War & Peace: Greenbrier SP, Boonsboro, MD 10/8/09

Today was a very eclectic day that ran the gamut from idyllic bucolic country life to the ravages of war. Knowing that we had a lot to do, we made a concerted effort to leave our campsite early. Before we even hit the main highway, about a mile from where we were camped is the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. We really didn’t know what it was all about, but it was a gorgeous day and we were inclined to take advantage of the good weather so we thought - what the heck let’s check it out. Good choice! Once again we had the park to ourselves along with a very attentive ranger eager to share information on the iron making operation. Hopewell Furnace is a very well restored and recreated 1771 village demonstrating the iron making process, including the blast furnace complete with a working 72 foot high water wheel creating compressed air for the furnace. Ned particularly enjoyed seeing how the iron molds were created from sand. We could have spent the better part of the day here, but I was anxious to explore Lancaster County and the Amish Culture. We hung out for a bit in Intercourse, browsing some of the woodworking and quilt shops. It really is quite interesting to hear the Pennsylvania Dutch language, see the horse and buggies, women dressed in Amish garb, and fields being plowed by horse. (See today’s pic). I was also enthralled by all the Amish laundry hanging on the clothes lines. Quite a spectacle! We also visited the Intercourse Pretzel Factory, but unfortunately had missed the tour by 20 minutes or so. Nonetheless, we managed to stock up on hard pretzels and chocolate covered pretzels for munching on the road. We were hoping to have a late lunch sampling the local fare in Lancaster at the Central Market, one of the oldest operating farmer’s markets in the country. Unfortunately, it’s not opened on Thursdays – Doh! We managed to find lunch at another local central market in a neighboring town, but were quite unimpressed with this particular Amish food. Ned’s chicken pot pie was a misnomer and really starchy dumplings in broth and my sausage & peppers wrapped in a pretzel was indigestion inducing, at best. We tried to salvage the meal by topping it off with Shoo-fly pie, but that didn’t go well either. (We tossed it.) We continued to meander down backroads towards Maryland when we came upon Gettysburg National Historic Site. It was about 4ish and we knew we had a couple of hours to go til the campground, but once again thought we might as well see what Gettysburg had to offer. OH MY GOSH – one of the all time BEST EVER historic sites we’ve ever visited. One could easily spend days exploring everything this place has to offer. Unfortunately, we only were able to spend about 2 hours here before being kicked out. We saw an in-depth movie narrated by Morgan Freeman on the Gettysburg Battle during the Civil War and what led up to it; a multi-media cyclorama that enacted the entire battle incredibly made from a 377ft. circular painting that was completed in 1884 (totally restored in 2008); and the most comprehensive inter-active display and museum about the battle and the Civil War. It was truly an absolutely incredible, fantastic experience. Sitting here at the campsite, and thinking back on the day, it really does seem surreal - to experience the peacefulness of the Amish in the morning and end with the brutality of the Civil War. Interesting day, to say the least. P.S. Planning our day for tomorrow and reviewing maps & books, we just found out that on the way to our campground tonight we drove through Catoctin Mountain Park. We had no idea at the time that this is the location of Camp David!