Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.
The Dude standing by a replica of Lady Liberty’s face.
Before Lady Liberty stood proudly on it, Liberty Island was a star-shaped Fort Wood.
Mr. Man with one big foot!
She has a copper shell about the same thickness as a penny and is 151 feet tall.
There’s a great museum that details how, when, where and who built the Statue of Liberty. We didn’t make it all the way up to the crown. There are only a certain number of people allowed in the crown per day and I didn’t get ours reserved in time.
I checked mid April and they were sold out util mid August. Bummer. We did get to go up into the pedestal! It was crowded and the view wasn’t much different than the view you get on the ground.
We also stopped at Ellis Island.
The boys did the Junior Ranger booklets at both Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The books were different, but the badges were the same. That’s ok…we always learn so much more when the boys go through the Junior Ranger booklets!
The Registry Room around 1912
Millions of Americans can claim ancestors who came through the doors of Ellis Island.
The Registry Room present day.
For over two decades thousands of immigrants (sometimes over 5,ooo in one day) went through The Registry Room.
America propaganda at Ellis Island
There’s a really great museum that details not only the buildings on Ellis Island, but also the struggles of the immigrants to get to Ellis Island and then their struggles once they reached America.
Personal items from immigrants
Some of the displays even have actual items that immigrants brought with them on their journey to the U.S.
Sign in Ellis Island museum
My favorite things at the museum though, were all of the stories. The quotes of what the immigrants thought and/or felt.
Hospital side of Ellis Island
I didn’t realize how big Ellis Island is. You’re only allowed to roam around half the island. You have to be on a special tour to see the hospital side. I would love to do the tour and have already started working on talking Jerl into going back some day to see the rest of Ellis Island.
The view of Ellis Island and Liberty Island from the ferry. Of the two islands…Ellis was my favorite.
So…my only gripe about this is the price of the ferry. There’s only one way to get to the islands and it’s Statue Island Cruises. Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty are both National Parks…they belong to the people…the price of the ferry to see them shouldn’t cost a family of five almost $100. At first I thought maybe that’s just how much ferry rides cost there, but we took a different ferry while in NYC and it only cost us $30 to basically go the same distance. It’s sad how some companies take advantage of people.
All in all, we had a great day! We learned so much and the boys earned another badge!
We spent several weeks in Pennsylvania near Jerl’s office. It was weird staying in one spot for so long.
We finally saw some amazing weather! I took full advantage of the sun and spent some mornings reading outside.
Yup, that’s a horse! The place next to the RV park had several horses that they rode every day. Watching the horses was one of my favorite things about this park.
We found a great farm that sold raw milk!
They had several different animals that we could walk around and see. Look how big those dairy cows are!!
They sold milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese,
sweets (we bought a couple) …and ice cream!
We also found a great meat market. The raise everything they sell.
You could get pretty much anything pickled.
Our favorite thing there was the bacon!
We got to spend time with some of our friends and their families at an office get together! It was so great seeing everyone!
Over the past year we’ve learned that different states have their foodie thing. In Alaska it was coffee…there were coffee shops everywhere! In New Mexico it was chilies…they even put them in their desserts. Well, in Pennsylvania it’s pizza! Guys…we ate soooo much pizza!!! And it was all from mom and pop places! I’ll leave it up to Littlest to give you all of the tasty details!
We were only about an hour away from Trenton, NJ so we stopped by the New Jersey State Capitol Building on our way to Philly one morning.
Check out that dome!
We didn’t get to look around the inside of the building. You have to be on a guided tour in order to gain access to any of the State Capitol Building rooms, but there were a couple of super nice security guards that walked us to the dome so I could get a picture of it. That was seriously nice of them.
Flowers,
flowers,
and more flowers! How gorgeous is the white vine?!
We get it Pennsylvania…you’re kind of awesome…we’ll be back!
We spent a day roaming around Philadelphia and learning some history.
Independence Hall is called “the birthplace of America”.
We did a walking tour of historic Philly. Of the thirty three places on the tour, we only made it to seventeen. One of the best things about it…it was all free!
Independence Hall
If you ever make it to Independence Hall make sure you grab a ticket at the visitor center first thing or you might not get to see the room where the Declaration of Independence was created and signed. We snuck in on the second to last tour of the day. Most of what you see in the photo above isn’t original…it’s been a long time…but the chair at the top was there when our country was born.
It’s not a LOVE statute…but it’ll do.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is in Washington Park. The tomb honors both George Washington and an unknown soldier from the Revolutionary War.
The Merchants’ Exchange is the oldest stock exchange building in the United States. The road in front of it is cobblestone and there are lion statues on each side protecting the stairs.
We all know the story of The Liberty Bell, but did you know it weighs about 2,ooo pounds?
Carpenters’ Hall was built in 1770 and is where the First Continental Congress met to draw up a Declaration of Rights and Grievances and an appeal to King George III after the British Parliament punished Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.
Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster General in 1775.
The Christ Church Burial Ground is the final resting place for some of America’s most prominent leaders…including Benjamin Franklin. When we got there the gate was already closed but we caught a glimpse of Franklin’s grave through the fence.
Did you know that the National Park Service has trading cards? You have to ask the Ranger’s for them and they won’t always just give them to you…the boys were quizzed for each card.
A LOVE statue! We looked all over for the LOVE statue, but the park it was supposed to be in was under construction. We were surprised to find an AMOR statue at the Art Museum!
Do you recognize them? The stairs… They’re the Rocky stairs! The boys ran up them and did a little victory dance at the top.
We even made it to the Mint! Unfortunately, photos aren’t permitted. *sad face* So, I can’t show you any of it. The Mint was such a cool experience for all of us. There’s a free self-guided tour that shows how coins are made. If you have a chance to visit the Mint, we highly recommend it! We learned a lot and scored some pretty cool souvenirs.
Yup. It’s a Philly Cheesesteak! We had to do it. I know…how touristy…but look at that sandwich!! It was sooo stinkin’ good!!! There are several places to go to try the famed Philly sandwich. The two you’ve probably heard about are Pat and Gino’s but, when we looked up reviews…they both had horrible ones! Terrible! We found Sonny’s Famous! If you’re ever in Philly, you have got to try Sonny’s. And make sure you get the loaded fries!
It’s spring here…There are flowers everywhere! I love these white flowering vines we found outside the Independence Hall Visitor Center!
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, American furnaces, forges, and mills were making around one-seventh of the world’s iron works.
During the Revolutionary War, Hopewell played a critical role in supplying the new nation’s army with weapons. George Washington chose the Valley Forge location in part because of its location to Hopewell.
Charcoal cooling shed
It took an acre of woodlands to make enough charcoal to run an iron furnace for just one day. At Hopewell, they made their own charcoal.
Dining room in the big house
There are several buildings on the property that are open for viewing to show what life was like at Hopewell while it was running.
Grain storage
The barn held up to 36 horses along with a year’s worth of feed.
Wood fired stove
Saturdays were baking days in rural America. They used wood fired ovens like the one above. They would test the heat by sticking their arm in and count the seconds they could leave it in. The number they get to told them if it was too hot or not hot enough for certain breads and pies.
One of the neat things about Hopewell, is that the animals that would have been at Hopewell while it was running are still running around today.
One of the buildings you can wander through is the wash building. I’m so glad we don’t have to do laundry that way anymore!
Furnace in the cast shop
And, of course, there’s the furnace! I couldn’t get a great shot of it, but it’s huge. The temperature inside the furnace would reach temps of 2,600°- 3,000° F and it would run 24 hours a day. Workers would constantly feed it, watched it’s flame, and listened to the sound of the its blast to make sure it was staying hot enough.
Kids room in one of the worker’s houses
Hopewell was ahead of its time. People worked the same jobs for the same wages no matter what gender or color they were. Some workers with families rented company tenant houses.
We had a great time walking around Hopewell and learning about early American iron working communities!
We took a day to explore Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania.
Historical Interpreter
We have mixed feelings about historical interpreters. We’ve seen some that are disturbingly creepy, but the Ranger’s at Valley Forge were top notch and a wealth of information.
Log Hut
The new country didn’t have an army when the revolution began. General George Washington had to organize and train an army while fighting the war itself. When Washington and his men arrived at Valley Forge they didn’t have lodging. The soldiers had to build their own log huts. There was a competition to see who could get done first. The log huts you can see today are all reconstructions of what would have been there during the 1177-1778 winter.
Inside a log hut.
They’ve got some of the huts open so you can see what they might have looked like.
National Memorial Arch dedicated in 1917
Trying to build and train an army all while fighting the war was just one of Washington’s challenges. Remember…at this time, the United States of America was a newly formed family. It was more like 13 families all trying to learn how to live in the same house. So, the first thing Washington had to do was unite the men into one army. He needed to ensure that the men’s allegiance was to the newly forming United States and not to their home state.
Statue of George Washington
French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon had a life mask made of Washington when he was studying Washington to do a sculpture so when you look at this statue, you’re looking at a very realistic depiction of George Washington.
Washington’s Headquarters and office
The house above served as both residence and office for Washington and his staff during his stay at Valley Forge. Unlike the log huts, this is the original building.
Washington’s Office
The National Park Service has tried to get period pieces to show what Washington’s office would have looked like.
Bedroom in the Washington Headquarters
The house went through a few different owners who made some changes during the 100 years after Washington resided there.
Kitchen in the Headquarters
When the Park Service got control of the house, they tried their best to restore it to what it was while Washington was there.
Staircase at the Headquarters
Through all of the changes the banister was never changed. So…we all had to touch the same banister that George Washington touched as we walked up the stairs.
Valley Forge
In December of 1777, 12,000 soldiers and 400 women and children made their way into Valley Forge. Six months, 1,500 log huts, and two miles of fortifications later Valley Forge was the fourth largest city in America.
Badge Ceremony
The boys got their 42nd badge at Valley Forge. They don’t do it for the swag…we don’t force them to do it…they do it because they love to learn and it gives them something to do while we’re at a National Park. It’s fun for the whole family.
flowers
I couldn’t leave out the flowers. I’ve just got this one picture, but I thought these pale pink flowers were so pretty!
While we were staying in Gettysburg we made it to Harrisburg to see the State Capitol Building.
Pennsylvania State Capitol Building
We went on a Sunday to try and avoid all of the end of the school year tours. I think there were seven other people in our group…it was great!
The Dome
The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building is definitely the most opulent one we’ve seen so far. I mean…look at that dome. See all of that gold? It’s real. Impressive, right? The dome is 272 feet, weighs 52 million pounds, and was inspired by Michelangelo’s design for St.Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Bronze Door
At the entrance is a set of 17 foot bronze doors weighing in at a full ton each.
The Capitol Rotunda
Several of the Rotunda’s features were borrowed from the Paris Opera House.
Moravian Tiles
One of my favorite things about the Penn State Capitol Building is the first floor. There are close to 400 tile mosaics portraying different aspects of the state.
Art Mural
I love all of the rich colors.
The Senate Chamber
We were told that the Capitol Building has been called a “Palace of Art.” It’s definitely filled with beauty.
Senate Chamber Stained Glass
There are 24 stained glass windows in the Senate and House Chambers. Each window represents a theme and are framed in 24-karat gold leaf embellishments.
Pennsylvania House Chambers
The six crystal chandeliers in the House Chamber require over 1,000 light bulbs and weigh from two to over four tons each. When our tour guide learned that this was our seventeenth Capitol Building, she kept asking us what we thought. I got the impression she was a little competitive. We were asked by more than one person at the Capitol Building what our favorite one is so far only to be told that the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building is rated number two in the country. I can safely say Pennsylvanians are very proud of their Capitol Building! And it is gorgeous!
While we were in the Harrisburg area, we took the opportunity to visit Hershey.
Hershey’s Entrance
Yup. That Hershey.
Bean Sorter
There’s a free tour ride where they explain the whole process starting with where they get their beans and how they clean them
Roaster
to roasting them (it was warm on this part of the ride)
Melting
to the melting process (it smelled heavenly during this portion of the ride).
Littlest
And, of course, you can buy candy there.
Candy
This was my favorite section.
Sweets
They even had some baked goods available. It was kind of like dying and going to sugar heaven! I think I got a sugar rush just from the smell!
Hershey’s Ride Photo
We had to buy it. But, it was fun and we got a free candy bar!
We spent a week in Gettysburg. Most of the time the weather was cold and rainy which makes it hard to explore a battlefield. We did have a few hours here and there with decent weather. We crammed in as much as we could during those times.
The boys in front of the Visitor Center sign.
There are a few ways you can see the battlefield of Gettysburg. We opted to buy the auto tour on disc that came with a nice booklet. The set was really well thought out and very informative without being dry or boring.
One of the many memorials.
The first thing that struck us was how many memorials there are. Every army, corp, division, brigade, regiment, company, and state that took part in the battle has a memorial, monument, or marker.
Barn on the auto tour.
On the second day of the battle the Trostle Farm was stuck in the middle of a battle. If you look closely you can see the cannonball hole still there.
Pennsylvania Monument
Some of the monuments are so elaborate! You can actually go into the Pennsylvania Monument. There are stairs that lead to the top where you can look out over the battlefield.
View from the top of the Pennsylvania Monument.
You know, you can read about these things in books, watch documentaries about them…but when you’re out on the ground where it took place while hearing about the personal struggles of the soldiers and the citizens…it really gives you a new understanding of what took place here. Three days in July two armies met by chance…and the country changed forever.
Soldier’s National Cemetery
When the battle was over on that third day and the armies left Gettysburg, they left behind a community in ruins and over 51,000 soldiers who were dead, missing, or wounded. More men fell during the Battle of Gettysburg than in any other battle on American soil.
Monument with the Gettysburg Address on it.
The Soldier’s National Cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863. President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address here. The speech was 272 words, lasted around two minutes, and transformed Gettysburg from a scene of utter destruction and death into a symbol of inspiration to those still living. Lincoln stated that the war would lead to a “new birth of freedom” for our young nation.
Soldiers’ National Monument
You can’t stand in the spot where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. The Soldiers’ National Monument was erected in that spot. Unfortunately, when we were visiting the monument was undergoing some restoration work so we got to see it covered in scaffolding.
Gettysburg Address Memorial
The Gettysburg Address Memorial isn’t too far from the spot Lincoln gave the speech.
There’s so much to see and do in Gettysburg. You could spend an entire day touring the battlefield alone. It took us two days to finish the battlefield auto tour, but you could do it in one really long day.
Eisenhower National Historic Site
Part of the Gettysburg experience is the Eisenhower National Historic Site. You have to take a bus from the Visitor Center to get there because there’s no public parking at the farm.
Eisenhower Home
When Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower bought this farm in 1950 the house was in bad condition. When they started remodeling it, they found a decaying 200 year old log cabin under the brick veneer. They saved what they could of the original house and used bits and pieces of it around the new house.
The master bedroom
Mamie Eisenhower’s favorite color was pink. If you didn’t know that about her before you visited her home, you would figure it out pretty quickly. The main color scheme throughout the house is pink.
Black Angus
Eisenhower used the farm to breed Black Angus for shows.
Award Ribbons
Eisenhower Farms show cattle gained recognition in the Angus raising community by winning ribbons at major competitions across the U.S.
Secret Service training
The boys took the opportunity to earn a Secret Service badge.
Secret Service Swag
This booklet was challenging physically and mentally. They definitely earned that badge!
The tour of the Eisenhower Farm is a self-guided tour which is kind of a bummer. When we visited the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch it was a guided tour and the tour guide told us little stories and details about each room we saw. We were talking to one of the Ranger’s outside of the Eisenhower home and he told us this great story of when the Eisenhower’s first moved onto the farm. Not far from the farm is a watchtower for the Gettysburg Battlefield and the Secret Service wanted to close it down for safety reasons. Ike didn’t feel like it was necessary so one of the Secret Service agents gave him a copy of a book about assassins. After reading the book Ike had the tower closed. I feel like it’s stories like that that help us understand and maybe even relate to the person and not the public persona.
Lilacs
There were several lilac bushes in bloom while we were at the Eisenhower Farm. I took the time to smell them all…
flowers
I’m not sure what kind of flower this is, but it’s pink! These were also at the Eisenhower Farm.
We were in Clifftop for almost two weeks. We stayed at Babcock State Park and it was wonderful!
The Glade Creek Grist Mill
Our first day in the area was pretty cold and misty. We’d heard about the grist mill so we went to check it out. It’s a gorgeous area.
Grinding tools
We walked in thinking we would take a look around and move on, but when we found the Miller there…well, one thing led to another and suddenly we had plans to come back after lunch so the boys could help grind corn.
The Dude and the Miller
The Miller was a wealth of knowledge. He explained the process and actually put the boys to work.
Corn kernels
Each boy took part in each job. They scooped the corn kernels into the hopper. The Miller explained about the phrase “nose to the grind stone”. When you’re grinding corn (or whatever you might be grinding) the stones will get hot. You don’t want them too hot or they’ll ruin whatever your grinding so you have to smell around the grindstone to make sure you’re not going too fast and getting too hot.
Littlest sifting the grain
As the ground corn comes out of the meal spout it lands on a big wire mesh screen where it needs to be sifted. You get corn flour, corn meal, corn grit, and then the waste which was used to feed the animals. Nothing was thrown away.
Mr. Man holding some freshly ground corn mealDifferent products from the mill
I’m watering down the details here. There’s more to it than this, but I’m not a miller and I don’t remember all of the technical jargon. In the jars above you can see the different products that could come out of a grist mill.
Grist Mill Certificate
For their effort, they were each given a certificate
Corn meal
and we got to keep a bag of the corn meal they’d just ground! We’ve got some plans for this corn meal!! This stuff is so different from what you’ll get at the store. So much better!
White tailed deer
We pretty much had the campground to ourselves…except for all of the wildlife. We counted nine deer grazing outside our front door one afternoon.
Junior Ranger swag
We were fairly close to the New River Gorge Bridge so we took the opportunity to go check it out. The boys snagged a badge and a patch there. It’s called New River, but it’s actually one of the oldest rivers in the world. It’s older than the Appalachian Mountains. At 876 feet, New River Bridge is the third highest bridge in the country.
Boys and the bridge
So, at the visitor center you can walk down the hundreds of stairs to get an ok view of the bridge. Don’t get me wrong…it’s a nice view…but, I’d heard about a hike you can do to get a better view. The hike is called Long Point Hike for anyone interested. It’s a bit strenuous, but not terrible. I definitely earned the burger I had after that. We ended up hiking a total of around four miles round trip. It was so worth it! Check out the view from Long Point in the photo above! You come out on this point and you’re looking straight at the bridge and you’re far enough away that you can get the whole bridge with the river below it in your shot! Just watch out for the red wasps. It’s a long way down if you fall off the edge as you’re dodging the wasps…
Cathedral Falls
We also made it to Cathedral Falls! I don’t really know anything about Cathedral Falls except they’re super easy to get to.
Cathedral Falls size
It’s always hard to judge how big something is in a picture unless you’re given a size comparison. If you look closely in the above picture, you’ll see Jerl and The Dude checking out some tadpoles to the left of the falls.
Nuttallburg
We only had time for one more place so we hit Nuttallburg. It is impressive!
The tipple
In the 1870s John Nuttal wanted to take advantage of the rich coal deposits along the New River gorge and began buying up the land around it. By the turn of the century, Nuttallburg was a pretty busy mining community, but after his death it didn’t do so well.
The conveyor
In the 1920s Henry Ford leased the town’s mines to provide for his company’s steel mills. He spent $100,000 to build the “button and rope” conveyor system you can see heading up the hill. Ultimately, his plan failed when he couldn’t control or buy the railroad, he needed to carry the coal form the mine to his mills and he sold his interests in the Nuttallburg mines in 1928.
Infosign
There was an entire community at Nuttallburg. Homes, stores, schools…
Ruins of a home
In the two photos above, you can see the same plot of land then and now.
Coke Oven
The row of coke ovens are still there. You can see where the Company Store was. You’ve heard the song 16 Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford? “I owe my soul to the company store…” wasn’t far from the truth. Miners worked long hours in dangerous conditions to earn their pay. When the only store around was owned by the mining company…well, prices weren’t fair and miners usually ended up owing the Company Store more money than they made each week.
Coal
Yup, that’s coal! We saw it everywhere. The only other place we’ve seen it so easily available is in Alaska.
Campfire S’mores
We took advantage of the fire pit and had roasted hot dogs and s’mores several nights. You might be surprised to know that most of the RV Parks we go to don’t have a fire pit and don’t allow fires at the campsites. So…we indulged and took advantage of the fire pit while we stayed at Babcock State Park!
Pink Dogwood Tree
Flower report! The dogwood trees were everywhere and in full bloom!!
Blooms & Butterfly
This is also a tree. I don’t know what kind it is, but I love the delicate pink blooms on it and so did the butterfly!
Purple blooms
Ok…so…this isn’t the best picture, but these purple flowering trees were thrown in all over the place along rivers, railroads, and roads. We were told by a Ranger that they came over on trains from China. She also told us the name of the tree, but for the life of me I can’t remember. They were super pretty though!
We loved West Virginia more than we expected to! One of our favorite things to do is talk to locals. You really get a feel for an area when you chat with the people who live there. West Virginia is filled with hard working, genuinely nice folks that are trying to make ends meat in a dying state. Every time a mine is closed it’s taking jobs and livelihood away from an entire community. I encourage everyone to take a trip to West Virginia this summer. Go explore and support the small towns and communities that depend on tourism to stay alive.
