Gettysburg, PAOct 22, 2010
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Horses greeting our arrival
Our front window view
Karen & Mike's Home
| After a short delay for RV service in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania we drive to a better-known town in the state, Gettysburg. We are staying at Artillery Ridge campground, a family campground where there are trails and stables for horses. Horses are allowed in the National Park on riding trails, and many of our neighbors have trailers with quarters for the horses and sleeping facilities for their owners. Val has a niece who lives in Frederick, Maryland, which is only a 30-mile drive from Gettysburg. When Karen and Mike were married 3 years ago, Val was impressed with the town and its history, so we spent half a day driving and walking through Frederick. We started at Mike and Karen's house and drove to the center of town. Walked on Market Street down to the Carroll Creek Park and along the creek for a while. There are shops and restaurnats by the walkway and one very special bridge called the Community Bridge. Artist William Cochran got the community to collaborate on painting a plain concrete bridge over the canal with trompe l'oeil (deceive the eye) techniques. They created a stunning illusion of an old stone bridge with carving in the stone, statuary, and fountains that are all illusions. Joe stood by a statue of the Samaritan woman, and neither of us realized the statue wasn't real until we read the sign afterward. We walked up St. Patrick Street to the Mt. Olivet Cemetery where many soldiers from the Civil War were buried, and also the author of "The Star Spangled Banner" Francis Scott Key and his wife. They were from the Frederick area, and an imposing monument marks the burial site. After all this walking we found Patrick's Irish Pub, so naturally we stopped in for refreshment. They had a countdown clock with the time left until St. Patrick's Day! Had a wonderful visit with Karen and Mike at Isabella's restaurant and then at their home. We even met the new member of the family, Jackson, who loved having us come because he got extra treats! |
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