ANNOUNCER: This program is made by MPT to enrich the diverse communities throughout our state and is made possible by the generous support of our members.

Thank you.

♪♪ [Helicopter blades whirring] [Door slams] [Engine roars] HUNTER HARRIS: "When we leave the ground, it's an unbelievable feeling.

And the beauty of it, turning into the sun, is just unimaginable.

It's beautiful!"

♪♪ CAL RIPKEN JR.: Whenever Hunter Harris flies aloft in his World War II era biplane...

He beholds a place of splendor... Of landscape and water.

In it, battles have been fought, [Boom of the cannon] industries born, And America built.

MAN: Whoo!

Wild adventure has been sought out and found within her embrace.

From wild pristine beaches to the earth's oldest mountains, follow us as we climb into the sky and enjoy wondrous views: heroic landmarks, towering achievements, revered icons, timeless traditions, miraculous rhythms of nature.

It's all Maryland By Air .

Maryland By Air is made possible in part through the support of the MPT Foundation New Initiatives Fund, established by Irene and Edward H. Kaplan.

And by Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman.

Honored to support Maryland Public Television and Maryland By Air .

With pride in America and the beautiful State of Maryland.

And by... University of Maryland Global Campus is an accredited public state institution founded in 1947 to fulfill the needs of adult learners and military service members.

Students can obtain in-demand skills leading to career success.

Explore how UMGC programs can help you achieve your professional goals.

And by...

I'm Eric Stewart, a Maryland native and Realtor focusing on seniors in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia who are interested in selling their home and right-sizing to a smaller residence or retirement community.

Learn more at ericstewartgroup.com.

[Whoosh of wind] [Tranquil music plays] CAL RIPKEN JR.: Maryland.

It's born here on the wind-swept Atlantic Coast.

[Crashing of waves] Wild waves rhythmically crash and splash onto sandy shores at Assateague Island.

[Birds chirping] The marsh-scape looks untouched, almost pristine, as it did to the native Algonquian tribes, and when European settlers first laid eyes on it.

They'd set out from England's Isle of Wight, Royal charter in-hand, to settle the distant land that would be the Maryland colony.

Legend has it that, here on Assateague, the wild ponies that still call the island home are descendants of horses that survived a long-ago Spanish shipwreck.

[Horse blows] These wild horses graze away their days, eking out meager meals of marsh grass and saltmeadow hay, bravely surviving on this remote windswept coast just as their ancestors have done for 350 years.

[Soft whir of the propeller blades] Further north...

Watching the breakers.

[Seagalls call out] The day unfolds in the quiet solitude of sunrise, interrupted not by the rhythmic whisper of gentle waves, but by the early morning awakening of, Ocean City.

One of the great beach playgrounds in the east.

Only 7,000 strong off-season, the town swells to more than 340,000 as fun seekers from near and far descend on the boardwalk and beaches, the bars and the boats to ride, sun, swim, fish.

[Whistle blows] [Slap of the water] "O.C."

as it's known is famous for its Beach Patrol.

A network of expert swimmers who protect beachgoers, allowing them to relax and safely enjoy the sun and surf.

The lifeguards perform drills to stay in tip top shape, so they are ready at a moment's notice to face the mighty ocean, its crashing surf and rip currents.

It's estimated that the Beach Patrol goes to the rescue more than 2,000 times in a summer season.

Looking down from the Silver Queen, it's plain to see that Ocean City hugs the lower tip of Fenwick Island, a skinny spit of sand that stretches northward all the way into Delaware.

Once, Assateague and Fenwick were one.

But a savage hurricane in 1933 sliced through the barrier island.

The new "Ocean City inlet" was suddenly a perfect port, and this once remote fishing village transformed into a summertime paradise.

Maryland's Eastern Shore, with a character, history, and mystery all its own.

Forty-five square miles of pristine wetland.

From the air, the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a strange and striking vision; marshy creeks and rivers teeming with birds, fish, and muskrat... bending, curving and cutting their way through spongy earth toward Chesapeake Bay.

[Low rumble of plane engine] It was through these muddy, buggy, snake-filled marshes that Eastern Shore native Harriet Tubman, one of the most famous conductors of the Underground Railroad, rescued enslaved people by guiding them out of Maryland and secretly walking north to freedom.

The Bucktown General Store... Where, as an enslaved child, Harriet Tubman endured a severe head injury when she was hit with a heavy weight thrown by an angry overseer.

[Clap of weight hitting the floor] Tubman escaped slavery, then came back to lead her family and friends to freedom.

They crossed the Transquaking River right here, at Bestpitch Ferry.

Then followed the creeks and streams toward Underground Railroad connections in the North.

Between 1850 and 1860, Harriet Tubman helped more than 70 freedom seekers escape bondage on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Further up the shore, near the town of Easton, a stately plantation house stands on the banks of the Wye River as it has since well before Frederick Douglass was a boy here.

Douglass arrived in 1824, and it's here that the enslaved seven year-old worked for the Lloyd family.

The Lloyds were plantation owners who, since the 1650s, grew tobacco, corn, and wheat, the harvests shipping out from landings along Lloyd Creek.

Too young for the fields, Frederick Douglass was sent to work in the Great House.

He wrote in his autobiography about the brutality of life at Wye House.

From here, he was sent to Baltimore and worked in the shipyards, then escaped slavery by running north.

Frederick Douglass went on to become a prominent abolitionist, and a leader for African-American civil rights in the 19th century.

Maryland is a state with a special shape.

Two land masses, the Eastern Shore and the Western Shore and Allegheny mountains, holding Chesapeake Bay in a geographic embrace.

Flying over it, from one end to the other, reveals an ever-changing landscape.

In the east, flat coastal plain just a few feet above sea level.

In the middle, the rolling hills of the Piedmont Plateau.

And in the west, thick forests and ancient peaks of the Blue Ridge mountains.

At the heart of the state, Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America.

It's mostly shallow, on average only 21 feet deep.

But as this enormous body of water pushes its way inland it etches into the land a jagged shoreline more than 11,000 miles long.

The creeks and rivers that feed it meander far.

Hidden nooks and crannies are prized for secret coves they form, favorite hideaways for weekend sailors and fishermen.

But the Chesapeake is perhaps best known for its oysters and crabs.

Maryland Blue Crab is said to taste unlike any other Blue Crab caught anywhere in the world, so delicate and sweet.

The oyster is a slightly salty, plump mollusk, and a delicious treat.

Every year, watermen harvest hundreds of thousands of bushels of them in Maryland waters.

The Chesapeake is known as "The Land of Pleasant Living."

And people have settled its shores and tributaries for thousands of years.

Oxford, one of Maryland's oldest towns, was founded in 1683 on the banks of the Tred Avon River.

Its waterfront charm and tree-lined streets make it one of Maryland's most beautiful.

And it's got something that makes it quite unusual.

Ferries have always been part of Maryland's maritime history.

And while it's considered a sluggish pace by today's standard, in the old days the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry was a fast and efficient way to get around this part of the Eastern Shore.

Today, it's something fun to do on a summer day.

[Boat horn blows] Chesapeake shoreline is forever straining and shifting... wave erosion and subsidence are constant forces that through history, swallowed up many ancient Chesapeake islands.

The last house on Holland Island, a once thriving fishing community, doomed by relentless wind and waves.

This is our final view of it.

More than a decade ago, the house collapsed, and is now gone.

Poplar Island has a similar story to tell.

It, too, succumbed to the Chesapeake, but has been recreated using dredgings from the Baltimore shipping channel... And now offers critical natural habitat for diamondback terrapins, and 250 species of birds and wildlife.

Heading west across the great expanse of the bay, turning up the St Mary's River, we see the Maryland Dove at sail.

The newly-built replica, making its maiden voyage under full escort and water cannon salute, is a floating reminder of Maryland's humble beginning when, in 1634, settlers sailed up the Chesapeake Bay in a ship just like it.

Maryland's founders were Catholic, and the Dove was one of two ships that brought them to St. Clements Island, their first foothold in the colony.

They only stayed here a few weeks, then sailed on to build a more permanent settlement at St. Mary's City, Maryland's first capital.

St. Mary's was Maryland's capital for 61 years, and colonists left plenty of evidence for archeologists to unearth.

In 1990, the graves of Chancellor and Governor Philip Calvert and his family were found, buried in lead coffins.

A remarkable discovery in the place where Maryland began.

Flying on, we see a remarkable geological phenomenon: the Calvert Cliffs bordering the western edge of Chesapeake Bay for 24 miles.

The cliffs are a portal into what Maryland once was a shallow sea teeming with exotic creatures, many of them now extinct.

Fossil hunters come here to test their luck, but today, paleontologists from the Calvert Marine Museum are on a research expedition, hoping to find the skeletal remains of animals that were entombed in this ruddy mud.

Spotting a bone fragment, they get to work, brushing and scraping... Unearthing something that's actually pretty common around here: The skull of a long-snouted dolphin from the Miocene Epoch fifteen million years ago.

Since the first one was built in 1792... Lighthouses have guided ships toward port on their way into Chesapeake Bay.

The Bay is shallow and usually calm, but some of its waters are treacherous.

To aid navigation through the shoals and narrows, more than 70 lighthouses were built around the Bay to warn ship captains of the danger.

They come in several shapes.

Near Calvert Cliffs, standing sentinel, is Cove Point Lighthouse, a conical brick tower rising up from a sturdy foundation on land with a beacon high on top.

In the 1940s, men stormed these very beaches from Higgins Boats training for the decisive D-Day invasion of Normandy in World War II.

Baltimore Harbor Light marks the Bay's vital shipping channel.

It was built using a caisson foundation: an enormous cast iron cylinder, filled with concrete, sunk into the bottom of the Bay, with a lighthouse on top.

[Low rumble of plane engine] Flying north to the top of the Chesapeake, Turkey Point Light at Elk Neck State Park has the unusual history of having four female keepers, a rarity for the United States Lighthouse Service.

Fannie Mae Salter was the last keeper to tend Turkey Point Lighthouse.

No other lighthouse in Maryland is more famous than Thomas Point Light, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world.

It's a screwpile design: a spider's web of iron legs, "screwed" into the Bay's mud, holding up a keeper's cottage and navigational beacon.

This revered symbol of Maryland, and jewel of Chesapeake history, still guides ships home.

Wow.

I find this show to be so breathtaking.

And I really hope that you do, too.

I mean, I especially loved Assateague, the wild horses.

It's just so majestic.

And there is still a lot more to come.

We've got Annapolis, Saint Michael's, the Bay Bridge, Baltimore and Cumberland, just to name a few.

So please keep watching because the show is going to be back in just a few minutes.

You know, Maryland By Air was produced right here at Maryland Public Television, and we're so proud of it.

And it is an integral part of Maryland, I think, you know, just like Cal Ripken Jr. himself.

But we can't create these beautiful programs without you.

In fact, your support really makes everything that we do here possible.

So thank you so much for already supporting us.

Yet I have to say, we've never needed you more than right now, so right now would be a great time to make an additional contribution.

And if you choose to support this program with an additional gift, and I hope you will, we do have some wonderful ways to say thanks.

The first is your choice of the Maryland By Air DVD or Blu-ray.

Now they contain the program that you're watching right now, but they've also got some really fantastic extras.

They've got a behind the scenes featurette.

They've got an aerial tour of Maryland's Great Rivers, a trip to Ellicott City, and the Gardens of Southern Maryland.

This is our gift to you when you make an ongoing contribution of $8 a month or a one time donation of $96, or we could send you this gorgeous copy of the companion book, Maryland by Air.

It's a photo book that you'll get when you make an ongoing contribution of $10 a month, or a one time contribution of $120.

It has over 100 pages of beautiful aerial pictures of Maryland.

And then there is the Maryland by Air Collection.

And I think you're going to like this.

You'll get the program DVD or Blu-ray, the companion photo book.

Plus, this is very special.

You're going to receive a pair of tickets to see Maryland by Air at the IMAX theater at the Maryland Science Center.

Now, this show in Imax has to be seen to be believed.

It knocked my socks off when I saw it on Imax for the first time.

And these ticket vouchers also include admission to the exhibits at the Science Center.

So you know you can make a really fun day of it.

You can receive this Collection and experience the beauty of Maryland on the IMAX big screen when you make an ongoing contribution of $17 a month or a one time gift of $204.

Well, and you know, it's the Science Center, so what if you want to take the whole family?

Well, then you could ask for the family four pack of tickets to the center and it's IMAX theater.

So you get to enjoy a great day in Baltimore when you make an ongoing contribution of just $12 a month, or a one time donation of $144.

But, you know, if two tickets are what you need, we'll do that.

We'll send you a pair to see Maryland by Air and IMAX, along with admission to the Science Center when you make an ongoing contribution of $7 a month or a one time donation of $84.

Now Maryland by Air is in rotation at the Maryland Science Center., so you'll just need to check their website for the exact daily showtimes.

But remember these tickets, they can be used for admission on any day that the Science Center is open.

So come on, fly with us.

Just call the number on your screen or scan the code, or visit our safe and secure website right now.

Tell us that Maryland by Air is the kind of show that you want to see and choose an awesome thank you gift for yourself, but most especially know that you're a big part of what keeps these shows alive.

These shows that celebrate Maryland's natural beauty and the wonderful people and heritage here in our wonderful state.

Shows like that can only be found right here on Maryland Public Television.

Annapolis.

Maryland's capital city and cradle of American history.

It was here in 1783 in the State House that Continental Army Commander-in-Chief George Washington resigned his commission and established civilian control over the U.S. military.

This astonishingly selfless act, along with his surrendering of political power as president in 1797, set the United States apart from other nations by guaranteeing the peaceful transfer of power after elections.

The Maryland State House is the country's oldest state capitol building still in use.

Its decorative "acorn" atop its roof holds a 28-foot lightning rod designed by Benjamin Franklin, still intact.

Annapolis is also home to the United States Naval Academy, a four-year undergraduate university that trains students known as midshipmen to be officers in the United States Navy and the Marine Corps.

[Low rumble of plane motor] Annapolis harbor.

For centuries it's been lined with maritime warehouses, symbols of wealth and prosperity.

Today, the busy streets and small town charm belie a grim piece of history.

Annapolis was once a busy slave trade port, and human beings were bought and sold at the foot of Main Street on what is now the City Dock.

A painful reminder of Maryland's role in the Atlantic slave trade.

Annapolis is "America's sailing capital."

Around here, sailing is in the blood.

And when winds are fair, captains vie for supremacy racing sleek-hulled boats with high-tech sails in the waters off Annapolis Harbor.

On the other side of the bay, sloops and schooners gather for Chestertown's Tall Ships festival.

This grand parade of wooden replicas are reminders of the old ones that once plied the Chesapeake when water was a superhighway, and travel aboard such lumbering ships was the fastest way to go.

[Low rumble of plane motor] Boats are everywhere on the Chesapeake Bay, and every year, some of the smallest come to show off here, on the banks of the Miles River, where the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival is underway.

The Eastern Shore hamlet of St. Michaels is steeped in maritime history.

Baltimore Clippers were built in shipyards here in the 19th century, some used by War of 1812 privateers.

Today, it's home to one of the nation's largest gatherings of big-hearted sailors who race in diminutive craft.

One special kind of racing requires unusual skills, and these hiking boards that the crew must shuffle from one side to the other just to keep the boat afloat.

And sometimes they don't!

The time-honored practice of log canoe racing is a Chesapeake tradition that began around 1840 and draws some of the Bay's finest sailors.

Built for speed, log canoes were used to catch, and quickly deliver, oysters to market.

Legend has it that winners of the race get a cup as a prize; losers get a ham skin, they say, to grease the bottom of their boat.

Chesapeake Bay is a vital maritime highway...

Leading ships from the Atlantic to the most inland port on the East Coast, Baltimore.

The bay also opens to ports of the mid-Atlantic, the northeast, and the world.

Ships filled with goods from around the globe are sailed to the Chesapeake.

They haul their cargo under the twin spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which connects Maryland's Western shore with the Eastern shore.

When the first of the two spans was built in 1952, it was the longest continuous over-water steel structure in the world.

It was regarded as a remarkable feat of engineering at the time, with a graceful curve and a slender slope that lends the bridge a special elegance, making it lovely to look at.

Sailing north out of Baltimore, ships can reach Delaware Bay, then the Atlantic, by way of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

Only 14 miles long, it slices through the Delmarva Peninsula, cutting down the 300 mile journey around the coast, saving shipping time and money.

What started in 1824 as a narrow ditch, with horses, and then steam engines, towing barges through, grew and expanded.

[Whistle from a steamboat] Today the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal can accommodate many of the world's largest vessels.

Baltimore.

A colonial city... major inland seaport, and illustrious shipbuilding hub.

The old city was founded in 1729, and grew up around a safe natural harbor, becoming a booming port-of-call.

That harbor is now a waterfront oasis... Home to cultural attractions, like the National Aquarium, which explores our undersea world, and the Maryland Science Center, with hands-on exhibits that spark the imagination.

The Baltimore Basilica, the first Catholic cathedral built in the United States.

Opened in 1821, it was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Thomas Jefferson's architect of the U.S. Capitol, and is Latrobe's masterpiece in Maryland.

The funeral of Declaration of Independence signer Charles Carroll was held here in 1832.

More than just a fine building, the basilica is a reminder that Maryland was founded on the principle of religious liberty, and is a place where people of all faiths can worship freely.

[Bell tolls] Flying north over the heart of Baltimore's busy Charles street, Mount Vernon Place, where four grassy parks intersect at the monumental celebration of the country's first president, George Washington.

Artisans laid the cornerstone on July 4th 1815 and completed it in 1829.

From high atop this Doric column, Washington has a commanding view of, the George Peabody Library, named one of the world's most beautiful.

Inside... Books!

Preserved in exquisite architectural splendor.

Where ornamental balconies frame tiers of crowded stacks...

Rising five stories toward the skylight.

More than 300,000 volumes on art, archeology, and science, first editions by Charles Darwin, H.L.

Mencken, and Edgar Allan Poe.

A "cathedral of books," right in the heart of the city.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.

Birthplace of our National Anthem, when on September 13, 1814, American lawyer Francis Scott Key watched the fort's overnight bombardment by the British Navy, then the world's foremost superpower.

When the smoke cleared the next morning, the British had failed to take the fort, or Baltimore.

♪ [Strings play The Star Spangled Banner] ♪ Commemorating this pivotal victory for the Americans in the War of 1812, Key wrote his enduring poem that later became the anthem that, to this day, celebrates American bravery and national resolve.

[Crowd chanting "Lets go O's!"]

Night falls on the brave city, and just beyond the inner harbor, a sound rings out...

The Star-Spangled Banner, sung in traditional Baltimore style [Crowd yells "O's!"]

at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of my beloved Orioles baseball team since 1992.

I played my whole career, including 2,632 consecutive games, in an Orioles jersey.

It was a dream come true to play in this stadium, with a design so groundbreaking and reminiscent of baseball's earlier days, that its opening is considered a milestone event in the history of baseball.

I'll never forget the night I broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played here in this beautiful ballpark.

[Crowd chanting "Lets go O's!"]

[Smack of baseball hitting the bat] [Fireworks whistle] Today, whenever a player whacks a ball over the fence, [Fireworks whistle and explode] it ignites a sparkling display around the Yard.

The Baltimore Ravens are serious players in the National Football League, competing in a beautiful stadium just west of the Inner Harbor.

When the modern-day gladiators emerge from the tunnel onto the gridiron, and especially when they reach the end zone and score, [Crowd cheers] the coliseum erupts in a pyrotechnic Ravens-purple celebration.

[Fireworks crackle] Baltimore was at the forefront of the revolution in American transportation.

Commemorating that proud history: the circular museum of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

[Train whistle blows] Inside the roundhouse... Locomotives and rail cars that tell the B&O's story.

Like this 20-ton machine from the 1850s, believed to have secretly taken Abraham Lincoln from Baltimore to Washington on the way to his inauguration.

Railroading in America was born in Baltimore in 1828, when the first stone was laid for the new B&O rails.

Which ran 13 miles west to what was then called Ellicott's Mills.

Today, passengers can ride along that line in a more modern coach, running the very route where the nation's first mile of commercial track was laid.

From Baltimore, the steel rails stretched west, connecting town after town, city after city.

Soon the rails reached... Cumberland, Queen City of the Maryland mountains... And symbol of mighty rail's heyday, when steam trains were king.

The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad leaves Cumberland Station, carrying sightseers through the rugged Allegheny mountains.

Along the way, it glides through the steel truss bridge over the National Road, America's first federally funded highway.

At one point, it chugs through a 900 foot-long tunnel bored through Piney Mountain.

It's a throwback to the days when powerful locomotives drove American exploration and expansion.

[Crossing bells ring] From the mountains of Maryland... Steel rails continued rolling west.

By 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was complete, joining Americans from coast-to coast.

Rails that began in Baltimore had spanned the continent.

[Train whistle blows] Before railroads were even conceived, George Washington had a dream: to build the Chesapeake and Ohio canal that would connect the eastern United States with the Ohio River, opening the way for commerce and exploration.

Washington was a land surveyor as a young man, mapping the Potomac River watershed all the way out to the western frontier.

It was too difficult to haul heavy wagon loads over the Allegheny Mountains, so in 1785 he created a company to float goods on barges across the mountains.

Work began in 1828, nearly 30 years after George Washington's death, on the canal that was intended to stretch to Pittsburgh over rocky, rising topography.

Building it would eventually require 74 locks, 11 aqueducts, and the 3,000 foot long Paw-Paw Tunnel, a massively expensive proposition.

It took 14 years to blast this passage through Sorrell Ridge.

But doing so was necessary.

The tunnel eliminated the need to navigate the Paw Paw Bends, a notorious stretch of undulating, horseshoe curves in the upper Potomac.

It wasn't until 1831 that the canal finally opened, and by 1850, it reached as far west as Cumberland.

But that was as far as it would ever go.

By then, it was obsolete.

Railroads had an iron grip on American transportation and the idea of using canals for commerce faded.

BOATMAN: So long.

RIPKEN JR.: Now, the canal and its towpath are preserved by the National Park Service.

Thanks for watching.

Maryland By Air.

We're going to be going back for the conclusion of the show in just a few minutes, and we're going to be flying into Antietam National Battlefield and Frederick County and so much more.

And, you know, don't we need programs like this to understand really deeply the variety and the scope of our Maryland landscape, our history, and by watching Maryland By Air, your experience in it, I think, in ways that are just unimaginable from the ground with just the click of the remote, empty is here for you to start your adventure any time you want.

And we count on your support to keep this station thriving.

So thank you so much for already supporting us.

And if you'd like to make an additional contribution right now would be a great time to do it.

And when you do that, we have some great ways of saying thanks.

You can choose Maryland by air, either on DVD or Blu-ray.

When you make an ongoing contribution of $8 a month or a one time donation of $96, you get your very own copy of this program, and it has great bonus features, including a behind the scenes featurette.

You get bonus aerial tours of Maryland's great rivers, and you get to see Ellicott City and the gardens of Southern Maryland.

It's just absolutely stunning.

And then we also have this beautiful Maryland By Air photography book.

When you make an ongoing contribution of $10 a month or a one time donation of $120, and it has 100 pages of stunning aerial photos from all over our state.

If the show is really inspiring you, why not get the Maryland by Air Collection now?

This includes your choice of the program, DVD or Blu-ray, plus the photo book and a pair of ticket vouchers to see Maryland by Air at the IMAX theater at the Maryland Science Center, along with admission to the museum so you can witness all of the incredible beauty of Maryland from a bird's eye view on the big screen when you make an ongoing contribution of $17 a month, or for a one time donation of $204.

Now, if you want to just enjoy Maryland By Air in IMAX, you can do that.

We'll send you a pair of ticket vouchers that include admission to the Maryland Science Center when you make an ongoing contribution of $7 a month, or a one time donation of $84.

Or if you want to, you can take the whole family with a family four pack of tickets when you make an ongoing contribution of $12 a month, or a one time donation of $144.

And the great thing is, you know, the tickets are good for entrance to both the Maryland Science Center and the IMAX theater, and they can be used any time they're open.

Now, you know, all of these things are just our way of saying thank you, but the real value of your contribution is you're providing me with the means to continue telling the great Maryland story.

And that's YOUR story.

So please make the decision, call the number on your screen, or you can go to our safe and secure website right now.

Now let's take off again with Maryland By Air.

The first railroad bridge to span the Potomac River was at the town of Harpers Ferry...

The place where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet.

and Shenandoah Rivers converge.

There is a stunning view of it from this rocky outcrop called Maryland Heights, that Thomas Jefferson called, "perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature."

There is history here, dramatic history about turning points in the American story.

The most famous is about John Brown, an abolitionist who knew slavery was an evil that needed to be ended in any way possible, even through violence.

Brown's bold 1859 raid on the federal arsenal here failed to spark a southern slave revolt...

But 3 years later, 16 miles to the north... John Brown's prophecy, that slavery would only be purged by bloodshed, comes true on Maryland soil... At Antietam, the bloodiest day in the American Civil War.

The National Cemetery, a solemn reminder of the sacrifice.

On September 17th, 1862, nearly 23,000 men fighting for the Union and for the Confederacy were killed and wounded near Sharpsburg, Maryland.

On these farm fields and meadows, in the nearby apple orchard, a savagely fought battle.

Here, in a simple farm lane known as the Sunken Road, nearly 5,500 men on both sides were killed or wounded in brutal combat.

Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner captured the scene after the battle.

They called it Bloody Lane.

Not far away, another infamous clash at Burnside Bridge.

Named for Union General Ambrose Burnside, here is where a standoff between Union and Confederate troops ended with another 600 casualties.

Not far from Antietam battlefield, one of the more unusual Civil War sites: Gathland State Park.

Gathland was the home of George Alfred Townsend, a Civil War journalist.

Townsend wanted to memorialize the bravery of war correspondents who reported from the battlefield, so he built this monument in tribute.

On this same site, the battle of South Mountain was waged between forces for the North and South, [Boom of cannon] an important clash in an all-consuming war that would decide the nation's destiny.

OFFICER: Fire!

[Boom of cannon] Autumn.

The days shorten, shadows lengthen, and summer's heat gives way to cool breezes.

Traveling the back roads of Frederick County, rustic old bridges bask in fall sunlight.

The 101 foot long Utica Mills bridge over Fishing Creek, dates from circa 1850.

The first Loy's Station bridge was built in the mid-1800s.

It was badly damaged by fire in the 1990s, but thankfully rebuilt, and today it's as handsome as ever.

Roddy Road covered bridge, a replica of the one originally built in the 1850s, is a short 40 feet long.

In early America, bridges were covered for a very practical reason: to shield the structure from sun, snow, and rain, protecting the wood from decay, and lengthening the life of the bridge.

The covered bridges of Frederick County are all on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places.

It's fun peeking into the past and admiring their charm, but even more fun to drive through.

Though the center of the state is heavily developed, agriculture continues to be the number one commercial industry in Maryland, a driving force behind its economy and culture.

Large-scale poultry production on the Eastern Shore demands large amounts of soybeans from regional farmers, and they deliver.

Dairy and cattle farms still dot the landscape in rural Frederick County.

Harvest time.

That means long days in the fields gathering in the crops.

Farmers here plant a lot of wheat.

Maryland is known for its soft red winter wheat, prized by bakers for making cookies, pretzels, and pastries.

And Maryland vineyards have become popular and profitable operations.

The first known vines were planted all the way back in 1648, more than a hundred years before Maryland became a state, winemaking roots that go surprisingly deep.

While hands pick the juicy fruit, people seek adventure in Maryland's great outdoors.

Maybe it's the sense of freedom, or the thrill of catching a breeze.

Who hasn't yearned to be like a bird, to fly?

There's a long tradition of hang gliders launching themselves from towering cliffs at High Rock, the colorful outcropping near Maryland's border with Pennsylvania.

They strap on a giant wing, mount a precipice, and when the wind rises...

HANG GLIDER: Three.

Two.

Clear!

RIPKEN JR.: ...they take a leap of faith.

On a clear day hang gliders can see for miles.

It's an endless view looking down The Great Appalachian Valley at South Mountain.

HANGLIDER: Whoo!

RIPKEN JR.: One account from an early settler suggests that, long ago, herds of bison numbering in the thousands might have journeyed through this expansive valley on their annual migrations.

Out west in the Maryland panhandle, slicing a gash deep into the wilderness canyon, the mighty Youghiogheny River.

The river is usually tame, but when water is released from the nearby dam, it becomes a raging torrent and a paddler's dream.

The Youghiogheny River falls at the exhilarating rate of 100 feet per mile.

The dramatic drop causes a series of intense rapids.

With names like "Powerful Popper..." "Triple Drop..." and "Meat Cleaver."

The Youghiogheny River is world renowned, and elite paddlers come here to conquer its nearly continuous rapids, 20 of them in a five mile stretch, one more challenging, and harrowing, than the next.

Back east, at Chesapeake Bay, those who know spot it easily... [Geese honking] The telltale v-shaped formation of squawking geese flapping their way along what's known as the Atlantic Flyway.

The flyway runs right through Maryland, and it's one route migratory birds take as they move south to winter in warmer places.

It just so happens Maryland is one of the flyway's best stopovers for migrating geese, and over 40 species of duck and other waterfowl, all seeking marsh to settle in and refuel before setting out again on their journey.

[Wings flapping] Canada Geese fly in tight formation.

We think they fly this way because it's more efficient: the front bird breaks the headwind so those trailing can draft along the airflow.

They honk to communicate, and take turns flying as lead bird so the flock doesn't tire on the long migration.

[Geese honking and echoing] It's an ancient Maryland ritual.

[Geese honking] Finally, Maryland's crisp autumn colors fade.

The beauty of a mountain forest under a blanket of snow.

[Roar of rushing water] Here at Muddy Creek Falls... Where the frosty Youghiogheny River squeezes through rocky gorges... And these old-growth forests of Hemlock and White Pine brace against the cold just as they've done for nearly 400 years.

The plunging thermometer locks a Western Maryland lake into an abstract waterscape.

Nature's art that's best viewed from above.

[Hum of motor] Maybe it's the nippy air, or the memory of making angels in the snow.

What else would cause these trailblazers to leave hearth and home and head to the frigid woods for what they call "winter fat biking?"

Fat bikers love to find secret trails and make fresh tracks through the newfallen snow.

Pedaling with extra-wide tires is a vigorous workout, one that keeps riders toasty warm.

Over 3,000 feet high, up to 100 inches of annual snowfall.

To ski the 700-foot vertical drop at Wisp Mountain, slicing down at heart-thumping speeds, carving turns with crystalline spray, is the annual wintertime quest of the downhill skier.

[Crickets chirp] [Buzzing of insects] Winter's snows melt away.

In the warming breeze, Maryland blossoms into a beautiful bouquet.

Here, at the state's flagship college, it's the seeds of knowledge that blossom and grow.

Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland is a preeminent national center for scientific research and higher learning.

Perched outside McKeldin library, the campus mascot: Testudo the diamondback terrapin.

Long ago, the meat from this humble turtle was considered a gourmet food found on many a Maryland menu.

Today, terrapin is a protected species, and the official state reptile.

[Trumpet bellows] Tradition runs deep, especially in Maryland horse country.

[Race bells ring] Since 1873, The Preakness Stakes, the middle leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, has been run right here at Pimlico, the second oldest race course in the nation.

The Maryland 5 Star is a newcomer to the state in the equestrian sport called "Eventing."

Where horse and rider are tested in three phases: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.

Here in cross-country, they navigate a rugged 4-mile course, sprinting the undulating terrain, jumping the 28 obstacles.

It's a test of the courage and stamina of the horse, and the special relationship between horse and rider.

Summertime in the mountains of western Maryland.

That means Deep Creek Lake, where speedy watercraft, and spray in your face, define summertime.

Wake-boarding is one of the fastest growing water sports in the world.

They use special boats that cause gnarly wakes, perfect for aquatic acrobatics.

[Splashing] Even a seasoned pro, performing over-the-top aerial feats, can sometimes make an epic splash.

WAKEBOARDER: Gooo!

Deep Creek is the largest freshwater lake in Maryland.

Today more than a million visitors come here to "skim..." ...and even "surf", its idyllic waters.

[Low hum of motor] As the sun sets beyond the far western reach of the state... We bid adieu to the Silver Queen, and her crew.

Our trusty tour guides, who've flown us from Eastern sea to mountainous west.

Discovering Maryland's unparalleled natural beauty... And urban charms...

Her hallowed history... And hidden secrets... All as seen from above in Maryland By Air !

Thank you for watching Maryland by Air.

Thank you for being a supporter of MPT.

You know, this show really opened my eyes to the magnificence of our state.

It's really it's showing me things that I didn't expect.

And it's made me feel a pride that is really special.

I hope it's done some of that for you, too.

You know, there's so much out there to see and to do.

And here at Maryland Public Television, we're working hard to bring this big, bright world right into your home.

It's been really special to share that with you.

I hope that if this program has for you like it has for me, awakened a little bit of the joy of Maryland.

You know, there's no better way to express your thanks than with an additional gift of financial support for this program.

And right now is a great time to show that support.

You can do it by calling the number on your screen, by scanning the QR code that you see, or by visiting our safe, secure website right now.

And when you do, we're going to express our thanks by sending you some fantastic gifts that you can only get right here.

So how about the Maryland By Air Collection?

This includes either a DVD or a Blu-ray of the show.

It has some great extras, like a behind the scenes featurette.

It's got bonus aerial tours of- my favorite- Maryland's rivers.

It's got Ellicott City and the gardens of Southern Maryland.

So you're going to get to see some really special content that you didn't see during this program.

And you'll also receive a gorgeous 100 page Maryland by Air photo book.

It's got aerial shots that you can linger on as long as you like and really soak in the beauty of Maryland, in another form of media.

And while TVs keep getting larger and larger, there is still nothing at home that rivals an IMAX screen.

And as part of the Maryland by Air collection, you're also going to receive a pair of ticket vouchers to see Maryland by air in the Imax theater at the Maryland Science Center.

So these tickets include admission to the center as well, and they can be used whenever it's convenient for you.

You're just going to want to check the website for showtimes before you go.

The collection is yours when you make an ongoing contribution of $17 a month, or a one time pledge of $204.

Now, if you just want the Maryland By Air IMAX experience on the largest indoor screen in our state, we can do that for you.

We'll send you a pair of ticket vouchers when you make an ongoing contribution of $7 a month or a one time donation of $84, and they do include admission to the science center.

So that is a great extra, or you might decide to take the whole family and you can do that.

We'll send you a family four pack of tickets to both the science center and IMAX when you make an ongoing contribution of $12 a month, or a one time donation of $144.

Now, maybe you just have your eye on one of those great thank you gifts.

And if you do, we've got you covered.

We'll send you either the Maryland by Air DVD or the Blu-ray when you make an ongoing monthly contribution of $8 or a one time contribution of $96.

Or you might want to choose that stunning companion book, the Maryland by Air Photo Book, and that's yours when you make an ongoing monthly contribution of $10 a month or a one time donation of $120.

So please, I encourage you to go online.

Call that number on your screen right now.

Every day MPT enables you to explore the types of programs that you're not going to find anywhere else.

These are programs about you, their programs about your community.

And we're going to do everything possible to make sure those programs are worth every dollar that you invest.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much.

Maryland By Air is made possible in part through the support of the MPT Foundation New Initiatives Fund, established by Irene and Edward H. Kaplan.

And by Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman.

Honored to support Maryland Public Television and Maryland By Air .

With pride in America and the beautiful State of Maryland.

And by... University of Maryland Global Campus is an accredited public state institution founded in 1947 to fulfill the needs of adult learners and military service members.

Students can obtain in-demand skills leading to career success.

Explore how UMGC programs can help you achieve your professional goals.

And by...

I'm Eric Stewart, a Maryland native and Realtor focusing on seniors in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia who are interested in selling their home and right-sizing to a smaller residence or retirement community.

Learn more at ericstewartgroup.com.

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