made it back to Colorado

 

The drive today was much better than yesterday, which was windy and raining all the wall from Highway 70 in MO to where I stopped last night in Salina, KS. The wind was still pretty strong out there today gusting and causing what fuel efficiency I had in the car to plummet.

Spring in D. C.

 

Made it to D.C.!

Wow. The traffic heading in was very light -- I came right at rush hour ~5:30p -- but once you got near the Potomac and across, it got pretty hairy. There was wrecks and fowlups, and those traffic circles seem unnavigable and pretty much appear to me to really clog things up.
Thank the stars for my GPS nav software! 

Gettysburg battlefield

Overlooking the field where the fated Pickett's charge happened 

... that these dead shall not have died in vain ...

Gettyburg Address 

I cheated slightly with this pic, as this plaque is actually located at the Antietam National Cemetery.

Perspective on losses at Antietam

From NPS site:

Not only was this the first major Civil War engagement on Northern soil, it was also the bloodiest single day battle in American history.

To view the magnitude of the losses, consider that Antietam resulted in nine times as many Americans killed or wounded (23,000 soldiers) as took place on June 6, 1944--D-day, the so-called "longest day" of World War II.* Also consider that more soldiers were killed and wounded at the Battle of Antietam than the deaths of all Americans in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, and Spanish-American War combined.

These losses occurred in ONE day during daylight hours.

Clara Barton was at the battlefield tending to soldiers in a nearby barn that had been turned into an infirmary.

Lincoln himself personally visited the battlefield a week later (maybe two weeks -- have conflicting memories now :), to console the wounded of BOTH sides and to try to persuade his general McClellan to advance upon the retreating southern army.

McClellan was relieved of his command later in the year (hopefully my facts are factual).

Visited Antietam National Battlefield this morning

 

I felt more of an emotional connection there than I did at Gettysburg later in the day. And it didn't have anything to do with Col. Crook.

Gettysburg is just so massive and spread out in comparison to Antietam so it is just harder to wrap your head around. Antietam/Sharpsburg is three phases in ONE day (17-SEP-1862) while Gettysburg lasts over three DAYS. 1-Jul to 3-Jul, 1863.

It is interesting to me that history can pick out moments in the battle with a particular maneuver or event by a regiment or brigade that could have greatly altered the outcome of the war (for the south in most cases at these battlefields, which the battles were considered Union victories both). There were brave infantry charges on both sides in both battles, where the soldiers involved must have known their pre-determined fate by conducting the charge...

"Camping" in Kagertown, MD

OK, not really camping, but deciding to turn in early, do some planning, and catch up on some sleep.

The drive today from Toledo was mostly overcast, but cleared up about the time I made it to Interstate 70/{30}.  And warmed up too.  I was worried because back in Ohio, the weather stations were talking about snow accumulation and temps of below freezing. Hopefully I won't see too much of that today.  And D.C. weather is clear for the next couple of days in the forecast, so that should be good sightseeing.

I think I will go to Antietam first tomorrow morning "early" and then go to Gettysburg.  Hopefully I'll have enough time for both.  The NPS says that Gettysburg can take a lot of time, and it definitely seems to be the more mature site.

The drive thru PA and MD was wonderful.   Everything is starting to spring up and the rolling hills exhilarate.  Highway 70(?) starting near Pittsburgh and thru Johnstown, with the undulating forest, large hills, and quiet agriculture seemed very inviting.  Reminds me a little of southern Illinois, except that the hills out here are larger.  It is really pleasant.  Hopefully my car is safe tonight here at the hotel... (crossing fingers)

Made it to Toledo, OH

 Patch of blue sky.

Unfortunately, this was the largest patch of blue sky I had seen all day, since it was overcast all day with the remnants of that massive storm system strewn all across the midwest.

day 2

The wind was blowing something fierce all day today, starting at the earliest in the morning. The pic below was taken before I left my hotel room in Lincoln, NE. shot from hotel room 

Behind the wheel

 Yah! for free wifi in Iowa rest stops.

What things looked like starting out

 

With a fresh haircut and an almost fully loaded car, I begin.

Welcome back

This is what I was greeted with the day after I returned from my Jordan trip. It's a view out my bedroom window. It, as is typical in Northern Colorado, barely lasted a day. A few days later, when I left Colorado, it was clear, sunny, and in the mid-60s.  

Hit the road, Jack

I left Fort Collins today a little after 1p, after lunch at the Collindale grille there.  I made it to Lincoln, NE.  The first construction on 80 I saw today was just at Lincoln, so cheers to that.

Of note, there was a massive thunderstorm forming North of 80 in the early afternoon.  By later afternoon that storm had grown and flourished, setting off severe weather warnings, with measured winds of 60 mph.  there was even a separate tornado warning.  thank goodness the storm path didn't directly intersect mine...

Unfortunately, I didn't stop to snap any shots of the massive grey clouds surrounded with clear, blue skies.  I won't let that opportunity slip by again (hopefully).

testing with Live Writer beta

 

Windows Live Writer page on MSN Spaces.

pictures don't work with blogger?  strange...

guess i'll need to set up my FTP account again or just use Picasa to post pics...