Gettysburg, Part 1

I promise I won't make you suffer through all 160 of my pictures ... just lots of them :^)

"You are here" is at the bottom right

Friday was really a travel day - we stopped at a couple antique malls in Lewiston and then to the hotel, venturing out to the wax museum gift shop next door at dusk and then to Friendlies for dinner. It was a quiet evening in the motel room but I really had no idea "where" we were.

After enjoying the motel's continental breakfast on Saturday, I went out the front door to see what was on our street. I was surprised to find a parking lot for the National Cemetery across the street and I was thrilled to still see bits of the sunrise on the clouds. I ran back to the room for my camera and then across the block and into the cemetery. The entrance I was at was near where Lincoln spoke during the National Cemetery dedication in 1863.

I didn't have much time before meeting my parents for the first reunion meeting of the day so I was going to leisurely stroll back to the motel when I saw a monument on the other side of the parking lot so I ran over there and Surprise! - it was the one we had come all this way to re-dedicate and who knew it was so close?!

Next up was one of 2 trips to Devil's Den. It may look like just a pile of huge boulders but a very vicious battle took place here among the crevices.

Some of the boulders were heavy!

It was also the location where some of the men from the NY 136th posed on what is called the Devil's Bathtub (yes, there is water in a dip on top of the boulder).

I like this because Mom & Dad were reading one of the placards to the right of the tree

There are monuments and placards everywhere you look in Gettysburg and for the most part the monuments where placed where that particular regiment fought.

Just to the right of the Den is Little Round top. From the top, the view seemed to extend forever. I can't imagine fighting in this open area. Apparently battleground restoration is a big thing with tons of trees removed from the grounds to make the view more like it was during the battle.

Can't remember who this was but it seemed a popular thing to do :^)

Ok - more picture tomorrow!