Gering / Johnson 2015 Road Trip - Days 4 & 5 - Boone, NC to Gettysburg, PA

Day 4 was spent on the road between Boone, NC and Gettysburg, PA.  Even though the Interstates were not as scenic as the Blue River Parkway the route still took us through some pretty autumn mountains and countryside.

Once we were in Gettysburg and had driven around a bit to get the lay of the land we checked into the hotel.  Most of the shops were closed by this time but we still walked around downtown Gettysburg window shopping and deciding on a place for dinner.  We decided on a small cozy Italian restaurant named Mama Ventura's where Teresa and I enjoyed homemade spinach ravioli stuffed with chicken and bacon with a creamy tomato sauce, Charlie had lasagna, and Bobby had homemade cheese ravioli with marinara sauce.  Desserts were served in small jars and were yummy.  However,  the highlight of the meal was when the waitress shared local ghost stories with us including some from when she lived in the apartment above the restaurant.  Spooky stuff!

Once we were back at the hotel, Teresa and Charlie surprised me with a birthday party in their room, complete with an electronic cake on the iPad with candles that needed to be blown out and thoughtful gifts including a shirt and jacket that I wore the next day!

Day 5 started at a bakery in downtown Gettysburg for what I thought was the best breakfast  of the trip, two thick thick slices of toast with honey butter.  I chose one slice of cranberry and one slice of apricot bread for my toast.  Next up was the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center.  First up was viewing of the cyclorama, a 377 ft. long and 42 ft. high oil painting of the battle that circles a viewing platform and is enhanced with landscaping and artifacts in the foreground.  Add in the audio and smoke effects and the whole experience was very impactful.

http://www.nps.gov/gett/learn/historyculture/gettysburg-cyclorama.htm

After the cyclorama we spent time going through the exhibits in the museum and learning so many details about the three day battle and what the aftermath meant for the town of Gettysburg.

We purchased an auto tour CD in the bookshop and spent the next few hours driving around the battlefield and stopping at many of the monuments.  The monuments are fascinating and I would love to learn more about them.

Again today we enjoyed the beautiful autumn colors all around.  I am convinced that this is the best time of year to travel, smaller crowds, cooler weather and beautiful scenery.  Win, win!