Our travels have begun - Cayuhoga National Park in Ohio and Gettysburg

June 2nd - June 7 - We left Wisconsin on June 2nd and with a short overnight stay in Indiana, made our way to Mill Creek Corp of Engineers (COE) Park near Cayuhoga National Park in Ohio. 

With a goal of visiting as many national parks as possible, we wanted to stop at Cayuhoga since it is on our way east.  And, like our travels last year, we were looking for beautiful waterfalls.  We were not disappointed with Brandywine Falls.  We love listening to the sound of water rushing over the rocks as it heads downstream.



Brandywine Falls

The COE parks can be found near a dam or other project built by the Army Corp of Engineers.  The Berlin Dam was built in 1943 so on one of our quiet days, we took a ride to the dam to check it out.  Amazing to think what it took for this dam to be built at that time.

June 7th - 17th - As members of Thousand Trails (TT) Camping Resorts, our next stop was Gettysburg Farm Resort about 20 miles from downtown Gettysburg.  After getting set up and resting after a full day of travel, on Monday, we went to Gettysburg National Park and took the battlefield bus tour followed by the short movie and cyclorama presentation at the visitor center.  The two hour bus tour had us following the events of July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 1863.  There are over 1300 monuments scattered throughout the battlefield honoring those who lost their lives or fought during the worst battle ever fought on American soil. 

As we stood overlooking Devils Den, you could just imagine what it had to be like.  With the Confederate troops taking aim at the Federal troops on three of the four sides, it was amazing that the North prevailed.

On Tuesday, we went back to Gettysburg and did the auto tour.  Although we had covered the same route on the bus tour, it was nice to go back and travel the route at a slower pace which allowed us to get out and read the plaques and take pictures.

The last stop on our auto tour was the Gettysburg National Cemetery that was dedicated in November 1863 and where President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.  As we walked through the cemetery, we saw grave markers that in some cases gave the name and rank of the soldier who gave his life; on others, there was just a number since the name was unknown.  Over 58,000 young men were killed, wounded or missing as the result of this three-day battle.  Our visit to Gettysburg was extremely sombering.

We returned to downtown Gettysburg on Sunday to walk around and take in some of the historical sites.  Many of the original buildings that survived the battle are still standing.  Christ Church, the Lutheran Church in downtown Gettysburg, is still in use today with services every Sunday.  During the battle in 1863, it was used as a hospital to care for the wounded soldiers.

We will leave here on Tuesday and head to a campground in Austerlitz NY, just twenty miles from where Mom lives.  We are looking forward to spending time with family and relaxing by the pool.  Oh, and let's not forget the steamed clams...