Monday, April 20, 2009

The weekend here in the Susquehanna Valley of PA was just beautiful. Yesterday, Sunday, we decided to "beat the crowds" and visit the new Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park which is about 1 hour from Lancaster and Hershey.

Well, we didn't beat the crowds because it was jammed but we had a delightful afternoon exploring their new visitor center. There is an admission charge for the museum exhibit hall, the film "A New Birth of Freedom" narrated by Morgan Freeman, and to view the Gettysburg Cyclorama program and then explore their magnificent museum. Well worth the $6.50 Senior Citizen fee we paid--I believe regular admission is $7.50 per person.

Another way to visit Gettysburg is by touring the battlefield by bus. Gettysburg Tours offer 2-hour tours over a 23-mile route through the 5900 acres of Gettysburg National Military Park. Four custom-designed 80-passenger double-deckers are favorites. But if you are there in the middle of the summer--you won't want to be baking on the upper deck (listen to the voice of experience here). They were built by American Carrier Corporation on Ford chassis. Each is named for a general prominent at Gettysburg and blue, gray an white number 11 is the "General Lee." Among the eighteen other vehicles in the fleet is a 47-passenger 22, a Blue Bird LTC40 coach purchased in 1998. Of integral construction and equipped with underfloor luggage bins, the 3-axle LTC40 is Blue Bird's current offering for a verstile, cost effective highway coach.

The Eisenhower farm and National Historic Site is also in Gettysburg, and visitors must travel to it aboard transit-type Blue Birds operated by the Historic Site. And, what better way to see some new coaches but to do a drive-by in the bus parking lot! The coach from the greatest distance was from Iowa--a beautiful new Prevost!