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Thursday, 05/29/03; Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

 

A special Gettysburg address:

 

Joann was up early, as she had heard that a repeat of “our TV show” was to be aired at 0500! Keith didn’t think it would open the hour, so he slept in until 0530. The Dauntless Four tape didn’t reprise until 0630 as we were eating breakfast. It looked like we would have another nice day – two in a row? Unheard of! We were rolling by 0715, heading for Gettysburg. We arrived mid morning and drove directly to the Battlefield Visitor’s Center where we viewed the electric map and purchased tickets to tour the Eisenhower Farm. The map is an interesting depiction of the three-day Civil War battle at Gettysburg. A large three-dimensional map of the battlefield is centered in the middle of the auditorium with tiered seats surrounding it. As an audio presentation of the battle unfolds, lights on the map show the positions of the various military organizations.

 

  

Ike's barn; Ike's farm house

 

Following the electric map presentation, we boarded a bus for Ike’s farm. Once there, we were given a short talk by a park ranger explaining the farm. Then we entered the farmhouse where a lady briefed us about the house and the occupancy by the Eisenhowers. Then we were permitted to take a self-guided tour using a brochure provided at the front door. It was a very simple home for such important people. We suppose this was a reflection of how the Eisenhowers viewed themselves.

 

After the house tour, we walked about the grounds, snapping pictures of Ike’s golf green, his barn and the garage that he had converted into a guesthouse. The barn contained farm equipment used at the time Ike lived in the house, plus some of his cars and motorized carts. The farm is still operated very much like it was while Ike was there. The land is leased on the condition that the farming continue to be the way Ike did it – like running Angus cattle and rotating the crops as he did.

 

Returning to Gettysburg, we found a place for lunch and then headed for Chambersburg on the Interstate about an hour’s drive away. We put in early and did lots of preventive maintenance on the cars and the gals cleaned the accumulated grit and grim of at least a week’s worth of rainy weather driving.

 

A short walk took us to a nice restaurant where Keith and Joan had a very filling lobster dinner followed by a return walk to the motel. Tomorrow, we are off for the west, but parts unknown.

 

Regards to all,

 

The Dauntless Four

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