Gettysburg, PA and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Hi Everyone,

We just completed our second day in the Harper's Ferry area after spending two days in Gettysburg, PA. The weather has been great, perfect for being obvious tourists.


Gettysburg is an awesome place - it is amazing to read about what happened there and then see it laid out in front of you. We had a private guide yesterday who drove us around the battlefield and gave us a blow by blow description of what happened. He was a walking encyclopedia, but unfortunately, never stopped talking for the three hours we were out!

Bob and I found the monument for the soldiers from Minnesota that fought at Gettysburg. There was also one for California, which we never knew. Apparently, California sent money (not men)... what a surprise, eh, even back then!

I have to admit however, I did not start the day off very well. When we stopped for coffee, I unknowingly parked our van in a handicap parking space on the street and got a ticket. What a pinhead!


After our second day at Gettysburg, we left and drove about 50 miles to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Harper's Ferry is where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet. It's a real pretty spot. Historically, this is where John Brown was captured in 1859 while trying to start a Slave Revolt. There were also some battles in and around town in 1862. All that activity back then did not carry forward to today, as only one store / restaurant was open past 5pm yesterday. The good news is that they had beer.



We are staying in a really nice, 3 room Bed and Breakfast. It's called the Jackson Rose Inn, because Stonewall Jackson stayed here and wrote to his wife about the climbing roses on the side of the building. The owners are a very nice couple. It's a great place.


This afternoon, we drove to another battlefield called Antietam. It was a one day battle in 1862 where there over 20,000 casualties. Pretty amazing to think about.


We're leaving Harper's Ferry in the morning and are going to drive south through the Shenandoah Valley. It's supposed to be very scenic. Not supposed to rain until Thursday, so we're hoping to get lots of pictures. Wednesday and Thursday nights we will be staying in Fredericksburg, VA and then off to DC for a couple of days there.


We miss you all and hope all is well with you.

Happy Birthday to Dani!


Love,
Karen and Gregg

The Jackson Rose Bed & Breakfast

Harper's Ferry, WV