Battlefield Trip Report - Day 8

Before I switch this blog over to all scrapbooking info, I wanted to post the last installment of our battlefield trip report. Thanks for following along with our journey. Enjoy!

Day 8 - September 19

It was time to go home! Even though we had a lot of fun in Gettysburg and Hagerstown we were ready to go back home. We missed our kitties. We got up early, packed up the car. We grabbed a quick breakfast from the hotel then checked out. We took a few photos on our way out of town. I was really nervous because I knew I had to drive over the mountain what we call the "swirly mountain of death" which scares me. I do not like driving on mountains. Though the mountain portion is only 20 miles long, it still freaks me out. Melinda was having fun taking pictures of the dilapidated buildings along the way. It took us about 2 hours to get from Gettysburg to the PA turnpike. I was going so slow on the mountain. Luckily there wasn't too many cars behind us and those few that were behind us were able to get around. Though right before we got to the turnpike we found what Melinda had been wanting to find - the exotic dancer shacks! We had seen them on our way back home in 2007 and laughed the entire way home. Most people who we told about them didn't believe us, so we wanted to get some photos. There wasn't anyone behind us at the time so I was able to pull off onto the shoulder and Melinda got out to get photos. She was a very happy after that and said that we never again had to go on the swirly mountain of death. YAY!

Driving towards the Swirly Mountain of Death!



The Exotic Dancer Shacks!







Approaching the turnpike junction



I was happy to be on the turnpike, where there were two lanes of traffic and was far less swirly. We were both kind of hungry by this point and we had learned our less on the way to Gettysburg to stop at all of the service plazas since you don't know how far it will be until the next one. So we stopped at the first service plaza. Melinda got a slice of pizza and I got some mini Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, which were so heavenly! YUM!

The Turnpike! YAY!



A river. I can't recall which one. Oops!



There wasn't too much traffic and the drive was pretty uneventful. It didn't seem to take that long to get to Ohio. We decided to wait to get lunch until Ohio. We knew not to stop at the first service plaza since it only serves McDonald's. Luckily the next service plaza wasn't too far away. I like that there are different options in the service plaza since Melinda and I don't always want the same thing, so its nice that we can each get what we want. I think I had pizza and she actually got McDonald's. Not the most interesting lunch, but it refueled us for the rest of our journey.

Driving along the Ohio turnpike is actually quite boring. There are more billboards than in Pennsylvania, but it's still really boring! It seemed that Ohio was never going to end!

Some of my favorite signs!





Welcome to Michigan!



Eventually we got to Michigan! YAY! As we were nearing Detroit we got stuck in some construction. We had called Pat to let him know we were in route. When we got to his apartment we went to dinner at the new Sonic that opened up near him. It was good.

After that Melinda and I began the last part of our journey home. Normally it only takes 2 hours, but there was a lot of construction and it was dark and we somehow missed the connection for 23. D’oh. We of course didn’t realize it right away and ended up going about 10 miles out of our way before we turned around. We think that there was a construction sign or truck that had blocked the exit, which is why we didn’t see it.

The sunset was so pretty!



We finally got home about 10:00 pm and were utterly exhausted. It had been a really long day. Melinda and I had such a great time and will never forget this trip. We can’t wait to go back!

Thank you for reading my trip report! :)

Melissa

Battlefield Trip Report - Day 7

I'm so sorry I didn't get this posted sooner.

Day 6 - September 18

Our plans for the day were to go back to Gettysburg to do a ghost tour that evening that is offered on the weekends. So we started our day with breakfast at the hotel. Since there was a large tour group staying there they didn't offer all of the options as the previous day, but it was still good.

We then packed up the car, checked out and headed on our way back to Gettysburg. Our first stop in Gettysburg was going to be Boyd's Bears. The directions I got from the internet from the hotel to Boyd's bear took us through a weird, winding, scary scenic route through a state forest. It was still kind of cool and overcast and at one point during the drive through the forest it was super foggy and I couldn't see anything ahead of us. This really freaked me out. I was glad when the fog lifted and we got out of the state park.

Soon though we were arriving at Boyd's Bears! YAY! It should probably come as no surprise that Melinda and I both LOVE Boyd's bears. This time we came with plenty of money! Our main objective was to each get a Civil War bear since they are only sold at Boyd's Bear Country. Though shopping there is so overwhelming. There are so many bears that all want to come home with me. It was hard deciding which bears to buy. Surprisingly enough Melinda and I both pretty much stuck to what we had budgeted to spend. We were hungry by now and decided to get lunch at Boyd's Bears. The menu is pretty limited. Melinda opted for a hot dog that was supposed to come with chips and a pickle. I ordered a ham sandwich. The employees making the food weren't very competent. First they left the cheese off my sandwich. Then they didn't give Melinda her chips or pickle. And while we were eating they had left the button for the microphone on so that we could hear their conversations. The food was OK, but kind of pricey for what you get and the service was less than stellar. As we were leaving we stopped by the sidewalk sale that they were having and found a few more animals to take home with us. We took a few more photos before leaving.

Boyd's Bear Country



Confederate bears



Abraham Lincoln bears - Aren't they sooooo cute!



Me in front of the Halloween scene



We then went to check into the hotel. The lady working at the desk remembered that we had been there earlier in the week. We unpacked the suitcase we needed and then took a short rest. On the way to the hotel we had wanted to stop by the Ghosts of Gettysburg to purchase our ghost tour tickets, but the office was closed for lunch. So after resting for a bit we headed back out to see if the office was open. The sign said they weren't going to open back up until 2:00 PM and since we had about 10 minutes to wait we decided to go to the scrapbook store across the street. We had discovered Forevermore Scrapbooking on our previous trip and it is full of a lot of really neat items. Lots of Gettysburg and Washington DC travel items. We found a few things to purchase. By the time we were done the Ghosts of Gettysburg office was open and we could purchase our ghost tour tickets.

We had decided that since we had some time before our ghost tour that we would actually do the Gettysburg tour the proper way just once. It was actually a lot of fun. It actually went a lot quicker since we weren't stopping at all of the monuments. We did stop at a few places to get photos like Barlow's knoll which we had missed before. We stopped at Little Round Top because Melinda was determined to find a way the Michigan Sharpshooter monument. She found a path near the 16th Michigan and made her way to the Sharpshooter monument. I waited at the top of Little Round Top. There was one point where I was worried because I couldn't see her so I thought she might have fallen, but then I seen her head and felt better. She got did her best to get a photograph of it, but because of where it was positioned on the mountain it is very difficult. She then returned to me and I felt relieved. I was so worried that she would slip and fall. Though I did enjoy sitting on the boulders on Little Round Top looking at the battlefield below us. While Melinda was down taking photos of the Sharpshooter Monument I was able to get some photos of the 44th New York "Castle" monument without people in the photos! That NEVER happens! There is almost always tons of people and it is impossible to get a decent photograph. I was so excited! When Melinda got back up to the top she was really hot and tired so we sat in the car for a few minutes basking in the cool breeze from the air conditioning. After Little Round Top we headed to Devil's Den which was another area we had missed before. There was NO ONE here! This never happens! I was sooooo excited! And we found the place where the famed Sharpshooter photograph was taken. We were able to finish the entire tour in 3 hours, which is what the maps say the tour should take. So the tour can be done in 3 hours, but to do so you can't stop for too long at any one spot, which isn't very fun and you really don't get the same feeling you do when you take your time and get out to walk the land.

Someone left a milk bone for Sallie



20th Maine Monument



NY Castle Monument



140th NY Monument - Rub the nose for good luck!



Melinda down at the MI Sharpshooter monument



Devil's Den



Doesn't this rock formation look like a duck?



"The Home of a rebel sharpshooter"



The 42nd NY Regiment monument - This is one of the most unique monuments at Gettysburg



We went back to the hotel after our 3 hour tour to change and freshen up before the ghost tour. We couldn't pick a restaurant for dinner so we just ended up going back to Friendly's. Unlike the first time we ate there this trip, this experience was HORRIBLE! The restaurant was a lot busier. The waitress though was awful. We knew what we wanted so we really didn't have to look at the menus. I had ordered the Chicken quesadillas, which according to the description of the menu were "grilled seasoned chicken breast with melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses between two flour tortillas. Served with Spanish rice, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and salsa." Melinda ordered a grilled chicken wrap. It took forever to get our food. A couple at the table next to us who came after we did got their food first and the gentleman ordered the same thing I did. Our waitress was busy socializing with another table. When she finally brought out our food, my plate looked nothing like what I had ordered. To start with there were peppers and onions in the quesadilla. Instead of the rice there were fries. This was not what I ordered. When the waitress came by I mentioned that it wasn't right that it was supposed to come with rice. So she goes back to the kitchen to get me rice. When she finally brings it out its plain rice pilaf, not Spanish rice. By this point I was nearly in tears. This was not want I wanted. The manager came by at this point and I explained the problem. She took the plate and was going have the kitchen remake my food. By this point Melinda was finished with her dinner. It probably only took 10 minutes for the manager to bring out the correct dish. The waitress never apologized for the problems. We figured out later that she had brought me the chicken fajita quesadillas. There wasn't a lot of time left since we had to get to the Ghosts of Gettysburg headquarters for our ghost tour. I ate what I could then boxed up the rest for later. I was so disappointed and bummed by the entire experience. Melinda was so upset as well that she did not tip the waitress, which is something she never does, but it was just such a bad experience. And I never complain about my food, but it was just the fact that it was so wrong and the waitress' attitude that really upset me.

We tried to put all that behind us and tried to have a good attitude by the time we got to the ghosts of Gettysburg headquarters. When we got to the ghost tour headquarters there was a large group of young girls probably between 8-12 years old. Who brings children on a ghost tour? While we were waiting they were all screaming and yelling. We looked over at the other adults who were waiting for the tour and we all seemed to be thinking the same thing - this is not going to be fun! Though when the tour guide arrived the kids quieted down, which was good. The tour was lots of fun. There were lots of people on the streets and at times it was difficult to hear the tour guide. WE got some interesting photos. I'm not sure if the orbs in them are a result of dust or pollen in the air of if they are a spirit. The one is really bright and doesn't look like the other orbs. There must have been a high school football game going on because we could hear the announcers when we were by the Twin Sycamores building and then there was a lot of traffic.

Melinda by the sign for the ghost tour



Me by the sign for the ghost tour - Thinking back we probably shouldn't have worn dark colored tours to walk around in the dark! LOL



Our ghost tour guide



Photos from the ghost tour - I'm not really sure what the stange orbs are.







After the tour we decided to go back to Friendly's to get a Spooky Oreo friend-z, which we didn't have time for earlier. Melinda went in to get them while I waited in the car. These were AMAZING!!! So good. Not sure what exactly was in them, but I know there were large bits Oreo cookies, orange Oreo cookie filling, and I think maybe even some chocolate. They were really good!

And an interesting note here. When we got back home Melinda noticed that the charge for the Friend-z's went through, but the charge for the dinner never went through. To this date, four months later it has yet to go through. I'm not sure what happened.

We took our ice cream back to the hotel to eat while we watched "Psych." We went to bed after "Psych" since we had to get up early the next day for the LONG drive home over the swirly mountain of death!

I'm hoping to post the last installment in the next few days. So stay tuned for the conclusion! :)

Later,
Melissa

Battlefield Trip Report - Day 6

Day 6 - September 17

We started our day with breakfast at the hotel. They had a lot of options including the option to make your own blueberry waffles. I opted for a bagel and cream cheese with some melon. We were very pleased with the selection of foods. We ate at the breakfast area by the pool, which was nice.

All week the forecast was saying that it was going to rain on Thursday and I kept praying that the weather forecasters were wrong, but when we walked out the doors to the car it was overcast with a tiny drizzle. NO! The one day I wanted it to be sunny and beautiful, it was cold, gray, and dreary. Melinda and I were quite proud of the fact that we didn't need directions to get to the battlefield that we remembered from the last time.

There were a lot more people there than I was expecting. There really wasn't a lot of activities planned for the anniversary. There was a ranger walk through the cornfield, which it seemed most people had come for. Our plans were to tour the battlefield on our own. Though the large groups of people made it difficult to photograph a few of the monuments. Though we started in the gift shop. I got a Union kepi, which I've been wanting for a while. I have a Confederate one, but I wanted a Union one, and got a Cavalry insignia pin for it. YAY! Melinda bought an Abe Lincoln hat.

Instead of staying to watch the movie and go through the small museum of artifacts we headed out to start the tour. It is easiest to walk to the Dunker Church and Maryland State Monument from the visitor center. We were able to get some photos before a group of other people showed up. Luckily by this point it had stopped misting. Though it was still cool and overcast. The battlefield takes on an even eerie sort of feel under the gray, overcast sky.

After we had gotten the photos we wanted of the Dunker Church and Maryland Monument we headed back to the car to begin the driving tour. YAY!

Maryland State Monument



Dunker Church



Normally when we tour a battlefield we put on a CD of Civil War music, which is mostly songs from movies like "Gettysburg" and "Glory." When we stopped at the one intersection near a group of monuments to take a photo of them the Ranger guided group was there and one of the Rangers yelled at Melinda that the music was too loud. It wasn't even loud. That upset Melinda and ranted it about it for the next ten minutes. While she was ranting she misread the map and directed us down the Cornfield road which are tour stops 3 and 4. This was ok. I was really excited to see the corn in the cornfield as it would have looked the day of the battle. Our previous trips had been during the summer when the corn wasn't very high so it was hard to really to picture what it would have been like on the day of the battle. Now I could see what it would have been like. It was amazing. You couldn't see anything in front. In the summer you could see the New York State Monument near the Visitor center and Dunker church, but the view was totally obstructed by the corn. When the battle was over there wasn't a single stalk of corn that remained standing.

We continued on the tour towards the next stop, the West Woods. When we stopped to get some photos of the Philadelphia brigade monument it started to rain again. According to the maps we had there were supposed to be several smaller monuments nearby, but we were only able to find one. Since it was starting to rain a bit harder, we decided to go back to the car.

Next stop on the tour was the Mumma Farm and Cemetery. The only deliberate destruction of property during the battle was the burning of the Mumma Farm by Confederate soldiers. They were ordered to burn the properties so that they couldn't be used by Union sharpshooters. The farm was rebuilt in 1863. We didn't spend much time here, but instead continued on towards what is probably my favorite part of the battlefield, the Sunken Road.

The Sunken Road or "Bloody Lane" was an old farm road. There are parts of the road that are deeper than others. The Confederates had taken position along this road until about noon when they fell back to the Piper farm. Melinda dropped me off at the end of the Sunken Road then went to the parking area. I walked back to photograph two monuments. Walking back to towards the road I tried to imagine what it would have been like to be the Union soldiers approaching the road. There are parts walking towards the road where the entire Union disappeared from the Confederate's view, reappearing when they were dangerously close. There was very few other people at the Sunken Road and it was eerily quiet. Melinda joined me and collected some dirt. It was kind of funny while Melinda was taking a picture of the front of the Ohio monument. I was taking some other photos and all of a sudden I heard her say, "I broke it." I looked over and saw that she had knocked the top rail off the fence. It wasn't broken, but it just kind of funny. After that we headed to the Observation Tower at the end of the Sunken Road.

The Sunken Road







I've tried to go up the Observation Tower on our previous trips, but I always chicken out about half way up. I didn't even try this time. Melinda instead hiked up to the top to get photos of the battlefield while I took photos of the Irish Brigade monument and of the observation tower from the ground. It seemed that she was up at the top for a really long time. I was worried that she would slip on the stairs since the grass was wet from the rain, but she made it down without a problem. After that she wanted to rest a bit in the car before continuing on.

The Observation Tower and Irish Brigade Monument



The next stop on the tour is Burnside Bridge and the Georgian's Overlook. In the past we usually go to Burnside Bridge, but this time we decided to split up since Melinda was curious about what the Georgian Overlook was. It was decided that I would go to Burnside Bridge and she would go to the Georgian Overlook. We made sure that we each had our cell phone and a bottle of water before we split up. When I first went down to Burnside Bridge there was just a few other people, but they eventually left. I stood by the side the bridge watching the Antietam Creek flow past as I waited for Melinda. It seemed to be taking a really long time and I did get a bit worried. I tried her cell phone, but even though she had taken it with her, she didn't turn it on. So I waited and tried not to worry. Eventually I seen her walking down the steep sidewalk leading to the bridge at the same time that a large tour group was arriving. We took some photos from the Union side and tried to stay out of the way of the tour group. We deciced to go back to the car to finish the tour since we were starting to get hungry. Melinda waited in the car while I went to photograph the William McKinley monument.

Burnside Bridge





William McKinley monument



The final attack tour stop was next. This was where after Burnside's troops after having taken the bridge meet Confederate General A.P. Hill's troops he had just arrived from Harper's Ferry. The Confederates then drove Burnside back to Antietam Creek. We photographed the monuments we could and continued on our way.

The last stop of the tour is Antietam National Cemetery. The cemetery was created after the battle. There are a total of 4,776 Union soldiers buried here along dead from four other wars. At the center of Antietam National Cemetery is my favorite monument, "Old Simon." The cemetery is arranged with Old Simon at the middle and the graves around it in a semi-circle and grouped by state. It is a peaceful and sad place. It's so sad to see the number of unknown dead. There seemed to be a large tour group forming so we didn't want to stay too long. By now we were really hungry.

Antietam National Cemetery



"Old Simon"





One of the unknown Michigan dead



Before going back to Hagerstown for lunch though we wanted to go back to the visitor center to purchase another Lincoln hat and to see if I could get some photos of the NY State monument since there had been a large group there earlier in the day. I went to go take pictures while Melinda went to purchase another Lincoln hat.

New York State Monument



Since we had missed tour stop #2 earlier in the day we decided to go back and complete that portion of the tour. This was where the Union army had begun their attack on September 17, 1862. This is also where the Clara Barton monument is located. We noticed that they were doing some construction at the Poffenberger farm. We then went down Mansfield Ave back towards the Cornfield. When we got to the Cornfield I wanted to get a few photos of us standing next to the corn to show how tall it was. The photos are pretty incredible because Melinda and I are both about 5'8" and the corn towered over us. I can't imagine charging through that while being fired upon by the enemy. Even more incredible was the fact that not a single stalk of corn remained at the end of the battle.

"The Cornfield"





By this time we were really hungry and we decided to head back towards Hagerstown for lunch at the Cracker Barrel. Every time we've come to Antietam we always finish our tour of the battlefield with lunch at the Cracker Barrel. The funny thing was that we saw quite a few other people from the battlefield there as well. Lunch was really good. I had turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, and mac and cheese. I really didn't care for the mashed potatoes though. Melinda had chicken and dumplings which is her favorite item at the Cracker Barrel. She was a happy camper.

After lunch we decided to go explore the local outlet mall. There wasn't anything too great. Though we did buy a few items. It wasn't really any different then the outlet mall back home.

We were quite tired and cold and decided to go back to the hotel. We spend the rest of the afternoon in the room just relaxing. I downloaded the photos and even scrapped a page while Melinda watched DVDs on the other laptop.

We were enjoying just relaxing the room so much that we didn't even want to go out for dinner. We opted to order a pizza from Dominos and have them deliver it. It was OK. It was just nice not having to go out. It felt nice to spend the afternoon and evening relaxing. I think its important during any trip to have some time to just relax.

The next day we were going to head back up to Gettysburg.

Battlefield Trip Report - Day 5

Day 5 - September 16

When I got up the next morning my knee and ankle were feeling a bit better, but a bit stiff. After walking around for a while it felt a lot better. And it wasn't bothering me too much to drive.

Since we had been good and been eating breakfast at the hotel, we decided we wanted something a little different for breakfast so we went to McDonald's for some hot cakes! YUM! The food was OK. The other reason we decided on McDonald's was because it was right next to where we wanted to go, the Civil War Wax Museum.

We had gone there previously and had a lot of fun. The best part is at the end when Abraham Lincoln delivers the entire Gettysburg Address without ONCE moving his mouth. Very impressive! There is also a gift shop there so we looked around and found a few items to purchase before going through the museum part with the wax figures. I will say that the museum is priced perfectly. With our AAA discount it was less than $6 for both of us. We've been to other museums that were priced higher for less content. The exhibits are interesting, though the wax figures could use an update. It was nice that there wasn't anyone else there when we were. At the end of the exhibits is a final presentation about the battle of Gettysburg. We had just missed the start and had to wait for the next one, but that was OK. When it was time to go into the room where the presentation is we were the only ones. YAY! This meant we could talk freely and take lots of photos! The presentation has different scenes set up in the large room and there is a narrator who talks about the battle. Then when its time to highlight a scene it is lit up. At the end Lincoln appears from the floor to give the Gettysburg Address. It doesn't take very long and is actually kind of cheesy, but a fun cheesy.

Jennie Wade scene at the Wax Museum



Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg scene at the Wax Museum



After we were done at the Wax museum we decided it was time to go to Hagerstown, MD. On the way to the highway we found the first shot marker. We were able to find a place alongside the road to pull off and Melinda jumped out to take some photos. We didn’t' want to take too many since it is located on private property, but we at least found it! YAY! Another monument crossed off our list of those to find.

First Shot Monument



We then headed for Hagerstown. There wasn't a lot of traffic, which was good. The way the directions took us we had to go through the downtown part of Hagerstown, which was kind of congested and crowded. Eventually we got to an area that looked more familiar to us. For this trip we had decided to try a new hotel. The hotel we stayed at previously had become really rundown. We were thrilled with our hotel! It was so pretty. The staff was really friendly. We had a poolside room on the ground level. The beds were really comfortable and it had lots of storage space. There was even a refrigerator. The room had a sliding glass door that allows access to the pool area. The only thing I was not happy with was that there was no lock on the outside of the sliding glass door and anyone can walk from the lobby to the pool area. That didn't seem very safe to us.

Our hotel room



After we unloaded the car we decided to go in search of food for lunch. The only downside to the location of the hotels in Hagerstown, is that there isn't a lot of dining options around. When we were driving to the hotel we had noticed a Burger King and after a search of the area we decided to go there. The were very SLOOOOOOWWWW. The food was OK, but the service very slow. We then went back to the hotel and took a brief nap before going to Frederick, MD which is about a half hour away.

Our last trip to Frederick, MD was in 2004 so we decided it would be fun to go to the civil War Medicine again. Though first we had to navigate our way through Frederick's narrow and confusing one way streets. The signs to the museum point you in the wrong direction. It took a bit of time, but we finally found it. By the time we got there it was just after 3:30 PM and the museum closes at 5:00 PM. We were the only people there and the staff kept checking up on us and it was actually a little annoying because we were trying to read the information and look at the artifacts. The museum is interesting, but kind of graphic. They don't allow photography, which is a bummer. They have a lot of neat displays set up with lots of hands on items. At the end of the tour is the bookstore. There are lots of interesting books. We browsed the gift shop for a while. I was disappointed that they didn't have any postcards like they used to have. We took some photos of the building exterior and sign before we went back to the car. When we were leaving the parking garage we didn't see that you are supposed to prepay. The person working the ticket booth gave us a hard time even though we were trying to explain to him that we probably wouldn't be coming back.

National Museum of Civil War Medicine



We decided to leave Frederick and head back up to Hagerstown. As we were leaving the museum there was a bunch of brochures including one on dining in Hagerstown. Melinda noticed that there was a Red Lobster not far from the mall we had found on Sunday. She wanted to go there since they had the endless shrimp. Red Lobster isn't my favorite, but she likes it. I ordered a wood fire grilled chicken dish that was very good. Melinda devoured shrimp after shrimp. The restaurant was a bit busy, but the service was quite slow. It took FOREVER for each of Melinda's shrimp orders to come. The waitress wasn't sure why it was taking so long. It was a good dinner though.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we went back to Target to get a few items before going back to the hotel. We rested a bit before going swimming. The hotel had an indoor pool that was supposed to be heated. I don't think it was heated very well because it was COLD! The water wasn't as cold as in Gettysburg, the air was very cold. We didn't stay too long. Plus we were a bit nervous about leaving the room with the sliding door unlocked.

When we got back to the room I took a relaxing hot bubble bath. It felt so wonderful.

We went to bed early so that we could get up early the next morning to go to the Antietam battlefield for the 147th anniversary of the battle.