Gettysburg, PA

I know, it has been a few days but we packed a ton into the last couple days. Here are the hi-lights from Gettysburg. The battlefield has been a destination for quite some time. It was way beyond what I thought it would be. First off, the visitor center is gigantic; the tour of the battlefield is free but the stuff inside the visitor center is a pay as you go. I recommend paying for the 25 minute movie which gives you all of the important details of the 3-day battle. Also, pay to see the Cyclorama. You asked, "What is a cyclorama?" It is a 360 degree painting, floor to ceiling well over 20 feet tall showing the climatic final battle on the third day of fighting. The painting puts you in the middle of the major frontal confederate assault and you are behind union lines. The painting was done in the late 1800s and it is truly spectacular. Lastly, spend some time going through the museum, the uniforms and weapons collection is worth it but the movie breakdown of each camp gain from the the three day battle gives all of the information you need to get an appreciation of the magnitude of this battle. The girls were beat so I decided that I would come back on Saturday (by myself) and do the self guided battlefield tour. This is where you really get into the nitty gritty of the battle.

We spent the next days in Washington DC and I will cover the details tomorrow. I will let you in on a little secret. It was hot and humid in DC both days and that was the major event from our visit to DC.