Every once in a while it’s probably good to mix things up a bit.  Take today.  Normally on the day before we move we stay close to home.  We begin packing up.  Making sure everything is in order.  Checking things once, then checking them twice.  However, today we broke with tradition.  We had a final historical site we wanted to see and spend some time at – Gettysburg National Military Park.  We spent a good three hours there and still were unable to see everything that there was in the museum.  Finally we called it quits when the battery in the camera went dead.  Unfortunately, our post of our visit

will have to wait a day or two.  As of now we have such slow internet that it is almost impossible to upload and add even compressed pictures.  Hopefully, things will get better when we move to a new home.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Can you say Corvette?  Pick a year.  Pick a color.  Pick a coupe or soft top.  They are all

around the RV park.  Why you ask?  My question indeed.  So I started asking first one, then another owner.  This is what is going on.  The largest and most fun-filled Corvette event in the world, the annual Corvettes at Carlisle is this weekend at the fairgrounds.

This event features more than 5,000 Corvettes representing all generations of America’s classic sports car. There will be an autocross, burnouts and the parade through historic downtown Carlisle.  Oh, and let’s not forget the huge swap meet with a wide variety of vendors, an all-Corvette car corral, Manufacturers Midway and Installation Alley.  It all begins tonight and runs through Sunday.

Home again after our visit to Gettysburg Barbara packed up the laundry and headed to the Wishy Washy.  This was our last chance to do the laundry for at least another week.

While Barbara was doing her thing I began to do mine.  I stashed the tire covers, put the turtle away, checked under the hood, rolled the awning up, etc.  We’re almost ready.  Just a few things left to do tomorrow morning before its jacks up and we’re ready to roll.  Since we’re only going south to the Hollywood Casino at Charlestown WV there will be no big rush tomorrow morning.  Nice.

Time now to call it a night.  I need to pack up the computer room and tidy up the solarium.  We had another fantastic day together learning even more about this great country of ours.  We thank you for joining us today and we hope you had just as great a day as we did.  In closing, let me leave you with one of the best known speeches in American history, The Gettysburg Address by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.  As I read and reread it, the last sentence caught my eye in particular.  In this land of ours, now so divided we can only pray that these words will soon ring true once again.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

What in the world was that coming through the solarium window?  Could it be?  Maybe?  It was, it was, the sun shining bright!  No more rain nor thunder, nor lightning.  Even Marti was happy.  No more need to hide under the table.  But, of course, you knew it couldn’t last.  And it didn’t.  By late afternoon the rain was back.  But only briefly

Not much on the agenda today.  I’m behind in my monthly maintenance but as soon as I can get a break in the weather, and I’m home for several hours I’ll get caught up.  We did, however, address two issues today.

As with most folks who live in an RV, they know the refrigerator always seems to be just a tad too small.  Especially when you start to fill it with various beverages needed to keep the troops happy.  My sister recommended an Ozark Cooler which she purchased some time ago as the one to go to.  So, off to Wally World today and we now have a 26-quart cooler just for beverages.  Nice thing is it fits right behind the driver’s seat so no having to go outside for a cold one.  We’ll keep it full of ice and observe what happens.

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Next issue addressed was the data issue.  I never want to go through what I did the other night with the loss of every folder and file.  So, while at Wally World, I purchased a one terabyte external hard drive that does a continuous back up.  So anytime I add, delete or edit a file or folder it is immediately backed up to the external hard drive.  Sweet.

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OK, let’s go back to Valley Forge and finish our tour.  We’ll begin with the Visitor’s Center and what we learned there.

On December 19, 1777, 12,000 soldiers and women and children marched into Valley Forge and began to build what would become the fourth largest city in America, with 1500 log huts and two miles of fortifications.  Lasting six months, the encampment brought together men, women, and children of all ages, from all walks of life, of every occupation, from different ethnic backgrounds, and from various religions.

Unfortunately, disease swept through the encampment, when men from far-flung geographical areas were exposed to sickness from which they had little immunity.  By the end of the encampment nearly two thousand men had died of disease.

Through the winter the soldiers performed their duties in the face of hardship as they struggled with the shortage of food, inadequate clothing, erratic pay, sickness, and the winter weather.

A typical soldier’s day consisted of training, building fortifications, cooking, eating and sleeping.  Soldiers took turns performing the hard tasks of guard duty and patrol.  Cooking alone required foraging for wood, collecting water and preparing the rations.

Once we had made our way through the Visitor’s Center it was now time to take the ten-mile self-guided auto encampment tour.  There were 9 stops, all total.  I went over some of the stops yesterday.

The first stop on the tour was a stop at the site of the Muhlenberg Brigade.  Here we learned about Peter Muhlenberg: The Fighting Parson.  He was a member of a prominent Pennsylvania German family.  He served as a minister to a community of German-Americans in Virginia.  A natural leader he was recruited by General Washington and was able to enlist 300 men in a day.  He later served as a senator from Pennsylvania.

Moving along we came to the National Memorial Arch.  Dedicated in 1917, the Arch honors the soldiers perseverance and expresses hope for the future.

Another stop on the tour was where General Henry Knox kept most of the encampment’s cannons.  From here they could be moved quickly to any threatened area of the encampment.

The last stop on the auto tour was the Washington Memorial Chapel.  This active Episcopal parish honors soldiers of the American Revolution.

So we have now come to the end of our tour of Valley Forge.  Of all the places associated with the American War for Independence, perhaps none has come to symbolize perseverance and sacrifice more than Valley Forge.  Despite the hardships that Washington and his men suffered here they left as a unified professional military organization that ultimately enabled the  Continental Army to triumph over the British.

I believe we are all caught up now.  Tomorrow will be a wishy washy day and a day to do monthly maintenance.  We’re amazed at how much we’ve been able to do while here in Carlisle.  We’ve had time to visit with some very dear friends – Hogaie and Max and Mark and Susan; we had a wonderful weekend with Amanda; we let the inner child loose at Chocolate World; and, finally we visited and learned so much more about our great nation during our visit at the Valley Forge National Historic Park.  All of this was made even better because we got to do it together traveling along side by side, hand in hand.

Thanks for joining us today.   We hope your day was as great as ours.  Always remember to make the most of every precious minute that God gives you each and every day.  We never to get to live even one of them over again so grab hold of each minute and treasure it.  In closing a thought for each of us to ponder:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Rain, rain and more rain.  It started in the morning and it is still going strong tonight.  Add to that a bit of thunder and lightning and it’s getting interesting.  As for poor Marti, he is hiding under the table until it all stops.  Barbara’s comment was It has to stop someday! 

OK, as for yesterday.  For years we lived just a hop, skip, and jump from Valley Forge National Historical Park but never visited it.  That omission was corrected on Monday when we decided to make the trip from our current home in Carlisle.  It was a long trip but not a bad one at all.  Traffic kept moving going and coming and we never ran into any adverse weather.

Soon enough we were there and ready to start a new adventure of learning and discovery.

This, though, was not the original visitor center.  The gateway to the park was originally this train station.  After the park was established in 1893 the village of Valley Forge grew into a tourist destination.  Since almost all visitors traveled here by train this elegant station was constructed in 1911.  This served as the park entrance until the 1960s when it was replaced by the current visitor center.

Entering into the lobby of the current visitor center we were greeted by this impressive welcome sign.

Just after the welcome sign we came face to face with General Washington who is shown here astride Blueskin, one of the general’s favorite horses.

He was 45 years old at the time at the time the Continental Army marched into Valley Forge.  He knows that he must continue to lead by example both in times of battle and in the trying times of encampment; if he is to retain their respect and motivate them to stay on course.

The question is usually asked Why Valley Forge?  The Continental Congress evacuates the city of Philadelphia and moves to York.  The city is then captured by the British and they settle in for the winter.  The Continental Army under Washington seeks out winter quarters of their own.  The general picks Valley Forge because he believes it is a safe and strategic place to rest and protect the troops during the winter.  It lay on a high and defensible plateau bound by the Schuylkill River and Valley Creek.

On December 19, 1777 the Continental Army arrives at Valley Forge. They would stay until June 19, 1778.   Originally housed in tents, immediate orders are issued to properly house the troops in huts.  Engineers laid out the camp in parallel lines.  Officers divided the men into squads, provided them with tools and gave precise instructions for construction of the huts.  This is a description of the huts themselves.

A note about the encampment, often called a little city.

        A row of reconstructed huts.

Inside a typical hut, sleeping quarters and the kitchen.

These are some of the items a soldier would carry with him and have in his hut.

Washington himself spent several days in his campaign tent, called The Marquee, before he moved into the Issac Potts house with his staff.

Washington’s home and headquarters in Valley Forge.  Unlike most British commanders who often returned home to England between campaigns, the general chose to stay with his troops rather than return to his own home.

This is the kitchen area.

This is the general’s office where he worked with his staff.

This is the second floor bedroom that he occupied as well as Martha when she visited.  It is said that when she came for visits the men often cheered.

This is a second floor bedroom for one of his staff.

And here I am walking on the stairs that Washington himself walked on to get upstairs.

As the huts were constructed, French General Louis Lebegue Duportail designed and mapped the defensive system for the encampment at Valley Forge.  One of the prominent defensive structures was called a redoubt.

How a redoubt was built.

The various elements of a redoubt.

This is what it looked like on the inside.

This is what it looked like on the outside.

Despite partial success the Continental Army that marched into Valley Forge required consistent training and stricter discipline.  Enter Baron von Steuben with whom the army’s fortune turned.  He provided hands-on training and standardized the drill manual and marching steps.  In this way, he increased the army’s tactical performance.

What Steuben was able to do to increase the speed of firing a musket.

The typical musket that was used during the war.

This was a musket that you could pick up to get some idea of its weight – trust me it was heavy!

These are some of the typical accessories that a soldier had with him.

Well, it is now getting late so we’re going to stop here and pick up the remainder of Valley Forge tomorrow.  But before we call it a night, we’re going to jump to today and an absolutely fantastic time we had with two dear friends from my days past in the ministry.  Mark and Susan are truly two of God’s beautiful people who stood by myself and Barbara when I worked as an interim minister at the Monocacy Valley Church in Maryland.  Those were some wonderful, difficult, stressful yet fruitful days but through it all their support never wavered.  I think the world of both of them.  Mark has just retired, but is considering going back to work again since he just received an offer he can’t refuse.  Susan who is my age has just completed her course work for her Master of Divinity and works, even now, part-time as a chaplain.

When they discovered we were in the area, we made immediate plans to get together for lunch.  We had originally picked out a restaurant that we both knew and really like – but go figure, it is closed on Tuesdays!  On to plan B which was the Carriage House Inn.

This charming restaurant which is on the National Register of Historic Places was built in 1857.  It was once a feed and grain warehouse, then it became a broom factory and later a bus depot.  It first became a restaurant in 1953 and three decades later it was purchased by the Hance family and the Carriage House Inn was born.  So here is where we went for lunch and here we are all together.

We spent a delightful three hours getting caught up and sharing stories of days gone by as well as bringing each other up to date on what is going on in our lives today.  It was a delightful afternoon of both good food and good conversation with good friends.

Time now to call it quits for the night.  I’m going to go bury my head in my pillow so I don’t have to listen to this rain anymore!  Usually I enjoy the sound of it and it will often lull me to sleep.  But five or six straight hours of listening to it is beginning to wear on me.  Ah well, it is what it is.  This too shall pass I’m sure.  Thanks for joining us again on the The Road of Retirement.  We continue to travel along, side by side, singing our song.  In parting I leave you with this to think about:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To say the least, the last few days have been a bit tiring and stressful.    A lot of driving, late hours, but all definitely worth it.  The worse, though, was last night.  I went to start the blog which begins with saving all the pictures to my flash drive.  That’s where it all went wrong.

I inserted the flash drive and it was empty – all 11 gig’s of files, pictures, routes, campground reservations, and on and on, just not there.  No idea why.  But I was ready to cry.  I tried one thing after another with no luck.  So to the web I went.  Ultimately, I found a restoration program that cost a few dollars but it was worth it since I was able to recover everything.  I immediately scanned everything, the pc, and the files recovered for a virus but nothing.  So I still have no idea what happened.  Suffice to say everything is now in two locations and by tomorrow night also a third.  I don’t want to go through this again.

OK, let’s get caught up.  A couple of days ago we decided to let the inner child within each of us come out.  Meaning, we visited Chocolate World in Hershey, PA.  But before we got there we stopped for lunch at an old hang out of ours, Friendly’s Restaurant.

That’s where the fun began.  If it’s Friendly’s then I need to have crayons and a placemat to color.  This time I talked Amanda into joining me.  Trust me, this time was tame.  On one occasion, in one restaurant, I managed to get the wait staff to parade around the restaurant with me singing Happy Birthday!  While I was, of course, wearing a birthday hat on my head.  I don’t ever want to grow up,

This was Amanda’s drink of choice, I took one sip and gagged!

Lunch finished it was time to move on to the real fun – Chocolate World!  Here we go.

This is when it all began.

Inside we went.

The first thing we did is send Barbara on a mission to snag us a super package for the day.  She was up to the challenge and was able to get the works with parking for the day.

And yes, it was a bit crowded to say the least!

Amanda and I went first to the 4D Chocolate Mystery Theater.  What a fantastic experience.

These three characters were the stars of the show.

I don’t how they do it, but they actually have this little character interacting live with the kids in the audience.  It was amazing to say the least.

After this we all regrouped and got on line for the free Chocolate Tour.  No matter how many times in the past we’ve taken it, it never grows old.  Perhaps because it is continually redesigned?

Here it is today.

 

The seemingly endless line to the ride.

So here we go on the magic carpet ride through chocolate land.

You just have to love a ride that has singing cows!

And, of course, animated characters.

At one time the tour was in the actual factory.

Until the FDA got involved.

Tour finished, it was time to take, what else, a trolley ride!

Our trolley for the day.

Our conductor, who we learned is a graduate of the Milton Hershey School

This trolley tour had to be one of the best we have ever been on.  What we learned would fill a couple of books.  Sorry, I wish I could remember it all, but I can’t.  But some things I remember:

• Milton Hershey failed several times before he ever became the success he became.  He just never gave up, always believing in his dream

• Milton Hershey, against the advice of everyone, decides to build his chocolate empire, not in a major city but, in the countryside of PA.  Why?

• Milton Hershey didn’t just create a candy bar, not just a factory to manufacture it, he created a whole town

• Milton Hershey had an employee who wanted to make peanut butter cups.  Hershey didn’t feel there was a market for them so he encouraged his employee to start his own candy company,

Eventually the two became one and today the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup outsells all other candy that the Hershey company makes.

• Milton Hersey who never had children of his own created a school in 1909 for orphans that has become one of, if not, the most prestigious schools in world today

• Milton Hershey, in the end, gave his whole fortune to the school.

We weren’t done yet, not by a long shot.  After the trolley ride it was on to, oh yes!

 

 

Our two ladies all decked out and ready to create their own candy bar.

The steps in making your own candy bar, all automated of course.

The line on which the candy bar is made.

Barbara’s candy bar moving on down the line.

Mine was right behind.

Then there was Amanda’s with the original name Shark Bite Ducky

We were able to pick what items, such as pretzels or chips or sprinkles we wanted added to our bars.

 

Each of the bar’s received a thick layer of chocolate, top and bottom.

You also had an opportunity to design your own packaging.

This was Amanda’s original design for her packaging.

Then each bar was put in its own carton.

Then it was time to pick up your own bar.

The three finished candy bars on their way home with us.

First thing after I got home I tore the wrapper off of mine, took a big bite, it is delicious!

There’s still more, one last stop for each of us to make before we left for home.

We were each given four different chocolate bars to taste and comment on what we smelled, tasted, and experienced with each bite.

Suffice to say I will not be getting a call from Hershey to become a chocolate palateer!

Finally, yes, we were finished and it was time to head for home.  A bit of a ride there and back but absolutely well worth it in every respect.  It was a fantastic day.  Needless to say by the next day it had all sort of caught up to me!

We once again had a fabulous day – not only where we together, traveling along, side by side singing our song but Amanda was with us as well.  She and I were like two kids.  Together, the three of us had a fantastic weekend.  Sightseeing, and the next day,  chicken cutlets, a favorite of mine and Amanda’s, for lunch.  What more could you ask for then family, good food, and good times.  Life doesn’t get any better than that.

Well, thanks for joining us for our trip to Chocolate World.  We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.  Hey, why not make some time yourself to go one day.  It is a real blast.  Now in closing I leave you with this thought to mull over as your day begins tomorrow:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before