hershey

Tuesday began with another early morning of packing up and shipping out for our next destination: Philadelphia.  We’d booked a tour of Independence Hall (another genius move on my part, as they were all gone by 10 a.m. that day).  My memory of Philadelphia was sort of this run-down ghetto-looking city, which it was from the interstate.  Unlike my first experience there, we were actually going into the city this time, which proved perfectly lovely.

The downtown historic district was stunning, with it’s old world charm and rich history.  We jumped in line to see the Liberty Bell, since we had 45 minutes to spare before our tour.  We were lucky enough to be held up by an enormous group of Chinese students who simply HAD to get individual pictures in front of the old relic.  Consequently, we didn’t manage to get a similar prized shot, so we took one from the side, at which point one of the Chinese kids walked in front of our family.  Then another did it.  And another, but I was wise enough to anticipate him so I took the picture after he’d passed through the frame.  Jack wasn’t having it either.

Annoyed as all get out by now, we moved on to Independence Hall.  The tour was brief but reasonably informative.  The biggest impression came at the realization of the miracle that took place within those walls.  That those men, with starkly different backgrounds could construct a document that would inspire a nation, indeed the world, is a feat not to be underestimated.  Their foresight and commitment to freedom paved the way for a rugged individualism that has changed the world and afforded millions with a life beyond imagination.

Even though Jack was resistant to staying still throughout the tour so I missed the bulk of it, it was a thrill to be where our founders stood in the critical shaping of our nation.

Grandpa joined us for a token Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at Geno’s and drove us to take a peek at the Philadelphia Temple (our fifth and last church temple of the trip).  Exhausted from the weeks previous, we skipped the full Philly experience, satisfied with a lesser one, and drove to our hotel to take it easy.

We got up early (this became quite a pattern) to drive to Hershey for a chocolaty experience.  Before leaving, I asked the girls which of the attractions they wanted to experience while there.  To which they unanimously agreed to the “Make Your Own Chocolate Bar” tour.  Upon our arrival, we were informed that the machine had broken down and that they were offering either a full refund or an “alternate” experience where you pretend to create your own chocolate bar but then get your choice of three non-custom giant chocolate bars and a rain check to come back another time.  I laughed out loud.  “We’re from Idaho,” I said, “and it’s unlikely we will ever make it back out here.”

Still, we did the tour, got more chocolate than we could ever hope for, and have a reason to go back to Pennsylvania someday.

The girls had a great time because… chocolate, and off we were to Gettysburg.

Gettysburg was a singular experience.  Tim had purchased an excellent audio tour of the sites and it proved perfect for our crew.  We covered the Battle of Gettysburg in about 2 1/2 hours, including a bit of venturing out of our car.  The girls agreed that it made the history come alive to hear the play by play and visualize the events as they occurred in the very place we stood.

After departing Gettysburg, we drove another 6 hours to Chillicothe, OH, where we stayed the night.  That leg of driving encompassed some of the most picturesque country I’ve ever beheld.  Sadly, it was slightly obscured by the torrential downpours that dotted our drive.  Pennsylvania and West Virginia are simply breathtaking.