Summer vacation time! We were ready for another trip to Ohio to visit Oma and Papa (we seem to be on a 3-year cycle), so we headed east via plane. Ohio means entertainment by cup stacking, deer feeding, and lots of pretend play.
We also visited the neighbor’s pool a few times. So nice to have the cooling water as an option on the hot days! The Papa water cannon is alive and well. The kids pretended that they were lighted bombs being launched and kept requesting launches until the cannoneer finally retired.
To take advantage of being fairly east, we did a mini-vacation inside our vacation. We opted to do a week-long loop through Philadelphia, DC, Virginia and back to Ohio. First stop was lunch in Morgantown, WV, home of the Mountaineers.
As a bonus, the kids almost got to attend their first motorcycle rally! They were gathering and closing the street, but we had to keep pressing east, so we got back in the car and departed early. Shucks!
Maryland was a drive-through state this trip, but we did make potty stops inside its borders, so I'm counting it! Map observation: I didn't realize how intricate Maryland and West Virginia's neighboring borders were until we were nearly back and forth a few times because of their proximity.
We got to drive through Catoctin Mountain Park, which was a beautiful, shady forest. We could see hikers and lots of trails from the road. Next time, Maryland!
Onward to Pennsylvania where we could pursue our happiness.
Our first PA mission was to see some sights at Gettysburg. Due to time and cost, we did self-guided walk to some of the closer spots near the visitor center. It felt good to be out of the car, but it was pretty hot!
The main site was the Soldiers' National Cemetery. Most (all?) of these gravestones were not from the Civil War, but it was an impressive Arlington-esque tribute, nonetheless.
Owen has an interest in the military, weapons, and war, so he had some good questions. He'd been reading some books on Gettysburg from the library, so I think he actually got something out of the trip. It was probably a little abstract for Hadley, which was fine. Maybe some bells will ring when she studies it later in life. These monuments honored Lincoln's Gettysburg address that occurred a few months after the battle.
This field was the site of Pickett's Charge, the final climactic fight that turned the tide for the Union. But at what a great cost: just imagining the military strategies, suffering, and casualties from this one battle boggles the mind.
Our last stop for the day was at Hershey's Chocolate World, and I have to say it was the worst! There were oodles of people everywhere. I don't know if it's because Hershey Park was still closed from days of flooding and people didn't have alternate plans, or the outdoor concert happening next door, or because it was a regular Saturday. Anyway, we trudged along in a very long, slow line to take the "tour", which was a little ride through how chocolate is made. It was too late and there were too many people to do much of anything else, but the kids liked the ride and free chocolate.
One more hour in the car, and we all crashed in our hotel in King of Prussia, PA. That was a long day! The next day we had a delicious breakfast at the hotel, checked out, and made it to Philadelphia before 10. We parked the car at Independence Park and immediately sought out the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Unfortunately, tours of the hall had sold out for that morning months ago, but I think that would have been above our audience's head anyway. They did like the bell!
Philly has a lot of Ben Franklin history, which fit nicely since O had studied him in school this year. He already knew a lot of BF trivia, but we still enjoyed the BF "house" and museum. The kids particularly enjoyed a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style game that paralleled Franklin's own journey to Philly at age 17, as well as finding Skuggs (pet squirrels) hidden in the exhibits.
After lunch (maybe a cheesesteak?) at a tavern with an "It's Always Sunny..." connection, we strolled through the Old City and saw Betsy Ross' house, the US Mint, and Christ Church and burial ground where, to complete the story, we found Ben Franklin's grave!
So far, so good. Next stop: Washington, DC!
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