by Will Wallace
Friday 11th April 2014
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| Coach journey to Harpers Ferry |
We had to get downstairs and onto our coach by 0830,
which meant quickly packing our bags, as well as going through the normal
morning routine. Luckily, we managed to leave DC with all our kit intact (which,
for me, was quite an achievement!). The trip to Harpers Ferry National Park
lasted a good two hours, which most ended up sleeping through in order to
make up for the early start.
When we arrived we were greeted by Tom, one of the park
rangers, who sent us on a fact-finding mission through the various museums that
lined the street. This was followed by a quiz, with teams including "The
Three Musketeers & Dog", "Blood Hand Phin & the Mötley
Crew" and "Team With No Name". Questions focused on the history
of the site, which saw industrial growth, presidential visits, supplies for the
Lewis and Clark Expedition, a civil war, one of the first integrated schools in
the country and record high flooding due to its situation at the confluence of
the Potamac and Shenondoah rivers.
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| Harpers Ferry |
We were given time to grab lunch in the town of Harpers
Ferry before catching our coach to Gettysburg. For most, this was a simple
task. For myself and the other members of "Blood Hand Phin & the
Mötley Crew", this meant sitting outside a bar and grill, waiting a crazy
amount of time for the food to appear. When it did, we had three minutes till
the coach was due to leave - the other diners must have thought we were utter
animals, given the speed we got through our burgers!
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| Gettysburg |
Gettysburg is a massive site, so we were quite pleased to
learn that we'd be driving around for most of our guided tour. Our guide had an
incredible amount of knowledge and taught us, in depth, about the three days
that were fought at Gettysburg: an event which, initially, Union and
Confederate military leaders had tried to avoid - it turned out to be the
bloodiest battle of that four-year conflict. Scattered around the battlefield
were memorials to divisions from each state, and we hopped off the coach to
observe these and other important areas.
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| The Eternal Kight Peace Memorial (shaft made from Alabama limestone, base from Maine granite - symbolising unity) |
From Gettsburg, we drove on to Philadelphia, the journey lasting
a painful couple of hours, napping in an uncomfortable position. It was
immediately clear that Philadelphia is markedly more busy than DC, with heavier
traffic and taller buildings making for the city atmosphere that we had
expected of America. We waved goodbye to Joe, our faithful coach driver for the
day, and unpacked at the Holiday Inn where we would spend the night. Our rom
has a nice view of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, an icon of the city, and (more
importantly) an en suite bathroom.
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| Supper in Philly |
Mr Lemieux found us a cracking restaurant for supper,
where pizza was on the menu. We made our way back to the hotel for get some
shut-eye. Though it's not a problem that we have to share double beds, I've
found that there are some snorers on this trip... Last day of the trip
tomorrow, and a visit to the birthplace of the United States.
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