NYC-DC-PA Vacation: Packing, Driving to DC, Layover in Boston and Back to Seattle

The alarm went off at 7 a.m. and I laid there thinking that it's going to be a very long day.  I rolled out of my comfy bed and started getting ready.  I got on what I was going to wear and tried to neatly organize everything else inside the suitcase the best I could.  I really do need to get a new suitcase or just not bring back a lot of stuff every time I go on vacation. 

We went downstairs and ate some breakfast with Amy.  We had yogurt, granola, toast, strawberries, bananas and this time bacon.  The bacon hit the spot.  The food was delicious and hit the spot.  Amy and Josh are great hosts, and we wish they didn't live so far away.  We sat at the dining room table eating and chatting about how our day was going to unfold.

We helped Amy clean up the table and we went upstairs and finished packing up our stuff.  Mitch and Josh took our luggage out to the Chevy Malibu, and we followed so we could unlock the trunk for them.  We stood out there for a couple minutes getting in our last chance of in person conversation until the next time we get to see them in person. We gave out some hugs and thanked them for letting us stay with them and hang out.  They said we were welcome any time as long as they were home.  

We left around 9:30ish, put the address to the airport into Nuvi and had to turn around before getting into town because Mom forgot her phone charger.  We got back to the house and Mom retrieved her phone charger and we got back on the road again.  We literally followed the same roads we did coming up to PA as we did down to DC.  There wasn't that much traffic which was nice.  It really didn't take us long to get there.  We did have to get gas before we returned the rental car but made a bad decision by stopping in Rosslyn thinking there was an easy place to fill up.  Haha, there wasn't. 

We got back on the highway and ended up getting gas before the airport exit to Ronald Regan.  We should have known they put one here.  We filled up and it was still cheaper than getting gas at home.  We got back on the road and found the exit we needed to turn in the rental car.  We walked in, dropped off the keys and they told me I would get the final bill in my email.  I thanked them and we continued on to the airport.  

The hallway we walked to was very long.  I felt like we walked over a mile just to get to the check in area.  

We already had our boarding passes, so they told us to wheel our bags upstairs and drop them off.  It was kinda weird.  We waited in line, got our bag tags, they checked our boarding passes, dropped off our bags with a guy who took them and put them on a conveyer belt, and we walked back downstairs to get in line to go through security. 

This time I wasn't pulled aside to check the protein bars in my backpack.  However, I did get stuck behind a lady in a wheelchair a head of me.  Mom had to wait a bit for me to get through security because it took a long time.  I finally got through security, grabbed all my stuff, put on my shoes and we walked to our gate just to see where it was.  From there, we found a good spot to hang out for a while.  We got situated and then I got hungry.

I walked down the corridor and around the corner to Qdoba for a chicken bowl and then grabbed a Pepsi Zero from one of the Hudson places on the way back.  While I was there, I asked Mom if she wanted anything, and she said just a water.  I got back and handed Mom her water and set up shop at a table near our gate.  

A little bit later, Mom figured she should probably eat something as well.  I told her there were several options and she settled for a burger and fries from the Smash Burger, which was just across the way from our gate.  I still have never tried Smash Burger.  I called Ben to let him know where we are in our day and told him that we were waiting for our flight to Boston-Logan for a quick layover.  I was really hoping that it would go smoothly and have no issues.  We picked this flight because it ate up the most money in our JetBlue bank...normally, when I had to get a layover flight, it would have at least two or three hours...for the wiggle room.

Unfortunately, we boarded our flight late because they were waiting for a plane from Orlando to get there.  Some of those passengers needed to be on our flight to get to Boston.  So, we are waiting for a plane that is late so you can make us late to our flight in Boston?  Uh oh!  That makes no sense.  Are they going to wait for us if we're late?

We got on the plane about a half hour late.  That ate into our hour of layover time.  The flight to Boston was going to be about an hour.  

I was getting anxious...that anxiousness made me tire, and I closed my eyes for about 20 minutes.  I usually read or write in my journal but there wasn't enough time to get everything out for that short of a trip.

We were in our descent and touched down in Boston.  I wanted off the plane so bad so we could get to our gate on time.  Of course, it took everyone forever to get off the stupid plane.  Once it was our turn, I found out what gate we were supposed to be at, and it said it was currently boarding and the gate was closing soon, so I ran.  I didn't want to be stuck at the airport because they waited for a flight from Orlando to make us late getting home. 

I got to the gate out of breath and told the lady that I had to run to the gate so they wouldn't leave without us.  I told her that Mom was coming right behind me.  The lady told me I was fin and had plenty of time.  Well, I didn't know that when I looked at the board. Mom soon arrived, the lady scanned our boarding passes and we walked onto the plane.  We found our seats and hoped our luggage made it onto the flight.  It would have been nice to have a longer layover so we could use the restroom and relax a bit before heading on our last leg home.  Oh well.  We made it and now we're headed to Seattle. 

I was so glad to be on this part of our trip.  This was the last part of our trip we had to do except for getting back to SeaTac, grabbing our luggage and going home.  I was ready to get a shower and sleep in my own bed.  Don't get me wrong, I love traveling, seeing and experiencing new places but I was just ready to be home to relax for a bit before I had to go back to work again. 

I spend the majority of the flight time writing notes in my notebook about the trip while Mom watched movies.  I shared my headphones with her because she didn't bring her plug-in headphones.  I looked out the window a few times to see the landscape change. 

We were getting closer as we saw the Cascades.  We touched down, let Doug know we were and that we were waiting to get off the plane to get our luggage.  

We finally got off the plane and made our way to the luggage carousel.  We didn't think it would take this long.  But we had to wait a long time. Doug actually came inside wondering why it was taking a long time.  We didn't know why.  I asked him if he paid to park and he said no, Ben was with him.  Oh, I was wondering how he was inside with the car parked outside in the arrivals area.  Eventually, our luggage came down and we wheeled them out to the Escape.  We threw them in the trunk, Mom and Doug got in the back and I got in the passenger seat.  We left the airport. 

I wanted some food.  The last time I ate it was almost 1 p.m. east coast time, about 11 a.m. our time.  It was now almost 9 p.m. our time.  We stopped in Federal Way to get McDonald's since it was pretty much the only thing open. We tried going in, but they said their dining room was closed for the night.  So, we got back in the Escape and went to the drive thru.  There were a lot of people in the drive thru.  Someone cut off everyone and we all got mad.  When it was our turn, we relayed what we wanted to Ben, I handed him money and we got our food.  It was actually the correct order too.  We ate food, drove down I-5, had to drop Mom off in Rainier with her luggage and then went home to Lacey. 

I was so glad to be home because that day was super long with the time zone changes.  I unloaded my suitcase, I got in a shower, unloaded some of my luggage and finally gave up and went to bed around midnight.  I was tired.  I slept like a rock, and it was nice to sleep in the next morning without having a schedule to adhere to.   

Notes:

I have always wanted to see the Twin Towers since I was a little kid because they were so fascinating to me.  I was hoping to go to NYC when I was able to afford it (when I became and adult and could get a job), obviously, we had no idea 9/11 was going to happen and that dream died that day.  I was so heartbroken. When I finally did get to come to NYC, over 20 years later, it just wasn't the same.  I was robbed of the true NYC experience, and it was hard visiting the landmarks without the Twin Towers in the background.  I was glad we came but it just wasn't the same vibe.

Before 9/11, the Twin Towers make up the foremost souvenir postcard subject of the city.  You stop by any retail store in the city that places revolving metal racks of postcards out on the sidewalk and examine the selection. What do you find?  Among with the obligatory cards of the Statue of Liberty, there are cards of various museums and attractions and the overall New York skyline by day and by night.  And always there is the World Trade Center with its Twin Towers.  A trip to New York City was not validated until one purchases that card, because it shows the one structure that people back home will instantly recognize as standing for New York. (Twin Towers, 1999 and reprinted with post-9/11 information.)

I actually had a hard time finding souvenirs with the Twin Towers on them.  It was almost like NYC forgot it happened or didn't want to remember it happened or the progress of new and shiny things such as One World Trade Center was taking over.  Obviously, people born around and after 2001 will never know how magnificent the NYC skyline was.

We found that the best form of transportation in NYC was the subway...only if you are willing and able.  We never felt unsafe traveling this way.  In fact, many New Yorkers asked us if we needed help and were happy to do so.

If you are not from the east coast and you rent a car, make sure you get the rental package with the tolls.  It will save you a lot of money going through tolls.  

I brought my Nuvi GPS with me and I was glad I had it since I am not from the east coast and had no idea where I was going.  

Mom and I are big fans of Nathan's hotdogs and watch the annual hotdog eating contest from Coney Island.  We had to stop there and have a hotdog.

I took Mom to an east coast light house, Sandy Hook.

Mom and I saw and touched the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.  The west and east coastlines are very different. 

We drove to Atlantic City just to see it.  We are not gamblers.  We've both been to Las Vegas and Reno and had to see what Atlantic City was like and it was definitely not what we thought it would be like.  Very underwhelming but fun to see it.

Took Mom to a Wawa for hoagies and she laughed every time I said Wawa.

Mom had never been to DC, but I had several years ago with my fastpitch team.  She had fun walking around seeing the historical landmarks.  She said you almost need several days to see everything which is true, but we only had a day to see has much as we could. 

We got to spend time with Amy and Josh and visit southern Pennsylvania.  We walked along the Appalachian Trail, saw Gettysburg and experienced Carlisle.

We walked 201,000 steps on our entire trip which is 38.07 miles.  This includes NYC, DC and PA.  Our feet were very tired, and I felt bad for our shoes.

We found 73 caches in total.

• 25 were Adventure Labs
• 30 were virtuals
• 13 were traditionals
• 2 were earthcaches
• 1 puzzle
• 1 letterbox
• 1 webcam

We got 5 new states, 6 in one day, 13 new counties

• New York, 3 new counties
• New Jersey, 2 new counties
• Delaware, 1 new county
• Maryland, 2 new counties
• DC, 1 new county
• Virginia, 1 new county
• Pennsylvania, 3 new counties

The Castle (GC4D82) was my 12,500th cache

This trip allowed me to fill in part of my Jasmer and I have 4 remaining:

• July 2000
• August 2000
• September 2000
• May 2001

Our next trip to the east coast will be in October/November when we go to Salem, Mass. with Mom's friends to experience the witch trials. I am going to try and book a tour at Fenway Park while we are in Boston.  We also hope to hit up the rest of the states I don't have and visit their friend Mindy in Maine.

Next Adventure:  Celebration of Life:  Remembering Helena M. Wilson

NYC-DC-PA Vacation: Gettysburg

It was nice to sleep in a little bit again.  I got up around 8:30-9:00 a.m. and Josh and Amy were getting ready to go to Harrisburg for a couple hours.  Harrisburg is about a half hour away to the northeast from Carlisle. They had some problems with their taxes and had to go there to get the proper help so they could file them.  

We all went downstairs and had granola, yogurt, bananas, strawberries and toast for breakfast.  We talked about random things again.  Josh brought up that their nephew, Mitch, was coming up from Virginia to spend the weekend with them.  He is in his first year of college and just wrapped up his freshman year.  He was thinking about transferring to Utah next year to be closer to his girlfriend and his family.  He is going to go to Gettysburg with us in the afternoon when Amy and Josh got back from Harrisburg.

I asked Josh were the best place to get gas was and he said the Giant.  However, there is a good Giant and a not so good Giant in town.  He told me not to go to the Walnut Bottom Giant but the other one.  I looked up the address to find out which one it was and where in town it was.  Josh and Amy headed to Harrisburg.

Mom found the TV remote and found something to watch for a little bit and then she went upstairs to start going through her suitcase.  Mitch showed up around a half hour later.  We introduced ourselves and he went to go settle in downstairs.  I told Mom I should probably go get gas before everyone comes back and we get busy.  She said to have fun.  I put the address into the GPS and headed into town.  It took me literally through town and since it was a weekday the college kids were all over the place and I had to stop several times for them to walk across the street.  So going and getting gas took longer than it needed to.  I finally got there, put some gas in our Chevy Malibu and saw there was a cache behind the store.  Of course, I went and looked for it.   Micro Cache in a Giant World (GC4AC5K) was an easy park and grab underneath a lamp skirt.  Most grocery store and mall hides are like these.  I wrote my name and Mom's name on the logbook and put it back where I found it.  

I, then, drove through the gauntlet of college kids walking to and from campus.  I finally got back to Josh and Amy's house and noticed Mitch had left.  I went upstairs and started going through the stuff in my suitcase.  I had to make sure everything fit inside while we wanted for Amy and Josh to get back.  I knew we wouldn't have a lot of time later on or tomorrow morning to go through stuff.  I set aside the stuff I would need for the next day while putting everything else away the best I could.  It is amazing how much stuff you bring back with you.  Mitch came back from getting his haircut.  

I got hungry so I made myself a ham and Swiss sandwich with my Uts chips I bought earlier that week.  Just before I got done eating, Amy and Josh walked through the door.  They said that was a great idea, so everyone made themselves a sandwich before we headed to Gettysburg.  We grabbed what we needed, filled up our water bottles and piled into Josh's truck.  Me, Amy and Mom sat in the back and Mitch and Josh were in the front.  

Along the way, Josh told us about the important places in the small towns outside of Gettysburg and why they were significant.  In my mind, I just thought it was really cool we were going to Gettysburg because I probably won't remember everything Josh was going to tell us. I was also in the realm that we were actually going to Gettysburg.  Up to this point, Gettysburg was just a bunch of war stories I learned in a textbook at school.  Of course, it happened, and it was real, but actually going to experience it made it more real to me.

We drove through Mount Holly Springs and continued down Hwy 34 to Gettysburg.  It was about a half hours' worth of driving.  We arrived at the north end of town, and we saw there were a bunch of people walking around, lots of busses and people taking various tours of town.  One of the first pieces of Civil War information Josh told us was about the statues of the men on horses.  He told us that the statues are important and then proceeded to tell us why.  If the horse is on all fours, the person survived the battle, if it was on three, they suffered wounds and eventually died and if the horse was on two legs, that person died in battle.  Mitch and I made sure to point out the horse statues with the correct outcome.

Josh took us to the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor's Center first.  I had to run back to the truck because bags weren't allowed into the museum, and no one told me.  Oh well.  I joined back up with them and went inside to get our tickets for the film and Cyclorama.  The film, A New Birth of Freedom, was narrated by Morgan Freeman.  It gave some good information; some I've heard and some stuff I haven't heard about the Battle of Gettysburg.  It was about a twenty-minute video.

We left the theater and walked to the Cyclorama.  I can tell you I've never been to a Cyclorama before.  They were very popular in the late 19th century, and it gives the viewers a 360-degree view of whatever image is being depicted.  The intended effect is to make viewers, surrounded by the panoramic image, feel as if they were standing in the midst of the place represented in the image.  It was pretty cool standing there in the middle of it following along the Battle of Gettysburg as it was happening.  It really had a cool 3D effect while we watched.

We went through the museum and the gift shop really quick, used the restrooms and then took some pictures with Lincoln outside.

I grabbed my usual postcard bundle, magnet and this time I got a book about Gettysburg to read whenever I have some down time...which is usually when the weather gets bad.

We all hopped back into Josh's truck and went on the driving tour of Gettysburg.  We saw the location of where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.  

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.  

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing where that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.  We are met on a great battle-field of that war.  We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. 

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate---we can not consecrate---we can not hallow---this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, for above our poor power to add or detract.  The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have nobly advanced.  It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us---that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion---that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain---that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom---and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."   

-Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863

It was so surreal seeing these historical points I've only read about in school.  It sure gives a different perspective when you're actually here.  We went counterclockwise and saw many important locations, including the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, and many other memorials of soldiers and brigades who found from the various states on both sides of the war.  I tried to imagine what this place looked and felt like during the war.  I will never know that and am thankful for it.  We did stop and get out several times throughout the tour.  I did do the geocache, Peace at Gettysburg (GCA250) while we were at the peace memorial.  I had to find the artist to claim a find.  

He told us about Pickett's Charge, McPherson's Ridge, Seminary Ridge, Cemetery Ridge, Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill.

Josh showed us the pivotal point where the Union Army took the battle from the Confederate Army because of a huge error on the south's part. It makes you wonder what the US would be like if the south won.  I will not speculate because this is not what this blog is about.  Everyone has their own opinions about stuff, and I personally do not care what you think.  He took us to a few more memorials and hot spots, showed us Big Round Top, Little Round Top and Devil's Den.

Amy had scheduled a reservation for us all to have dinner at the Dobbin House. The Dobbin House was built in 1776 for Reverend Alexander Dobbin, his wife and children.  It posed as an underground railroad for runaway slaves who needed a place to hide, and it also served as a temporary hospital for soldiers who were wounded during the Civil War.  Today, it stands just as it did in its glory days with a few minor restorations as a restaurant and bar. It was pretty cool we got to eat dinner in a building that's been standing since 1776!

We were seated and served by waiters wearing period clothing from the Civil War.  We were served different types of bread and fresh churned butter while we perused the menu.  I decided to have prime rib, salad and a baked potato with some lemonade.  Mom had the NY steak, baked potato and salad with some lemonade.  The food was delicious!  We paid and when we got up, I noticed a hutch with dishes in it.  They looked very familiar.  I got closer and saw that they were the exact same dishes my grandmother Eileen had that I now have.  What are the odds that I would see them in Gettysburg?  Amy said she had some similar to that as well.  I told her we would have to compare them when we got home.

We got back in the truck and drove up the road to another parking lot to where we were supposed to meet up with our ghost tour.  I saw there was a geocache in the parking lot, so I grabbed The Only Civilian (GC79HZJ) while the rest of my group assembled near the meet up spot.  

Ben called me while I was looking for it to let me know how his day was going and what we were up to.  I always forget that when I am on the east coast on trips that home is three hours behind us.  So, he was just getting off work and heading home. 

The ghost tour started.  Our tour guide, a very eccentric guy from Baltimore who relocated to Gettysburg, gave us the ground rules, a little bit about what we were going to see that evening and to let him know if we had any questions or to reiterate information if we can't hear him.  I was super excited and really hoped that we saw ghosts that night.  Mitch was also super stoked as well.  I wasn't sure about Amy, Josh and Mom though.  

We started at the cemetery and worked our way through town in an 'L' shape.  He rattled off stories about many of the buildings in town that people have claimed to see ghosts, spirits or weird stuff happening.  Most of those old Civil War buildings are now hotel rooms and various businesses.  We spent a lot of time in front of the Jennie Wade House.

Jennie Wade was the only civilian killed during the three-day battle in Gettysburg.  On the morning of July 3, 1863, she was shot dead by a stray bullet while kneading dough in her sister' kitchen.  The dough was going to be bread that she served to the Union soldiers later that morning. The projectile was shot through the kitchen door and the parlor door of her sister's house and hit her.  It pierced her left shoulder blade, went through her heart and ended up in her corset.  She was killed instantly. It is uncertain which side fired the fatal shot; some authors have contributed it to an unknown Confederate sharpshooter.   She was 20 years old. 

As we neared the end of our tour, our guide asked the group if they wanted to continue the rest of the half hour to forty minutes or they could leave and get a refund. Some left and some stayed.  We stayed because I wanted to know more about the town and all the ghost stories.  I was still hoping to see ghosts as it got darker.  He continued one with his stories about other hot spots in town.  He then asked if any of us wanted to go to the gate of hell.  Some of us went and others ended their tour.  I wanted to see ghosts.  He even had some EMF detectors and handed them out to the people who wanted to hold one.  Mitch and I just wanted to see ghosts.  I took a few pictures in hopes that I would see something in the photograph.  Sadly, we did not get a ghost encounter.  Our tour ended and we all walked back towards the truck.

Amy, Mom and I checked out some of the Civil War buildings nearby.  One of the legends is to peak your head into the door window of one of the houses and you will be able to see ghosts inside.  I was not lucky.  There were people inside the building browsing the gift shop.  While I was peaking inside, Amy snapped some photos of me.  You could clearly see orbs on me.  I stepped back and took some photos of where I was to see if it was light pollution from somewhere else and nothing appeared.  They must have been orbs!  I was excited. 

Overall, our tour guide gave us some great information however, Josh though the tour wasn't all that great and not worth the money.  To me, it was the experience of learning new things in a town I've never been to before but learned some of it in history books growing up.  A lot of the ghost activity that has been sighted over the past 200 years, typically occurred from July 1st-3rd when the battle actually took place.  You have to go into the experience with an open mind.  I have always been fascinated by ghosts and ghost hunting.  I'd like to go on more tours if the opportunity presents itself.  

We drove back to Carlisle and got home around 11 p.m.  We briefly chatted about how the morning was going to go for a bit and then everyone got ready for bed.  I went into my room and packed up some of my stuff into the suitcase.  We were going to have to leave here by at least 9 a.m. the next day so we could make it to Ronald Regan International Airport.  I went to bed after midnight and set my alarm for 7 a.m.  

Next Adventure:  NYC-DC-PA Vacation:  Packing, Driving to DC, Layover in Boston and Back to Seattle

NYC-DC-PA Vacation: Walking Around Carlisle and Boiling Springs

Mom got up around 7ish and I got up a little bit later because I was tired, and we weren't going to do anything until later that morning.  It was a nice break from always having to be somewhere.  This was a nice break from the past few days of our vacation. Both Amy and Josh had to do some work before they could hang out with us the rest of the day.  Amy had her office set up in the bedroom next to the one I was using.  Josh's office was set up down in the basement.  She saw we were all up and got out the stuff for breakfast.  Our choices were yogurt, granola, strawberries, bananas and toast.  Josh warned us that we had to eat all of the bananas before we left because he got them for us.

She told us we could do laundry while she and Josh were working to pass the time.  I threw in a load of underwear, socks, shirts and shorts.  The other load were the heavy things like sweatshirts, sweatpants and pants.  I worked on my blog for a little bit.  I got ready for the day and put on some different clothes.  Amy got out of her jammies and we all decided what we were going to do.  First, Josh and Amy showed us around the outside of their house and took us down to see the Conodoguinet Creek, which is really a river.  It is a tributary of the Susquehanna River. I found their gnome who survived the winter currents. 

Amy said she wanted to take us around Carlisle for the day.  Josh decided to stay home and continue working.  He said that he was going to plan and cook dinner as well.  I was excited to explore Carlisle.  I found out later that my friend Lauren's older brother lives in Carlisle.  I knew he lived in Pennsylvania but never knew which town he lived in with his family.  We told Josh we'd be back and hopped in Amy's SUV.

She drove us through the middle of town, and we parked near the cemetery.  We went into the Old Public Graveyard. This graveyard is famous for Molly Pitcher, a woman who has said to had fought in the American Revolutionary War.  The Old Public Graveyard was Carlisle's first burial ground.  The oldest surviving marker is dated 1757, six years after Carlisle founding in 1751.  As one of the original seven public graveyards in colonial Pennsylvania, the Old Graveyard reflects the European pattern of public rather than private ownership.  Today, the site is owned and maintained by the Borough of Carlisle. 

The Old Public Graveyard in Carlisle is home to 750 veterans from the Revolutionary War through the Korean War.  The graveyard is the burial ground for 550 Civil War veteran including the drummer boy from the 1st US Calvary, Charles Seebold.  We spent some time wandering around the cemetery looking at the old grave markers.  It was surreal looking at how old these were.

From there, we decided to walk through town.  Amy told us a little bit about some of the historical sites including the cannon ball that hit one of the pillars of the City Hall building.  They didn't bother fixing it so it's still there to this day.  It was pretty cool to see.  A notable person who resided in Carlisle was the iconic athlete, Jim Thorpe, who is known for his versatility in sports.  It is home to Dickinson College and the US Army War College.  There's a lot going on in this town.

We walked through the middle of town, and I knew there was a virtual cache here, A Sleepy Washington in Carlisle (GCF194).  We stopped briefly to do it and I was super confused.  The coords said they were on one side of the street but there wasn't a sign or anything to answer the question being asked.  I did see that there was a sign across the street.  I told Amy it wasn't a big deal, and we could do it later since we had to walk back this way to go back to the car.  I found out later I could totally do this cache on the internet because the signs were historical, and you can look them up online.

Then I saw the historical sign for the famous Hot-Chee-Dogs at the Hamilton Restaurant.  Amy said they are purchased by the dozen because they are so popular.  I asked if we could eat here for lunch, and everyone agreed.  We had to try the famous food here in Carlisle!  We went into the restaurant and a lady sat us, asked for our drink order and we told her we were ready to order some Hot-Chee-Dogs, fries and onion rings.  She told us she would be back with our drinks and food.  

We visited for a few minutes, I got up and washed my hands and when I got back the lady brought our food and drinks.  I was excited to try them.  I always attempt to try new food or food that the area is known for when we travel.  It was hard to pass up this opportunity.  We spent a half hour eating our Hot-Chee-Dogs, fries and onion rings while Amy talked about living in Carlisle.  

Afterwards, we went into the Cumberland Valley Visitor's Center and browsed around for a bit.  I found some post cards and Mom found a couple things including a shirt to bring home with her.  Amy also purchased a few things as gifts for her friends.  We went across the street to Georgie Lou's Retro Candy shop and looked around for a bit.  I found a couple things; Mom found a couple things and of course Amy found some stuff as well.  We paid and continued on with our downtown visit.

We walked a couple blocks to Dickinson College.  We looked at some of the old buildings and statues.  It is a private liberal arts college founded in 1773 by Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and named in honor of John Dickinson, a signer of the Constitution and a former governor of Pennsylvania.  They compete in the NCAA Division III athletics, and they are the red and white Red Devils.  It was fun exploring a small east coast college.

We started our walk back to Amy's SUV near the cemetery.  Along the way, she said we were going to stop by a chocolate store and on the way to Boiling Springs we were going to stop by the famous Rita's Italian Ice so we could experience it.  Amy said it was her treat.  We jumped into the SUV and headed towards Exquisite Chocolates of Carlisle.  Amy knew the lady who was working inside.  Both Mom and I got the caramel chocolate.  We were in there for maybe 10 minutes or so.  We thanked the lady and got back in the SUV.  Amy took us to Rita's.  She said this place is super popular during the summer.  We stood in line.  I got a cherry one and Mom got a blue raspberry one.

We ate them as we drove to Boiling Springs. Boiling Springs is about 6 miles southeast of Carlisle and it is roughly the halfway point for the Appalachian Trail, has some unique hydrogeology, cool Civil War buildings.  We were there to walk a portion of the well-known 2,200-mile trail, explore the town, take some photos, do some geocaching and the Adventure Lab. 

We found a place to park near "the bubble," grabbed what we needed, locked the SUV and walked over to The Bubble (GC680XC) which was an earthcache.  I looked at what we needed to do to get the answers.  I climbed down on the rock so I could feel how cold the water was.  I answered the questions the best I could and then decided I would look it up on the internet when we got home.  We continued walking along the Appalachian Trail.  I snapped a bunch of pictures as we walked closer to one of the trail check points.  

We also did the Welcome to Boiling Springs Adventure Lab along the way.  We had to answer questions about "the bubble", the veteran's memorial clock, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Carlisle Iron Works Furnace and a spa called Allenberry (which we had to drive to.)  It was fun learning about new places.  We grabbed a traditional cache called Carlisle Iron Works (GC7FPGN) which was a bison tube tethered to a really cool tree near the Yellow Breeches Creek.  

We spent some more time walking around the rest of the lake, looking at the old Civil War homes and just enjoying the really nice April afternoon. The weather could not have been better for this trip.  We have been so lucky to have sunshine just about every day.  We got near the parking lot and noticed some geese.  They were upset we were in their walking path and went out of their way to walk around us.  We laughed at them.  We walked back to the SUV and headed back towards Carlisle.  Amy took us the long way around so she could show us a couple of places.

Meanwhile, Josh finished up his workday, went to the store and grabbed some stuff for dinner and proceeded to cook dinner while we were on our way back from Boiling Springs.  We got back to the house and dinner was almost ready.  Josh asked us how our day went, and we told him pretty well.  I told him that Boiling Springs was not boring!  He just chuckled.

We all sat down and ate burnt ends, smashed potatoes and salad.  It was delicious. We chatted about the day some more and enjoyed each other's company.  We helped clear the table and hung out the rest of the evening chatting and visiting.  I uploaded pictures to Facebook and wrote in my blog for a little bit.  Dad had gotten a hold of me earlier to ask me how to change is Facebook password because he thought someone had hacked into it.  I changed it and decided to tell him about it the next day when we had some time to go step by step.  

I got ready for bed and went to bed around midnight.  

Next Adventure:  NYC-DC-PA Vacation:  Gettysburg