Stalking George Washington

I felt like we spent our day stalking George Washington. We started by visiting the spot where he crossed the Delaware River on December 25, 1776 to take the British forces by surprise the next morning in Trenton, NJ. There is a nice National Park visitors' center located there, and the kids enjoyed looking at the artifacts and replica uniforms from the Revolutionary War. There were not a lot of people at the park, and I am not sure if that surprises me or not. Sure it is out of the way, but the ten days after Washington crossed the Delaware changed the course of the war and the country's history. I did not appreciate, until touring the visitor center and watching the movie there just how instrumental this period of time was in changing the tide of the war. We grabbed some pub grub at the Patriot's Crossing in Titusville, NJ before heading back to Pennsylvania. I tried to convince the kids that this was the bar at which George Washington and his troops ate after crossing the Delaware, but they wouldn't bite.

Our next stop was at the Valley Forge National Park and visitors' center. Again, there is a nice museum, though with less artifacts than at the Delaware crossing site, and movie at the visitors' center. After watching the movie and learning a little bit about the Colonial Army's encampment at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78 we drove around the site, stopping to look at some of the recreated huts and the home used by George Washington during the encampment as his home and headquarters. There were two actors dressed in period costume at the site of some of the huts, but they weren't very good at staying in character and instead of interacting with the kids in an educational manner, we listed to the man tell us that being in nature calms him, that he would like to move to Colorado or Oregon, and that he would like to see a moose but not a bear.

Of the sites at Valley Forge, I liked George Washington's headquarters the best. The park ranger stationed there was very informative and told us a lot about the living conditions in the home, who was there, what they did, and what it was like during the encampment. He also let us know that unlike other site on the property that were recreated, or partially restored, the headquarters is still in the same condition as it was in 1777-78. The house was already lived in by the time George Washington used it and for being some 240 years old, it still looked pretty good. What I liked best about the house was that parts of the home were still original, including the floorboards, wall paneling, and bannister hand rail. It was strange to think that my hand used the same hand rail as did George Washington's. I remarked to the park ranger that it was hard to imagine a cold wintery day in Valley Forge because it was 93 degrees and humid when we were there. He informed us that the "winter" encampment actually lasted 6 months and that when Washington's army left in June of 1778, it was in the mid-90's and humid. Upon hearing that, I felt better for not having to wear a wool military uniform and carry 50 pounds worth of gear.

On our way back to the campground, we did a little grocery shopping in order to restock the RV. The kids and I swam in the campground's pool as Jll organized the RV and we had a quick dinner of sandwiches and assorted fruits. It was then time for me to part company with the family and find a local poker room. As I drove to the Harrah's Casino in Chester, I recalled that I dislike driving at night when I don't know where I'm going and I'm blindly following GPS directions. I have no idea where the GPS is taking me, or through what kinds of neighborhoods it is taking me. At one point tonight I drove around a prison, which I can't imaging is in the best part of town. Despite questioning my decision to drive around in an unknown city at night, I made it to the casino and back safely. The money I make playing poker should be enough to cover the gas for my roundtrip journey this evening.

That's it for now, tomorrow we head into Philadelphia to stalk more of the founding fathers. As we make all these stops, I can only hope that our kids will someday appreciate this trip. I do not expect that they will remember everything about what we learned along the way, but I hope that as they sit in history class through their educations that when they get to the parts about the Revolutionary War or the Civil War where we have visited, that they will remember at least that they've been there. I also hope that that memory will be enough to spark their interest, and to learn more about the people, places, and events that formed and shaped this great country.

Dave