We missed the overnight rain but awoke to a dull and damp day. By the time we had eaten brakfast and sorted our gear out it had started raining again. Nice.
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| Our B&B for the night before. |
We set off following Garmin on the "Avoid Motorways" route and it took us straight onto a dirt road. We soon changed that setting and were then off on the 30 mile longer route that allowed Interstate roads.
It rained all day but despite this we were very cheerful and sang along with the music. Our gear was again top notch and the heaters kept the cold and damp at bay.
After a couple of hours we stopped in a small town to visit a "Subway" for a sandwich (or Sub) it was very tasty and whilst eating I saw this wiew and thought I would share it. It reminded me of a lot of American films.
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| I just liked this view. |
Whilst in the Subway we were spoken to by a couple of gobby yobs, one of whom was in a neck brace. He proceeded to tell me about the bike he was getting from his dad but could not ride it yet at he had been beaten up a couple of days ago but the assailants were paying his $7,000 hospital bill. I remember thinking, "I think I can guess why they did it". Naughty thoughts, behave yourself Raymond.
Anyway we set off again and once on the main road were passed by a guy on a BMW 1200 GSA. He was fully kitted like us and on his way to Baltimore. He told us he had seen our bike in Canada a few days previous. It's the first adventure bike we have seen since arriving in North America. All the reat have been Harleys and some sports bikes.
We arrived at Gettysburgh at around 4pm and it was still raining. As I understand it, Gettysburg is famous in American history for being the turning point in the American Civil war. (Any Americans that read this, feel free to correct me with any comments below.)
The civil was was basically due a difference in opinions from the North US to the South US regarding trading tarrifs and slavery, where the North wanted tarriffs for goods to inhibit exports and the south wanted the opposite to export cotton and tobacco. On top of this the North had all but done away with slavery, so much so that they even had Black infantry regiments, and the South actively used slaves in the cotton fields.
The turning point in the war came in a decisive battle on the edges of the town of Gettysburg on 1 - 4th July 1863 where the North (The Union) successfully held back the South (The Confederates) and depleted their numbers to such a degree that they retreated and effectively kept retreating. Following this, in November that year he gave the famous Gettysburgh Address at the war grave site.
Eventually in April 1865 General Lee surrendered the South and Abraham Lincoln was assassinated a few days later by an actor whilst at a theater.
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| A contrast in times. |
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| Lincoln's statue outside the Wells house, where he wrote the Gettysburg Address. |
We found a motel and once in went to the Civil War Museum and then to a restaurant for dinner.
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| Outside the Civil Was Museum |
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