Well, I made it back from Yankeeland in one piece, although I will no longer claim Florida drivers are the worst in the world. Northern Virginia easily has the dumbest drivers I have ever seen.
Anyway, I won't go into a full narrative of the vacation, but I'll throw up just a few of the nearly a hundred pics we got.
The lovely Mrs gorilla at General Lee's headquarters, now a museum on the edge of Gettysburg.
The Dobbin House Restaurant and Tavern, built in 1776 and still open. Easily the best place I have eaten all week.
Mrs gorilla looking out from Little Round Top, only a few feet from where Lt. Col. Chamberlain provided leadership that won him the Congressional Medal of Honor.
The Trostle Farm, nearly smack-dab in the middle of the battlefield, complete with cannonball hole from the battle.
Cannon looking out from Little Round Top onto the "no-man's-land" next to Devil's Den
Devil's Den, looking up to Little Round Top. Here, Texas and Georgia volunteers engaged in a sniper duel with regiments from Maine and several other states. There area in between was, as most of you would immediately recognize, a place inhabited only by the dead or soon-to-be dead. The small stream, Plum Run, cuts the field in half and was the only nearby source of water for either group. It is said that after the second day of battle, this stream ran pink with blood for hours.
A sniper hide in Devil's Den. Many will recognize the picture of this spot, where Matthew Brady posed a Texas or Georgia volunteers body in the crevice for dramatic effect. (original pic added below)
Cannon looking out onto the western portion of the battlefield, from the area where General Longstreet oversaw his corps.
Two mornings, I awoke extra early, in order to slip out onto the field by myself. I felt it the best way to pay homage to men who fought and died here. Alone, in the huge battlefield with my thoughts and the memory of so many men was a bit eerie, but very satisfying. Truly a breathtaking experience.
The Wheatfield, the scene of probably the bloodiest fighting of the battle. A horrifying ordeal by any standard. Two more pics of the Wheatfield below.
Mrs gorilla at the Cashtown Inn. Most of you will probably recognize it from shows on the History Channel. The command staff for the Confederate Army made a great deal of the plans prior to the battle from this very building.
Yes, that's my ugly face in there with Mrs gorilla on the tower overlooking the western portion of the battlefield.
That's all the pics I will post for now, I have many more, but these are the most interesting ones. Enjoy!