Spring Break 2011

We've been home from our vacation for a couple of weeks now, 

but I am just now getting around to blogging about it

(I should break this into 10 different posts so it looks like I'm really on the ball)

But instead I am giving it to you in one (rather large) nutshell:

Our first stop was in Pennsylvania at Valley Forge

where Collin and Logan fit right in

This is an example of one of 2,000 cabins that were built to house the 

12,000 soldiers who spent the winter here.

 The house where George Washington, Martha and his staff lived

(somewhat nicer than a cabin)

 the Reading Railroad passes by there now and

Logan couldn't believe his great fortune to be thisclose to a freight train!

 We made a quick stop in Philadelphia so we could say we saw Independence Hall

(which is being renovated)

 and then moved on to Gettysburg

(which was probably my favorite place to visit)

We drove through the Park while listening to CDs that described the events and battles

that took place during the three days there.

It was really something to look out over those fields 

and imagine what it must have looked like and been like then

it was quite sobering 

and is such an amazing story

 The view from Little Round Top

 and looking down into Devil's Den

 Logan discussing battle strategies with a Union soldier

 The Witness Tree

meaning that it was there at the time of the battle

 it's right across the street from this barn that still has a cannonball hole in it

This is the scene of the final battle, known as Pickett's Charge

 where this group of trees marks the High Water Mark,

 the farthest point that the Confederate Army was able to reach 

before being pushed back by the Union Army

 The Gettysburg Address monument at the Soldier's National Cemetery

 Gettysburg was a great place to visit.

We learned a lot and gained a whole different perspective of the events that happened there.

We would love to go back.

Next stop: 

Richmond, Virginia state capitol building

 and the White House of the Confederacy,

where Jefferson Davis and his family lived during the Civil War.

We visited the museum there and took a tour of the house, which was quite interesting.

(back view)

Of course, with all of this educational exposure we were giving the boys,

we felt it was necessary to give their brains a break and visit an amusement park,

so we stopped in at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia

where Collin and I rode lots of great roller coasters, like this one

and Logan tried out a few gentler rides

and Dana mostly waited for us :)

 Later we met up with our good friends, the Johnson's, for dinner.

It was so great to see them!

 Our next stop was Colonial Williamsburg

I think Logan's face pretty much sums up how they were all feeling about the photo situation at this point

(but look at how nicely Collin and Dana are disguising their true feelings)

It certainly was a lovely town -- I wonder if they'd let us move in...

 Here are the boys next to the James River in Jamestown

in the area where the first settlers arrived and lived.

 While in Virginia, we drove through a few of Dana's mission areas.

This is in Harrisonburg, in front of the chapel that WASN'T there when Dana was.

There were so many other places we wanted to see

and people we wanted to visit, but we just didn't have the time --

we'll save that for our next trip to VA.

 Here's a view from the car window as we drove through the Shenandoah Valley.

It looked like this everywhere -- so pretty and green!

 And what great endurance test doesn't deserve some chocolate?

Last stop...

Hershey, Pennsylvania

 where the streets are practically paved with chocolate

(at least the street lights are)

 It was a really nice trip.

We covered lots of territory and saw and learned (or were reminded of) some great things.

It POURED rain on the way down and it POURED rain on the way back,

but in between, the weather was great.

We were so glad we went and were so glad when we made it home.

(and so was Teddy!)