My brother Jason and I were able to go on an epic road trip throughout the eastern part of the United States. We first went to Lookout Mtn., Georgia, looking over the battlefield there. Sadly, it rained and we were not able to see the battlefields for Chattanooga or Chickamauga. We then drove up through the Great Smokey Mountains Park Way and looked at the mountains and the trees. This was more for Jason’s benefit since he is a hiker and I don’t really care for nature. We did go to Cades Cove, though, which was a first for me.
We stopped off in Saltville, Virginia before making out way to the Antietam and Gettysburg battlefields. Jason has always had a deep love of Civil War history, which I also share in. Seeing these sites and talking about the events that took place there were great.
From there, we went up to Palmyra, New York to see some early LDS church history sites. Jason had never been up there, but I went on a trip with my parents to Maine and we stopped there when I was about 14 or so. We went to the Hill Cumorah, where Joseph was led by an angel to find the plates. We visited his home, where some of the translation was done. We were also able to visit the Sacred Grove, which essentially was first step on his path in re-establishing Christ’s church. We also visited the Peter Whitmer Farm, where the church was organized in 1830.
We then moved on to the Saratoga battlefield, just north of Albany. I am a long time student of this period in the US, perhaps even more so than the Civil War. We also went to Valley Forge and Philadelphia. A major goal of my trip was to see the brand new Museum of the American Revolution, in Philly. I have to say that I was disappointed. I expected deeper knowledge than what was provided. I have to give it a C- on effort.
From there, we went to Mt. Vernon, where I almost passed out from the heat, and the battlefield at Yorktown. Unfortunately, it was too hot to do more, so we left and drove home. While most of the trip was awesome, someone needs to cure my brother’s obsession with 80’s rock. Way too much. :-o
Facebook friends can see pictures here.
