After departing Springfied, Virginia we drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Despite this being our first time here and 2 – 3 days being the recommended time to properly soak up the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, we decided to squeeze it all in in one long, action packed day. First stop was to the visitor’s center where a short film (narrated by Morgan Freeman), followed by the cyclorama, then a few hours at the excellent museum before hitting the battlefield. We learned so much from our visit to Gettysburg and were very happy that we included it on our road trip. From Gettysburg, we hit up a few covered bridges, checked out a round barn, scored free chocolate at the Hershey’s Chocolate World tour, and walked the full length of an abandoned highway in creepy Centralia. Our last stop in Pennsylvania was Valley Forge, military encampment for the Continental Army in 1778. The termination of our USA road trip included family reunions in New Jersey and New York before the short drive to Massachusetts to winterize and store Big Bertha. 17,000 miles, 34 States, 22 weeks…this was an epic USA road trip. We discovered that the US is even more beautiful than we could have dreamed of, and can’t wait to return to do another extended road trip next year.
Itinerary
26 Aug: Drove from Springfield, VA to Gettysburg, PA. O/n free camping at Gettysburg Walmart
27 Aug: Visited Gettysburg National Military Park. O/n free camping at Gettysburg Walmart
28 Aug: Visited Sachs covered bridge, Historic Round Barn, Heikes covered bridge before driving to Hershey’s Chocolate World. Did free tour and drove to Centralia’s abandoned highway and ghost town. O/n free camping at Pottstown Walmart
29 Aug: Visited Valley Forge before departing PA and drove towards Egg Harbor Township, NJ. O/n at Lisa’s.
30 Aug: Departed NJ and drove towards Schenectady, NY. O/n at Nancy’s.
31 Aug: Departed NY and drove towards Hopkinton, MA. Road trip complete.