Western Pennsylvania

Yesterday I traveled from Bedford, Pennsylvania to Canton, Ohio.  The morning hours were nice, but the afternoon was full of rain.  Here are some pictures from the day...

LH Mural on barn

Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, PA.  This is where the passengers fought the terrorists on September 11 and they didn't make it to Washington.  The plane crashed just to the left, and is marked by a boulder.

The Compass Inn, an old stagecoach
stop still in operation for travelers

Lincoln Highway Museum closed on Sunday

As I approached Pittsburgh, I stopped for something to eat at the most unusual McDonald's I had ever seen.  The man who developed the Big Mac sandwich was the owner of this restaurant, and he is saluted here with a "Big Mac Museum."  There were all types of displays, but it was also a working McDonalds.

The afternoon was rainy.  I was trying to explore downtown Pittsburgh when the weather hit.  They had a festival going on at the forks of the rivers where the Ohio River is formed; also, the Pirates were playing the Brewers, so traffic was pretty bad.  I spent the rest of the day negotiating the mountain roads in cloudy and drizzly condtions, so I didn't do much sightseeing.  Was glad to get to Canton, Ohio, for some rest.

Along the LHHC to Gettysburg

From Lancaster, PA, I followed what is called the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor.  This is a 200-mile stretch which has an organization that works VERY hard to promote the Highway and its attractions.  Near Hallum, where a HUGE city-wide yard sale was going on, I saw the Haines Shoe House.  This architectural oddity was built by a fellow trying to advertise his shoe store.



My next stop was the Gettysburg National Battlefield Park, where a critical battle of the Civil War took place.  The town is literally surrounded by the battlefield, which just goes on and on almost as far as you can see in any direction.  There are monuments everywhere, but there are also many interpretive markers to help you understand what you're seeing.  I started at the visitor center, where I saw a great film and a beautiful Cyclorama painting of Pickett's Charge.  I then began the auto tour with its 16 official stops.  For a history lover like me, it was awesome!

General Lee mounted on Traveller

North Carolina soldiers monument

After leaving Gettysburg, I continued on the Lincoln Highway westward into the Allegheny Mountains.  All along the way, the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor has exhibits such as painted gas pumps, historical markers, signs, giant sculptures, and murals to help make the drive more entertaining and to remind you of the Highway's history.

Philadelphia and Westward

I started yesterday morning in Princeton, NJ (the university is there).  One of its most famous citizens was Grover Cleveland, who eventually served as both governor of New York and (twice) President of the United States.  Cleveland, his wife Frances (who he married in the White House; she was MUCH younger), and their daughter Ruth (the Baby Ruth was named for her) are all buried in the Princeton Cemetery.  It is owned by a Presbyterian Church, and it is also the burial place of Aaron Burr.

Ooooo!  Bright sun!

Room where the documents were
signed.  Georgia sat WAY over
on the right (only corner of table visible)

I then said goodbye to New Jersey and drove down into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  While following the old Lincoln Highway in Trenton, NJ, I had to cross into Pennsylvania on a cool old steel bridge that was so incredibly narrow that two lanes of traffic would barely fit onto it.  You make a hard left onto the bridge, then feel like you could easily touch the oncoming traffic (speed limit 15 mph) or the pedestrians to your right on the other side of a handrail.  Quite an experience!  In Philadelphia, I visited Independence Park, which includes the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.  The guide showed me the table where the Georgia delegation sat during the adoption of the Declaration.  I also saw Benjamin Franklin's grave and a Thomas Jefferson exhibit that included one of his drafts of the Declaration and the cool desk where he wrote it.

Amish farmer using horses/mules to
pull farm equipment

Wheatland

In the hills west of Phlly is Lancaster County.  This is where the Pennsylvania Dutch live.  They are a collection of Amish and Mennonite people who live very simple, rural lives.  I stopped at Dutch Haven bakery for some Shoo-Fly Pie (a guy with whom I worked in Savannah introduced me to this).  Following my snack, I located Wheatland, the estate of President James Buchanan.  Buchanan was Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams, then served as President just before the Civil War.  He is not considered to have been a very successful Chief Executive, but he was faced with some pretty big problems.  After finding a room for the night, I drove into Lancaster for supper.  On the roads, I saw several Amish teenagers riding bicycles in that direction, and I also saw 5 or 6 of the black horse buggies for which they are known (It was Friday night, and most of these were being driven by high school or college-aged kids).  When I turned onto some of the side roads, where I drove across a covered bridge, I also noticed that these roads smelled like the streets of downtown Savannah (with all the horse carriages).  The wheels on the carriages also scratched the surface of the road in a unique way.  Somebody was flying hot-air balloons over the countryside; I guess to take tourists up to look at the Amish country.