A Sunday Drive

Yesterday found us waking up to a mild 70 degree, sunny and beautiful day. We thought to ourselves, "This day cannot be wasted away with studying, chores and watching football," (okay, so maybe I had the football thought - not like I knew any of the teams who would be playing on TV anyway!). After some quick Internet searching, a few printed pages of directions and a packed lunch later, we decided to head off to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. That's right, folks! We hopped in our car and made the 2 hour 45 minute drive southwest to this historical site. Why? Because we can! It is bizarre how close we are to everything important out here, particularly coming from the west coast where trips to places like Gettysburg only happen when you are over here on a 3 week east coast tour/vacation. I had been to Gettysburg before, 11 years ago, with my family, but Brant had never been. I was excited to return and truly appreciate the significant history that awaited us, this time as an adult. :)
If you have never been to Gettysburg, it is truly a sight to behold. As my dad puts it, there is something very sobering and somber about this place. However, those words still do not capture the true essence of this battlefield. I really appreciated being there on a Sunday afternoon in November = no crowds. In addition to this, the trees were half bare of their leaves, creating an atmosphere that could not be beat. As we were going through the park, we both noted that the seasonal change made the place slightly eerie, but appropriately so.
We arrived at the visitors' center at 2:45. We watched the 30 minute film, viewed the incredible circular painting of the war (the largest painting in North America), and visited the museum. We moved sort of quickly through the museum, as we knew we were up against the setting sun and wanted to be sure to get out to the battlefield grounds in time. Here are some pictures to give you a taste of our day...