Gettysburg, The Driving Tour

We were expecting to move our show to Gettysburg, PA, so that we could study the area in more detail, but at the last minute decided to stay in Harrisburg and drive to G-Burg and tour the battlefield by car. A stop at the Visitors Center allowed us to visit the Gettysburg Foundation Museum, which was great. The entire timeline of the days leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg, the three days of battle, and the days after, is displayed in great detail. It's amazing to note that the entire scenario has been studied down to the minute. The movements of each unit of soldiers is well documented, and the locations of troop movements is precisely known. This is probably one of the most studied battles of the Civil War.

The Visitors Center store sells CD's that detail a driving route through the battlefield, and we wanted to purchase one of those, but our car doesn't have a CD player! We've been told that those are being phased out, but for only a few dollars more "we will install one for you". Nope. So we thought we were stuck, but the lady at the checkout told us about an iPhone app that is a duplicate of the CD and will play through the speakers in the car. Wonderful! We downloaded the app, put in a code (you know, the one we paid $29.95 for) and set off to visit the battlefield. Our map told us to go to stop number one, so we headed in that direction while starting the app on the phone. Whoops….nothing. We stopped and fiddled with both the phone and the car radio….nothing. After about an hour of sitting in a restaurant parking lot, we decided to forgo the phone and use the paper map provided free at the Visitors Center (!). Off to number 1…..McPherson Ridge.

The Battle of Gettysburg started at about 8:00 am on July 1, 1863, as Union Cavalry confronted Confederate infantry advancing east along Chanbersburg Pike. Heavy fighting spread north and south along this ridge line as more forces from both sides arrived.

This is the McPherson barn that saw the beginning of the battle. It is in use today.

Gettysburg is strewn with monuments and memorials to Generals, Colonels, battalions and regiments from every Union state. Some are large, and some are small, but all are impressive.

The Lutheran Seminary on Seminary Ridge consisted of only one building at the time of the battle, but that building provided a cupola where Union commanders could survey the battlefield. The seminary continues to prepare young people for a life of ministry.

Along West Confederate Avenue, just south of Seminary Ridge, a rock wall provided needed protection for Confederate artillery.

Confederate artillery bombarded Union troops across the field for 2 1/2 hours on the morning of July 3rd.

The infamous Wheatfield left over 4,000 dead and wounded from both sides as it changed hands seven times before the end of July 2nd.

This tree bears mute testimony to the "High Water Mark" for the Confederacy. It marks the deepest incursion of the southern troops into Union territory. After surviving the run across open ground amongst cannon fire and a hale of bullets, the South was stopped near this tree, and the remaining men were forced to surrender. It was the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.

This rock wall, known as "The Angle" because of the 90 degree turn it makes, is just adjacent to the high water mark, and provided scant cover for troops from either side.

The house barely visible in the center distance was the home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower after he left the Presidency, and continued to be Mamie's home after her husband died. It is now a National Monument, but President Eisenhower's beloved Black Angus cattle still roam the ranch (They are the tiny black spots in right center).

We spent more than two hours driving around the battlefield, and could have spent more, but the threatened rain finally appeared about dark, forcing us to retreat. We did not have a chance to walk downtown Gettysburg, where many buildings show the effects of cannon fire and bullet holes. All of the building that were in town at the time of the battle are marked with a bronze plaque, and have been maintained in pristine condition.

Old Friends, New Friends, and Hershey RV's

Catchup: no, not something to eat, but what's been happening the last few days.

Friday, September 18, 2015, we spent the early part of the day resupplying the motorhome and taking Sasha to the local off-leash dog park. In the afternoon, we drove south toward the Maryland/Pennsylvania state line to the little town of Stewartstown, PA for dinner with our friends from California that are visiting in PA, and their son, Damien, and his wife, Sue, and their two lovely daughters. We enjoyed a great evening with the whole family, talking, eating, laughing and scratching. It was truly a wonderful evening, with great food prepared well.

Given that we arrived in Stewartstown a bit early, Ed and Rosemary, our CA friends, took us on a brief tour of the area, including an Amish Co-op Market that is only open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of each week. Located in Shrewsbury, a village just a few miles away, the store carries an enormous amount and variety of food, furniture, and crafts.

Fresh Pies!

Fresh Bread!

Packaged and Bulk food and spices!

Desserts, Cakes, and Produce!

And the craft store!

Outside, the display of crafted furniture was so inviting!

So we had to try it out! Gotta make sure it's comfortable, you know!

The Fall displays are out, and they are tremendous!

After buying our fair share of baked goods, we stopped at another nearby Farm Store, Browns, for a few more "can't do without" things, then headed back to the "kid's" house for dinner. After dinner, just about the time our eyelids were beginning to close, we started the 40+ mile trip home. Interstate 83 was quiet at that time of night, so we scooted right along, and made it home just before we fell asleep!

Saturday was our day of choice to visit the Hershey RV Show. Bad choice. This is billed as the World's Largest RV Show, and it certainly lived up to the claim. Thirty-Three football fields filled with every kind and type, color and size, cheap and expensive, RV that one could imagine. On the previous Wednesday, when the show first opened, we happened to be in the area and remarked that the parking lots were only about 1/2 full. Not so on Saturday! We began to get the whole picture about seven miles west of Hershey, when traffic on 322 first came to a complete stop.

After a wonderfully relaxed time waiting for traffic to move, we finally arrived at the RV Show. I don't know how many times this show has been done, but it has been several years, anyway, and the producers should know how to organize it. Traffic control and parking directions were out of control. Three highway lanes merged into one single lane for entry into the overflow parking lot, and that was only from the west! Same scenario from the south and north, so you can imagine the confusion! We finally saw an opening on a side road, bailed off into the weeds, and four-wheeled it to the parking area, much to the disgust of several people behind us. Oh, well….

After squeezing through the ticket gates with a few hundred friends, we were finally inside! This photo doesn't look like the crowd are very bad, does it?

Just turn around and look the other way….

We're surrounded!

The Giant Center is aptly named, and after touring most of the exterior displays, we went inside to check out the vendors. All around the mezzanine as well as on the floor, every type of gadget one can imagine was available.

After a long day of walking (five miles by the FitBit), we returned to the motorhome thinking that the old girl still looks pretty good! The new coaches are fancy, and have loads of new features, as well as a hefty price tag. We decided that we're just about ok with what we have! The show is huge, though, with people coming from all over the country to visit. We met people from New York, Texas, and South Carolina, and overheard some others talking about their hotel, so they must have driven or flown into town. All the local RV parks are jammed, and the prices reflect a "premium weekend".

Nice thing to see, but we'll wait awhile before we return!

Gettysburg National Military Park

Gettysburg is a revered name in the United States as it represents a tipping point where the Confederate States of America came within 100 yards of winning the Civil War. The Rebels missed an opportunity to deal a severe blow to the North on their home turf, and the Yankees made several huge errors in judgement, but as history reveals, the Union prevailed that day, beginning the reunification of the country.

Our day began at the Visitor Center.

Where we purchased tickets to see a film narrated by Morgan Freeman and produced by the History Channel that gave us an overview of the state of the country at the time of the Civil War as well as after. The ticket also permitted us to view the Cyclorama. Now, we were a bit suspicious of the presentation based on the name, but the exhibit was spectacular. The Cyclorama is a painting done in 1884 by a French artist named Philippoteaux. The unique aspect of this painting is that it is completely circular as well as being concave. In other words, the viewer stands in the center of a 360 degree painting that verticality resembles the exterior surface of a glazed donut. That gives a perfect sense of depth and perspective. The painting places the viewer in the center of the final day of battle.

The Battle of Gettysburg actually took place over 3 days in July, 1863: the First, Second, and Third. The South missed an opportunity to win the battle on the first day, when they had overwhelming forces opposing the 2,500 Union troops stationed there. They had another opportunity to win the Battle on the third day when Pickett's Charge actually breached the Union defenses. Unfortunately, they out-ran their support and found themselves surrounded just 100 yards from a defensible position.

Armed with a fresh understanding of the Battle, we boarded a tour bus for the second part of the ticket package. Our tour guide was a wealth of information, providing so much detail that we felt we were part of the Battle. The tour bus took us around the battleground over some two and a half hours, stopping at several places for pictures. The tour guide kept up a constant commentary about the various landmarks we were seeing. One of the most memorable points of interest was a small mountain called Little Round Top, that sits adjacent to Big Round Top. Little Round Top is the more defensible area in that it is less forested than Big Round Top and still provides a good view of the battlefield. Union General Warren is credited with maintaining control of Little Round Top during a Confederate attack.

The Union victory at Gettysburg was a result of a simple military fact: Hold the High Ground.

General Lee had hidden his advance into Pennsylvania by marching through the Blue Ridge Mountains seen in the distance. His army controlled the open ground seen in the near distance and that is where General Lee launched his final attack on July 3, 1863. His army broke from the trees in a line a mile wide, and marched in parade order toward the Union defenses in the military style of the day. Union General Meade had anticipated an attack on the center of his line, and positioned his forces in such a way that they could close the ends of the line, forcing the Confederate forces into a narrow column where they could be destroyed from three sides. It was a monumental blunder on Lee's part, and an astute move by General Meade.

At Little Round Top, our tour guide pointed out troop movements and described the landmarks we were viewing.

Our time was growing short, and Sasha was back at the motorhome, 40 miles away in Harrisburg, so we elected to have a late lunch or early dinner (linner?) at the Springhouse Tavern in the historic district of Gettysburg. Dating from 1776, the Tavern has had several personalities over the years, but has been restored to it's original state and converted into two separate restaurants. The Springhouse Tavern is in the basement, reached by a narrow, low-ceiling set of stairs.

Minimally lit with candles at the tables and a few lights at the hostess podium, it has a perfect ambience that reflects its origins. The servers are dressed in period costumes, and the menu items are spelled in the olde english manner. Very cool!

After a hearty repast, the server was kind enough to take a photo of the four of us: Ed and Rosemary, Donna and Grumpy (who appears to leaning a bit to leeward!)

We enjoyed our half-day in Gettysburg so much that we are considering changing our travel plans to allow us to spend a bit longer there. We'll see. We are booked into Harrisburg until next week, with a number of things to do, so we'll see…..

The Sweetest Place on Earth

But first:

Since we "collect" state capitol buildings, we had to visit the State House of the State of Pennsylvania, located here in Harrisburg. The Capitol Complex is only about 8 miles from our campground, so off we went this morning about 9.

Parking is a bit of a trick downtown, but we finally found a place along the street where parking was "only" $3.00 an hour. We signed up for two hours and hoped for the best.

Approaching the Capitol, we first saw the 272-foot, 52 million-pound dome inspired by Michelangelo's design for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Completed in 1906, it was the tallest structure between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for 80 years. The design is called American Renaissance with Philadelphia architect Joseph Huston creating the original design.

The interior of the dome, the Rotunda, is an exquisite work of art.

At one side of the Rotunda, the Grand Staircase leads upward.

We were told by the tour desk to go to the fourth floor galleries and check out the Senate Chamber. The  murals, the cut glass, and the stained glass are awesome. Many of the sculptures are done in wood covered in gold leaf. Unbelievable.

Each of these hanging light fixtures weighs over two tons!

On the other side of the Capitol, the House of Representatives is likewise a complete and overwhelming tribute to the State of Pennsylvania. The mural behind the Speaker's podium is 35 feet square, and depicts explorers, intellectuals and leaders from Pennsylvania's past.

The House Chamber is lit by six chandeliers that weigh from two tons to over four tons each, and require over 1,000 light bulbs. Understandably, they were not illuminated today because the House was not in session.

We had missed the 11:00 am guided tour, and so weren't allowed into the Supreme Court Chambers on our own. The young lady who was staffing the tour desk volunteered to take us into the chamber on her lunch hour. What a nice thing to do!

She also directed us down a corridor toward the Office of the Governor.

The Governor's Office was not open to the public, but the Governor's Reception Room was, where news conferences, receptions and bill signings take place.

The wood carvings and details in the Reception Room are magnificent.

Along one wall of the room is a 100 year old grandfather clock belonging to Governor Daniel Hastings, who served in 1897 at the time the previous capitol building burned.

After lunch, we met Ed and Rosemary and their two granddaughters at Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, PA.

Of course we had to take "The Tour" through a replication of a chocolate factory. We were shown how the Cacao beans are grown, harvested, processed, and eventually, turned into milk chocolate.

One of the most interesting trivia items on the tour was a counter displaying the current days production of Hershey's most appealing products.

And then it was on to….

In a store with samples of all of Hershey's products as well as clothing, glassware, and keychains. In other words, everything necessary to take home Hershey's souvenirs for every member of your Facebook page!

The facility is amazing, and is a tremendous companion to HersheyPark next door, and the Giant Center exposition center across the street.

A perfect end to the day!