Gettysburg and more

A battlefield and friends and family

Nothing like a moment to reflect to make things right. Once I finished stewing about the rain and the road closures, I realized I was sitting right in the middle of one of the most historic battles in American history. So, I hopped on my phone and tried to see what tour I could reserve on Wednesday. Well, it looked like the 10:00 tour was booked so I bought a ticket for the 11:00 tour and figured I could make up some of the time during the drive north and east. I had a driver take me to and from the tour start so I could avoid being in the rain to start the day. I got to the tour location good and early, 9:30, and while checking in I asked if there was a chance to hop on the earlier, 10:00 tour. A seat was available so I switched tickers. Okay, things are looking good for today….

Oh wait, that’s a college pic, sorry… 😂

The tour is amazing. You really get a feel of the scope , strategies and devastation of the battle. For two hours we drove chronologically through the battle, getting a sense of the situation, the decisions the generals had to make, and how the battle progressed. It is amazing how war was conducted. It is no wonder so many perished or were wounded. To see and imagine Pickett’s Charge is frightening. The stretch of open field the Confederate army tried to cross in the face of withering Federal fire. The death and destruction was horrific.

As you can see, it was still pretty wet. There was a misting rain all morning, but, hey I was on a bus most of the time. Early during the tour, I pulled out my iPad, opened google maps in satellite mode and tried to follow the guides description of where the Confederate and Union armies were. It really helped me visualize the progress of the battle. The morning was fascinating!

I loaded up the BAM, put on my rain gear and headed north to Mechanicsburg where the dad of my college best friend was living. I arrived at about 1:30 and had a great visit. After 44 years there was a lot to catch up on. Turns out Mr Boggs was an Airforce pilot for 28 years and flew all over Europe on B-24’s, Constellations and C-130’s. He had put together of book of some of his memories and it was fun to page through and listen to some of his stories. I am so glad I made this stop. Until a few days earlier, I didn’t know Mr. Boggs was right on my route.

From here I turned east and headed toward Cricket and Rex’s in Swarthmore. Although there was no real rain, the roads remained wet, and driving was slow. My route was taking me through small towns, twisty roads and 1 lane underpasses. I finally decided if I stay on this path, I wont arrive until after 7:00. So I made an adjustment and hopped on Rt-30 and took that across the state. Faster, but with traffic not too fast. I arrived at around 6:00, parked the BAM, changed clothes and enjoyed a fabulous dinner with the entire Brien family and Jamie and Meg. It was so nice to be among family. Just a great way to end the day. Now I have a few days to enjoy my sister, brother-in-law and my nieces and nephews. I’m a lucky man.