Battlefields and the Virginia Mountains

Independence Hall

Hey everyone!  I'm on my way down to Congaree National Park in SC and figured I would update everyone on the past few days I have spent in the Northeast and beyond.  After leaving Acadia, I made a stop in Philadelphia to see Independence Hall.  I only had a couple hours there, but I managed to see the Liberty Bell and tour the inside of Independence Hall.  I thought about trying to climb around on the roof of the Hall a la National Treasure, but the amount of security there made me doubt I would be able to get away with it.  I managed to get a real Philly Cheese Steak too while I was there, which was as good as expected.  Luckily Philly was much easier to navigate (Boston and the GW Bridge in NYC were both nightmares).  I then headed East into Amish Country for the night.

Cannons at Gettysburg

Hazy Shenandoah Valley

The next day I decided to make an unplanned stop at Gettysburg to see the Civil War Memorial.  Turned out to be a great decision.  The US History buff in me had an awesome time exploring the field which is much the same as it was 150 years ago.  There were hundreds of different monuments to the different regiments (on both sides) and I found it hard to only spend 4 hours there.  I wish I had more time to explore more of the historical places in the Eastern US, but I have to keep going.

That black smudge is a bear

After my stop in Gettysburg I made my way down to Shenandoah National Park in the mountains of Virginia.  When I got there I found it...empty.  There were only a few people in the park while I was there, and it made everything more peaceful.  I spent four nights there, slowly making my way down the 105 mile Skyline Drive that runs the length of the park.  Each full day I did a hike, too, (seeing maybe one or two people on each trail).  On the first hike, I heard a rustling next to me and turn to see a black ball of fur: a bear cub!  It took me all the way to Virginia, but I finally got to see a bear.  Little did I know I would see a total of 5! of them on my hikes in the park, all young ones.  I didn't get any good pics of them though unfortunately, as they all ran off pretty quick.

Bridge in the Woods

View from Mary's Rock (I'm sitting on the edge)

Shenandoah ended up being one of my favorite parks, mostly because of how peaceful it seemed.  Good weather and few people helped, but the deep green (and hints of fall red and yellow) and the constant sounds of birds and insects made for a serene few days.  I understand now why so many people enjoy Shenandoah and wish I had two weeks to spend there.  Instead, I am now on my way to a smaller park in the South Carolina swamps, Congaree, before heading to the most popular park in the country, Great Smokey Mountains.