Battles!

Monday, July 23



This morning, I was very excited to take 3 mile walk around the area of my bed and breakfast, Pheasant Field. The area is so beautiful and I chose the hike that included a small patch of the Appalachian Trail. I had arranged for breakfast at 9, so my hike started at 8am, in my Teva sandals. The owners of the B&B were a little concerned about my feet, but those are the best I have on me.

I started off at a quick pace and even at 8am, it felt sticky and warm to me. I don't do well with humidity, also I can certainly tolerate much cooler temperatures when they are humid. I know the people that live here have said it is not bad right now...but to this California girl, the humidity is high!

I walked past these huge gorgeous homes on sprawling green land surrounded by fields. I walked by a corn field and then in a wooded area, turned off the road onto a bridge that led into that little wooded area. I was a little nervous, being by myself and not familiar with that area. I didn't know if there were wild animals in there (or worse, wild people). The woods are thick enough, you don't see far out. My pace was quick, but when I realized I was still very close to that same corn field, I felt a little better (yes, it was a huge corn field). Plus, I passed two older people walking in the opposite direction of me who looked on their way somewhere, not out just for a hike. That part of my hike didn't last too long - less than a mile. I rounded back to the B&B passing the creek and a section that was covered in beautiful purple flowers. There were wildflowers all alongside the road, and if you know me, you know I was in heaven being surrounded by so many wildflowers!

I returned to the B&B right at 9am when my breakfast was supposed to be ready. After cleaning up briefly, I took my seat at a table in their "dining room". I had a glass of orange juice already sitting there waiting for me. I took my cup of coffee and sat down to eat the watermelon (so good) and cherries they brought out. Next I was served deliciously soft french toast and super juicy sausage. It was really a good breakfast.

(As a side note, I had forgotten to say that in the house there was a stair plank that they found lifted and discovered the house had been used for the Underground Railroad).

I showered and repacked my bags. I was sad to leave this lovely oasis, so I was in no hurry to leave. Chuck and Dee, the owners, chatted with me a bit before I left their hospitality and went to the army heritage education center that has research facilities but also an educational walk for free that was recommended to me. I started the walk at an exhibit of the barriers used today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then I went through the WWI trench system they had set up.


A WWII German bunk in a concrete tunnel was a bit creepy to me, but I went in. There were several tanks, a few helicopters, and many heavy artillery machines.


They had a camp set up from Vietnam, WWII and the Civil War. There was a recreation of a little temporary set-up from the Revolutionary war as well. This is definitely a boy's dream field trip. It was warm out and I think I got a bit of a sunburn. One funny part that kept startling me was these life-size cutouts of different soldiers positioned in the spots befitting to their time and place. They would look so real at first glance I kept thinking there was someone real there.



I stopped into Target on my way out of town to get a few items as well as some Vitamin Water and Luna bars (my fall back food). I found a blue straw fedora hat I purchased since I figured the straw would keep me cooler but provide a measure of protection for my face.

I was on my way to Gettysburg! I wound through some back roads along the gorgeous Pennsylvania countryside. I didn't think about Pennsylvania being so wooded (okay...I know the Latin connection - Penn's woods, but I thought it had all been chopped down to farm over the years). It is so lush and green. I made it to Gettysburg around 2 and ended up buying the "dramatic" audio tour to drive myself around the battleground. It was a little cheaper than the bus and I figured this way I could go at my own pace. I may have done better with a tour guide pointing out everything out though. The audio guide was good, but I had a little hard time always making sure I was at the right place at the right time. I mostly figured it out, and did appreciate being at my own pace.

I was amazed by the number of monuments/plaques/memorials there are along the trail. I wonder how many there actually are, it must be in the hundreds, at least. Maybe even thousands.


It's nice how they have the driving tour laid out though so you can see how the events of the battle unfolded. At first I was trying to look at a lot along the way...that would have taken me ALL day, if not several days. So, I eventually sped it up and only stopped at the most significant places. I did walk up the first watch tower and the view was beautiful. Along Seminary Ridge, the woods are just beautiful creating archways by large trees overhanging the roads.


Driving up to Little and Big Roundtop the woods are breathtaking and dense. The views are phenomenal as well, looking out over the whole area where the battle took place. It is such a large area and amount of ground covered over this three day, bloody battle.

After a few missteps and detours, I finally finished the tour and headed to find Dobbins Tavern, where I had heard there was another period restaurant. I pulled into the car lot and was confused at first to where it was, since the whole place is now an inn. I found the gift shop first and then Springhouse Tavern (below). The young male host let me see a menu and then explained the other restaurant was upstairs, but was fine dining. I thought I'd go see it at least, to make an informed decision, so I walked around and was met with a fancier, and fancier dressed, setting. The hostesses told me about it and encouraged me to walk around. Since this was originally a house built in 1776, not a restaurant, they kept the house in such a way to make it feel like it was a house.


In fact, upstairs several of the tables looked like beds. That was pretty fun. The very top had the slaves' hideaway (since Pennsylvania was a big part of the Underground Railroad and the Quakers played a large role in that).


I decided to eat in the less formal tavern below, which was originally just the refrigerator/cellar for the house with the springs keeping it cool. It was dug out (much later) to create the tavern which had stone walls and dim lighting. Each table had a real candlestick (mine dripping on the table). The menu was somewhat entertaining with colonial English style wording and descriptions. I ordered a French dip with a very tasty and sweet potato salad. For dessert, I let the colonial clad waitress talk me into pecan pie with ice cream, and it was so delicious, I was glad she did!

I left and headed for Antietam Battlefield in Maryland. This drive was amazing. I never thought about Maryland being so wooded either. The road my GPS took me on went up through a state park - Cunningham Falls State Park. I saw a sign for the falls and the lake, so I turned off (I'm easily distracted from my destination by nature's beauty). I drove a little ways down and then into the park, where they asked a $5 donation on your honor. Well, that always guilts me into paying, so I did and drove in to see a trail for the falls and not wanting to get out and walk to the falls on my own not knowing how far they were I continued to the lake. There was almost no one at the lake, except I did hear a couple splashing and having fun, though I never saw them. I then saw, in the distance, an older, heavier man walking across the large grassy shore probably to a chair I assume was his. I saw only his back, and it was at a distance, but he looked to have nothing on! I thought, uh-oh, is this a nudist area I just came in and looked quickly at the park sign and saw nothing. He did turn around at one point and he did have something on, but luckily, with the distance, I couldn't really tell how clothed or unclothed he really was! I was a little creeped out by the single scantily clad man, so instead of going down to the lake's edge, I just drove out of there and got back on my way to my destination.


I continued my breath-taking trek across Maryland in a bit more of a hurry since I was a little concerned that I would get there too late to see the park - just realizing they may close at 8pm. It was too far out of the way to go back easily. I did make it out of the park and down to the battleground just as the sun started to set. It was open until dark, luckily. I parked, and Chris called me just as I was starting to walk toward a large monument. We talked as I walked around, glad that via phone, he could experience that moment with me. Maybe not so exciting for him...but oh well.


I walked around a bit, certainly not the length of the field and then I saw two fawns just across the road grazing. They were so cute and yes, they reminded me of Nova, Chris's chihuahua mix (okay, I think she has Italian Greyhound of something like that since she has the long skinny non-Chihuahua/Corgi legs). I videoed some (and squealed about them quietly to Chris so as not to scare them). I walked to the little church and back across the street and the fawns were still there! Then, they decided to cross the street closer to me. It took them awhile to realize I was watching them and when they did, they decided I was scary so they ran away across the little rise. This reminded me of Hannah. Hannah does her little jump run like the deer. They decided if they were over the rise from me, they were safe, so they didn't really go any further.


At one point in the beginning, as I looked down at the ground I was walking on and thought about how much blood was spilled at that spot. Antietam has the awful distinction of being the single bloodiest day in the war. Gettysburg was the worst with the most casualties, but Antietam was only a day long whereas Gettysburg was three days. It was an unsettling thought,



I left Antietam before it turned dark, drove a bit more around the fields the battle was fought. I then left and drove through Sharpsburg - a very sleepy little town from what I saw with no place to pull in and figure out where I was going to sleep that night or how to get there. I turned right, but it was a small two lane highway and a bit curvy, so I didn't want to turn on the GPS and fool with it. I ended up driving over the Potomac and found myself in West Virginia with a road block and rocks everywhere. I turned around at a hotel parking lot right there thinking where ever this was, I didn't want to go there. I got the GPS turned on to at least head me in the direction of Manassas, which was the next battlefield I wanted.

I drove and it became dark, very dark, and my GPS took me on some very narrow, windy roads that looked to be in the middle of nowhere. My car only has 26,000 miles on it, but it has been running rough, like it is in desperate need of a tune up, so this was not comforting to me. I ended up just outside of Harper's Ferry and stopped at a gas station to actually change my GPS to Leesburg - it was almost an hour less driving, so I thought I'd just stay there. I had passed into Virginia at some point (I think before I was in West Virginia), but I was still on some densely wooded roads but I did see that there were farms along the road, and then eventually wineries. The closer I came to Leesburg, the more cars were passing me in the other direction. I guess everyone goes out of the area in the evening, not into it.

I made it to Leesburg, found a large well-lit, empty lot and looked at some local hotels, and ended up calling the Hampton Inn, where they had a reasonable room. I drove there and ended my day in a nice, clean, comfortable room, though lacking the charm and warmth of my previous B&B.

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Location:Meadows Ln NE,Leesburg,United States