Philadelphia and points west - Day 4

Philadelphia rain is a somber thing and that is what met us on the way to the bus that final day in Philly. We said goodbye to our fond gathering in the Freedom City and were quite done. We managed a soggy stop in Valley Forge before heading home. Despite the rain, this historic landmark told the tale of a six month stop over in PA while troops waited, regrouped and hunkered down.

The Valley Forge area is absolutely lush and beautiful. Just a heartbeat away from the then hub of government, it represents the beauty of rolling hills and lovely scenery that those of us who live in Pennsylvania can only dream of when not in state. The abundance of deer, who were very uncaring about how close any tour bus ventured, was an interesting note. The area is a posted area, no hunting and the deer are found everywhere! Just off the roads, their heads would raise and then resume feeding in the grass. We stopped off to pick up our tour guide at the welcome center and headed out to a cluster of cabins which recreated the kind of conditions the troops came to know during that winter of infamy. With more than 10,000 troops hunkering down, there were about 1500 cabins sleeping 6-8 in each. Made from sturdy logs with a fireplace and insulation between the log cracks, it was as comfortable as it would get. Our guide explained that at any given time, two thirds of the troops were out on duty, so on the off shift, soldiers would sleep and find some protection from the bitter wind and cold. I never knew that so I found it fascinating.

We got back on the bus, soaked to the skin and headed for the famous arch not far away. The arch is significant as a memorial to the soldiers who lost their lives (not from battle, rather disease and such) but for the devotion to the cause of freedom. A sudden downpour made us all cringe as the guide asked if we wanted to get out and walk up. Not a soul replied. Enough said or unsaid. We continued on the General Washinton's Headquarters.

The clouds gave us a respite as we met an awesome National Park Ranger who used his wit and knowledge to tell us of the Washington family and their entourage during that fateful time. We had a wonderful storyteller stop in to give us a chance to play a quick game show type historical trivia quiz and off we went to walk into the beautiful and relatively small house. I was immediately reminded of my life in Connecticut and all the New England type stone houses. There was the Washington family, various Generals and staff living in quarters that we'd balk at in a heartbeat. The African American servants slept in a small crawlspace above the outside building and a lean to type building was built to supply an eating area for the more than thirty soldiers and others who needed to be there for various reasons at any given time. Tough times, decent adaptations.

We boarded the bus and after a chance to visit the gift shop and bathrooms (a necessary stop considering we are human and teachers), we headed for home. I bought a deck of Valley Forge cards for the hubby since we have this ongoing gin rummy game that he is soundly beating me at every day.

Our trip home was uneventful except for the fact that in between a bit of dozing off we saw a great SNL DVD back in the Chevy Chase days. We all enjoyed the trip through time. As the bus rolled into the IU at Edinboro, we said our fond farewells. Three years of history had bound us all together and we all found it hard to believe it was coming to an end. We gave our hugs and promises to meet up again to continue our history quests. We'll see where the journey takes us. It was a great ride.