Okay, so there is no way for me to accurately explain how excited Mike Brown is about today… think Ralphie from A Christmas Story going to the Red Ryder B.B. Gun plant after drinking 10 cups of espresso. Seriously, we were up at 6:15 so we could have breakfast and be at the Visitors Center when they opened the doors at 8am! And you know what? We were! (all I could think was the Clark Griswold line “First ones here, first ones here”)

There was a reason for our prompt arrival – they have a tour you can take where a Park Ranger will ride in your car with you and drive you through the park/battle. BUT it’s first come first serve. So guess who got the first tour today? You guessed it! These folks right here

Oh my word it was chilly this morning, and the wind is just whipping on the battlefields. I will admit, I was not looking forward to today – dreading it is more like it. But our Park Ranger, Alan, was great and really explained things in a way that kept the boys and I interested. It was really cool to be able to stand where these battles took place, and see where rock walks built by men 150 years ago still stood! We spent 3 hours with Alan going all over the battlefields and getting a better understanding of why this battle was so important.

The boys favorite parts were the cannons, which they learned how they worked – and how to pack without losing your dominant arm – and the giant rocks for climbing on Little Round Top and Devils Den.

After our 3-hour tour with park ranger Alan, we went back to the Visitors Center and museum for their Film, and exhibits. Also ran into this guy, so boom! Photo op!

The museum was very thorough. There was a section about every aspect of every battle of Gettysburg.

And while Leo and I could have covered the museum in an hour or less, these 2 read and watched EVERYTHING!

We finished up the museum, grabbed lunch there and swung through the gift shop for our travel tree ornament. And then we were off!

Mike has said for months that he wanted to walk the battle, and Michael needed to create a 3-mike hike for a Cub Scout requirement, so we made it all happen today! I cannot begin to explain how much walking we did today… we walked Picket’s Charge, we walked Little Round Top, we walked Devils Den, we walked the Peach Orchard, we walked The Wheatfield, we walked the Valley of Death, we walked Cemetery Hill, we walked Seminary Hill

We walked and walked and walked and walked… but we can say with all honesty that we understand now what happened at Gettysburg and why it was so important.

I also thoroughly impressed the boys that I could still recite the Gettysburg Address from 5th grade (thanks Mrs. Ramona Miller 😉)

We grabbed dinner on the way in at Gettysburg Eddie’s and had our first “average ” meal. It wasn’t bad but nothing memorable either – of course, our sheer exhaustion could have played a role in that as well 🤷🏻‍♀️ The Boys spent an hour in the pool to make sure there wasn’t an ounce of energy left in them, and as I write this, they are snoring in rhythm 😴 💤😴 💤

Tomorrow we are headed to Solider’s National Cemetery to see exactly where Lincoln made the Gettysburg Address, and then we are going home to NC. We may swing in a stop by the Appomattox Courthouse if the weather cooperates.

But for now, I’m going to join the snoring chorus of Brown Boys 🎶💤😴💤😴💤 🎵