2 National Parks 1 Day

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.

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.

Home of the Green Dragons!

Lewisburg, PA

Our next stop brought us to Lewisburg, PA to visit our friends Katelyn and Joe and their new family member Finn, a huge Saint Bernard.  Katelyn is a past teammate and roommate of Cara's from Melee days at UT and Joe is her awesome husband. We also had Katelyn live with us for a semester while she was on sabbatical at UT to do awesome star doctor research, in addition to staying with them while they lived in Hawaii for Kaimana for a couple of years. If the apocalypse is upon us, we've agreed that Katelyn and Joe are our number one couple to go live with since they have a ridiculous number of life and survival skills. 

Lewisburg is a cute little town that holds Bucknell, the university they both work for. It is an amazing place to be in the summer.  Sunny, not too hot, and within quick driving distance to outdoor adventures.  We had an amazing few days with Joe and Katelyn going on a hike, eating delicious home cooked meals, enjoying a few beers, and playing cards and board games each night.

On the way from the Berkshires, we stopped in Wilkes-Barre, PA (hometown of the amazing Kim and Mia) for lunch and a quick hike.  This is Cara and Hud at 7 Tubs.  A pretty spot and nice location for a quick hike, but we weren't sure how clean the water was because not too many people were actually swimming and there was a sign prohibiting the act.  Of course, we didn't see this until we left the park and after I jumped in for a quick dip.  

We arrived Saturday evening and enjoyed a great homegrown indian meal followed by teaching and playing Yaniv, our favorite card game learned back in 2013 from Team USA friend George Stubbs.  Sunday morning, we drove about 45 minutes west for a hike in a hemlock forested mountain near Millheim, PA.  Here we are at the trailhead.  This shot doesn't do Finn's size justice.

On the trail.

After our hike we went to Elk Creek Cafe for beer and brunch.  While enjoying our meal several Amish families rode by in there horse-drawn carriages.  This family must not have seen the sign, which reads, "Amish Buggy Parking Only, You Must Clean Up After Your Animals". We passed dozens more on our way out of town. The surrounding country is a beautiful setting for a drive. Rolling agricultural fields in a valley with forested mountains on either side.

After brunch we had a quick dip at this swimming hole in R.B. Winter State Park.  It was just a tad chillier than Barton Springs. 

Katelyn and Joe have a great backyard garden.  Katelyn lived with us while Cara was initially establishing our garden in Austin, and we owe most of our gardening know-how to her. We mostly sat back and watched Katelyn work her magic.

Exhibit A of their amazing skills. While we were there Joe made and tooled a new leather collar for Hudson! Looking gooooood! 

On Monday, while Joe was at work, we took the dogs for a little cultural stroll through Lewisburg. Bucknell set up a poetry path with 10 stops throughout the city.  We took turns reading the poems out loud to each other and attempting to interpret the poem before moving on to the next one.  It was a great way to experience the town.  This poem was at the sight of a past stop on the Underground Railroad.

We found a shady spot to take a break while on our poetry walk.  

Katelyn and Finn.  Finn is an awesome dog.  He's over 100 pounds and extremely good natured.  We had a running competition to see which dog received more compliments as we walked around town.  It was Hud's magnificent brindled coat vs. Finn's size, big grin, and sassy tail.  It wasn't even close; Finn won.  We officially challenge Finn to bring his talents down to Austin for a rematch!  Mexican martini's to the winner.

Thanks and lots of love to Katelyn and Joe for the incredible hospitality and friendship throughout the years. They are amazing people and we're lucky to know and learn from them.