Deep Creek Dreams is now The Deep Creek Blog

and we've moved ....You can now read all about Deep Creek Lake at The Deep Creek Blog.

Alpacas and Huskies in Garrett County

I've posted about working farms in Garrett County in the past, and this morning I found this article in the Cumberland Times-News regarding some interesting activities in the area. The story reports on BlueBell Farm Alpacas and Yellow Snow Dog Sled Adventures.

At the working BlueBell Farm in Grantsville, visitors can interact with Alpacas. And if you thought the Yellow Snow Dog Sled Adventures was just for snowy days, you'll find that you can interact with the huskies any time of the year through their kennel tours and Adopt-A-Husky Program.

Weird Maryland

This is the title of a book by Matt Lake that I recently read about in the Carroll County Times. The book looks really interesting. It covers the whole state of Maryland and Garrett County makes the book.

Rural Legacy Program Grant Awards

Governor Erlich announced this week the awarding of $26 million in grant money to area land trust and local governments to protect 4,535 acres of land in Maryland from development. Under the Rural Legacy Program, Garrett County will receive money towards Bear Creek. The money is for fiscal year 2007, and is double the amount awarded in 2006. The press release issues is not specific as to how the money is actually used. One's personal vantage point will determine whether or not this is actually a plus for Garrett County.

Positive prediction on housing

David Lereah, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors predicts a rebound in the housing market for most parts of the country earlier this week.

He predicted a rebound in the next three to six months in most parts of the
country, provided the Federal Reserve doesn't start raising interest rates
again. Some areas in the South and West will take longer to recover because the
boom of the past five years was much sharper than in New York and other states,
he said.

According to local agents, DCL has not been hit as hard as other areas, so it should bode well for the area if his prediction pans out.

Fishing Contest Results

Here are the results from the Maryland $1,000,000 Fishing Challenge.

Become an Outdoors Woman (or man)

If you're interested in becoming an "Outdoors Woman", or man, check out the DNR's program entitled "Becoming an Outdoors Woman" or (BOW) as it is referred to. The program is geared towards women but open to men as well. There are many courses offered with opportunities to learn about different aspects of experiencing the outdoors such as Basic Fishing, Reading the Woods, Journaling, Camping Skills, Kayaking and Outdoor Cooking.


The 2006 Workshop will be held October 6-8 at the Western Maryland 4-H Center. Check out the DNR's web site for more information.

Deep Creek Lake affected by housing slowdown

Apparently Deep Creek is feeling the effects of the national housing slowdown, although maybe not as severely as some other areas of the country.

Sellers and agents in the Deep Creek Lake area of Garrett County, another
popular Maryland resort area, report similar backlogs of homes for sale. Home
sales in Garrett County were down nearly 14 percent in July, compared with the
previous July, with the average sales price declining nearly 15 percent, to
$373,973 from $438,768. Some 518 homes were listed for sale in Garrett in July,
compared with 385 a year earlier, according to Metropolitan Regional Information
Systems Inc.

The article refers to incentives that sellers and agents are putting on the table for buyers, such as throwing in a Wave Runner along with the purchase of a condo, but there isn't any specific mention of this going on at the lake.

Catch the Big one at Deep Creek Lake

Don't forget when you are fishing to check the fish before you throw them back. You might be the winner of one million dollars or some other prize offered during the 2nd Annual Maryland $1,000,000 Fishing Challenge.

Garrett County Wildlife

It looks like bears aren't the only creatures to contend with in Garrett county. This just in from the Cumberland Times-News regarding coyotes.

Colona has five years of observations from bowhunters and anticipates the need
for at least seven years before a trend of coyote sightings and thus coyote
growth or decline can be documented. “As a snapshot, our survey from the
2004-2005 bow season shows that hunters saw substantially more coyotes in
Garrett County, but fewer in Allegany County,” he said.