A Cross-Country Driving Trip in Our S2000

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The Trip East

Gettysburg

Visits Back East

Getting to Texas

The Trip Home

The Gettysburg Get Together

8/3 - We had a short drive from Falls Church, VA to Gettysburg - only about 80 miles. I programmed my nav app to avoid not just toll roads, but highways as well. We left around 11:00 and drove all the way on two-lane roads and arrived about 1:45. I had covered 3,184 miles my the time we got to the hotel. I still have not seen my trophy for having driven the longest distance.

Ken and Justin were there when we pulled in and more folks arrived just a little later. I enjoyed putting faces with names. We had our pizza party/get acquainted time this evening. Justin told us what lay in store over the next couple of days and Mel and I called it an early night.

       The Pennsylvania Memorial and our cars from atop the memorial

          Gettysburg

On the way to lunch we left the Battlefield and drove through some beautiful countryside on some wonderful roads. Along the way we went through a covered bridge over my creek.

    Cars approaching the bridge over Tom's (my?) Creek

          Tables at our group dinner

We gathered in the lobby about 5:30 to caravan over to Herr's Ridge Inn for dinner. After dinner Ken and Justin stood up and first invited me up to make sure everyone knew which one was the crazy guy who drove here from the West Coast. They introduced some folks who were on their first group meet and Ken went on to talk about upcoming events.

    Ken and Justin at the dinner

8/5 - Sunday, and we gather in the lobby at 9:30 for the battlefield tour led by Denny and Sharon. I've gone down a little earlier to give Rico a quick cleaning (except his wheels, which are starting to look pretty tacky). I put my event magnet on the left front fender and it looks pretty cool.

    The magnet badge for the event on Rico

We head out to the battlefield with the plan being to hear about the three days of the battle in sequence from selected sites. A few folks have to head for home, but we have a good sized group. Our first stop is Reynolds Woods. We park and gather round Denny and Sharon and they tell us what was happening on that first day.

    Denny and Sharon briefing the group

And we take a group shot.

     A group shot

One of our stops is at the memorial to the Virginians, with the statue of General Robert E. Lee. This is the place from which he watched the disastrous third day advance known as Pickett's Charge.

     Bobby Lee

We proceeded to Little Round Top and its view down into Devil's Den. This is the rocky front side.

    The Devil's Den

            The area of Pickett's Charge

During the morning tour we continued on to The Angle. This is the point that saw the furthest advance of the Confederate troops and is marked by a memorial to General Armistead who was mortally wounded here.

    A monument marking the furthest advance

Mel and I went back later and went to the back side where Colonel Joshua Laurence Chamberlain and his 20th Maine repulsed the Alabamans five separate attacks until, essentially out of ammunition, Chamberlain ordered his remaining troops to fix bayonets and they wheeled down and ended the attempts by the Alabamans to take the hill. The monument to the 20th Maine is incredibly insignificant, considering how critical their stand was to the Northern victory.

            The 20th Maine Monument and Chamberlain's position

After leaving Little Round Top, Mel and I went on to the Museum and Information Center to see the film and cyclorama - an amazing display that should not be missed. On our way out we stopped to take photos of Mr. Lincoln and his address.

       Mr. Lincoln and his famous address