Fun With the Animals
It is the end of a beautiful sunny day. After we left New York on the 21st we headed west into Pennsylvania. Gettysburg was our next stop and we arrived in the afternoon to cloudy and rainy weather.
The campground was unique in that it was situated on a farm. There were all sorts of animals and Flat Nathan and Travis enjoyed getting their picture taken with a few of them. Early morning was a special time as the rooster would crow at sunrise. It reminded me of the childhood farm that I grew up on.
The spitting Llama 
Somebody waiting for Thanksgiving?
Curious goats check out Nathan 
Travis swoops in for a close up
Gettysburg and the Civil War
Anyhow, we spent the first rainy afternoon at Gettysburg in the museum and watching the movie. We had already decided to get a guided tour the next day and we were glad that we scheduled it. The museum left me slightly confused about the events of the three days of battle.
The next day was bright and sunny as we met our guide, Jessie. She got in our truck and drive us around the battlefield and explained in depth exactly what had taken place there. The battle represented many states that had men in the fight. Around the park are the monuments placed in honor of the state and their military divisions. We had to get the Michigan picture and then when we looked across the street we saw the Tennessee monument. My heritage is the south, Tennessee in fact. We captured Flat Nathan in both. Then as Jessie ended our tour we saw where the 3 days culminated in General Lee retreating and leaving the north. A point of interest to us, having just left West Point, was how these generals and military men had known each other and lived side by side at West Point. Now they were pointing guns at their classmates across fields and forests. Brother killing brother…friend killing friend. We learned a lot about the start of the war, the battle strategies, the importance of the flags on the field, and the horror of it.
Michigan’s Iron Brigade Monument 
Day 3 ends the battle on this hill
Put to Rest With Honor
Later we went into the cemetery. There we listened to a ranger explain the massive chore of taking care of the dead. He explained how they were buried by the state they had served with…the known and the unknown placed to rest here. We ended our time with him at the site of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This was a moving and thought provoking education about the battle, the consequences, and the people of both sides.
Peacefully resting on the hill 
Soldiers Monument that overlooks semi-circle of graves
War Then and War Today
Flight 93 Memorial
Last year I listened to an audio book that was over 24 hours long. I was amazed at how this book held my attention. It is called, “Fall and Rise…The Story of 9/11.” Mitchell Zuckoff brought victim after victim alive in his narrative of the 4 plane crashes and the fall of the 2 towers.
I highly recommend this book even if it is not something you would normally pick up, as was the case with me. It gave me the resolve that while we were out East we would see the Flight 93 Memorial. So when we left Gettysburg, we turned west through the Allegheny Mountains and arrived close to Shanksville, PA in the early afternoon. Because of the book we (Ed started to listen on this trip) felt like the passengers and crew were people we had become acquainted with. The PA countryside was glowing with sunshine and the Memorial is a quiet and reverent place. We spent time inside reliving the days events in words and pictures presented there. Then we walked outside to see the crash site and the Wall of Names.
We finished our tour at the Tower of Voices that is not quite done yet. The tower, when completed, will hold 40 wind chimes to honor the 40 passenger and crew that lost their lives that day and became heroes to our nation.
As we get settled into the campground tonight, Ed and I talk about the things we have explored the past 3-4 days. We have re-educated ourselves about the Civil War and relived the moments of 9/11 through the eyes of others and our own memories. The Soldiers Monument from the Gettysburg cemetery comes to mind and I realize how true the symbolism is. Soldiers of all type still die. The Muse of History is still recording war more than a century later. Will her job ever be done?