Category: Gettysburg

Gettysburg in the Snow

By on • ( 1 Comment )

We had set today aside to spend visiting Gettysburg for a more in depth look than we had back in June.  Even though yesterday’s snow storm caused some of the roads on the Battlefield Tour to be closed, we had a good visit.  The Visitor’s Center and Museum is very well done and it’s easy to spend a couple hours seeing just part of it.

Tomorrow we head to Shenandoah National Park and will do the Skyline Drive, hoping to see more fall colors and even some wildlife.

Photos from today:

What’s All That White Stuff??? *&%#@*

By on • ( 2 Comments )

This photo is from our drive yesterday through New Hampshire, and into Connecticut.  We never did see a Moose.

We had a light dusting of snow, but it was nice and sunny – a pleasant drive.  That was yesterday – Friday.  Today was a different story.

As we passed this ski resort, Lou made the comment, “you wouldn’t want to miss the turn at the bottom of the trail …”

We spent the night in Waterbury, Connecticut, and headed out this morning at about 9am – it was cold, but not snowing.

It was clear, but slightly overcast as we passed through Poughkeepsie, NY.

After crossing the Pennsylvania border, we started to see these “Storm Warning Signs”

They weren’t kidding … it started to snow heavily.  The temperature was showing 32 (F) outside the car, and then it dropped to 30.

Snow plows were out, and most people were driving slowly – with the exception of the occasional wild Canadian (or New Yorker, or name any other state – we saw it today).  The road was okay as long as it was straight, and you didn’t try to zip across the slush – we probably averaged 30mph for several hours.  Here’s a photo of one of the jack-knifed trucks we saw – along with numerous cars  spun out into the median and sides of the road:

This is about the time we started the conversation about how to make sure we were in All Wheel Drive, or 4-Wheel Drive, when we remembered the Toyota is only front wheel drive.  Oops, that’s right – last snow storm we were in we had a rental SUV – with 4-wheel drive!

We thought we were almost out of it, when traffic came to a standstill for almost 30 minutes.  Here’s the culprit – a tree down on the interstate.  We later heard on the news that downed trees were a real issue because they still had their leaves, and this snow was wet and heavy.

It snowed heavily all the way into Gettysburg, and our closest call came when a car spun out in front of us on the entrance ramp to the Turnpike.  But, Lou remained calm and got us through the day safe and sound.  We’re scheduled to stay in Gettysburg tomorrow, and things look better for later in the week, so we’ll watch closely and modify our travel plans if need be.  (My brother did point out that the objective of being a Snowbird is to get South BEFORE the snow hits!)

If it’s Tuesday, We Must be in Bangor

By on • ( 1 Comment )

First, and most important, news of the day. Grandma is SAFE!  Jeanette called earlier today to say she enjoyed her stay in the hotel last night, and had arrived safely in Pennsylvania. Whew, we were glad to get that news.

We stopped at Dos Amigos for lunch on the way home from the airport trip yesterday.  It’s about 20 minutes from Camden, and boasts AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD. Finally! Well, of course, people in Maine might have a different interpretation of just what constitutes authentic Mexican Food. As we entered the restaurant, we raised our eyebrows at the distinctly Key West / Caribbean decor with Jimmy Buffet playing on the loudspeaker. Nothing ventured – nothing gained. We enjoyed our fish tacos and pulled pork burrito – served with Spanish style rice and Cuban black beans. But, sadly not authentic (at least by our standards).  We have another place to try, but don’t have high hopes for anything to match up to memories of our favorite CA and AZ Mexican restaurants.

Here are some more photos from our Road Trip to Bangor and back yesterday (Warning – I got a bit carried away with the processing on this batch – I enjoy playing with Photo Shop and digital painting techniques.  Lou sometimes finds this annoying, but mostly humors me).

  • Lou’s Favorite – Blueberries!
  • Not sure what this is – at the Marina Store
  • Antique Store
  • An old wagon
  • More Losters!
  • Old House in the Fog
  • Dos Amigos Decor
  • Our favorite beer (skipped today)
  • Highest Tide of the Year

The last photo in the gallery shows how high the tide was when we arrived back at the Marina yesterday – one of the highest tide levels of the year.  Living with Maine’s daily tide shifts of 11-12 ft takes some getting used to, especially after Florida.  Trust me – you don’t want to be carrying groceries or laundry up and down the ramp from the dock to the parking lot when the tide is at its lowest point.