Driving two hours south from Lewisburg we found ourselves in Gettysburg, the site of the turning point in the Civil War. We learned about the battle with a driving audio tour from the comfort of our car.
Union General George Meade defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee over three days, July 1 - 3, 1863 The fighting caused the most casualties of any battle on American soil. Two interesting facts stuck with me: 1. Abner Doubleday, the founder of baseball, fought in this battle for the Union and 2. General Robert E. Lee lost his U.S. citizenship following the war as well as his home and land which was turned into Arlington National Cemetery.
Union General George Meade defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee over three days, July 1 - 3, 1863 The fighting caused the most casualties of any battle on American soil. Two interesting facts stuck with me: 1. Abner Doubleday, the founder of baseball, fought in this battle for the Union and 2. General Robert E. Lee lost his U.S. citizenship following the war as well as his home and land which was turned into Arlington National Cemetery.
One of the original Union cannons that sits atop Little Round Top. This was one of the key high positions the Union Army was able to hold during the three day battle. The infamous Devil's Den was just below.
The cannons were set up around the park in some of the positions that they took during the battle. It was chilling to think of the large fields down range filled with soldiers and no cover. Besides cannons, the park was filled with monuments for each state (Union and Confederate) that sent a unit of troops.
Shenandoah National Park
Just another two hours south and we were driving the beautiful Skyline Drive of Shenandoah National Park. One of the first parks set up in the eastern part of the country, it was planned so that city dwellers could easily access nature from the comfort of their cars. Imagine 100 miles of beautiful mountain driving with a vista pull off every 5 miles or so. It's not quite the Rockies, but they have there own peaceful beauty.
"Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah river..."
We sang John Denver's "Country Road" a few times on our drive from Gettysburg to Shenandoah because we drove along the Shenandoah River in West Virginia. The national park is actually in Virginia.
We spent our last camping night here. It was a calm night. Hudson turned in early per usual to avoid the bugs while Cara and I finished our game of Gin and tried to reflect a bit on what we saw and learned from Gettysburg. It was a great road trip day, a good mix of driving, learning something new, and discovering beautiful views.
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