September 16, 2006

September 16, 2006

This morning we continue our drive east. We want to do the tour of the Harley Davidson motorcycle factory in York, PA but it is closed on weekends. Bummer! So we continue on to Lancaster County. This county is the home of a huge Amish community. Aimee is directing me to Intercourse. Disappointingly Intercourse, PA turns out to be an Amish town where they are selling their crafts. As penance for two full days in Gettysburg, she drags me through several quilt shops and even a Quilt Museum! Concurrently with our visit, there is a protest march in town against Amish puppy mills. Many of the protesters have dogs with them. Aimee steps in a pile of dog doodoo on the sidewalk. Her irritation helps cut short my penance and we head back to the RV. Throughout the surrounding countryside we pass the Amish in horse-drawn buggies and on bicycles without pedal and chains. Apparently chains aren’t Kosher and they just use them as big scooters.

We continue our travel east toward Philadelphia. Aimee spots Valley Forge on the map. Even though it is almost 3pm we head to the park. I figure there can’t be much there to see. I am mostly correct. Valley Forge was one of Washington’s winter encampments and his most famous for some reason. The British army had recently seized Philadelphia and Washington chose Valley Forge because of its proximity to Philly and its easily defended site. There is a short film and small visitor center and museum that relate the significance of this camp. The winter encampment here in 1777 was not as harsh as the myth describes. The conditions were partly exaggerated to get more funding from the states. Washington used the time here with the help of Prussian general Von Steuben to train his men into a more professional army. Also near the end of the encampment, France agreed to join the war effort on our side, so the army was actually in high spirits.

The Valley Forge site is humongous. We drive the ten-mile loop road on the site stopping at the several recreated barracks and statues scattered around the area. We also stop at Washington’s actual office, which was the Pentagon of its time. Mostly the site is one huge forested park. It is stunningly beautiful. The park contains rolling hills with large trees bordered by a river and stream on two sides. If we had come in the morning and the weather was clearer, we would have loved to bike around to the various points of interest instead of the quick drive-around.

There are very few campgrounds in the immediate area so we drive almost an hour to a KOA southwest of Philly.