We were on the road this morning at 11:15 after stopping at the dump station before leaving Gifford Pinchot State Park to empty our tanks.
We had planned on stopping at the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA to tour their brewery – their Black & Tan is one of our favorite beers. We had called the brewery to check on where to park the RV & were told that there was large parking lot nearby that we could park in. Pottsville is a quaint Pennsylvania town with narrow streets once you are off the main roads. We did go by the Yuengling Brewery, but never found a place to park the RV. We ended up driving about 10 blocks through narrow residential streets before we found a cross street that we could turn onto to get back to the main street through town. We’ll have to save the Yuengling tour for another time when we’re not in the RV.
We stopped at Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA to visit their store. Since we were parked there, we decided stay and fix lunch.
We arrived at Silver Valley Campsites in Saylorsburg, PA a little before 6 p.m. – a total of 176 miles from Gifford Pinchot State Park. Silver Valley is a Passport America campground. We’re on site D3. Our front tires are up on blocks & we raised the passenger side up so high that even with putting the extra folding step out it’s still quite a high step up in to the RV.
Showing posts with label Pennsylvania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pennsylvania. Show all posts
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Colonial Complex & York Historical Society
We drove into York this morning to visit the Colonial Complex which consists of the Gates House, Golden Plough Tavern, Bobb Log House, & The Colonial Court House. When we arrived at the Complex we learned that a tour for school children had been scheduled for the 11:00 tour, so we decided to go back to an Irish pub we had seen & have lunch. We drove over to The Harp and Fiddle Irish Pub on North George Street. Mike had the Harp & Fiddle Burger and I had the Classic Reuben - both very good.
We then went to the York County Historical Museum & Library. After viewing the Museum displays, we went into the library to do some genealogical research. Sue's 5th great-grandparents, William & Mary Wethereld Garretson, had lived in York County from the mid 1790's to the early 1800's. We found out that they had been Quakers & had attended a Meeting House only a few miles from Gifford Pinchot State Park. As a matter of fact, we had driven by the Warrington Meeting House on our way to and from Gettysburg yesterday!
We arrived back at the Colonial Complex in time for the 3 p.m. tour. We had nice young lady from the York County Heritage Trust take us on the tour of the buildings. She explained the events & history that took place within the buildings.
The Plough Tavern was built in 1741 (the oldest building in York) and served as a hotel, restaurant & a place to hear the news. It is a medieval-style Germanic half-timber construction, recalling the 18th-century Black Forest.
The Gates House (c. 1751) represents 1778 when General Horatio Gates lived there while the Continental Congress was meeting in York. It was here at General Gates' headquarters that he and Major General Thomas Conway developed a plot to replace George Washington as commander of the Continental Army. The plot became known as the Conway Cabal. The Marquis de LaFayette, the French representative to the American colonies, attended a meeting with the supporters of the Conway Cabal at York. After several toasts had been given, the Marquis stood and said that one toast had been omitted. He decided it was time to show his support of Washington & proposed a toast to the commander-in-chief of the American armies. The conspirators eventually gave up their plot.
The Barnett Bobb House, built of squared timbers, depicts family life during the 1830's.
The Colonial Courthouse is a 1976 reconstruction (the original was torn down in 1841). America was born here at the York Courthouse. During the American Revolution the Second Continental Congress had fled to York for safety. Here they adopted the Articles of Confederation, in which the words "United States of America" first appeared. Congress was in session at York from September 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778 where they adopted our first constitution.
Before we returned to the RV we drove out to the Warrington Meeting House. We weren't able to find any headstones for Garretson ancestors in the cemetery next to the meeting house.
We then went to the York County Historical Museum & Library. After viewing the Museum displays, we went into the library to do some genealogical research. Sue's 5th great-grandparents, William & Mary Wethereld Garretson, had lived in York County from the mid 1790's to the early 1800's. We found out that they had been Quakers & had attended a Meeting House only a few miles from Gifford Pinchot State Park. As a matter of fact, we had driven by the Warrington Meeting House on our way to and from Gettysburg yesterday!
We arrived back at the Colonial Complex in time for the 3 p.m. tour. We had nice young lady from the York County Heritage Trust take us on the tour of the buildings. She explained the events & history that took place within the buildings.
The Plough Tavern was built in 1741 (the oldest building in York) and served as a hotel, restaurant & a place to hear the news. It is a medieval-style Germanic half-timber construction, recalling the 18th-century Black Forest.
The Gates House (c. 1751) represents 1778 when General Horatio Gates lived there while the Continental Congress was meeting in York. It was here at General Gates' headquarters that he and Major General Thomas Conway developed a plot to replace George Washington as commander of the Continental Army. The plot became known as the Conway Cabal. The Marquis de LaFayette, the French representative to the American colonies, attended a meeting with the supporters of the Conway Cabal at York. After several toasts had been given, the Marquis stood and said that one toast had been omitted. He decided it was time to show his support of Washington & proposed a toast to the commander-in-chief of the American armies. The conspirators eventually gave up their plot.
The Barnett Bobb House, built of squared timbers, depicts family life during the 1830's.
The Colonial Courthouse is a 1976 reconstruction (the original was torn down in 1841). America was born here at the York Courthouse. During the American Revolution the Second Continental Congress had fled to York for safety. Here they adopted the Articles of Confederation, in which the words "United States of America" first appeared. Congress was in session at York from September 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778 where they adopted our first constitution.
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| From York, PA |
Before we returned to the RV we drove out to the Warrington Meeting House. We weren't able to find any headstones for Garretson ancestors in the cemetery next to the meeting house.
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| From York, PA |
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Gettysburg National Military Park
This morning we drove down to Gettysburg National Military Park which is about 30 miles south of Gifford Pinchot State Park.
Our first stop was at the new Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center that had just opened in April. There are 12 galleries in the museum with displays & artifacts covering the Gettysburg Campaign, the Civil War, and its causes and consequences. We watched the 22-minute film “A New Birth of Freedom” that shows the sights, sounds and emotions of the battle and the battle’s aftermath. We were unable to visit the Cyclorama Gallery where the Cyclorama painting depicting Pickett’s charge on the final day of the battle is displayed. The painting was still in the process of being restored & wouldn’t be on display until September. We purchased the “Gettysburg Field Guide” at the Bookstore. The booklet includes an Auto Tour Map, an illustrated guidebook about the battle & an audio CD.
After our visit to the museum we got in the car & started on our tour of the battlefield. The audio tour is fantastic. At each of the stops on the tour we learned about the events that occurred there & they were enhanced with music & the sounds of battle. The audio tour was well worth the $20 cost – we had our own tour guide & we could stay as long as we wanted at each stop unlike a regular guided tour where you’re on a schedule.
In July 1863 General George G. Meade & the “Army of the Potomac” with 93,000 troops and General Robert E. Lee & the “Army of Northern Virginia” with 75,000 troops fought for 3 days around Gettysburg. The battle started on July 1 & ended on July 3 in which a total of 5500 were killed & 22,000 were wounded from both sides.
We learned about the battle of Gettysburg in school, but to truly understand & feel the events that happened there you actually have to visit it.
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| From Gettysburg National Military Park |
After our visit to the museum we got in the car & started on our tour of the battlefield. The audio tour is fantastic. At each of the stops on the tour we learned about the events that occurred there & they were enhanced with music & the sounds of battle. The audio tour was well worth the $20 cost – we had our own tour guide & we could stay as long as we wanted at each stop unlike a regular guided tour where you’re on a schedule.
In July 1863 General George G. Meade & the “Army of the Potomac” with 93,000 troops and General Robert E. Lee & the “Army of Northern Virginia” with 75,000 troops fought for 3 days around Gettysburg. The battle started on July 1 & ended on July 3 in which a total of 5500 were killed & 22,000 were wounded from both sides.
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| From Gettysburg National Military Park |
Monday, May 5, 2008
Hershey Chocolate World & Antique Auto Museum
This morning we drove up to Hershey, PA to Hershey's Chocolate World & the Antique Auto Museum.
We went to Hershey's Chocolate World first. There we went on Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour which is an interactive ride (similar to those at Disney World) that took us through the process of making chocolate all the way to the packaged product. We followed the cocoa bean as it went from the tropical rainforest and through the processes that transforms it into chocolate. At the end of our ride we were given samples of Hershey's new candy, Bliss. We stopped by the photo shop to purchase a photo of us that had been taken while we were on the ride.
After our Hershey tour we drove over to the Antique Auto Museum which is about 2 miles away from Hershey's Chocolate World. There we saw vehicles dating from the 1890’s up to the 1970’s.
We saw this 1926 Pierce Arrow touring sedan that chauffeured movie stars from their homes in the Hollywood Hills to Paramount Studios during the 1920’s.
This 1936 Ford Cabriolet was used by Matt Damon in the movie “The Good Shepherd”.
You can view all the photos we took at the Antique Auto Museum in our photo album.
We went to Hershey's Chocolate World first. There we went on Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour which is an interactive ride (similar to those at Disney World) that took us through the process of making chocolate all the way to the packaged product. We followed the cocoa bean as it went from the tropical rainforest and through the processes that transforms it into chocolate. At the end of our ride we were given samples of Hershey's new candy, Bliss. We stopped by the photo shop to purchase a photo of us that had been taken while we were on the ride.
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| From Hershey's Chocolate World |
We saw this 1926 Pierce Arrow touring sedan that chauffeured movie stars from their homes in the Hollywood Hills to Paramount Studios during the 1920’s.
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| From AACA Museum, Hershey, PA |
This 1936 Ford Cabriolet was used by Matt Damon in the movie “The Good Shepherd”.
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| From AACA Museum, Hershey, PA |
You can view all the photos we took at the Antique Auto Museum in our photo album.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Gifford Pinchot State Park
Gifford Pinchot State Park is named in honor of Governor Gifford Pinchot. He was born in 1865 to a wealthy family. He graduated from Yale University & went to France where he trained in forestry - the first American to do so. Pinchot, a friend of President Theodore Roosevelt, was named Chief Forester of the U. S. Forestry Division and served from 1898 to 1910. The policies he created are still help guide the national and state forests today.
Gifford Pinchot was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 1922 & elected to a second term in 1930. He set up work camps in the state during the Great Depression that would become models for President Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps. He campaigned for political reform and was progressive in his thinking. He was the first governor to have 2 women in his cabinet.
During World War II he developed a water gathering device and fishing kits for navy life rafts.
Gifford Pinchot died in 1946 of leukemia. Gifford Pinchot State Park was dedicated in 1961.
Gifford Pinchot was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 1922 & elected to a second term in 1930. He set up work camps in the state during the Great Depression that would become models for President Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps. He campaigned for political reform and was progressive in his thinking. He was the first governor to have 2 women in his cabinet.
During World War II he developed a water gathering device and fishing kits for navy life rafts.
Gifford Pinchot died in 1946 of leukemia. Gifford Pinchot State Park was dedicated in 1961.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Saturday's chores
Today we had laundry to do so we drove 8 miles in towards York to the White Dove Laundromat. Once that was done we drove 2 more miles to a Panera Bread Cafe to wifi & catch up on our e-mail & do our banking online. The wifi is free, but we always at least have coffee while we're there.
Even though we stopped at Wal-Mart yesterday for groceries, we went to Giant Foods across from Panera Bread to get some more groceries. We stopped at a Sheetz gas station & filled up the tank in the Vue - $3.559 a gallon.
I don't normally go into detail about our normal housekeeping chores, but by the time we got back to the RV we had driven 22 miles round trip today.
Even though we stopped at Wal-Mart yesterday for groceries, we went to Giant Foods across from Panera Bread to get some more groceries. We stopped at a Sheetz gas station & filled up the tank in the Vue - $3.559 a gallon.
I don't normally go into detail about our normal housekeeping chores, but by the time we got back to the RV we had driven 22 miles round trip today.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Harley-Davidson Operations, York, PA
We drove over to the Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations Factory in York (http://www.harley-davidson.com/) this morning to go on their factory tour (the tour is free). The York facility is Harley-Davidson's largest manufacturing operation; about half of their production employees work here. The York facility is on more than 230 acres and is over 1.5 million square feet in size. The factory operates around the clock assembling their Touring & Softail models, as well as producing limited, factory-custom motorcycles.
We watched the introductory movie, then picked up our safety goggles & headsets. The usual tour take you to the Touring production line, but it was not in operation that day. So we got on a bus & were taken over to the Softail production facility which is not normally open for tours. The tour lasted about an hour and because of the headsets we were able to hear the tour guide. We watched hydraulic presses form sheets of metal into fuel tanks, fenders, and tailpipes. The motorcycles travel by conveyor to different work stations for attachment of parts and assembly. They use state-of-the-art technology and ergonomically designed equipment to assist the employees in assembly. Each employee enters their code (it contains their personal info such as height) at their work station. Then as the conveyor reaches the employee's station, it's height is adjusted up or down according to the height of the employee. That way the employee can attach the parts to the motorcycle without having to bend, stoop or stretch. Once the motorcycles are assembled they go to the roll-test booth, where they are placed on rollers and "driven" at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Finally, the motorcycle is wrapped in plastic and crated by a robot.
After the tour was over we returned to the Vaughn L. Beals Tour Center where the gift shop is and where current production motorcycles are on display & anyone can sit on them. We saw some nice 2009 models that haven't been sent to dealerships yet.
We stopped at an Olive Garden for lunch, got gas in the Vue (paid $3.559 a gallon) & then bought groceries at Wal-Mart Supercenter in York before driving the 14 miles back to Gifford Pinchot State Park.
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| From Harley-Davidson, York, PA |
We watched the introductory movie, then picked up our safety goggles & headsets. The usual tour take you to the Touring production line, but it was not in operation that day. So we got on a bus & were taken over to the Softail production facility which is not normally open for tours. The tour lasted about an hour and because of the headsets we were able to hear the tour guide. We watched hydraulic presses form sheets of metal into fuel tanks, fenders, and tailpipes. The motorcycles travel by conveyor to different work stations for attachment of parts and assembly. They use state-of-the-art technology and ergonomically designed equipment to assist the employees in assembly. Each employee enters their code (it contains their personal info such as height) at their work station. Then as the conveyor reaches the employee's station, it's height is adjusted up or down according to the height of the employee. That way the employee can attach the parts to the motorcycle without having to bend, stoop or stretch. Once the motorcycles are assembled they go to the roll-test booth, where they are placed on rollers and "driven" at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Finally, the motorcycle is wrapped in plastic and crated by a robot.
After the tour was over we returned to the Vaughn L. Beals Tour Center where the gift shop is and where current production motorcycles are on display & anyone can sit on them. We saw some nice 2009 models that haven't been sent to dealerships yet.
We stopped at an Olive Garden for lunch, got gas in the Vue (paid $3.559 a gallon) & then bought groceries at Wal-Mart Supercenter in York before driving the 14 miles back to Gifford Pinchot State Park.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Front Royal, VA to Gifford Pinchot State Park, PA
We left North Fork Resort this morning a little before 11 a.m. Mike usually has me direct him when pulling out of a campsite, but he said we had plenty of room. We both forgot about the fire ring on the site left of the RV. Long story short, Mike drove over the fire ring & it ended up getting stuck between the exhaust pipe and the rear wheel - we couldn't drive forward or backward. A campground worker came by & tried to dig around the fire ring with a shovel so he could pull it out with his truck; but it was lodged too tightly. I suggested raising the driver side & seeing if they could pull the fire ring out. I put the jacks down & raised the right side enough that the fire ring could be pulled out with the truck. Then we connected the Vue to the hitch & we were on the road.
We stopped at the Flying J at Clear Brook, VA for gas ($3.459 a gallon) & propane ($3.199). We left I-81 then & took US-340 east towards Frederick, MD. We found a large parking lot by a closed business in Charles Town, WV where we could park & fix lunch. In Frederick we took US-15 north until it connected with US-30 north of Gettysburg, then US-30 to SR-74 near York, PA & then up here to Gifford Pinchot State Park. Gifford Pinchot is about 12 miles NNW of York, PA.
We're in site #244 & we have 50 amp service. We stopped at a water spigot (across from site #242) down the road to fill up our fresh water tank before going to our site. Site #244 is a back in with an asphalt drive & a gravel pad. We are able to get satellite TV, but it is a weak signal.
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| From North Fork RV Resort |
We stopped at the Flying J at Clear Brook, VA for gas ($3.459 a gallon) & propane ($3.199). We left I-81 then & took US-340 east towards Frederick, MD. We found a large parking lot by a closed business in Charles Town, WV where we could park & fix lunch. In Frederick we took US-15 north until it connected with US-30 north of Gettysburg, then US-30 to SR-74 near York, PA & then up here to Gifford Pinchot State Park. Gifford Pinchot is about 12 miles NNW of York, PA.
We're in site #244 & we have 50 amp service. We stopped at a water spigot (across from site #242) down the road to fill up our fresh water tank before going to our site. Site #244 is a back in with an asphalt drive & a gravel pad. We are able to get satellite TV, but it is a weak signal.
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| From Gifford Pinchot State Park |
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