A Second Week in Gettysburg area

Monday, August 17, 2020
Gettysburg Battlefield Resort, Pennsylvania, United States
A SECOND WEEK IN GETTYSBURG PROVES RELAXING!
We often get to visit a National Park and spend a full week, and we realize how lucky we are to have that opportunity. However, the times that we have been able to spend two weeks, like in Zion or Acadia, or Yellowstone, the 2nd week always gives us a deeper realization of the history and the area. It also just slows down the pressure to see everything in one week!
It’s a good thing since week two brought on a few new little health surprises! My big toe decided to swell up like the Hindenburg! Not knowing what was going on but suspecting a bout of gout, I called our Doctor and he suggested a 9-day steroid treatment! By this time, he could have suggested about anything because my foot just hurt. Good ol Wal Mart is almost everywhere and within a couple hours my Rx was waiting!
So,  after 3 days it was feeling almost regular size and boy was I happy! Not sure this is related to gout, Jake jumping on my foot, or walking on rough gravel but really swollen and discolored so we made an appointment for when we return to Columbus!
We were advised, by our doctor, to get the new SHINGLES vaccine if we could find it. The older vaccine was about 45% effective and the new vaccine is 95-98% effective! While shopping at GIANT, we checked the pharmacy and they had the Shinglex vaccine, we filled out the paper work and the next day we were inoculated. Shingles is bad, the shot is quick makes sense! But this is 2020! Debbie read the list of reactions to the vaccine and she had almost every one of the negative reactions, grrrr!
Having avoided the toll road to get to Gettysburg, ( $80+ toll) we decided to check out various routes back. By going south, we enter Maryland in about 5 miles. We drove the anticipated routes in the Jeep to make certain there were no bridges under 13 feet! Our route takes us right by Camp David and into Hagerstown Maryland, where there is a Sam’s Club to feed the Thirsty Beast! Gasoline is about 40 c a gallon less there than in Pennsylvania and by the time we get there, it will take lots of gallons! Figure the savings out and you’ll agree it is well worth it!
We drove into the Park each night to enjoy the views from a different perspective. We also found our way to the camp store Ice Cream shop on most nights! This would have been a great time to take our bikes into the park on the Jeep and ride around the paved roads and it was our intention to do that. However, as I said in the last blog, there were no replacement bicycle tires available in hardware or Wal Mart stores we checked. We did find a bicycle shop in Gettysburg and they did have a tire that fits!
Those of you, like Deb and I, that grew up changing bike tires and tubes purchased together for a couple bucks and some collected pop bottle refunds, will certainly loose the “price is right” guess price. We used to buy a whole bike for less than the $29 a new bike tire itself costs! However, they did have the tire so we got it but too late to use at this park.
Those of you who followed the blog, understand that I know a bit about the Amish faith and life style! Amish belief in “Uniform Non-Conformity” is the guide post to understanding their faith and lifestyle. The Amish community in Pennsylvania is located in and around the city of Lancaster. Here such picturesque towns and villages as Bird in Hand, Gap, Smoketown, and Intercourse dot the landscape and are tourist destinations from all over the world.
Are there differences between the Ohio Amish and the Pennsylvania Amish?  NOT in faith, they both follow Uniform Nonconformity and the teachings of Jacob Amman, however there are differences in the way the non-conformist lifestyle is projected.  The dress code is slightly different with the head covering for women looking a little more like a bonnet than the simple linen head covering worn by the Ohio Amish.
The most obvious difference to the casual observer would be the buggy. While in Ohio, the buggy looks really basic and simple!  Around Lancaster PA. the Buggies have windshields, many have wipers, almost all had LED lighting, even most had chrome assist handles by the front doors! Next thing there will be power windows! (kidding of course), but it was a stark example of how Uniform Non-conformity can become a challenge to enforce.
 I know in Ohio, different Amish districts differ over allowing steel wheels or rubber rims on the steel wheels. Having ridden in both, I understand why the progress to the rubber rim makes the ride so much nicer. And those LED lights make the buggies so much easier to see than the slow-moving vehicle triangle used most of the time in Ohio.
We also used the 2nd week here to shorten our trip by about 3 weeks, cancelling the visit to the Smokey Mountains and the TRA camp East of Atlanta. We wear masks whenever entering an establishment but we have stayed away from crowds and groups. Pretty much we are able to enjoy our trip from our “Big Wheelie House” and given the seriousness of this COVID, we think that’s wise so the Smokies will wait for a different time and hopefully healthier time!
Tomorrow On to :
MARYLAND
WEST (BY GOD) VIRGINA
OHIO

Comments

Kris
2020-08-18

Hey there... looks like you continue to see great things... feel bad for the person who passed while making bread...hope you are well... speaking from experience - shingles are no fun..

2025-02-15

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