Today, we went with a tour group from the Campground into Philadelphia. I was so very pleased not to be driving. Our tour guide was one of the Campground employees and was very knowledgeable. After arriving in the heart of the old area of Philadelphia, she gave us our tickets to Independence Hall and then turned us loose for almost 3 hours. We saw the Liberty Bell, read its story and then crossed the street to Independence Hall.
After a brief wait, we were escorted into Independence Hall. We first visited a very functional 18th Century Courtroom. Our Park Service Guide asked and answered a number of questions. After that, we were taken into the Chamber where the actual debate leading to the Declaration of Independence occurred. The Chamber was simply furnished and yet very elegant. Our Guide pointed out where many of the Founding Fathers sat during the debate. Afterwards we were taken upstairs to a restored formal entertainment area. I questioned the guide about damage to the building during the British occupancy of Philadelphia. She told us that they used the building as a headquarters but that as they were leaving Philadelphia, they did extensive damage. We see about 70% of the original woodwork and about 90% of the original brick. This was a most moving experience for me.
Immediately thereafter, we went next door to see the original chambers for the House of Representatives and the Senate. Again, a very moving experience.
From there Sue and I walked around the restored area and had lunch at Campos - claimed to be the original Philly Cheese Steak Restaurant. We met back up with our group to see Christ Church. Sue and I sat in President Washington's personal pew. The Church has roots back into the 1600's and it was from its pulpit on July 7, 1776 the Pastor read from the Anglican Prayer Book deleting all references to the King and substituting in its place reference to the new nation. This was an act of treason, yet the feelings in the City were so strong that many lined up behind the new identity.
A number of times today we were confronted with what the fight for independence cost our Founding Fathers. One of the most wealthy gave everything he had for the fight for independence. He eventually was broke and a debtor, inprisioned for failure to pay his bills. A group of citizens banded together and paid all of his debts. He was buried in Christ Church.
We learned much about William Penn and some about his Quaker beliefs. Pennsylvania welcomed all faiths into the Colony. He designed the master plan for the City with its north/south and east west streets and five major parks.
I think we drove around the downtown area so many times, I actually became somewhat disoriented. In the process, we visited the Betsy Ross house and had a wonderful tour of this very small but fitting tribute to a dynamic woman. As we headed out of the downtown area, we drove past the Museum of Art and saw the statue to Rocky Balboa at the foot of the Museum steps. For those of you who may not remember, he was a movie boxer from old Philadelphia about whom Sylvester Stallone has made 5 movies.
From there, we drove along the Schukill River to again visit Valley Forge. Since Sue and I had visited there yesterday, we had already seen most of the sites. Each Guides perspective is different and we learned new things about the Encampment today. We ended up heading back to the Campground a very different and beautiful way. Sue and I arrived back at the Silver Lady exhausted.
It ws a very profoundly emotional day for me. I found myself praying a number of times that God would have mercy on America and that we could yet achieve the leadership in the world that our Founding Fathers envisioned.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
West Chester, PA KOA June 28,2009
Today is Sunday the 28th and Sue and I are safely sitting in the Silver Lady in a beautiful KOA Campground. We arrived yesterday afternoon having driven here from our home in Manassas, Virginia.
We brought the Silver Lady home from storage on Friday afternoon and began packing. It was extremely hot and humid and the task was somewhat slow. The packing was interrupted by the welcomed arrival of Bruce's sister Cheryl, her Husband Gene, his brother, David and his Wife, Paula. We had a wonderful dinner with the four of them. Dave and Gene helped me put the Chrysler on the tow dolly so that come Saturday morning, we only had to pack clothes and food.
Packing for this trip is different from last summer in that we are bringing additional clothes to fend off the cooler temperatures we expect when we arrive in Maine later in the trip.
We left Manassas about 10:45 am and arrived at the West Chester Campground about 3:30 pm. A welcomed nap was in order after we hooked everything up and turned on the a/c's. Last evening we watched "The Wrestler" a movie which created a string of conversations between us about life.
Today I made muffins and served Sue tea and her muffin in bed before we took Pooh Bear for a long walk. This campground sits along Brandywine Creek with sites there and for us up the side of a long hill. This area is much more hilly than we expected. Although its not really true, we feel as if we are very much off the beated path. We are about 7 miles from Route 1 just off a small winding road that was a challenge driving in the Silver Lady.
We headed out this morning for Valley Forge National Park. We drove through the area of the Barndywine Battlefield Park on our way to Valley Forge. We arrived at the park to see an extremely busy Park with lots of horseback riders, bicyclist, joggers and families. It is magnificant in its natural beauty and awesome in its historical meaning for us as Americans. We walked through the Visitor's Center, watched a movie about the 1777-1778 Winter Encampment and then took a trolley tour of the Park. We were able to stop at two different places on the tour, a reproduction of an encampment of ordinary soldiers at which we were able to watch three reenactors demonstrate the firing of muskets. We learned that their purpose was not to aim but to put lead in the air to simply hit whatever. We aslo saw inside of several of the huts and got a very small taste of how the soldiers lived. The tour continued through the Park, past various monuments errected by the various States. Our last stop was at Washington's Headquaters where our guide and a Park Ranger combined to tell us about the house, the grounds, the people who lived and served there during that long winter. We were even told that Martha Washington came to be with her husband for most of the winter. The house was very small and probably occupied by about 30 people most of the time.
There was so much to see that we really just scratched the surface. There was also a self guided car tour with a CD. I suspect that I could have spent all day wandering around here. We had a great day. I have long been interested in Colonial and Revolutionary War history. The more I see of places like we experienced today, I stand amazed that as a "nation" we survived the War. God just seemed to send Washington the men, ideas and materials he needed at just the right time. Today we understood more about the arrival of Von Steuben and how he standardized everything for the troops. Here in this long hard winter was the birth of the American Army. This war went on for almost 10 years. Washington was able to hold an "army" together and to stay in the field against the largest Army ever put together by the British Empire to that time. With each defeat, things were learned and with the few victories came more and more confidence.
Our Country is a miracle. Please Lord, don't let us forget that. Please Lord fulfill your purposes with this People. Please Lord, fufill your purposes in us in these days as you did with others in their days of trial. Give us more George Washingtons and the men who served with him.
Returning to the campground, we again napped and then went for a swim. Tomorrow, we head for downtown Philadelphia as part of a tour run by the campground. I am pleased not to be driving.
It is so good to be away with Sue and to be off on this our 5th Excellent Adventure.
We brought the Silver Lady home from storage on Friday afternoon and began packing. It was extremely hot and humid and the task was somewhat slow. The packing was interrupted by the welcomed arrival of Bruce's sister Cheryl, her Husband Gene, his brother, David and his Wife, Paula. We had a wonderful dinner with the four of them. Dave and Gene helped me put the Chrysler on the tow dolly so that come Saturday morning, we only had to pack clothes and food.
Packing for this trip is different from last summer in that we are bringing additional clothes to fend off the cooler temperatures we expect when we arrive in Maine later in the trip.
We left Manassas about 10:45 am and arrived at the West Chester Campground about 3:30 pm. A welcomed nap was in order after we hooked everything up and turned on the a/c's. Last evening we watched "The Wrestler" a movie which created a string of conversations between us about life.
Today I made muffins and served Sue tea and her muffin in bed before we took Pooh Bear for a long walk. This campground sits along Brandywine Creek with sites there and for us up the side of a long hill. This area is much more hilly than we expected. Although its not really true, we feel as if we are very much off the beated path. We are about 7 miles from Route 1 just off a small winding road that was a challenge driving in the Silver Lady.
We headed out this morning for Valley Forge National Park. We drove through the area of the Barndywine Battlefield Park on our way to Valley Forge. We arrived at the park to see an extremely busy Park with lots of horseback riders, bicyclist, joggers and families. It is magnificant in its natural beauty and awesome in its historical meaning for us as Americans. We walked through the Visitor's Center, watched a movie about the 1777-1778 Winter Encampment and then took a trolley tour of the Park. We were able to stop at two different places on the tour, a reproduction of an encampment of ordinary soldiers at which we were able to watch three reenactors demonstrate the firing of muskets. We learned that their purpose was not to aim but to put lead in the air to simply hit whatever. We aslo saw inside of several of the huts and got a very small taste of how the soldiers lived. The tour continued through the Park, past various monuments errected by the various States. Our last stop was at Washington's Headquaters where our guide and a Park Ranger combined to tell us about the house, the grounds, the people who lived and served there during that long winter. We were even told that Martha Washington came to be with her husband for most of the winter. The house was very small and probably occupied by about 30 people most of the time.
There was so much to see that we really just scratched the surface. There was also a self guided car tour with a CD. I suspect that I could have spent all day wandering around here. We had a great day. I have long been interested in Colonial and Revolutionary War history. The more I see of places like we experienced today, I stand amazed that as a "nation" we survived the War. God just seemed to send Washington the men, ideas and materials he needed at just the right time. Today we understood more about the arrival of Von Steuben and how he standardized everything for the troops. Here in this long hard winter was the birth of the American Army. This war went on for almost 10 years. Washington was able to hold an "army" together and to stay in the field against the largest Army ever put together by the British Empire to that time. With each defeat, things were learned and with the few victories came more and more confidence.
Our Country is a miracle. Please Lord, don't let us forget that. Please Lord fulfill your purposes with this People. Please Lord, fufill your purposes in us in these days as you did with others in their days of trial. Give us more George Washingtons and the men who served with him.
Returning to the campground, we again napped and then went for a swim. Tomorrow, we head for downtown Philadelphia as part of a tour run by the campground. I am pleased not to be driving.
It is so good to be away with Sue and to be off on this our 5th Excellent Adventure.
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