August 17, 2008

August 17, 2008

We are away from the Big City now and its early-rise commuting requirement. In other words, we slept late today. It felt good. Late in the morning we make our way to Morristown National Historic Park. Morristown, NJ was the site of George Washington’s winter encampment on two occasions during the Revolution. Washington chose this site because it was easily defended, yet close enough to the British occupying New York City to keep an eye on them. His troops spent most of the winters trying to stay warm and fending off starvation. Any free time was used to harass British foraging parties. Although the area is picturesque, a site of winter encampment is not historically exciting to me. Nor do the movie or the drive around add anything of relevance. A few miles away in the actual town of Morristown we stop and take a guided tour of the Ford House, where George had his office. It is a little more interesting but not much.

From Morristown we head west to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The Water Gap is where the Delaware River has carved a canyon across the Appalachians. We make briefs stops at a scenic lookout and to pick up the park brochure before finishing just over the border in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains.