Gettysburg

This past weekend, Scout and I hitched up Loretta and took her to Gettysburg.  Motivated by a desire to explore and by a red flashing black water light on our status monitor, I called around to various RV parks in the Gettysburg area.  I quickly found one that was open and available, but found that it, like many others it seems, close for the season in a few days.  I guess when you live in sunny San Diego, you forget there are seasons, let alone places that need to close because of them.  But, luckily, we made it just in time.

We checked in late Friday afternoon at the Gettysburg Campground, and Scout unhitched Loretta like an old pro.  She is so good at making sure we are connected and “emptied” and running smoothly.  I admire how handy she is. 

Meanwhile, I went to the campground office to get information on the area.  It just so happened that we had arrived on the eve of the 148^th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address!  The weekend was packed with events, from a reading of that famous speech at the Gettysburg Soldiers Memorial Cemetery, to a parade of re-enactors, to a luminary display on the grave of each soldier who died and was buried there.  To make it even more fun, Scout’s parents agreed to meet us there in the morning to take an auto tour of the battlegrounds, and to camp overnight with us in Loretta.  Fun, fun!

That first night, Scout and I headed into the adorable town alone, and settled down in the Pub and Restaurant, which sits right on the main roundabout.  While waiting for our table, we had spiked apple cider to get into the festive mood – not to mention to help warm us up, it was already in the 30s.  The restaurant was very nice, and we had a really relaxing evening.  We even caught up with a few “locals.”

With the arrival of Scout’s parents bright and early the next day, we headed over to the cemetery to listen to the speech.  Sometimes it seems like the effort it takes to do things like this is more work than the actual event is worth.  Although I felt a little like this while we were climbing the rolling hills of the cemetery, not really knowing where we were going, but following a voice speaking into a microphone somewhere in the distance, it was actually very nice once we got there. 

The Grave of Jennie Wade

(a civilian who was shot while baking bread for the soldiers)

The Gettysburg Address is less than 300 words, and it really is a simple speech.  Apparently, the man who spoke before Lincoln that day went on for 2 hours (which was common at the time), so when Lincoln stood and delivered such a simple sentiment, many people didn’t realize he was finished when he walked off the stage.  But because the speech was so short, it was published over and over again in the papers, making it widely accessible.  He simply said that the Civil War had tested the government and democracy that founded this country, and that those principles seem to have overcome the challenge put upon it.  He also said that the sacrifices made by both sides should be memorialized and remembered, but that most of all, it would be up to the people going forward to support democracy and to continue to work toward the progress that the country needed, so that the people who had sacrificed would not have done so in vain. His words came at the end of the Civil War, which judging by what I learned on the auto tour of the battleground, was an extremely hard fought war with so much bloodshed and loss.  Brothers fought on different sides.  Fathers fought with one army against sons with another.  Even Robert E. Lee, who had served in the US military for nearly 40 years prior, had to decide whether to continue to fight for his country, or to instead support the Confederate cause, whereby he would end up losing his job, his citizenship, and his home in the process.  Whatever side you supported, it was a terrible and bloody war.  I also learned that the most common treatment of any gun shot injury to a limb was amputation…regardless of whether the limb could have been saved with better medical care.  Losing a limb is something I am very afraid of…I can’t imagine what that must have been like for those soldiers, although I imagine that at that point, they were just happy to be alive.

 A Canonball Hole in a Barn Still Standing

Hey Fred, Wanna Get a Latte?

After our day of touring, we had dinner at the Dobbin House Tavern, which has been in business since 1776, and is called Pennsylvania’s oldest and most historic home.  We ate in the tavern, which was dark and cramped and very authentic….(I will talk about this statement in a bit…)  The highlight of the meal was the Kings Onion Soup, which was like French Onion Soup but included chunks of beef.  It was fantastic and hit the spot on a cold afternoon.

That night we headed back to Loretta, and snuggled in for a night of cards and dancing (yes, dancing!!!  Loretta has a radio, and Scout and her mom got a pretty good boogie going on.  I have a video to prove it, but I think I would find my computer smashed if I posted it. J)  Four adults and a dog slept quite comfortably, with the only issue being the one tiny bathroom…well, and the fact that we could hear each other talking.  At one point, I heard Scout’s mom whisper, “Scrap this!  You can forget about us getting a camper, Skip.  I’ll take my chances with the bed bugs at a motel!”  But by morning, everyone was happy again.  Sleeping in here does take some getting used to.  The bed is somewhere between a full and a queen size, and the mattress is especially made to fit the rounded edges of the trailer.  It’s easy to feel a bit cramped in here.  Plus, the mattress is not the most comfortable…it sits on a flat piece of plywood.  I think we will soon be investing in a memory foam topper, or something like that. 

Smiling Faces

Anyway, that last day, we did a little shopping and had breakfast at a nearby diner.  I was glad to have visited Gettysburg on such a special weekend…I will forever remember it, and think that it’s commonplace for people to be dressed in period clothing from the 1800’s.  The modern-day dressers where literally outnumbered throughout the town, so you can imagine how fantastic it was to experience it. 

This brings me back to my previous comment about the tavern being “authentic”…now, of course it is authentic, and that’s because it really has been around since the 1700s!  It’s not decorated to look old and staged in the time of the Civil War…it was actually serving drinks during the Civil War.  I am in my 30s and from America – I don’t know if my age plays into this, but I think that being from America certainly does – but I have a theory about authenticity that I call my “Disney Theory.”  I will explain…the first time that I left the country was when I was 25.  I went to Europe for a month to travel around and see the sights.  When I got there, I saw original cobblestone streets that were laid by the Romans, churches built during the Renaissance, castles built during King Henry VIII’s reign…and while I was exploring these places, I couldn’t help but think that the people who built them did a really great job at making them look old and original.  Now, that’s a ridiculous thought, of course, because they are old and original!  But before that, I had only ever seen reproductions.  Cinderella’s Castle is built to mimic Neuschwanstein in Bavaria…and they did a pretty good job building it, but it certainly isn’t as incredible as the real thing…but up until that first trip to Europe, I only had reproductions to use as my foundation.  Disney had created Europe for me…Epcot had made me feel like I had been around the world and back again.  So, it was hard for me to really appreciate something original and authentic.  I wonder if other people have ever had this thought…or if it makes sense to anyone else.

 The Gettysburg Hotel

 The House of Bender

Angel atop the Pennsylvania Memorial Monument

Anyway, we are in Pennsylvania for another couple of weeks, and we hope to head over to the Shoe House, which is where the story of the old woman and the shoe comes from.  Up next is Thanksgiving, where we will be having a turkey, a duck and a ham (have I mentioned my expanding waistline?!), and this weekend is Scout’s 10 year high school reunion.  Stay tuned!