Another Blast from the Past

Mary Lynn and I have been married 44 years now, and really haven't taken very many vacations. But, we've seen a lot of the country.  Driving out to California just after being married and living in California for 6 months before I left for Vietnam, and driving back to Louisville, allowed us to see many Western sites. Not to mention driving out to Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming when our sons were located out there.  But I think my favorite 'vacation' was in 1994 when just Mary Lynn and I drove up in the Northeast to see the sites.  It was a vacation where we weren't in any hurry, had no reservations at any point, so no time schedule to keep.
We headed  up to Columbus, OH to visit Julie and spent the first night there.

I believe our first stop was Niagara Falls.  We went to the Canada Side.  There were a lot of pictures taken, but I will only show a few 'representative' pictures from each stop.  Here we were on the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride that takes you right up to the bottom of the falls.  As you can see, everyone is issued a raincoat.  You can also see the rainbow formed at the foot of the falls.

I'm not sure I have the stops in the correct order, but I'll act like I do and continue on.  Then on to Philadelphia.  We were there on the 4th Of July, which was neat.  Here is a picture of me touching the 'Liberty Bell'!  Not long after we were there some idiot attacked the Bell with a hammer, damaging it, and making it no longer accessible to the general public.  There were a lot of historical sites to visit while there.

After Philadelphia we headed to Washington, D.C. So many things to see there!  We went to Ford's Theatre, then across the street to the house were Lincoln was taken after he was shot.  This is a photo of the room he died in.   Ford's Theatre is a Museum with lots of artifacts from that night, including Lincoln's bloodstained coat, the pistol used in the assassination, and many other items of interest.  You could go upstairs to see the box Lincoln was sitting in when shot, along with the hole carved in the door by Booth so he could see Lincoln before entering.

Of course a visit to the Smithsonian was required.  Here is Dorothy's ruby red slippers from the Wizard of  Oz. I can't remember all the historical items we saw.  I think the Smithsonian is comprised of 5 buildings, each for different themes.  History, Aeronautical, etc.  Each building is huge, so we didn't get to got through each one.  One item we did get to gaze upon was the "Hope" Diamond.  That was cool.

Of all the places we visited, Arlington Cemetery and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was the most memorable. I can't stress enough that if you ever visit D.C., make sure to go here and stay for the changing of the guard.  It was very touching to see the respect and reverence shown by these guards to the memory of all who died in defense of our Country.  I guarantee it will give you 'goosebumps'. During the ceremony they demand the crowd remain silent and still, and enforce it!

Then to Gettysburg.  This was a site I really wanted to go see.  Here is a picture of the tower in the middle of the battlefield. The tower is no longer there because they decided it was an eyesore and should be removed.  I think this was the 2nd battle of Gettysburg, fought for many years, but the people who wanted the tower removed finally won.  So this is another thing, besides the Liberty Bell, that is no longer available to tourists.  From the tower, looking out in each direction, they had the landmarks identified.  A very nice way to be able to see the whole battlefield.  But, I can definitely see how they would want it removed as an eyesore.

This was one of the views from the top of the tower.  Of course, the whole area is a Cemetery.  We arrived late in the evening, after dark, and checked in to our Motel.  The next morning, when we got up, we realized our Motel was smack dab in the middle of a cemetery.  Mary Lynn said she wouldn't have slept as well if she'd have known that.  But, just about all of Gettysburg is a Cemetery.  Most of the stones are mass graves, just stating which Infantry Group the soldiers buried there were with.

From there we went to the Pennsylvania Amish Country.  Stopping in Intercourse, Pennsylvania.  We went through all the shops, checked out the crafts, and rode around the Amish Country side watching the farmers plowing their fields with horse drawn plows. 
Then we stopped in West Virginia to play the Golf Course "The Meadows" that has the longest hole in the world. I have a scorecard from there, but I didn't dig it out to get the yardage.  But it is a par 6. 
After that, we headed home.  There were a lot of other pictures, but I can only post so many.  We had a fun time, but were tired when we got home.  A lot of driving and miles covered.