Eastern Trip -- Day 8

Today was a bright-and-early morning at 6:15 so we could get ready, load up, have breakfast (a sausage-egg English muffin, powdered doughnut, banana, orange juice), and get to the National Riding Stables for our 8:00 tour of Gettysburg battlefield.  We spent two hours traversing just a small portion of the 6,000-acre park, and the tour included exceptional views of Little and Big Round Tops, Pickett's Charge, structures and trees that existed when the battle took place, military perspectives, and more.  We stopped several times for our Licensed Battlefield Guide to explain what, when, and where things were happening.  He did such a great job of giving us the overall picture, interacting with everyone, and making sure every question was answered.  Experiencing part of the battlefield on horseback is such a special opportunity; it really makes you feel like you've stepped back in time.  Specifically, National Riding Stables has a great operation with friendly, helpful staff and reasonable rates.  All of their trail mounts are rescues, quiet and steady, and perfect for newbies.

Our next stop was the Gettysburg Visitor Center & Museum ($9 admission per person...well worth it).  Although our time was somewhat limited, we enjoyed approximately two hours perusing the extraordinary exhibits.  The path of the museum takes you logically through the war in a chronological order, from the first stirring tides of secession to the Gettysburg Address and emancipation.  One-third of the museum is dedicated the battle of Gettysburg, naturally, and practically every artifact on display is from the 1860s or earlier!  The collection is impressive and there are lots of great signs to learn the background behind each item.  While we skipped sections of the museum for time purposes (and we didn't watch the video or cyclorama), we still got a lot out of the museum.  I also highly recommend popping in the bookstore -- maybe not for the cheesy kid's toys, but there are a ton of fascinating books.  I ended up walking out with one book about Civil War medicine and the second season of Mercy Street, and Matthew got an eyewitness account of the battle from a bystander.

Finally, we ate lunch (tuna wrap, raisins, mixed nuts, Rice Krispie treat, white-grape juice) as we drove all over the battlefield.  There is a 24-mile self-guided driving loop you can take, reading short paragraphs at designated areas from a guide map, which we mostly did.  Again, it's another great way to see major spots on the battlefield and get the big picture.  If you had more time, it would be a lovely bike ride, especially in cooler fall weather.  We did stop at an observation tower and Little Round Top, the latter being where Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain led the 20th Maine Volunteers in a heroic bayonet charge up steep, forested hills.  To walk on and see the place where that happened 154 years ago is very moving.

From Gettysburg we drove straight to Zanesville, Ohio, for fuel and supper at Tlaquepaque, a Mexican restaurant.  I had grilled shrimp in a spicy sauce, rice, beans, chips and salsa, and water.  From there, it was about an hour over to our Quality Inn & Suites in Cleveland.  Tomorrow is an easy drive home and the conclusion of our summer trip!

Trail riding on the battlefield (I'm second from right on the palomino, Elliot)

The barn we are in front of (first picture) was standing during the battle; you can see the hole left by a shot in the brick right below the diamond shapes in this photo.

Two bullets fused in the air around Culp's Hill

Some of the casualties of the battle

Ulysses Grant used this pen when Lee surrendered at the end of the war

Little Round Top (left) and Big Round Top

Little Round Top, in front of the monument to the 20th Maine

~Anna