Let the Good Times Roll!: Gettysburg, PA

Let the Good Times ROLL!

NATIONAL PARKS ACROSS USA -
Since September 28, 06, we have seen the following National Parks:
Badlands National Park – South Dakota
Big Bend National Park - Texas
Crater Lake National Park – Oregon
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina
Mount Rainier - Washington
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Redwoods National Park - California
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Sequoia National Park - California
Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
Yosemite National Park – California
National Parks and/or Monuments seen on previous vacations:
Jefferson Expansion National Memorial – St. Louis, Missouri
Lincoln Memorial & Washington Monument - DC
Everglades National Park – Florida
Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona
Haleakala National Park - Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Hawaii
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Hawaii
National Parks we hope to see:
Death Valley National Park - California
Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Arches National Park – Utah
Canyonlands National Park – Utah
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
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Monday, July 06, 2009 - Beautiful day to travel the two hours to Gettysburg and Artillery Ridge Camping Resort next to Gettysburg Battlefield. We left Thousand Trails Hershey Preserve around 9am. We will really miss this park with paved roads, beautiful tall trees, rolling hills that surround us, and very large sites. The geese that bothered us last year with all their poop were not a problem as we were located up the hill and our neighbor was up early each morning with a broom to shoo them gently back to the lake below. We are not “allowed” to harass the geese, but this gentle reminder is acceptable.

We arrived at Artillery Ridge Camping Resort around 11 am. We are all the way in the rear of a very large park. They cater to people with horses as well and have plenty of stables available.

We saw the rental horses leave several times on their one- hour guided ride. This is one park in our opinion not up to par, especially for what they ask in park rents, $42 for Saturday/Sunday. Thankfully we used Good Sam and RPI discounts to get the average day to $18. The dirt/gravel roads really caused a lot of dirt on all three vehicles. We found out that this is Gettysburg’s Annual Bike Week. Everywhere we looked there were bikers.

The Gettysburg Battlefield is much larger than most people expect--more than 10,000 acres--and it is crisscrossed by more than 40 miles of battlefield avenues. Most of these avenues are one-way, posing something of a challenge to first-time visitors driving themselves over the field as they often wish to backtrack as the sequence of battle events becomes better understood.

If you love history of the Civil War, Gettysburg National Military Park is the place to be. The state-of-art facility has 30 min. film and Cyclorama Painting, and great collection of artifacts and interactive exhibits.

Rays Comments: A New Birth of Freedom 1860. One out of every three whites owned slaves. There were four million slaves at the start of the Civil War. Main Battle July 1 - 16,000 either died wounded or captured on both sides. 3rd Day - Union Army was winning -- Cannons in action 150 Conf. 100 Union Union Army held the HIGH ridges - the Confederates retreated 1863 Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address - the Civil War lasted two more years. 7,000 died and 44,000 wounded. The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The first one, issued September 22, 1862, declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. The second order, issued January 1, 1863, named ten specific states where it would apply. Lincoln issued the Executive Order by his authority as "Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy" under Article II, section 2 of the United States Constitution. Some slavery continued to be legal, and to exist, until the institution was ended by the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment on December 18, 1865. The Gettysburg Address is a speech by Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. In just over two minutes, Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as "a new birth of freedom" that would bring true equality to all of its citizens, and that would also create a unified nation in which states' rights were no longer dominant. Rays Comments: A New Birth of Freedom 1860. One out of every three whites owned slaves. There were four million slaves at the start of the Civil War. Main Battle July 1 - 16,000 either died wounded or captured on both sides. 3rd Day - Union Army was winning -- Cannons in action 150 Confederate 100 Union Union Army held the HIGH ridges - the Confederates retreated 1863 Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address - the Civil War lasted two more years. 7,000 died and 44,000 wounded. Tuesday, July 07, 2009 - If you love history of the Civil War, Gettysburg National Military Park is the place to be. The state-of-art facility has 30 min. film and Cyclorama Painting, and great collection of artifacts and interactive exhibits.

Thursday, July 9 - We decided to get some errands done and go to lunch at Historic Farnsworth House Inn in Gettysburg.

Built in 1810 with over 100 bullet holes (white spots) in the house left from the Battle of Gettysburg. Very friendly staff and the interior is filled with photos and a case of artifacts from the Civil War era. It is one of the most recognized Inns in America.

Some of the pictures taken around the town.

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FULL TIMING

FULL TIMING? Our first thoughts on such a monumental change of direction in our lives started with the purchase of a 32' Toy Hauler-KZ 5th Wheel early 2006. We took a vacation in May and traveled the mountains of North Carolina. We liked the fact we had our own bed to sleep in and could see surrounding areas either on our Honda Gold Wing or GMC truck. However, during the vacation, we found that the KZ 32' 5th-wheel was entirely too small, even for a long weekend. We wanted to trade up. One thing led to another and we started to question the next three years before Marsha was scheduled to retire.After much soul-searching, prayer, and financial calculations, Marsha requested early retirement for personal and physical reasons.Full timing meant we were saying "goodbye" to all that is familiar. Everything happened so quickly we didn't have time to contemplate that aspect much. We research everything thoroughly before we purchase. This would be our new home and we wanted all the "bells & whistles" within our budget. Lazy Days in Seffner, Florida had a new National, 2006 Tradewinds motorhome available at the right price. It has a 400-HP Turbo diesel engine and many amenities. We did get the "cart before the horse" purchasing the RV before selling our home. It was the worst time of year to sell a home in Florida. We sold with only a month before closing! Thankfully, we had our new "home on wheels" in our back yard for preparation.

It became clear that our personal craving for travel and adventure overcame our requirement for a traditional home with all the things that seemed so important.Getting rid of clutter can be liberating. We did not want to pay for storage. Collectibles such as our Fenton glass, sets of crystal glass, or ceramic pieces were handed over to family members or close friends for their enjoyment. We had a two-day garage sale and anything remaining went to charity. We feel the flexibility and comfort of RV travel far outweighs any pinch felt at the fuel pump. Let the Good Times Roll!