Remembrance Weekend!

Remembrance weekend is a time to reflect on the 151st anniversary of the dedication of the National Soldiers' Cemetery and Lincoln's Gettysburg address.

Parade 1

Parade 2

Parade 3

The day started off with a parade. There were thousands of participants, hundreds of flags, many fife and drum corps, many ladies in hoop dresses, some horses and even horse drawn carriages. The Army of the Potomac leads the parade with the Army of northern Virginia assigned to the rear. It was the best parade we have witnessed!

Little Round Top

Little Round Top View

 After the parade, we drove around the battlefield and marveled at the many markers and monuments. We stopped at Little Round Top, scene of one of the most important battles of the conflagration. 

We enjoyed an excellent and relaxing Civil War Era dinner at the historic Dobbins Inn. Before heading back to the camper we went to the National Soldiers’ Cemetery to view the thousands of luminaries and flags that were placed to honor the fallen soldiers. It was a moving tribute, both sole and noble. 

Dinner at Dobbs Inn

Luminaries

During our drive back to the campground, we were left to contemplate the sacrifices of all those who  have served and are serving in an effort to secure and maintain the freedom we enjoy. It was a most sobering and contemplative ride.

Sunday, November 16, 2014     Departure! 

After a nice french breakfast at the Cafe Saint Amand, we broke camp and headed home. It only took us about five minutes to close up the camper. After a four and a half hour drive home, including a stop for lunch, we were home. 

Livin' Lite - Livin' Right!

   

Set up in our site

This past Monday, November 10, I was the winning EBay bidder on a 2011 Livin Lite Quicksilver 6.0 (VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): 1l9bc0610b1435916). It's a tent trailer that sleeps four, two comfortably, with room to lounge. It is all aluminum and has no wood at all. We have the Saturn loaded. We'll pick up the camper tomorrow in Hagerstown, MD. Assuming it checks out as described, we'll take it to Gettysburg Campground which will serve as our base as we observe some of the celebrations of the 151st anniversary of the dedication of the National Soldiers’ Cemetery at the Gettysburg National Battlefield.

The camper weighs just 635 pounds. Even with the rest of the camping gear, we should be we'll within the 1500 pound tow rating of the Saturn Vue.

The camper was owned by an "older couple" who used it one time. It had been stored in a garage. The unit appears to be in "as new" condition. We arrived in Hagerstown within minutes of the appointed time of 1200 Noon. We quickly checked the unit out and found it to be as described, in near perfect condition. We hitched it up, paid the owner and were underway within the hour. 

Right along a babbling brook!

Another view

Despite the cold weather forecast, we headed to Gettysburg Campground. It was to be our home base for a couple of days and nights while we attended the events of Remembrance weekend. A series of events meant to commemorate the 151st dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

By 1430, we were in the Gettysburg Campground and set up the camper. We took a bit longer to do the set up as we tried a few different things to make the process easy.

Interior View 2

Interior View 1

The Bed

Strolling thru town

 After setting up camp, we made our way to historic Gettysburg where we encountered many folks dressed in period garb. There are two formal balls, one tonight and one tomorrow night. Period garb is required and the balls sell out weeks, if not months, in advance. 

As part of our activities, we checked out the visitor’s center at the National Military Park and we checked out some of the sights.

For dinner, we drove to Abbottsville where we enjoyed a fine German dinner at the Hofbrauhaus. Soup, salad, and dinner for $7.95. Economical and delicious!

  

By the time we returned to the campground, it was past 2100 hours. The temperature was in the high 20’s. Other Quicksilver owners have mentioned that the aluminum floor and sides of the camper are cold, making it difficult to heat the interior. We brought a couple of rugs to keep our feet off the cold floor. On our way to dinner, we purchased a queen sized electric blanket from the local WalMart. It proved to be the item that allowed us to sleep well and enjoy our first experience in the camper. The ceramic disc heater, usually very reliable, couldn’t heat up the interior. We weren’t able to lounge on the benches in the camper. It was just too cold! Fortunately, it was bedtime and we were snug and toasty thanks to the electric blanket.

The military arrives

Anna Marie poses with the Civil War Santa