Sunday, May 11, 2014

Day 2 and 3 Gettysburg, PA

Day 2
Today was just as great as yesterday.  We decided to pack up and leave Shenandoah early so that we could get here to Gettysburg and settle in. We got here around lunch time and spent the first hour setting up. We managed to set up the tent and it took all four us. I may eventually have to look into getting the awning fixed. After we were set up the kids rode their bikes while I finished a few last minute things and then we headed off to explore the “resort”.  It is a nice place… there are plenty of amenities such as a pool (that’s not open yet), and a great playground, walking distance to civil war memorials. Wifi is about four dollars a night so that is a negative (fortunately I have mifi on my phone and use it as a hotspot). Also the sites a really close together. I feels like I can reach out and touch my neighbor. I can’t imagine if I had a slide.

The kids had a blast playing at the playground. The playground is really nice and was full of kids. They played hard for a couple of hours until I just couldn’t sit there anymore, thank goodness it started raining. Nay and I headed “home” totally and completely against his will and the two older kids stayed and played. Once I was able to find some tasks for Nay to help me with he was less pouty and winy about not getting to stay at the playground. He helped me cook dinner and wash dishes. I made beanie weans for the kids and minestrone soup with sautéed  spinach, kale and fresh garlic. Yum! I’m so glad that I am able to still cook like I would in a traditional kitchen. I do have to be creative at times but overall it appears that I will be able to concoct some great creations. Nay and I ate (the big kids were still at the playground) and enjoyed a movie together before packing up our bath bag and heading to the showers. I can see it getting old using the bathhouses all the time but until I overcome my fear of blowing us all up using propane that is what we will do (although we could do cold showers in our rig but made a vow to the kids that we would not have to take anymore cold showers after three months of it in Jamaica).

Leaving VA heading to PA
Scenery traveling through VA to PA
Yay! We made it to PA after a couple of wrong turns and missed exits

Day 3
Today was wonderful. I woke up earlier then I wanted at the sound of water owing through my busted pipe. I had assumed that since it was near the city water connection that I just could use the city water but apparently I can’t fill the tank either. I will have to get that replaced sooner than later. Since the holding tank was full I needed to empty it but I didn’t want to waste all of the water so I decided to wash a load of clothes. I filled the industrial bucket in the tub and hand washed our clothes from the last two days.  Then I used the rest of the water to rinse. I ran the clothes through the wringer attached to the mop and then headed to the laundromat, on site, to dry.  I was shocked to see washing and drying a load cost $5. Wow! That could really add up.  There is no way I can wash like I’m used to at those prices. I used the dryer and was NOT happy when the buzzer sounded that they were done and I opened the dryer to find my clothes still soaking wet. I called the site manager and he brought be down change to try another dryer.  The second the clothes were still damp so I’m thinking the dryers were just terrible (and not broken). I hung the wettest clothes on the line I had strung across our tent.  It looked tacky but I really had to have those clothes dry since we pull out tomorrow. By the time I finished hanging my laundry, Heather, a sales manager was pulling onto our site. We went on an early morning tour of the RV park with the sales person (going on the tour was why we got to stay her free for three days and two night). The tour was nice and they fed us lunch (the even had vegan burgers). 

After the tour we decided to catch the trolly into downtown Gettysburg. We toured all of downtown and saw as many sites as we could that didn’t cost :-) This was a trip on a budget. 
The kids standing with Lincoln and David Mills

One of many old churches turned civil war hospitals




Random face on the wall!
You can see it is simply a face coming out of the wall of an alley


Instead of $10 admissions into museums we spent our money on ice cream and letting the kids try bacon soda (yes, you read that right) and cheese flavored bug larva (we have pictures to prove it lol). It was really random but right at that moment watching my kids reactions to gross stuff they put in their mouths, in downtown Gettysburg, I couldn’t think of any other place or with any other people I would rather be.
My brave children pre- tasting these horrible things




















Averie decided she wanted to go on a ghost tour since Gettysburg is supposed to be haunted. She took so many pictures, mostly of the civil war era buildings.  We think she might have something… tell us what you think.  These pictures were taken minutes apart. Look in the window above the doors... zoom in if you have too. The building is an old church that was used as a hospital for severe cases during the civil war… and was closed for the day and we saw no one moving about while we were standing there.



Do you see it? In the window? Hmmm

Enjoying ice cream at the Lincoln diner
Enjoying the "cherry on top" at the Lincoln diner

Random garage art (photo courtesy of Averie)

We didn't have time to visit the battlefield this time (we did pass it and got to see its vastness from the trolley on the way downtown). That gives us more reason to come back and we will definitely be back. Tomorrow we head to Accord, New York. When I told the sales rep that we didn’t have a reservation and planned to try sleeping at a Walmart they called one of their sister resorts and got us a free night stay.  I am so appreciative of that.  Instead of spending my day searching for a place to stay I got to spend it with my babies. We’ve already started breaking down camp which wasn’t too bad. I couldn’t pack all of the firewood on the hitch carrier so we ended up with an impromptu fire and s'mores.  While I continued to pack (trying to beat the sun) and the kids roasted marshmallows our new neighbor walked over and introduced herself.  It turns out she is from NC too, not to far from Charlotte. She camps with her grandchildren ever week during the summer, just rotating out grandchildren each week. She invited us over to her rig to meet her cats. Those were the biggest kittens I have ever seen.  She said they will get to about 30 pounds. I believe she called them mancoons?!?!

After we excused ourselves from her we came back and finished packing what we could in the moonlight before giving up and heading inside. Averie and I are snuggled up next to each other as I sit here and write this and my boys are a sleep. I’m about to join them as I mentally prepare for this long drive tomorrow. Until the next post peace, love, and travel!



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