Back to Pennsylvania
Everyone rose early and Gwynne left after breakfast, about 7:30. Mom is riding back to PA with us and we left about 8:00. Going to take a different, slower route in hopes of avoiding crazy traffic in the eastern corridor.
We started heading west on the Massachusetts Pike, route 90. Pretty, sunny day and while the colors were somewhat past their peak, there were still areas of great beauty.
We got off the turnpike at exit 2 and wound through some pretty small towns, like _______bridge. Reached the Tectonic Hwy in New York and headed south. Beautiful divided highway with no commercial traffic. Stopped and had sandwiches along the way.
The check engine light came back on near Poughkeepsie L. We reached Pennsylvania and went south through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Nicely wooded with a few campgrounds and signs for waterfalls and other interesting sites if we were truly meandering. Saw many hunters in their orange gear along the way, and several deer that had been hit by vehicles.
Wound back through PA – this trip is way longer than I anticipated, as you can only go rather short distances before changing highways. Greg irritated, partially because of the Trek, but Mom and I enjoyed the scenery.
Arrived at Garden Spot Village (Mom’s place) in New Holland around 5:30 and headed over to their dining area for a nice dinner before unloading the Trek and settling in for the night. Watched a little football and called it a night.
Tuesday, October 27
Gettsyburg
Mom and Greg went to give Dad breakfast. Gwynne was able to take the day off today and she came by around 9:00 to join us for a jaunt to Gettysburg in Mom’s car. It took about an hour and a half and we arrived at their visitor’s center. Bought tickets for the film, the Cyclorama and the Museum.
The 11:30 film, produced by the History Channel, was “A New Birth of Freedom”. It dealt with the time leading to the Civil War, including State’s rights, slavery and other issues.
Next we went to the Cyclorama Display. This is a huge painting done by Dominique Philippoteaux in Paris in 1884. After studying the terrain and the battle, he and a crew of 20 painted this detailed depiction. It is curved to give a 3-D look – quite incredible for the time. It toured the country for a bit before finding a home here in Gettysburg. It is floor to ceiling and 360 degrees around, so one stands in the center and turns to see all the action.
Next we visited the on-site museum, which was very well done. It would take many times the 2+ hours we spent if one were to read all and watch all the videos.
Over 7,000 soldiers died at Gettsburg, with another 40,000 wounded, captured or missing.
Nearly half the bodies were never identified. There were displays of clothing, weapons, medical care, food, even examples of the different music played by the bugler to signify waking, marching, retreating, taps and more. How the thousands of men were fed and clothed (mostly poorly) while marching all over the country was quite amazing.
Also interesting was how the small city of Gettsburg was left to deal with the incredible number of dead bodies and wounded soldiers. They initially buried most on the battlefield, but later moved them to cemetaries so that the locals could reclaim their pastures and farmland.
The timeline begins before Lincoln is elected president, with details regarding the issues of economy, state’s rights, slavery and common rights of citizenship. Succession and the ensuing battles throughout the country are chronicled. Each of the three days of the Gettysburg battle has a film and area of displays. It was impressive how very narrowly the Union won the war – a few different twists of fate and --- we’d all be whistling Dixie, or more likely there would be two separate countries.
Even though Gettysburg was “decisive”, and Vicksburg fell only a day later, the war continued for four more bloody years, with the Union battling under flags that included stars for the Confederate States.
We drove in to town to have lunch at Dobbin’s Tavern, which is in a stone building built in 1776. We ate downstairs, which still has one of the several springs that ran through it for water and refrigeration. Upstairs we saw a hiding place where escaping slaves sometimes stayed as part of the Underground Railroad. The food was tasty and service excellent, served by women in colonial garb.
Next, we wound our way through parts of the hilly Battlefield, including Cemetary Ridge. The blood-soaked fields are dotted with canons and memorials for soldiers and leaders from various states. The Union cemetery where Lincoln gave his famous address is close by.
We headed back to New Holland, taking a bit longer but faster route using the PA Turnpike. Arrived around 6:00 and chatted for a bit and had ice cream before Gwynne headed back to her home in West Chester. We watched a little TV and enjoyed chatting with Mom before calling it a night.
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