“Places We Have Been and Where You Should Go Too”
That’s probably enough for now.
Barry & Joyce
As most of you know I am a really like visiting places that have had a large impact on American history. One time in our history that I like to study is the American Civil War and specifically the battles that took place during that time. No other battlefield is more iconic than the one that took place at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Joyce and I toured the Gettysburg National Battlefield in September 2012 while on our way to Boston, Massachusetts. On recommendations form friends we hired a tour guide who went along with us in our truck and will drive your vehicle if you like. Joyce and I highly recommend you hire a guide as well. Our guide Erick brought the three days of July 1, 2 and 3, 1863 to life with his extensive knowledge of the battle.
Some of the highlights of the tour were:
The area where the battle first started on the morning of July 1st. Erick outlined where the Northern and Southern Army's were located and how they were used on that first morning. He also told us that all the battle monuments in the Battlefield are places so that the fronts face the enemy.
- The Eternal Peace Memorial. This is the only memorial in the park that is dedicated to peace.
- The North Carolina Memorial. From this area General Robert E. Lee ordered the attack on July 3rd against the Union forces commanded by Army of the Potomac General George Meade and which became known as Pickett's Charge.
- The Virginia Memorial. Here you will find the famous statue of Gen. Lee mounted on this favorite horse, Traveller. A mile straight across the battlefield and inline with Gen. Lee stands the statue of Gen. Meade.
- After driving through The Peach Orchard and The Wheatfield, we made our way up the hill passing Big Round Top to Little Round Top. This is where Union Brigadier General Gouverneur Warren, Meade's chief engineer alerted Union officers to the Confederate threat and brought Federal reinforcements to defend this position.
- The Pennsylvania Memorial.
- High Water Mark. From here Meade's army defended against Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. This was the climatic moment of the battle. On July 4th, Lee's army began retreating.
You really need more than one day to see all the area has to offer. In fact, I wish we had planned to stay for at least a week.
While in the Gettysburg area you will also want to visit:
- Battlefield Museum and experienced the Gettysburg Cyclorama.
- The Soldiers National Cemetery.
- General and President Dwight David and Mamie Doud Eisenhower's home.
Joyce and I stayed at the Artillery Ridge Camping Resort that was very nice. Using our Passport America discount the rate was under $30 a day, very reasonable for the area.
March 21, 2017
The weather here in the Central Valley has been going crazy today. In all my time living and visiting this area of California today is the first time that I can remember seeing tornado warnings posted.
March 26, 2017
We had a really nice visit with my mother and two of my brothers. We didn’t do too much, just relaxed and enjoyed being together. We did go out to dinner a couple of times, one place being Me-N-Ed’s Pizzeria. The first pizza I ever ate was at one of the original locations on Blackstone Ave. in Fresno back in 1958. That’s been a while ago folks.
Yesterday we hooked up and headed up Hwy 99 to the Lodi Elks Lodge that is actually located just north of Lodi in Woodbridge, CA. They have 11 RV parking sites with 30/50 amp electric and water hookups. After getting setup we walked over to the lodge and had a couple of adult beverages. For you traveling Elks, this lodge takes reservations.
On the way up we stopped at a Valero truck stop near Chowchilla to top-off of our fuel tank. The $2.70 a gallon that we paid wasn’t too bad considering we are in the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia where everything is cost more.
March 27, 2017
We left Lodi about 9:30, jumped on Hwy 12 headed to the Calistoga RV Park in Calistoga in the Napa Valley. Every time we get on that highway I swear it will the last time but, we did it again anyway. This is one of the roughest and hard to drive highways in the state and it just gets worse every year. But, the alternative after leaving Lodi is to go up through Sacramento which adds a bunch of time. OK, one more time. I am never going up Hwy 12 again!
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had discovered a new part of my family a while back that I didn’t know existed. My GGG Grandfather, William Enoch York Senior was born in the territory that became Alabama back in 1790 and died at Ider, DeKalb County, Alabama in 1883. One of his sons and my GGG Grand Uncle John, was born in Grainger County, Tennessee on 15 June 1820. In April 1845 John left Dade County, Missouri, with the Captain John Grigsby’s company bound for California in a wagon train. He arrived in what was to become the Napa Valley later in the year.
As many of y’all know Joyce grew up in Saint Helena, California and low and behold, John and many of his descendants are buried in the Saint Helena Public Cemetery. The cemetery association has mapped the cemetery and posted a list of those buried there, including their grave locations with the date of burial. So this morning armed with my camera, computer and lists that I downloaded, I headed over there to do some exploring.
It didn’t take me long to find the grave of John, his wife Lucinda Hudson and several of his children along with other descendants. I took a lot of pictures of gravestones that I will be posting on FindAGrave.com soon. Read more about John here: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5698851 In that article about John and his wife on the page, the writer talks about the Bear Flag War (Revolt). Read about that here: http://www.history.com/topics/bear-flag-revolt. Here is more about the California State Flag: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_California
Joyce and I toured the Gettysburg National Battlefield in September 2012 while on our way to Boston, Massachusetts. On recommendations form friends we hired a tour guide who went along with us in our truck and will drive your vehicle if you like. Joyce and I highly recommend you hire a guide as well. Our guide Erick brought the three days of July 1, 2 and 3, 1863 to life with his extensive knowledge of the battle.
Some of the highlights of the tour were:
The area where the battle first started on the morning of July 1st. Erick outlined where the Northern and Southern Army's were located and how they were used on that first morning. He also told us that all the battle monuments in the Battlefield are places so that the fronts face the enemy.
- The Eternal Peace Memorial. This is the only memorial in the park that is dedicated to peace.
- The North Carolina Memorial. From this area General Robert E. Lee ordered the attack on July 3rd against the Union forces commanded by Army of the Potomac General George Meade and which became known as Pickett's Charge.
- The Virginia Memorial. Here you will find the famous statue of Gen. Lee mounted on this favorite horse, Traveller. A mile straight across the battlefield and inline with Gen. Lee stands the statue of Gen. Meade.
- After driving through The Peach Orchard and The Wheatfield, we made our way up the hill passing Big Round Top to Little Round Top. This is where Union Brigadier General Gouverneur Warren, Meade's chief engineer alerted Union officers to the Confederate threat and brought Federal reinforcements to defend this position.
- The Pennsylvania Memorial.
- High Water Mark. From here Meade's army defended against Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. This was the climatic moment of the battle. On July 4th, Lee's army began retreating.
You really need more than one day to see all the area has to offer. In fact, I wish we had planned to stay for at least a week.
While in the Gettysburg area you will also want to visit:
- Battlefield Museum and experienced the Gettysburg Cyclorama.
- The Soldiers National Cemetery.
- General and President Dwight David and Mamie Doud Eisenhower's home.
Joyce and I stayed at the Artillery Ridge Camping Resort that was very nice. Using our Passport America discount the rate was under $30 a day, very reasonable for the area.
March 21, 2017
The weather here in the Central Valley has been going crazy today. In all my time living and visiting this area of California today is the first time that I can remember seeing tornado warnings posted.
March 26, 2017
We had a really nice visit with my mother and two of my brothers. We didn’t do too much, just relaxed and enjoyed being together. We did go out to dinner a couple of times, one place being Me-N-Ed’s Pizzeria. The first pizza I ever ate was at one of the original locations on Blackstone Ave. in Fresno back in 1958. That’s been a while ago folks.
Yesterday we hooked up and headed up Hwy 99 to the Lodi Elks Lodge that is actually located just north of Lodi in Woodbridge, CA. They have 11 RV parking sites with 30/50 amp electric and water hookups. After getting setup we walked over to the lodge and had a couple of adult beverages. For you traveling Elks, this lodge takes reservations.
On the way up we stopped at a Valero truck stop near Chowchilla to top-off of our fuel tank. The $2.70 a gallon that we paid wasn’t too bad considering we are in the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia where everything is cost more.
March 27, 2017
We left Lodi about 9:30, jumped on Hwy 12 headed to the Calistoga RV Park in Calistoga in the Napa Valley. Every time we get on that highway I swear it will the last time but, we did it again anyway. This is one of the roughest and hard to drive highways in the state and it just gets worse every year. But, the alternative after leaving Lodi is to go up through Sacramento which adds a bunch of time. OK, one more time. I am never going up Hwy 12 again!
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had discovered a new part of my family a while back that I didn’t know existed. My GGG Grandfather, William Enoch York Senior was born in the territory that became Alabama back in 1790 and died at Ider, DeKalb County, Alabama in 1883. One of his sons and my GGG Grand Uncle John, was born in Grainger County, Tennessee on 15 June 1820. In April 1845 John left Dade County, Missouri, with the Captain John Grigsby’s company bound for California in a wagon train. He arrived in what was to become the Napa Valley later in the year.
As many of y’all know Joyce grew up in Saint Helena, California and low and behold, John and many of his descendants are buried in the Saint Helena Public Cemetery. The cemetery association has mapped the cemetery and posted a list of those buried there, including their grave locations with the date of burial. So this morning armed with my camera, computer and lists that I downloaded, I headed over there to do some exploring.
It didn’t take me long to find the grave of John, his wife Lucinda Hudson and several of his children along with other descendants. I took a lot of pictures of gravestones that I will be posting on FindAGrave.com soon. Read more about John here: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5698851 In that article about John and his wife on the page, the writer talks about the Bear Flag War (Revolt). Read about that here: http://www.history.com/topics/bear-flag-revolt. Here is more about the California State Flag: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_California
Had to throw a picture of Travis. Growing like a weed.
That’s probably enough for now.
Barry & Joyce
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