Virginia, Pennsylvania, to Tallahasee

In Virginia

An evening stroll in and along the York River 

where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay.

On the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

This chimney is the remains of a house built by John Smith

 for Chief Powhatan, the father of  Pocahontas.

http://www.nps.gov/cajo/index.htm

George Washington secured the colonial victory here when

General Lord Cornwallis surrendered to close the Revolutionary War,

with the victory at Yorktown just across the river.

The Fort was re-enforced by the Confederates and then occupied by Union forces.

Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.   

US presidents John Tyler and James Monroe, as well as,

 Confederate States President Jefferson Davis are buried here. 

http://www.hollywoodcemetery.org/

Jefferson Davis' grave site.

John Tyler's grave site.

James Monroe's grave site.

The Pyramid, a monument to the fallen Confederate soldiers.

Following the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

 National Historic Trail. 

 http://www.nps.gov/waro/index.htm

James Madison's birthplace.  

http://virginiaplantation.wordpress.com/

Madison's plantation and on the 

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.

http://www.nps.gov/pohe/index.htm

http://www.monroefoundation.org/monroe-birthplace.html

More presidents on the 

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.

Back into Pennsylvania. 

We skipped the Shenandoah National Park

 so Judy's terrible rash could be treated

at Hershey Medical Center.

Pickleball players in Hershey Thousand Trails.

Tournament Champion! holding trophy WAAAY

out front so it appears even LARGER!

http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm

 The new facilities are impressive.

Downtown Gettysburg.

David Wills house in downtown Gettysburg where

 Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg address. 

http://www.davidwillshouse.org/visit/

All things Lincoln.

National Cemetery at Gettysburg.  

Warfield Ridge (above) overlooks the Devil's Den (below).

The National Park sign for the record!

Cornwall Furnace near Hershey TT.  An Iron Plantation.

http://www.cornwallironfurnace.org/

The plantation's replacement manor house. 

 The original made this one look small.

The bottom of the furnace, where the pig iron 

was removed and formed into bars.

On a trip to the Lancaster Costco where

 a Amish buggy barn is supplied.

A stop in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Wheeling National Heritage Area

 includes the Eastern Legacy of the 

Lewis and Clark Expedition. 

http://www.nps.gov/whee/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/lecl/index.htm

And the first Capitol of West Virginia.

West Virginia separated from Virginia 

because of slavery issues and became a state during the Civil War,

 as a slave state! 

http://www.history.com/topics/us-states/west-virginia

Crossing the Ohio River into Wheeling.

Visiting Indiana-mostly family.

Indian Lakes Thousand Trails undergoing a 

multi-million dollar make-over.

I'm told it includes new pickleball courts. 

We visited my Aunt Phyllis during the Bradford Picnic.

 Across the road at the grave of her grandfather, my great grandfather.

Judy's sister and husband are always great company

 and usually beat us at euchre.

In Kentucky.

We almost always take a side trip to the Rough River

 lake houses of my brothers.

 Eric in the center and Stephen on the right.

http://www.roughriverlake.net/

Kids are always having fun.

In Alabama.

Doing 55 mph on dry, straight, empty 4 lane highway 

is the only place to have this experience. 

 It was still nerve-racking.  

An experienced "artist" had us back on the road in a matter of

 2 and 1/2 hours!

We were only 4 hours from our place in Tallahassee 

when this happened,

 but we took two rainy days more to get there.

The RV is in the body shop now.  

Pennsylvania and the D.C. area

Hershey Thousand Trails camp site.

Nearby Green Dragon Flea and Farmers Market.

Also nearby is this roadside farm store.

  Those eggplants are 3 for a dollar and

 the boxes of tomatoes are 1 dollar.

Enjoying the fruits of our shopping labors.

Campbelltown barn converted to an antique mall.

After leaving Hershey, we stopped in Hampton (near Baltimore) 

to visit Maryland's largest plantation and National Historical Site.

Judy, near the milk/spring-house used for

 preserving and making butter for use and sale.

The owners built this great greenhouse to grow their own citrus.

There was also an enormous ice cellar constructed

 so ice cream could be enjoyed in the summer.

Our site in Greenbelt Park in Washington D.C.

We took the subway to Arlington National Cemetery.

This is the Monument to the women in service to our country.

JFK's grave.

RFK's grave.

Rutherford B. Hayes grave. 

 Most of you know that we visit presidential sites. 

 Both these and National Park sites

 are easily found in the D.C. area.

Robert E. Lee's Arlington House.  

The graves seen here are civil war casualties placed 

this close to Lee's abandoned home to, some say, 

piss him off and insure that he will not return. 

 He did not.

  He spent the rest of his life repairing the nation.

We walked over the Arlington Memorial Bridge, 

one that symbolically re-connected

 the Confederacy to the Union.

More walking brought us to the newest Monument,

Martin Luther King.

World War II Memorial.

Couldn't resist the pose!

In one long day we drove and visited seven 

National Park sites near D.C.

Fort Washington.

Harmony Hall Manor.

The Manor House.

Fort Foote, 

part of the Washington Civil War Defense system.

Oxon Hill Park--this colonial farm had views of 

Washington burning during the War of 1812.

I warned Judy to get out of the displays,

 but got the picture first.

She then had me get into an antique manure spreader.  

I must be old and worthy of spreading!

Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

He explored and mapped the Chesapeake Bay over several years, 

became great friend of the natives, and married Pocahontas.

In the colonial farm house in Piscataway (National) Park

 across the Potomac from

 George Washington's retirement home, Mount Vernon.

We took our last stroll of the day to view the water lilies.

A visit to the birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner.

Baltimore, Maryland.

We were fortunate to visit during the month-long

 200th anniversary of the song's composition.

We enjoyed two great speakers, each claimed the 

other was there during the War of 1812, 

thus their amazing proficiency.

Our second speaker had lots of help unfurling the

 correct size banner that was raised so the British would

 know of the United States resolve. 

 Francis Scott could also see the this flag.

Off to the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia.