Pine Grove, PA

October 12th - 19th

As we bid goodbye to our tour of the New England states, our drive to the small town of Pine Grove in Pennsylvania took us across Connecticut, New York and finally into Pennsylvania.  Not knowing much about these states, I wasn't expecting to see such beautiful mountain views along the way.  It was worth the rough roads. Well for the most part.

As we continued west and entered into Pennsylvania, we crossed over the Delaware river where New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania meet up.  That was pretty cool!  We also got a glimpse of the Shawangunk Mountains.  This mountain ridge extends from the northernmost point of New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains.  This portion of the Appalachian Mountains continues through Pennsylvania.  The ridge constitutes the western border of the Great Appalachian Valley.

The leaves were just beginning to turn all along our trip which made the landscape even prettier.  It made me miss home even more and I can hear the mountains calling me home.

The trip, for the most part, took us on I-84 aka the Yankee Expressway.  In Newburgh, NY we crossed the Hudson River via the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge.

Newburgh-Beacon Bridge over the Hudson River

When we arrived at our campsite, the park was in the middle of a Halloween festivity.  We arrived right in the middle of trick or treating time and kids where everywhere.  And I am talking about tons of kids!  We had to be extra careful driving to our site since we didn't want to hit a goblin or a superhero!

Gettysburg

On Sunday we headed out to Gettysburg and learn a thing or two about the Civil War.  The small historic town was not as busy as I thought it would be for a holiday weekend.  We were able to find parking without an issue near the square.  We walked around and looked in some of the shops then decided to have a bite to eat in one of the cute restaurants.  We first tried the Blue & Grey Restaurant but the waiting time was over an hour so we headed down the street and found an Irish Pub called Garry Owen and decided to give it a try. They too were busy but we hung.

After lunch, we headed out to the National Military Park where the  Battle of Gettysburg was fought and said to be the turning point in the Civil War.  Gettysburg was what inspirited President Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address"speech.

Four score and seven years ago...

The Battle, fought in July 1863, was a Union victory that stopped the Confederate General Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North.  More than 50,000 men fell as casualties during the 3-day battle, making it the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War.

Georgia's Monument

There are 12 state monuments honoring Confederate soldiers, including Maryland, which honors the men of the state from both sides. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

There are 18 state monuments honoring Union soldiers.  Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Main, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, and Missouri had no units at Gettysburg.

Each monument was required to be placed at the location of its main line of battle.  Many have a secondary monument showing different locations.

 

We drove around until we each found our state.  Dennis debated whether to stand in front of North Carolina or Indiana since he was born in Indy but was raised in Asheville,  Eventually, North Carolina won mainly cause we couldn't find Indiana and we were running out of daylight.

Hershey, PA

Thursday after D got off work we visited the Hershey Park.  Even though there are tons to do there, the only thing I had on my mind was visiting Chocolate World! They claim to be the largest candy store and I believe them!  The place was huge and there was chocolate floor to ceiling. Pure heaven! 

Tomorrow we leave out at 7am and head down to Greensboro NC.  We are going to visit with my sister and brother-in-law and to see Chris Tomlin perform at their church.  This for sure is going to be a long, long day for we will be hauling for 8 hrs.  :-(