October 28, 2003
Road Trip - Day 24: Gettysburg
Today was an awesome day! Unfortunately we didn't get started with it until after noon. We got up and went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then stopped at Target to pick up a few things. We went back to the room to shower, pack up and check out, and ended up getting snagged on a school project with Zach.
Zach has been given the assignment of completing a Civil War notebook, and a pretty comprehensive one at that, and he was having a hard time dealing with it. So we gave him our usual pep talk about getting older and doing more difficult projects, building character, etc., then we were on the road again headed for Gettysburg by 12:30 or so., leaving Harrisburg behind.
 We arrived in Gettysburg around 1:30, made our way to the visitor's center, then participated in a tour of the National Cemetery where Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. There was a memorial--the only one of its kind--to the speech itself, complete with a bust of Lincoln. Then there was a much larger monument to Lincoln in the center of the semi-circle of graves of the several thousand Union soldiers who died during the three-day battle. It was very moving.
 Following the cemetery tour we went on a self-guided driving tour of the battlefields where the battles of Gettysburg were fought. Joel bought a CD that told us where to drive. The CD also had a narrator who told us about the fields and the battles, the generals, the setbacks and victories. There were also dramatizations of the battles to emphasize more vividly what it was really like. We were amazed both by how vast the battlefields were and how many monuments there were throughout the 7-mile or so driving tour. There were countless monuments along the route, some small and simple, some enormous and grandiose. We saw monuments from just about every state that sent soldiers to Gettysburg to fight. The end of the tour and the CD was marked by a dramatization of the Gettysburg Address. Again it was very moving.
 By the end Jenna told us that war was horrible and she didn't know why people fought them. We agreed with her about how awful war is, and talked again about why this particular war was fought. I'm not sure, but I think she was actually beginning to grasp a little what the Civil War was about.
Joel stopped to get gas so the kids and I walked across the street to a souvenir shop to pick up some postcards, etc. Then we went to dinner at Friendly's before heading for Washington, D.C. It started raining on us en route, and continued doing so till long after we arrived. We found the Best Western Key Bridge in Arlington, Virginia just across the Potomac from D.C.
Now we have the difficult task of deciding what to do in our short four days here. There is simply too much to see and do and not nearly enough time, so we must pick and choose--then move on. D.C. will in itself be quite an education for the kids!
Posted by at October 28, 2003 10:50 PM
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Comments
For the record, Zach isn't alone in feeling abit overwhelmed with what is expected of him now in the 6th grade. Home school or public, there comes a time when our children need to pull their wagon and realize school isn't 12 years of K-5. Kyle has found 6th grade to be quite an eye opener, LOTS of homework, book reports and a high standard set by his teacher. Character building YES!! And I praise God for that!!! This is tough but I see his future schooling made easier by conquering this road now!!! Be encouraged!
Posted by: Ro | October 29, 2003 07:56 AM
Hello Comm Family! I just wanted to post and let you know our family has really been enjoying following your trip. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this journey with all of you!
May God continue to bless your trip and keep you all safe and healthy :)
Rick, Carla, Jessica, Kelsi & Mitchel :)
Posted by: Carla | October 29, 2003 11:34 AM
Hey Ro and Carla!
Thanks for the comments, ladies! Thanks for the encouragement, Ro, (Zach was really encouraged by it!) And thanks, Simmerts, for following us on our "little" road trip. So glad you all could come along, if only virtually!
You all bless us! :-)
In Him,
mary
Posted by: Mary Comm | October 30, 2003 09:33 PM