Today Mike and I got up and made our journey towards Gettysburg. The traffic again was rather heavy but we made it through there ok! We rode in cloudy but fair conditions; as it was a cool day. We arrived at Gettysburg and immediately there was a feeling of honor and respect as we entered the park. Of all of the places that we have visited throughout this trip, Gettysburg was what I have been wanting to visit!
We parked our motors and walked into the visitors center to purchase our tickets for the cyclorama and the museum tour. As we waited for the cyclorama to begin, we walked around and viewed the artifacts that were on display. These artifacts were items that were found on the battlefield after the 3 day battle ended. We then went into the theater to see the presentation narrated by Morgan Freeman. This was an amazing presentation to watch. After the film was over, we went up a 4 story escalator to the Cyclorama, which is a painting of the battlefield as it was in 1863. The artist painted this scene around 1868 from photographs that were taken during the battle. The Cyclorama was 42 feet tall and more than 350 feet wide. It was noted that they wanted to have a painting of the scene in a panoramic view from on top of Seminary hill. This was a breathtaking piece of art; it too, was narrated and you could walk around the top deck in a circle to see the entire scene!
After we left the Cyclorama, we went into the museum and this museum was like no other! It started from the beginning of the Civil War to the very end, the new birth of freedom. We took lots of pictures of the museum artifacts and their descriptions. We even took some pictures of the the 75th Anniversary reunion. In this photo, there were two very old gents (one was a Union soldier, the other a Confederate soldier) laughing together! So it is my hope that you will read up on this war that changed the face of this country for ever!
Well after we viewed the museum, we got on our motors and toured the battlefields. What an amazing feeling that comes over you as you walk on grounds where nearly 17000 men lost their lives or livelihood over a course of 3 days! It was an emotional moment for me because I have studied this war and its meaning; my interpretation maybe entirely different from yours, but that's it, it's my interpretation! To experience Gettysburg is...well I can't say enough about it! I am definitely making a trip back there where I can spend a few days! I would encourage you to have a Gettysburg experience as well, if you are able. They have battlefield shuttle buses that will take you on a tour. We met some bikers on the battlefield that were from Pennsylvania and they were just as deeply moved by Gettysburg as I.
Mike enjoyed reading about the details of the Gettysburg; as he is a history buff! He was a little concerned that they didn't have any information on Abbeville SC or the Burke Stark Mansion or the fact that when SC succeeded from the Union, it happened in Abbeville. It did note however, that SC was the first southern state to succeed from the Union, then the others followed. We left Gettysburg with a deep sense of respect and honor as we rode past the battlefields on our way out of town. Thanks to all who fought and died in this war, for this country would not be what it is today without the sacrifices that were made.
We then made our way to Washington,D.C., the capital of this nation! This was Mike's first time in the nation's capital, so I felt like a tour guide, so-to-speak! We entered Washington on Wisconsin Ave where we stopped and took pictures of the National Cathedral. This place was beautifully constructed, it took two centuries to complete the construction. (started in 1792, completed in 1990) We continued on Wisconsin Ave to Pennsylvania Ave then turned onto Constitution Ave. Once on Constitution, we were parked our motors and walked to the Capitol building, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress. These magnificent structures were all illuminated, as night was falling, and we took several pictures of the these structures that have been apart of Washington since its inception. We then moved on down constitution and was able to take pictures of the back of the White House, and no, The Obamas were not there, I checked! They have stopped traffic from going in front of the White House during the evenings now, down Pennsylvania Avenue. We then took pictures of the Washington Monument and spent some time at the Lincoln Memorial. These sites were beautiful at night because you could really see the massive boldness of these monuments!
What a magnificent way to end The American Ride Corss-Country Tour than in Washington DC! We left DC and headed for NC, where we will stay tonight. Then it's back to South Carolina! I will post the pictures from Day 16 once I am home! Thank you all for traveling with us and posting comments on our blog site as we traveled this country over the last 16 days! Your prayers helped us to make the journey safely!
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