Day 11 - Saturday July 7

We had a short drive from York to Gettysburg. There is a visitors center in Gettysburg that was built 10-ish years ago. Such a nice experience. It is very well done.

Up to this point, the weather has been much like the weather back home- hot and humid. Today was the first day that we got some northeast temps!

It was a glorious day! Nice chill in the air, bright sunshine!

We started at the visitors center and chose to walk to the Soldiers' National Cemetery.

This cemetery is the location that part of the Battle of Gettysburg took place but also the location that President Lincoln delivered his infamous Gettysburg Address a few years after the battle.

We decided to do a tour led by a park ranger throughout the cemetery. Again, so much information!

Some facts about the Battle:

• over 51,000 casualties over the period of the three-day battle
• as a comparison, we had a total of 58,000 for the years involved in the Vietnam War
• until this point, the Union had not won a battle in the two years of war

It was years later that the cemetery would be dedicated. President Lincoln was invited to participate two weeks before the actual ceremony. The main speaker would be Edward Everett. He was the celebrity orator of that time. People would pay to listen to him speak for hours on end. He worked for months on his speech. It contained 13,000 words. He memorized all of it. He spoke for over two hours at the dedication.

President Lincoln was invited two weeks before and prepared his 'speech' the night before. When he delivered the final version (after Mr. Everett finished his two-hour long speech) Lincoln spoke 272 words and it lasted just over two minutes.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863

In days that followed Mr. Everett did acknowledge the importance and impact of Lincoln's words. There is a bronze sculpture commemorating the speech at this hollowed ground but it is not in the location that the speech actually took place.

The actual location is inside of a private neighboring cemetery. I took the picture below through the fence that borders the two cemeteries. The actual location is at the rear and just left of center in this picture.

The Actual Location

The Fence Separating the Two Cemeteries

When the Civil War was over, our nation suffered 700,000 casualties. Mind blowing.

On our walk back to the visitors center we came across a park ranger leading an interactive talk with kids about being a soldier.

When we got on the road we set our sites on Colonial Williamsburg! So excited. None of us have been so it'll be a first.

On the drive (which was terrible traffic wise) the guys decided to try out their Amish fried pies from yesterday. They each got apple, hoping for Hubig-ness when they ate.

They both reported that they were tasty fried pies, but they were not Hubig's. Maybe one day the fried pie greatness that is Hubig's will return....

We are heading to spend the night in Newport News, Virginia. We plan on visiting Colonial Williamsburg tomorrow. During the drive we played a trivia game that involved naming movies that famous lines came from. We have a competitive group. Thankfully no one was hurt in the game and we laughed quite a bit. I attempted to read the lines in the voice that it was originally spoken in. Shortly after the completion on the game, Steven made a suggestion. Throughout the trip, we've spoken about movies that related to where we've visited and events in history. We will do a regularly scheduled movie night (once we return from the trip) to view these movies. Our Hue lights that coordinate with the movie as well as surround-sound make us a good location for the movie viewing. Our list so far includes: The Patriot, John Adams (HBO series), Glory, Lincoln, Flight 93.

Earlier in the trip we came upon the town of Easton and posted a picture in honor of Beck's dad. Well, today we came upon Emmitsburg...

The spelling is off, but the pronunciation is spot on! Way to go dad (Emmett)!

After an additional two hours on the road due to traffic, we finally arrived in Newport News and settled into our hotel. We found a P.F. Changs nearby and headed out.

During our dinner, we were reflecting on what we've seen and learned so far on the trip. The conversation was not once disrespectful or heated but the lady sitting in the booth just behind Dean and I was very interested in what was being said. Again, we were recapping the history of our country and how those events have shaped our current lifestyle. At one point, Becky saw her lean forward towards her fried sitting across form her and whispered to her shaking her head in dismay. Is Virginia considered the South? Because I am southern and I was taught to not eavesdrop or put my nose in someone else's business. Our conversation was just that, OUR conversation. If you don't like what you are hearing, it's because you should not be listening! Of course, this made for even more interesting conversation between us. Never a dull moment....

Poll time!
Results from yesterday:

No one wants to be without electricity. For those of us who have been in the aftermath of a hurricane, we've lived it. Typically in the summer months. Not pleasant. Totally understandable. How did my grandparents do it?

For our poll today, we thought we'd poll you about movies.