Best 150th Anniversary

I'm going to set my catching up aside for a post to talk about an important adventure from last week . . .

Day One:

Less than 24 hours after returning from Berlin I was in a car headed for Gettysburg for its 150th Anniversary with Jeff, Chaunte and Eric.  We did not get there in time for Little Roundtop, but we made it in time for our ghost tour.  

A shadow that looks something like Abraham Lincoln doesn't exactly count as a ghost.

Day Two:

Started out the morning of the 3rd with breakfast at our beloved Lincoln Diner.

He-Man Breakfasts all around!

We severely underestimated the line for the shuttle bus to the battlefield.

Hid from the rain for a bit in the museum,

Finally saw the Cyclotron.

And then headed for the Pickett's Charge commemoration.

These reenactors were throwing a fit over thinking they had missed the charge.

I was conscripted to march with the Virginian Confederates.

It was quite the march,

Our numbers were not few.

We arrived at Union lines under far more peaceable conditions than what was going on in that exact spot at that exact time 150 years ago.  I have to admit I shook my head at the thought of all those poor souls, I am glad I did not have to do the real Pickett's Charge.  And that, dear Reader, is quite the understatement.

Back to the museum for a bit

To rehydrate in the saloon.

Day Three:

First, something you should know about our hotel--there was a pool and our room had a microwave on the floor.

Started the day with McDonalds breakfast.

Oh what's this?

Just a few townsfolk stopping by for a traditional Civil War breakfast?

We returned to the battlefield for a bit and checked out one of the watchtowers.

It had fine views, like this

And this.  LOL!  jk, jk!

Then drove over to Little Roundtop.

And Devil's Den.

And then we drove in the superlong procession of cars to the big four-day reenactment festival taking place on a farm outside of town.

We arrived in the middle of one of the battles.  They were firing cannons like crazy.

And then it was grounds-exploring time.

I've always got an eye out for anachronistic tech moments.

Pickel, parasol, patriotism.

This $5 burger saved my life.

Battlecats.

You absolutely can't tell from the photo but they had a demonstration where they were firing mortars with real (non-exploding) balls.  It was really something to watch them fire high up in the air and then come falling down to the earth.  I tell you I would not like it if I had to watch one of those balls headed for me, especially if I knew it was going to be bursting in air.

Over to the encampments.

Oh look at these guys.

We found where they were keeping all the horses.  They said there were 150 horses there, I'd never been in the middle of so many horses before.

I don't know if this water was meant for just the reanactors or what but it saved some lives.

And then we were off,

Spent a minute in downtown Gettysburg,

And on the way home we took a fireworks pitstop in some New Jersey town and borrowed their community show.  It was great.

Recommended Additional Reading: This post about our 2008 trip to Gettysburg.