By late June, I made my way to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and was on the last stretch of my travels before returning to the Jersey Shore for the summer. I stayed at Granite Hill Camping Resort for its close proximity to downtown Gettysburg and the battlefields. My phone worked here but there was no TV or WiFi, as usual, and I was truly glad that I have satellite radio and my personal hot spot to keep me entertained and connected.

I had the campground to myself most of the week, only filling up on the weekend.

First up was a driving tour of the Gettysburg Battlefields. At the Visitor Center, I purchased a set of audio CDs ($30) to play in the car. They talked me through the action at each location and gave turn-by-turn directions. I could travel at my own pace and stop the CDs to get out of the car whenever I wanted to explore an area and take photos. On previous visits to Gettysburg with my family, I have done the bus tour as well as a tour with an interpreter riding in the car with us.

This 3-CD set with booklet was available in the Visitor Center for around $30.

A field of canons.

The site of the famously ill-fated “Picket’s Charge.”

The driving tour was a strong reminder that wars take place in and around private homes, farms and businesses. 

The Weikert house was used as a battlefield hospital.

Now that I’ve done the three basic ways to tour the park, I can’t really recommend one over the other because they’re all excellent and each may appeal to people for different reasons. I will say, however, that the drive with the interpreter in the car offered the ability to tour at your own pace with the advantage of being able to ask questions and engage in a discussion about the events—a big plus if you are knowledgeable and interested in Civil War history.

The Soldiers’ Monument at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery marks the site of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, given at the dedication ceremony four months after the battle.

Each state that lost soldiers at Gettysburg has a section at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery.

One evening, I took a haunted ghost tour of the former orphanage in downtown Gettysburg. It wasn’t much to rave about but was somewhat entertaining and gave me a little more history of the town.

Orphanages of the time were known for harsh treatment of misbehaving children. This is a hole below the floor used to punish bad little boys and girls.

This tiny alcove in the basement was another punishment space. There was no light and it would be cold and damp sitting on the dirt floor. The tour guide had us get inside and turned the lights out. 

There was a re-enactor encampment near the campground the week I was there. At $20 for parking and entry, it was a bit pricey but I spent quite a bit of time sitting and talking with the man in the tent on the far left of the photo. He was into genealogy and we talked about tracing our family trees.

One day, I took a drive west on US-30 to the Flight 93 National Memorial, the site of the plane crash on September 11, 2001. I’ve been to a lot of hallowed grounds but this is by far the saddest place on earth. I drove two and a half hours to cry and it was worth it.

The entry walk traces the flight path of United Airlines Flight 93 as it came over a hill just before crashing in the field. At the far end is an observation deck to view the memorial below.

The view of the impact site from the observation deck on the hill above. 

At the bottom of the hill, the flight path continues pointing towards the point of impact.

The memorial wall is made up of individual slabs of marble with each passenger’s name. Although they are individuals, they appear to be one solid unit to signify how the passengers came together to fight the terrorists.

The grounds and structures are elegantly designed and manage to be calming despite what happened here. In addition, there is a wonderful museum displaying artifacts and photos that follow the timeline of the events that day—here, and in New York and Washington, DC. As a National Historic Site, it is free to the public and well worth your time if you’re in Western Pennsylvania.

This display in the museum recreates the seats of the plane where visitors can pick up the seat-back phones and listen to recordings left by passengers to their loved ones, knowing they were about to die. No one can listen to these without walking away in tears.

I was never more thankful for a box of tissues. They are placed throughout the exhibit.

The plane hit the ground going more than 500 miles per hour, leaving a crater 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep. The plane disintegrated on impact and most of the pieces of debris recovered could fit in your hand.

The largest piece of of debris was this section of fuselage, measuring only about 6 feet wide. (Investigation photo on display at the museum).

There is usually a talk given by a park service interpreter in an outdoor seating area but it was canceled due to rain the day I visited. I had an opportunity to chat with Bob, a local resident who volunteers at the memorial. He gave me a more personal account of the events and aftermath along with anecdotes about local officials who became part of the investigation. This included the rural community’s funeral director/coroner who was tasked with identifying the remains using DNA.

I had a wonderful talk with Bob Fisher, the local resident volunteer at the memorial.

On a lighter note… on my return drive, I spotted a sign on US-30 directing me a mile down a narrow country road to a lovely covered bridge. Colvin Covered Bridge was built in 1880 and spans Shawnee Creek in Bedford County, PA. It was just what I needed after the emotional visit to the memorial.

Colvin Covered Bridge in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.

US-30 is a great alternative to the interstate for enjoying a drive through the Allegheny Mountains in Western Pennsylvania.

At the end of the week, I met one of my lighthouse photography friends, Michelle, for dinner at the Cracker Barrel off the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mechanicsburg. I love being able to see friends on by travels. Unfortunately, we didn’t think to take a selfie but here’s a photo from our trip to Quebec in 2017.

I took this picture of Michelle on a ferry ride across the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada.

My travel route from West Virginia to Gettysburg and the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Next post:
Summer at the Jersey Shore.