Day 14 – Hagerstown, Maryland

Another busy day, not as active or as much fun as yesterday, but lots of activity.  You wouldn’t have known that anyone was going to do anything if you looked in on us around seven this morning.  Don was just getting up, Geri was going back to bed, and I didn’t want to be aroused.  Off to a very slow start, not getting rolling until nearly noon.  I guess yesterday took a lot out of all of us; I can certainly attest for myself.  I loved my afternoon with Abby, but I don’t think I have the stamina to keep up with her.  Don and I did get in a nice walk this morning, without any excitement, and that was a good thing. 

We got on the road, like I said, just before noon, heading south down to Harpers Ferry, a place Don has wanted to visit for years.  It didn’t take too long to get there, and we stopped at the Visitor Center before we went into the town.  I was very pleased with that stop, as the grass in front of the center was made for rolling, and I threw myself into a veritable rolling fit for four or five minutes.  Felt really good.  We drove down into the little town and were fortunate to find a parking place at the railroad depot.  We walked into the “downtown” area, which is mostly very old, historical buildings that have been converted to museums and other displays of the town’s history.  Don told me that many people think that this was the place where our Civil War actually started, years before that incident in Charleston Harbor.  Mr. John Brown, a person who was very strongly opposed to the concept of slavery, decided to demonstrate the depth of his opposition by attacking and seizing the U.S. Army Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, a feat which he almost accomplished.   Brown and his followers eventually were cornered in the Arsenal’s Firehouse, and held off the Army for a couple of days until Marines were brought in to rout the invaders.  Gary will like that part of the story.  Anyway, that incident touched off a big argument over slavery in the USA, and the Civil War started a couple of years later. 

What I can tell you about Harpers Ferry today is that it is really a step back into the past, in a truly beautiful setting, situated on a point of land where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers converge, both of them mighty rivers, amid a bunch of railroad bridges, some still working, some long gone.  The buildings of the Arsenal are also gone, having been destroyed in the Civil War, when the town endured several battles.  I really enjoyed the scenery and the feeling of the place.  I also enjoyed finishing off the remnant of Geri’s frozen custard, when it went too soft and mushy on her, and she had to get rid of it.  Don ate all of his. 

We stopped on the way home in Hagerstown to do a little shopping, then back to the rig for a pasta dinner, resulting in some yummy plates for me.  Don and I put the blog together, then watched a little TV with Geri.  To bed early, not to repeat this morning’s snore-in.  Don’t know for sure what’s happening tomorrow, but I’ll be sure to fill you in!