Knee Deep By Amy Brecount White Special to The Washington Post Wednesday, February 16, 2000

The Washington Post

I'd been curious about the Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary in Calvert County, Md., for years . . . and active boys -- like frolicsome puppies -- are at their best outdoors . . . and what better time to visit a swamp than in mosquito-free, snake-free winter? Sure, Calvert County had been walloped by nearly two feet of snow. Sure, more was predicted for Sunday. But this was our only chance.

The skies were propitiously clear on Saturday morning as the minivan exited the Beltway to cruise past fields and forests of untrodden snow. As fans of large bodies of water, we made a quick detour to check out North Beach and Chesapeake Beach on the bay for a possible day trip this summer. Cresting a hill, we were surprised by the brilliant blue water, so welcome after miles of whiteness.

Sidestepping ice slicks and trudging through knee-deep snow, we made our way to the boardwalk. The cries of a few gulls didn't prepare us for the sight. Several thousand wild ducks had gathered just offshore on that particular stretch of bay. The pattern of their dark bodies against the blue water was like a great scarf that undulated in the breeze. Some swam, some drifted. The scarf shifted and reformed in the currents.

We sat down on a snow-free bench and devoured our picnic. Despite the sun, we were soon shivering, so we headed back to explore by car. At the northernmost edge of the scarf, half a dozen wild swans had gathered. Was it good feeding that drew them? A warmer swath of current?

Hugging the bay's edge, we thought we found the beach of North Beach, but the deep snow made it hard to know for sure. I managed to get the car stuck looking -- thank goodness for kind strangers bearing shovels -- while Ian fretted about whether or not we'd ever get home.

In the parking lot of the cypress swamp's nature center, we pulled on ski bibs and readied ourselves for a quarter-mile trek on an uncleared boardwalk. Stepping gingerly down a stairway, we descended into the frozen swamp.

Bald cypresses are not your average tree. For one, they are deciduous conifers, something of an oxymoron. Like evergreens, they have needles, but they drop them all in autumn, thus becoming bald. They also have "knees": Swamp-submerged root systems radiate these odd projections upward through the water, like rounded, baldish cones, strange and primordial.

Thousands of years ago when our climate was far warmer, bald cypresses were a common sight this far north. This particular stand is now the northernmost naturally occurring mass of bald cypress in America, unique enough to have been acquired by the Nature Conservancy. At 50 to 100 years old, these particular cypresses are relatively young (they can live through two millenniums), but some tower to 100 feet.

The snow was too deep for Ian to manage alone, so I stretched my hands out backward. He walked in my foreshortened steps, holding on to me for balance. We walked carefully, but he kept falling forward.

I worried he'd slip off the boardwalk and through the ice, until I realized his antics were intentional. Like a playful seal, he was belly-flopping in the deep snow, then giggling while I hauled him up. I considered joining him, for the briefest moment.

The strange beauty of this forest seemed magnified by the snow. Lines and curves of white on brown. Pools of marsh water were frozen clouds of ice. The cypress knees were elongated mountains where tiny gnomes might winter. The straight-backed trees themselves slimmed skyward from skirtlike bases, then seemed to blossom into twiggy flowers against the clear blue sky. Simultaneously, Ian and I spotted a hawk gliding high above the trees.

One patch of ice near the boardwalk was clear, and we bent over to peer beneath the freeze.

"Look!" Ian exclaimed. "There's life living down there!" He said he saw a snake. I suppressed my skepticism. The skeptic years would come without my hastening them.

Back inside the nature center, our bibs and boots drip-dried as we watched chickadees, tufted titmice, cardinals and a pair of quarrelsome red-bellied woodpeckers at an outside feeder. Savoring our intimacy, I sat quietly, held his hand and listened to his observations on the interplay of birds. Life living.

On our way to dinner, yet another kind stranger pointed out the depleted state of one of our tires. Too much spinning in the snow. Almost miraculously, I found a service station open on a Saturday evening and got it patched. By the time Ian had changed into pajamas, the weather swamis were predicting doom. We checked out of the hotel and headed home.

We had toyed with the winter gods enough. They won, but we did, too.

GETTING THERE: Battle Creek is less than an hour from the Beltway. Take Route 4 south from the Beltway through Prince Frederick and follow the signs.

Besides its boardwalk, birdwatching and some excellent hands-on wildlife exhibits, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary (410-535-5327) offers frequent weekend nature workshops for families. (Lloyd's Loft, upstairs, gives kids a chance to meet more live animals, including snakes, salamanders and mice, but call to make sure it's open.)

There are other nearby Calvert County spots for outdoor exploration. You can search for fossils (mostly prehistoric shark's teeth) on the totally uncommercial beach of Flags Pond Nature Park (410-586-1477). Three of the four seasons, you can also spy wildflowers in the woods and wetlands from the boardwalk.

Older kids and engineers of all ages might enjoy visiting the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant Visitors Center (410-495-4673). The site also has a nature trail overlooking the bay and plant from which bald eagles and osprey are regularly spotted.

WHERE TO EAT: After demolishing a huge crabcake and strawberry shortcake, my son, Ian, pronounced Stoney's Seafood House (410-535-1888) the best restaurant ever. (Food critics agree with him on the crabcakes.) Adam's The Place for Ribs (410-586-0001) is a local favorite for, you guessed it.

WHERE TO STAY: The new Holiday Inn Express (1-800-565-8815) in Prince Frederick is centrally located and offers a breakfast buffet. There's also a Super 8 (1-800-800-8000). Two B&Bs nearby -- the Cliff House (410-535-4839) and Baycliff (410-535-2278) -- overlook the bay, but neither allow kids under 12.

DETAILS: Contact Calvert County's tourism office at 1-800-331-9771 or www.co.cal.md.us.

Historic schooner Victory Chimes celebrates its 100th anniversary starting in April with a series of Windjammer-style cruises in the Chesapeake, where passengers can hoist the sails, chart their journey, help prepare breakfast -- or simply take in the view. The restored schooner, built in 1900 in the Chesapeake, is now based in Rockland, Maine. Cruises from St. Michaels, Md., are April 14-16 ($350 per person), May 10-13 ($650), and May 15-20 or 22-27 ($750). (A May 5-7 cruise is filled.) Cost includes meals and lodging aboard. For more: 1-800-745-5651 or www.victorychimes.com.

-- Elissa Leibowitz

Penultimate Three

Our next-to-last collection of your Top Three Escapes comes from Lori Murray Sampson of Garrett Park, Md., who gets the requisite copy of our "Escape Plans" getaway guide:

1. The Brandywine Valley of northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania: charming scenery, B&Bs and a host of museums, including Winterthur, Nemours mansion, the Delaware Museum of Art, Hagley Mills, Longwood Gardens, the Brandywine Museum of Art. In summer, relax by tubing down the Brandywine River.

2. Warm Springs/Hot Springs, Va.: Most think of the lush Homestead resort, but if your budget doesn't match, stay in a B&B and float for an hour in the 100-degree waters of historic Jefferson Pools. Nearby wineries, orchards, lovely mountain views.

3. Havre de Grace, Md.: worthy B&Bs (like Spencer Silver Mansion), small shops, waterside dining, even a lighthouse. Outside town, visit Susquehanna or Elk Neck state parks, tour Conowingo Dam or nearby Perryville's outlet shops.

Next week: Yikes, the last Top Three! And beyond that: New ways to a) show your stuff and b) win more of our stuff. Stay tuned for details.