available on the easy sections of the river.   You can monitor local Garrett County river levels at:  http://waterdata.usgs.gov/md/nwis/rt

The Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI) WHITEWATER COURSE

Brian Homberg Racing At ASCI

Garrett County’s newest, most interesting and beautiful spectator park - and  engineering marvel!  Have a picnic and scout the 1,700 foot twisting, foaming  course and watch participants up close.  Like what you see? Get in and test your timing, reflexes and teamwork on the world’s only adjustable mountaintop whitewater park that offers class I - IV whitewater in a “controlled” environment without typical river hazards such as downed trees, undercut rocks and places for foot entrapment.  Perfect for first-time family, friends, groups and younger ones.  Experience the swirling rapids with ASCI’s expert guide staff.  An effortless conveyor takes you from bottom to top while taking in spectacular panoramic views.  Take it to the next level by paddling an inflatable kayak (ducky) or learning how whitewater kayak.  Whether you are a participant or spectator, the ASCI Whitewater Park is a really cool place to visit in Garrett County on hot summer day.  Location:  On Top of Wisp Ski Resort. Great practice for the Upper Yough River.

Rafters Enjoying ASCI

Learn more about ASCI Guided Family Raft Trips at: www.adventuresportscenter.com

ASCI VIDEO CLIP

The real showcase is the public awareness side of preserving and conserving our free flowing rivers and streams as recreation areas.  Get involved at:  http://www.americanwhitewater.org/

Upcoming Summer Whitewater Events in Garrett County

July 25^th , 2009 - 4:00 p.m. start, 1 minute intervals, approx. 30 min. race

Upper Yough Extreme Race (great event to watch - for experts only) - some of the best paddlers in the country will be racing, and the hike into the gorge is fantastic. Details at:  http://www.immersionresearch.com/upperyoughrace/

August 15^th-16^th

U.S. Whitewater Rafting National Championships - this will be held at ASCI on Saturday and on the Lower Yough on Sunday (details at www.adventuresportscenter.com). There will be a Junior class, and no equipment is necessary. I had a great chance to become a National Champion at an early age, and these raft races will grow over time.

Brian Homberg - Expert real estate consultant - whitewater pro/guide/instruction.

Get on the cutting edge of the Deep Creek Lake area real estate market - Cabin in the woods by a stream, a lake house, your gateway to adventure.

Request a consultation and receive auto email updates with property photos and the latest market conditions direct from MRIS, Deep Creek Lake’s multiple listing service, and see all available property listings.

If your considering acquiring your piece of Garrett County and/or learning more about whitewater sport, call me 301-501-0131 or email bhomberg@railey.com.

Brian Homberg, an expert whitewater kayaker for over 30 years and a former National Team Member, narrowly missed both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Teams.  He enjoyed competing in international races in Europe while on the team.  He loves Garrett County and has been his home for the last 12 years.

For Brian’s bio click here.

By: Al Rohrbaugh arohrbaugh@railey.com 301-616-9748 April 15th, 2009 Category: Deep Creek Lake Activities, Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do

Exploring Deep Creek Lake in the Spring!

Many buyers who choose to purchase real estate in Garrett County and at Deep Creek Lake often base their decision on the amount of activities and recreational opportunities in the area - but sometimes there are too many to choose from! Those of us that live here full time certainly take advantage of the amount of things to do here at Deep Creek.

Every Spring I am always confronted with the same problem here at Deep Creek Lake - What to Do?

It’s time to go fishing The ice has melted, perch and walleye are spawning early spring, (bass should start early to mid-may). The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is stocking the coveted rainbow trout in Deep Creek Lake and nearby streams. It’s time to get out and fish. Get your supplies and a fishing report at Bill’s Outdoor Center or Deep Creek Hardware - in the Southern end of the county try Backbone Mountain Sports Shop.  Area favorites for lake fishing are Deep Creek Lake (of course),

(fishing deep creek lake near ski harbor)

Broadford Lake near Oakland, Herrington Manor, the Yough Dam, and Jennings Randolph Lake.  For stream fishing try Bear Creek, the Cassel man, the Yough, the little Yough, or the Potomac, to name a few, all are within 30 minutes of Deep Creek Lake.  If you want an experience with fly fishing, you may want to book a trip with Spring Creek Outfitters or Streams and Dreams.   If you have younger ones, take them on a nice day and don’t worry about catching fish - you will have your hands full keeping lines untangled and baiting hooks.  Once they get tired of fishing you will enjoy watching them  have just as much fun playing in the water, skipping stones, etc,  And remember when they say it’s time to go it’s time to go.

Spring Gobbler season in Garrett County– I never really got out in the woods much this time of year until I started hunting for the Spring Gobbler.  Around mid April hunters that partake in this activity, will be dragging out of bed at an ungodly hour in the morning to try there luck at scoring a mature gobbler.  Many times coming home empty handed, but feeling alive and blessed just to have witnessed such a beautiful sunrise, view, or maybe just hearing a gobbler on a distant ridge.  It’s amazing how the sound of a faint gobble can stop a hunter in his tracks and bring joy to his soul. Whether you’re a hunter or not I highly recommend getting up early on a spring morning, take a walk in the woods and enjoy nature in Garrett County.

Golfing- Then of course there is golf in Garrett County and Deep Creek Lake, the game that keeps me away from doing all of the things I should be doing.  As soon as the weather breaks, I’m trying to get out to either Oakland Country Club or the Wisp Resort course to hit some balls and enjoy the game. With the new golf courses planned at Thousand Acres and the Hale Irwin designed Lodestone course on top of Wisp Mountain - coming in the near future Deep Creek Lake is fast becoming a destination spot for avid golfers.

Other Popular Spring activities here at Deep Creek and in Garrett County Maryland include, Kayaking, Mountain Biking, ATV, Motorcycle Riding, and just plain  Get Out and  Enjoy a Spring Day! In the Deep Creek Lake area you can rent or buy mountain bikes and kayaks at High Mountain Sports.

So you can plainly see my dilemma. With the limited number of hours in a spring day what do I do?  Fitting all of our Spring activities, along with some necessary work is somewhat of a challenge here at Deep Creek Lake.  I guess I’ll stick with what has worked for me in the past, Sleep Less! and Enjoy Springtime at Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County more!

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 March 13th, 2009 Category: Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do, Deep Creek Lake Events, News, Wisp Ski Resort

This past weekend marked the 21^st annual Governor’s Cup Ski & Snowboard race at Wisp Resort, sponsored by the Deep Creek Winter Sports Team.  60 local and regional skiers and snowboarder’s competed for the coveted Governor’s Cup in a 2 day event.   To be eligible for the Cup racers were required to complete 4 race runs, starting with 2 slalom runs down the Squirrel cage slope on Saturday and 2 Giant Slalom runs down the Main Street slope on Sunday.  Winners of the cup posted the fastest 4 run times.  A junior cup was also awarded for the fastest JR racers (under 16).

Fastest Male & Female and winner of the 2009 Governor’s Cup

Derek Berger

Elizabeth Green

Elizabeth Green competing at 2009 Governor's Cup at Wisp Ski Resort in Maryland

Junior Governor’s Cup

Jack Havens

Cara Stough

Snowboard Governor’s Cup

Colin Lynch

Jessica Harvey

Junior Snowboard Governor’s Cup

Kyle Beard

Kesina Woodfield

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 October 6th, 2008 Category: Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do, Deep Creek Lake Events, Garrett County News

As the leaves change colors here in western Maryland, once again Garrett County’s own Autumn Glory Festival is upon us. The weather forecast right now for this upcoming weekend looks fairly good - mild temperatures and partly cloudy skies. This year marks the 41^st anniversary of this festival held in Oakland, Maryland just south of Deep Creek Lake.

 Some highlights of this annual fall festival include:

The Autumn Glory Kickoff Reception - Wednesday October, 8, 2008 from 6:30 pm to 11:00 pm

Held at the Wisp Ski Resort in McHenry and sponsored by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce. Cocktails, dinner, and dancing. Entertainment featuring the local band Boathouse. This year’s Golden Ambassador will also be announced.

The Fireman’s Parade & Oktoberfest Dinner - Thursday, October 9, 2008 from 4:00 pm to ??

Held in downtown Oakland, Maryland in front of the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department. Features include a parade of local fire departments that kids of all ages really enjoy. Real German style food served in the fire hall. An Ooompah Band after dinner and beer trucks, for those over 21, round out this annual party. All proceeds will benefit the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department.

The Grand Feature Parade - Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 1:00 pm

The parade starts south on Route 219 near Wal-mart, turns down on to North 2^nd Street, goes thru the town of Oakland, and eventually heads back north on Route 219. The parade features many marching bands, floats, and the always popular Shriners go-cart routine. Get there early - the police close Route 219 late morning and many people have already reserved their spot along the parade route by early morning as well. This year’s Grand Marshall of the parade will be Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps’ mother and sisters.

If you haven’t reserved accommodations yet it’s not too late to make plans to attend this popular fall get-a-way. Railey Mountain Lake Vacations has many houses and town homes for rent in the Deep Creek Lake area - along with the Silver Tree Suites hotel.

Also, as you are leaving town, Railey Realty will be hosting numerous Open Houses in the Deep Creek Lake area featuring various homes for sale on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - most running from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 June 4th, 2008 Category: Deep Creek Lake Activities, Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do

There is no doubt many people buy real estate here at Deep Creek Lake and in Garrett County, Maryland for the activities and lifestyle this four season resort area offers. Recently, Becky Sciullo, who is the author of The Deep Creek Lake Blog, wrote a great post a few weeks ago that compiled a “Deep Creek Lake Bucket List” after soliciting ideas from readers and from her own experiences. For those of you that don’t know - the movie titled “The Bucket List” was about two terminally ill men who leave their hospital and head off to do a list of activities they’ve always wanted to do before they die.

After discussing her post with some other real estate agents and realtors in our office we came up with a few other activities and things to add to this list. 

• Mountain biking the Margroff Plantation near Accident, Maryland. Mostly single-track trails. It’s not too hard - but not too easy either. Margroff Plantation is part of the Savage River State Forest.
• Riding ATV’s and four wheeling in Yough Mountain Resort. Of course you must do so with an owner in this neighborhood.
• Snowmobiling between the Oakland County Club and either Pawn Run Saloon for a Friday night steak or JG’s Pub for some really good bar food.
• Wake surfing on Deep Creek Lake. The newest water-sport fad. You gotta have a big boat with a big wake to do this activity - but wake surfing isn’t that strenuous on the body, is a lot of fun, and can be done on the most busiest of weekends - unlike waterskiing or wakeboarding where flat water is usually required. ** Please note you must use a straight Inboard boat to do this activity. The propellor on an Inboard boat is beneath the boat and not sticking out the back like an I/O or Outboard drive boat. Also, be aware that their is a slight carbon monoxide danger as well - as you are sometimes surfing the boat’s wake right behind where the exhaust of the boat is coming out.
• Attending the Fireman’s Parade and Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Oakland, Maryland the Thursday of Autumn Glory Weekend. Great food, an Oompah Band, and great party.
• Going to the Little Yough Music Festival, also in Oakland, which is held every Friday night in the summer. They have really good bands and it’s free admission.
• Drinking a specialty coffee and eating lunch on the deck at Canoe on The Run in the summer.
• Shopping the Labor Day Weekend ski specials at Rudy’s at Wisp and High Mountain Sports.

While we are not suggesting you have to be terminally ill to do these activities - above are just a few more things and activities that make this area such a great place to buy a vacation home.

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 February 28th, 2008 Category: Deep Creek Lake Activities, Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do, Wisp Ski Resort

Deep Creek Lake and Wisp Ski Resort were featured this morning in this short video segment that aired on WBAL Channel 11’s newscast. WBAL is Baltimore’s NBC affiliate.

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 February 20th, 2008 Category: Deep Creek Lake Activities, Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do

Because of last weekend’s snowmobile incident on Deep Creek Lake and in anticipation of this weekend’s Deep Creek Dunk event, Patty Manown Mash of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources wanted to distribute this warning from her office.

DATELINE - Swanton, MD

The Maryland Park Service alerts snowmobilers of the potential for unseen safety hazards on the lake, particularly at night.  Starting on Wednesday, February 20th, an area of ice will be removed near Uno’s Restaurant to create open water for the Special Olympics Deep Creek Dunk. This area will remain unsafe for quite some time and will be marked with reflective traffic cones. Also be aware that lake surface conditions under bridges where road salt and abrasives are plowed from the pavement are often particularly hazardous. Other conditions that may cause unpleasant situations are unseen snowdrifts or pressure ridges that can act as ramps and cause sleds to become airborne leading to a loss of control and accidents.

 Deep Creek Lake is a part of the designated ORV trail system permitting use by registered snowmobiles only. Permits are available by mail or at any of the local State Park offices during normal business hours. Snowmobiles may operate at night if equipped with working head and taillights. Access to the lake may be made at Deep Creek Lake State Park or with permission from a private landowner with a permit site adjacent to the lake.

Ice fishermen, hikers and cross-country skiers traveling on the lake should also exercise caution.  The wearing of or having a readily accessible personal floatation device could prevent a tragedy.  If you encounter people, pets or wildlife that have fallen through the ice, contact either 911 or the toll free DNR Communications number 1-800-628-9944 for assistance.

For further information on ice conditions at Deep Creek Lake, contact a ranger at the Park Headquarters office (301) 387-5563 or the Discovery Center on weekends at 301-387-7067.

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 February 8th, 2008 Category: Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do, Wisp Ski Resort

Check this out…here is a video from YouTube that takes you down the new Mountain Coaster attraction at Wisp Ski Resort. The ride is about 1 minute and a half long.  This roller coaster type ride is actually open year round and it costs $9.50 for a single rider or $15 if you have two riders. Kids must be 3 years or older to ride. Kids under 7 years old and under must ride with an adult. This is another example how the Wisp continues to improve and add things to do in the Deep Creek Lake area. All vacationers and second home owners continue to benefit as Wisp Ski Resort improves the area amenities.