Week Four: We Head To The Gettysburg Battlefields!

Do you have things you always plan to do every summer, but never get around to it? Making the 90-minute drive to Gettysburg, staying overnight at a neat campground we found a few years ago when we were searching for a family campsite and visiting the Eisenhower House was one of those trips.

Unexpected Explorations gave me the chance -- and -- lucky for me, my soon-to-be 15-year-old son, Andrew, agreed to the two-day trip that would be heavy on history!

The new Visitor Center at Gettysburg is fantastic and the the video presentation provides enough education on the battle for an informative visit. The museum is outstanding and the bookstore has a wide selection of Civil War titles.

I had done the car audio tour with Paula years ago, but Andrew and I settled on an air-conditioned bus tour. It was an excellent choice! The guide was great, sharing great anecdotes throughout the two-hour tour. He even confirmed that the Dobbins House would be a great place for lunch and shared his standing order - Rubin sandwich and french onion soup.

As you visit the battlefields, the thoughts I have range from (1) trying to picture more than 50,000 men involved in this conflict, (2) the fierce battle and painful death by both sides fighting for belief, (3) the impact on the town as churches and public buildings were turned into hospitals and (4) what a great job the community has done in keeping the battlefield intact so that visitors can get a great sense of what happened on the field. It was a harsh reminder not to take this freedom and lifestyle that we have for granted.

Around 3 p.m., we adjourned to the KOA campground near Gettysburg and settled into our cabin - or as they say "kabin". It was a relaxing few hours, filled with swimming, mini golf, shuffle board, chess, reading and working together to make a nice barbecue chicken dinner. Not bad! We enjoyed sitting around the fire after dark and called it a night around 10 -- for we had early plans for Friday!

Around 6:30 a.m., we parked at Gettysburg College and went for a 30-minute run through the community. After a shower and breakfast at a local diner, we took the shuttle bus to the Eisenhower Home. For as long as I can remember, I've had an interest in visiting Presidential homes. It helps when you grow up in Ohio -- where there are several. With this visit, I've been to homes of 24 of the first 34 presidents, and McKinley does not have a home to view.

The house was a great study in life in the 1950's. It has many of the original furnishings. In addition, there is a golf green (put in by the PGA) and a skeet shooting area on the farm. Eisenhower also raised prized Black Angus cattle and Andrew and I stopped by to see the show barn and saw the display of ribbons. As a guy that paid for my high school tuition by raising beef cattle to show and sell at the country fair, I enjoyed seeing the layout at the barn. It made Eisenhower (who was the President when I was born) more real. I think that why he brought so many dignitaries to the farm when he was President - to build a relationship on another level.

We finished our two-day visit with a tour at Gettysburg College. In fact, the admissions office is located in the Eisenhower Building, a former house on College Avenue where Eisenhower once wrote his memoirs. Andrew was matched perfectly with a tour guide with an Environmental Studies major and he enjoyed the visit. In addition to the strong academic programs, the food service program and the fitness center were highly regarded.

It was our first overnight Unexpected Exploration and it lived up to the increased time and expense. I'm glad we finally took the time for the tour of the battlefield and even more glad to have a couple of extra days with Andrew! Believe it or not, one of the next things we want to do this summer is watch the four-hour history drama movie, Gettysburg!

Since we are headed to the family camping event next week, we'll keep the Unexpected Exploration a bit more local! See you next week!

Mike