GETTYSBURG, PA

The National Park Service again does a wonderful job explaining a variety aspects of the battle which lasted 3 days.  They not only describe the superiority of the Northern cannons but help you find soldiers with their expansive data base and ancestry room.  The films, museum and tours help visitors imagine how the vast battle field appeared for the duration of the fighting.

Things I never knew before about Gettysburg:

The South was actually successfully executing battles prior to Gettysburg.

Location of one's home did not dictate their politics, hence families were sifted out and fought on opposite sides...not every southerner was pro slavery or wanted to leave the union.

Logistics of putting thousands of men and materials in place must have been an exhausting accomplishment.

The Gettysburg Address by Lincoln was given on November 1863, only a few months after the battle in July to commemorate a National Cemetery there.  

Enormous efforts were made to identify the dead, mark burial spots, or send remains home for months afterward...even when it meant searching pockets and packs for a name or letter from a loved one.  One veteran returned several years later only to find that he was mistakenly proclaimed dead and buried there!!

Robert E. Lee's wife was the great grand daughter to George Washington and one of Presidents Nixon's ancestors died at the battle of Gettysburg. (Small American flags are often found at this grave placed by anonymous visitors.)

President Eisenhower retired at Gettysburg, but it is now part of the National Park Service.

I never heard the term Witness Tree.  These are trees that were present during an important historic event and every effort is made to preserve them.

On to CHARLOTTE, NC and surrounding area

Our touring days were at a slower rate for the next few weeks in November.  One of the fun perks of traveling is dropping in on  friends from the past,.... sometimes 40 years in the past!

From Dr. Ken in Massachusetts ...

to Kurt and Cathy in Georgia...

to rallying with Airstream communities all over the country!

Cleveland, SC

Rally potlucks

Hendersonville, NC (just outside of Asheville, NC)

CARL SANDBURG HOME

Sandburg and his wife lived in southern Michigan and he was a newspaper reporter in Chicago. But  Lilian wanted a better environment for her flurishing hobby.....GOATS.

This is the second visit for us to the home and in the past was furnished the way Lilian left it the day she walked away.  However, due to renovations to the home, the rooms were temporarily cleared.  The interior is simple but famous people flocked from all over the world to visit and were given a bed  while spending time with Carl.

After you absorb the historical significance of the home, it is time to visit the motivation for the relocation ...Lilian's prize goats and their decedents.

Volunteers handle the goats and monitor their behavior.
Even small children can visit with the goats.

Yes, I understand,...too many pictures of goats.  This, however, is still a working farm and because of her meticulous recording keeping and breeding practices, it is the living history of the farm.  All the goats here are decedents of the original animals.


Charlotte, NC for November

But we also spent s few days at Kings Mountain, a location for a Revolutionary War battle.  We did have plans to go to Asheville and Dollywood, but the smoke from the fires was too strong.  We would have missed the tragic fires by a week.

Thanksgiving with the entire family for the 1st time in years.

Historic farm at Kings Mountain National Park.

Our beautiful campsite at Kings Mt. especially after doing urban camping in Charlotte.

Myrtle Beach, NC

In early December, we headed to Myrtle Beach, SC for a week staying at Huntington Beach State Park, one of our favorite places for camping on the North Carolina Shore.  It was the former estate of Archer Huntington and Anna Hyatt Huntington.  He was a railroad magnate who was also interested in the arts and his wife was a famous sculptor.  For health reasons, they settled in the area and built Atalaya Castle as a studio and kennel for her dogs.

To call it a castle is a little misleading,  It is a single story square with many room along the perimator for studiosand kennels for her dogs.  It looks in disrepair but it was never elegant in keeping with their simple lifestyle.

A nature area attracts a variety of wildlife.

The continuation of the Huntington property across the road is now Brookgreen Gardens and Sculpture Park which highlights many of Anna's pieces, formal gardens, water features and a rehabilitation zoo with native animals.  We spent an entire day walking, and taking 2 tours given by knowledgable volunteers.

The red carpet is actually floating cranberries.

The gardens are composed of 3 plantations.  The daughter of Aaron Burr, Theodosia Alston, lived here but lost at sea sailing back to New York at age 29.

Strings of lights and 1000 candles aluminate the gardens at Christmas.   Dedicated volunteers start at 4:30 lighting candles for the start of the 5:00 display.

This is one of the most diverse gardens I have ever seen and most of it was designed by Archer Huntington.  Notice the floating lights and also along the back.

Foxy lives here with a few of his friends.






                                 A couple of zoo inmates.

On our way to Savannah, GA for another rally before spending a week on Hilton Head Island

This only looks like a Savannah PUB CRAWL but it is actually a HISTORY CRAWL with  Professor Denny and some of our Airstream friends.

Hilton Head is full of debris piles like this 9 weeks after hurricane Matthew but all the bike paths were clear.  A person can actually bike anywhere on the Island.

Sea Pines lighthouse is the backdrop for the 18th hole of the Heritage Classic. I don't play golf but I guess this is pretty special.

A huge tree in Harbour Town, on the Island that survived the hurricane.

Nothing like a little winter sun on the beach before Christmas!

We loved, loved, loved Hilton Head Island and look forward to a return visit, but never in the summer.  Winter is a perfect time of year with few people and beautiful weather.



TO BE CONTINUED IN SUNNY FLORIDA