It was really fascinating being in a building where the founders of our country made many decisions and where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Some of the pieces of furniture that we were able to see was actually used by our founding fathers. We really did have a great guide, although I don't know how good the other guides were. He kept everyone interested and made the information where a adults and children alike were able to understand. This was so much better than just reading about the founding of our nation. This made it so real for all of us.
We took a quick tour of the Liberty Bell. The history of the bell is a bit of an interesting one. I won't go into here, mostly because I have forgotten some of it and I don't feel like double checking what I remember.
We were going to stop by a cemetery where many of the men who were involved with the founding of our nation. However, they were going to charge us, which I think is outrageous. So we managed a pic of one of the grave markers.
One thing that we managed to do was not pay attention to where we parked. We had a general idea but weren't sure exactly where. We basically speed-walked back the van in the light rain. We found the van with a few minutes to spare on the meter. It was a very educational and interesting visit to Philadelphia. We were quite tired and ready for our drive to New Jersey.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Philadelphia, the three hour tour, the three hour tour
Part 1:
On our way to NJ, we decided we would stop off in Philadelphia for some sight-seeing and history lessons. We drove around downtown Philadelphia trying to find a place to park our van and camper. Many parts of that drive were scary and quite uncomfortable. We looked like the only crazy people driving around that area pulling something. Many of the streets were narrow and packed. We finally find a place where we can park our camper and van all at the same place, metered parking. The day happened to be a lovely slightly overcast day, with a small amount of precipitation falling from the sky. We were able to leave the dogs in the van with no worry of them overheating. Randy put enough money in the meter for three hours, so we have to make sure we can find our way back by then. We have no clue where we are needing to go, so we just start walking back towards the town. This is our first experience going to any sort of a National Park and we don't know what to expect. With a few directions from passersby, we make it to the main area for information and to get tickets to go on a tour of Liberty Hall. What an experience just being in the building. It was so nice and full of information. There were people dressed in period costumes, a first for us. I didn't know exactly what they were there for, I didn't know if we should ask them questions or stare at them or ??? So, we took a picture or two and walked by. We had a ticket for all of us to go on a guided tour. We wandered around looking at the area and in some of the historic buildings. We made it to the line for the tour and waited for a bit. Our guide was an expert in our country's history and was quite a character himself.
On our way to NJ, we decided we would stop off in Philadelphia for some sight-seeing and history lessons. We drove around downtown Philadelphia trying to find a place to park our van and camper. Many parts of that drive were scary and quite uncomfortable. We looked like the only crazy people driving around that area pulling something. Many of the streets were narrow and packed. We finally find a place where we can park our camper and van all at the same place, metered parking. The day happened to be a lovely slightly overcast day, with a small amount of precipitation falling from the sky. We were able to leave the dogs in the van with no worry of them overheating. Randy put enough money in the meter for three hours, so we have to make sure we can find our way back by then. We have no clue where we are needing to go, so we just start walking back towards the town. This is our first experience going to any sort of a National Park and we don't know what to expect. With a few directions from passersby, we make it to the main area for information and to get tickets to go on a tour of Liberty Hall. What an experience just being in the building. It was so nice and full of information. There were people dressed in period costumes, a first for us. I didn't know exactly what they were there for, I didn't know if we should ask them questions or stare at them or ??? So, we took a picture or two and walked by. We had a ticket for all of us to go on a guided tour. We wandered around looking at the area and in some of the historic buildings. We made it to the line for the tour and waited for a bit. Our guide was an expert in our country's history and was quite a character himself.
Chocolate, Chocolate, mmmmm Chocolate
We managed to make it to Hershey's chocolate factory tour. It was a bit on the cheesy side but the kids enjoyed it. They show you how chocolate is made, starting with the cocoa bean all the way to the finished product. You should be able to see just about everything that we saw through all of the pictures that Randy took. The kids really enjoyed the tour. We also we given chocolate before the tour and after the tour, but Randy didn't get to enjoy his treat. They were giving dark chocolate away on the day we were there. He isn't a fan of dark chocolate so he gave his away, much to my delight. I was able to enjoy a double dose of chocolate. You didn't hear me complain.
We have enjoyed our stay at Hershey park Thousand Trails. The pool here is large!! It was a bit on the cool side, but the kids enjoyed it. We haven't been here very much but what we have has been fun. I wish we could extend our stay here a little longer but a very large RV show is happening in Hershey and the park is booked.
Now we are off to New Jersey.
We have enjoyed our stay at Hershey park Thousand Trails. The pool here is large!! It was a bit on the cool side, but the kids enjoyed it. We haven't been here very much but what we have has been fun. I wish we could extend our stay here a little longer but a very large RV show is happening in Hershey and the park is booked.
Now we are off to New Jersey.
Monday, November 17, 2008
4 Score and Seven Years Ago...
A little cheesy, but I couldn't resist.
Absolutely amazing- incredibly touching- very moving- are just a few phrases uttered during our tour of Gettysburg. I was very surprised at the enormous area on which the Battle took place. I was not expecting such a massive area. I don't know how much of the land that we covered and saw on our tour, but I do know that Gettysburg park covers 5,733 acres.
We purchased an audio CD that was dramatized. We were able to go along at our own pace, this includes getting lost a few times, enjoy the air conditioning of the van and relax while seeing an incredible piece of America's history. It can't get much better than that, well except for the lost part.
The CD was a great purchase- I thought it was a little costly at $21 but then I am pretty frugal, i.e. cheap. The CD guided us along the roads and gave us the history of the battle. There were many moments where I was lost in thought and pictured the soldiers fighting for their beliefs and their lives. It was one of the most moving moments of my life. I could envision the young and old, poor and rich, illiterate and well educated, who believed so strongly in their cause that they were willing to fight brother against brother, father against son and friend against friend. To imagine the intensity of their courage was so moving and heart wrenching, there were many times I found myself tearing up.
We were able to see lots of cannons that are on the property still. I believe (although I could be wrong), that these are still used in reenactments. There were also various buildings around the grounds that are from the time of the battle. It was so amazing being there, including visiting the cemetery where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. I can't say enough about Gettysburg and our experience there. It was something I will never forget and I hope my children won't either.
We ended our Gettysburg experience in a perfect way- we rented the dvd Gettysburg. We all watched the movie and were able to get a better grasp of what it was that happened and where. Also we were able to see some of the well-known people really come to life on the screen. It was really quite a feeling to see the same rocks and fields that we were walking on and learning about the day before. Most of the scenes were actually filmed at the real battlefield. The whole experience was incredible and we suggest that everyone go there at some point if they can. Watching the movie first might be better but isn't necessary, just going is worth it.
Absolutely amazing- incredibly touching- very moving- are just a few phrases uttered during our tour of Gettysburg. I was very surprised at the enormous area on which the Battle took place. I was not expecting such a massive area. I don't know how much of the land that we covered and saw on our tour, but I do know that Gettysburg park covers 5,733 acres.
We purchased an audio CD that was dramatized. We were able to go along at our own pace, this includes getting lost a few times, enjoy the air conditioning of the van and relax while seeing an incredible piece of America's history. It can't get much better than that, well except for the lost part.
The CD was a great purchase- I thought it was a little costly at $21 but then I am pretty frugal, i.e. cheap. The CD guided us along the roads and gave us the history of the battle. There were many moments where I was lost in thought and pictured the soldiers fighting for their beliefs and their lives. It was one of the most moving moments of my life. I could envision the young and old, poor and rich, illiterate and well educated, who believed so strongly in their cause that they were willing to fight brother against brother, father against son and friend against friend. To imagine the intensity of their courage was so moving and heart wrenching, there were many times I found myself tearing up.
We were able to see lots of cannons that are on the property still. I believe (although I could be wrong), that these are still used in reenactments. There were also various buildings around the grounds that are from the time of the battle. It was so amazing being there, including visiting the cemetery where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. I can't say enough about Gettysburg and our experience there. It was something I will never forget and I hope my children won't either.
We ended our Gettysburg experience in a perfect way- we rented the dvd Gettysburg. We all watched the movie and were able to get a better grasp of what it was that happened and where. Also we were able to see some of the well-known people really come to life on the screen. It was really quite a feeling to see the same rocks and fields that we were walking on and learning about the day before. Most of the scenes were actually filmed at the real battlefield. The whole experience was incredible and we suggest that everyone go there at some point if they can. Watching the movie first might be better but isn't necessary, just going is worth it.
Monday, November 10, 2008
I wonder if it is opening Sunday?!?!?!?
While getting ready to leave, Randy decided that the bike rack needs to go because it is tearing up the roof on the pop-up. You can see where it has scratched and dented the top of the pop-up. The kids are really upset with this idea but it is what we need to do. The bike rack also adds about an extra hour to our departure time so in the end, it would be a time saver. As we were about to head out, a man came over to talk to us. He was a very nice gentleman from Canada. We chatted for a bit about traveling and as we were about to leave he gave us $100. We were so surprised. The money could defintely be put to good use. This has been one of the many blessings that we have experienced while traveling.
Some of you might remember that Randy was taking pictures of the different NFL stadiums. This is where he sort of decided to cease this venture. As we were heading towards Buffalo, Randy had this "great" idea- we can go by the Bill's Stadium and get pictures. I use the trusty laptop to get the address and put it into our GPS. As we are just about to the stadium a thought suddenly pops into Randy's head- "Hey", he says, "Today is Sunday. I hope the Bills aren't playing at home today."
Guess what? It was opening Sunday and traffic was terrible. We ended up adding a least 2 hours onto our estimated drive time. We learned three things that day- 1. Check the game day schedule before you head that direction 2. The GPS looks for the shortest route, even if it is through mountains, we should have backtracked back to the Buffalo area so we would have been on a major highway, not little roads through little towns in mountainy areas -- which now leads me to point number three 3. Western New York has a few mountainy areas and we ended up driving through most of it. Randy was not a happy camper and decided that we would only go to the NFL stadiums if we were near them, no more driving out of the way, on days we shouldn't, through areas we know nothing about.
The drive to PA was beautiful. I really had no idea how beautiful this part of the country is. We took a few pictures but I am sure they don't show the debth and beauty of what we saw. We stopped by a roadside stand and bought some fresh peaches. They were so delicious. We had those as a snack as we entered into PA. The rest of the drive was uneventful but gorgeous. This is an area that I am so thankful we drove through while it was daylight. Our destination is Hershey, Pennsylvania. Here we will tour Gettysburg and the Hershey Chocolate Factory.
Those posts are coming soon.
Some of you might remember that Randy was taking pictures of the different NFL stadiums. This is where he sort of decided to cease this venture. As we were heading towards Buffalo, Randy had this "great" idea- we can go by the Bill's Stadium and get pictures. I use the trusty laptop to get the address and put it into our GPS. As we are just about to the stadium a thought suddenly pops into Randy's head- "Hey", he says, "Today is Sunday. I hope the Bills aren't playing at home today."
Guess what? It was opening Sunday and traffic was terrible. We ended up adding a least 2 hours onto our estimated drive time. We learned three things that day- 1. Check the game day schedule before you head that direction 2. The GPS looks for the shortest route, even if it is through mountains, we should have backtracked back to the Buffalo area so we would have been on a major highway, not little roads through little towns in mountainy areas -- which now leads me to point number three 3. Western New York has a few mountainy areas and we ended up driving through most of it. Randy was not a happy camper and decided that we would only go to the NFL stadiums if we were near them, no more driving out of the way, on days we shouldn't, through areas we know nothing about.
The drive to PA was beautiful. I really had no idea how beautiful this part of the country is. We took a few pictures but I am sure they don't show the debth and beauty of what we saw. We stopped by a roadside stand and bought some fresh peaches. They were so delicious. We had those as a snack as we entered into PA. The rest of the drive was uneventful but gorgeous. This is an area that I am so thankful we drove through while it was daylight. Our destination is Hershey, Pennsylvania. Here we will tour Gettysburg and the Hershey Chocolate Factory.
Those posts are coming soon.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Yes, we are alive and well
We did not fall off the face of the earth, we were not ate by sea dragons, nor were we consumed by the fiery pits at the edge of the earth, we are all alive and well. Many, many things have happened, some minor, some not so minor. One thing that has kept me from being able to post has been the momentary death of our beloved laptop. Randy thinks he can fix it, but doesn't have the parts he needs. As soon as he can get them, we will have the laptop to use again- the convenience of this piece of technology has been wonderful and we have had a terrible time living without it. We also had a problem with keyboards. At one point we didn't have the laptop or the main computer to use, so it was impossible to make a post and update everyone.
Another reason I have not been able to update is time. I am so much busier now than I was when we lived in a house. Even if we spend the day around the campsite, I barely have time to check my email. Speaking of email, if you have emailed me and I haven't responded, I am not ignoring you. I have almost 1000 emails to go through.
We have been having a blast and really enjoying ourselves. I have a lot updates to post and and going to try to get on the computer everyday or every other day and get started on that.
We would like to say hello to a few people we have met along the way- Hello to Terry and Mary, we hope to see ya'll again. Hi Ben- it has been a pleasure for us to get to know you- Hello to the entire Garvin family- thank you for a fabulous time with the manatees, great fellowship and the offer that I am sure we will take you up on.
Life is anything but dull right now and we are so thankful that God is allowing our family to experience so much. We have seen some beautiful country, saw amazing sights, met absolutely wonderful people and been able to do all of this as a family.
Be looking for an update coming in a day or two (I hope).
Another reason I have not been able to update is time. I am so much busier now than I was when we lived in a house. Even if we spend the day around the campsite, I barely have time to check my email. Speaking of email, if you have emailed me and I haven't responded, I am not ignoring you. I have almost 1000 emails to go through.
We have been having a blast and really enjoying ourselves. I have a lot updates to post and and going to try to get on the computer everyday or every other day and get started on that.
We would like to say hello to a few people we have met along the way- Hello to Terry and Mary, we hope to see ya'll again. Hi Ben- it has been a pleasure for us to get to know you- Hello to the entire Garvin family- thank you for a fabulous time with the manatees, great fellowship and the offer that I am sure we will take you up on.
Life is anything but dull right now and we are so thankful that God is allowing our family to experience so much. We have seen some beautiful country, saw amazing sights, met absolutely wonderful people and been able to do all of this as a family.
Be looking for an update coming in a day or two (I hope).
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Hi-Ho Hi-Ho, over the mountains we go....
I don't know for sure, but I think the reason we ended up driving over so many mountains in New York and then into Pennsylvania is because Randy "needed" to take pics of the Buffalo Bills stadium. Heading that direction changed our route through our GPS by a lot. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, yes, driving to take pictures of an NFL stadium on opening day, does increase your drive time, no way around it.
The scenery that we were able to enjoy was amazing! It was so beautiful. I tried to take a few pictures so that everyone could see what we saw. I don't know how they turned out, but hopefully they are good enough. This drive was one of out prettiest. I definitely could handle seeing that everyday.
We made it to the Hershey preserve before dark. There is a very large RV show in Hershey that is going on while we are here. This has made it hard for us to extend our stay. They are expecting to be at full capacity a few days after we our arrival.
The scenery that we were able to enjoy was amazing! It was so beautiful. I tried to take a few pictures so that everyone could see what we saw. I don't know how they turned out, but hopefully they are good enough. This drive was one of out prettiest. I definitely could handle seeing that everyday.
We made it to the Hershey preserve before dark. There is a very large RV show in Hershey that is going on while we are here. This has made it hard for us to extend our stay. They are expecting to be at full capacity a few days after we our arrival.
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