The Civil War from the Comfort of my Car

Had a great breakfast this morning as Dan's mom cooked us french toast. It was a great way to start off the trip. We got to sleep in real beds, take showers, have a hot breakfast. Later on when we go camping things won't be quite so luxurious.

A Cannon and no Dan

After breakfast we hit the road with me at the wheel. It took us about 3 hours of driving to get to Gettysburg, PA with just a quick stop for gas near Harrisburg. Once in Gettysburg we stopped at Subway for lunch and then headed for the battlefield visitor's center. We toyed with the idea of hiring a personal tour guide to come in the car with us and narrate the story of the battle, but due to the fact that the backseat of my car was completely full and due to the price of a private tour guide ($40), we ended up purchasing a 2-CD auto tour ($19) instead. It was a really good tour. The narrative on two CDs lasted nearly three hours, plus with all of the stops we made to get out and walk around we ended up spending about 5 hours at the battlefield. I'd never been to a Civil War Battlefield before, and one of the most striking features of Gettysburg was the fact that the park was full of statues and monuments commemorating generals, colonels, and all of the soldiers who fought in particular regiments. Each state put up its own monument - the PA monument was the largest because PA supplied the most soldiers to this battle.

Dan and a Cannon

After Gettysburg we drove for about an hour to get to Harper's Ferry, WV. We ended up spending the night camping at a youth hostel across the Potomac River from Harper's Ferry in Maryland.

Miles driven today: ~250

States passed through: NJ, PA, MD, VA, WV