AC's Gettysburg GG 2013 TR

[Beckers 1,136]

Who was the parent (it wasn't me BTW) who politely informed the kids that there are plenty of bones scattered around the battle fields and they wouldn't notice a few more? That also might have something to do with how well behaved they were.

Cheryl or Matt I think?

[Beckers 1,136]

Yeah bill isn't bad. He had to deal with my kid bugging the crap out of him lol

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I'm in. Very late but all caught up! Loved the tour of Gettysburg!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Wasn't Bill the cause of the 2nd moon over the campground last year?

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Looks like a great Fiend Gathering!!!  It had it all!!  Food, Fiends, fun, Beer, and Kungaloosh!!!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Those food pics are making me seriously hungry.  Did you save me any?

[Brent... Just Brent 83]

Great report so far Aaron. Looks like a great time. I hope your kids enjoyed Gettysburg. I remember hating it as a kid, but would love to go back now. Can't wait to read more.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm in.

 

Page 5 bragging rights!

 

Great report, Aaron.

 

I remember visiting Gettysburg a few times as a child.  They have certainly upgraded the displays in the museum.  What I remember most clearly is the medical display.  It was shocking then and is still shocking now.

 

I am looking forward to reading more and seeing more photos.

 

TCD

[Family of Bears 98]

Great TR!

I did notice that the kids watched TWO movies. That is incredible!! That's 3-4 hours of kids sitting happily and peacefully. And I can totally picture the adults jumping to high alert to get another movie on before the kids notice. I've played that game before.

Love all the references to things such as: crawling over broken glass, throwing beer bottles, tantrums, strong arming...looks like you all had a successful weekend!

[dblr....Rennie 224]

If every GG is like this one was I think I will just spend my retirement travel time getting to them all, we did have a great time!!!!!!!!!

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

The food was incredible ... Really you have no idea on the talent that was displayed at this GG...   The FrIENDS on the other hand made it all worth while.  What an outstanding group of people.   And Bill is not a bad guy...  in fact he may be the most useful/fun Fire/EMS guy I have ever met.   :rofl2: :rofl2:    He makes a deep fried turkey that is completely worth crawling over broken glass for.

 

The turkey was delicious.

 

Bill was pretty cool for a firefighter.

 

Cheryl or Matt I think?

 

dunno

 

Yeah bill isn't bad. He had to deal with my kid bugging the crap out of him lol

 

I am sure the pleasure was all his.

 

I loved getting all the questions from the kids when I was still on the job.

 

I'm in. Very late but all caught up! Loved the tour of Gettysburg!

 

Glad you're here Cherie......if you have never been there you should go sometime.

 

Maybe next years GG?

 

Wasn't Bill the cause of the 2nd moon over the campground last year?

 

I vaguely remember something like that being talked about on FF.  Not sure if it was Bill though.  I wasn't at the GG last year.

 

Looks like a great Fiend Gathering!!!  It had it all!!  Food, Fiends, fun, Beer, and Kungaloosh!!!

 

Ooh.  Your list just reminded me that I forgot something very important.  It will be included at the beginning of the next update.

 

Those food pics are making me seriously hungry.  Did you save me any?

 

It would be pretty ripe at this point.  It was all excellent though.

 

Great report so far Aaron. Looks like a great time. I hope your kids enjoyed Gettysburg. I remember hating it as a kid, but would love to go back now. Can't wait to read more.

 

The kids did enjoy it.  DS read a lot of the markers and placards and is reading books on Gettysburg and the Civil War now.

 

DD enjoyed herself but I doubt she will remember much of it.

 

We will be back though.

 

I'm in.

 

Page 5 bragging rights!

 

Great report, Aaron.

 

I remember visiting Gettysburg a few times as a child.  They have certainly upgraded the displays in the museum.  What I remember most clearly is the medical display.  It was shocking then and is still shocking now.

 

I am looking forward to reading more and seeing more photos.

 

TCD

 

I went as a kid also.

 

I don't remember there even being a museum or visitors center.

 

I did remember parts of the battlefield tour.

 

If you are ever trekking up north, you should go back.

 

The new visitor center and museum are well worth the time.

 

Of course the battlefield is also worth seeing again.

 

 

 

Great TR!

I did notice that the kids watched TWO movies. That is incredible!! That's 3-4 hours of kids sitting happily and peacefully. And I can totally picture the adults jumping to high alert to get another movie on before the kids notice. I've played that game before.

Love all the references to things such as: crawling over broken glass, throwing beer bottles, tantrums, strong arming...looks like you all had a successful weekend!

 

The kids were great and the adults were mostly well behaved .

 

My kids, like me, are suckers for outdoor movies. 

 

There is something inherently cool about watching movies outside.

 

I have felt that way since my first time as a kid at the FW campfire program.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

If every GG is like this one was I think I will just spend my retirement travel time getting to them all, we did have a great time!!!!!!!!!

 

Excellent idea!

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I forgot about one of the most important items on the menu Sunday night.

 

If you remember on Saturday night, we enjoyed some of Bill and Mrs. Bill's Snarky juice:

 

 

If you remember on Sunday night, BKJ brought several batches of Kungaloosh:

 

 

But what do you notice in this picture just prior to Sunday's potluck?

 

 

That's right.

 

There is kungaloosh and Snarky juice on that table.

 

So what would any self-respecting person do?

 

Mix the two together of course!

 

A few of us enjoyed "Snarkaloosh"!!!

 

It was very tasty.

 

Sunday night was a good time.

 

Monday morning arrived too soon:

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few of us were hanging by the morning campfire and Mrs. Whip busted out the balloons again:

 

 

 

DD loved the balloon stuff so much the other night, she asked "Can we stay here for like one hundred days?"

 

Some of the kids hung under Whip's awning while most of the fiends started to pack up:

 

 

Jason and Sil packed up and left early.

 

The rest of our fiend neighbors filed out one by one.........

 

 

 

 

Bill and his family were the last to go.

 

 

Bill and family pulled out and we were all that was left on Fiend row:

 

 

We went to the pond and fished for a bit:

 

 

It got rainy, windy, and cold almost immediately after Bill left.

 

DD played on the other playground for a minute or two and decided she was too cold to stay outside:

 

 

I took DD back to the PUP and DS and DW were soon to follow.

 

We hung in the PUP for an hour or so and DS spiked another fever.

 

At this point, I wished we had left earlier when it was still nice out.

 

About 30 minutes or so after having this thought, the rain stopped.

 

I checked the radar and it looked like we had maybe 30-45 minutes before the next storm came through.

 

DW and I decided to use the time to pack up the truck, put the PUP down, and get the heck out of dodge.

 

Packing up a soaked camper in the morning did not seem like fun and the wind had just about dried out the PUP by the time we had the truck packed.

 

The last pic of the PUP prior to takedown:

 

 

A couple pics from the trip home:

 

 

 

DS was miserable on the way home, but we were home around 1130-1145 if I remember correctly.

 

I leave you with one final picture that Bill forwarded to me the night Michigan punched there ticket to the Final Four with a victory in Cowboys Stadium:

 

 

We had hoped to stay until Tuesday, because our original plan was to walk around town and maybe visit the David Wills house and the Eisenhower farm, but the weather and DS being sick wiped that out. 

 

Another time.

 

I hope you all enjoyed the trip report.

 

It was fun bringing it to you!

 

My next trip report is locked and loaded.

 

It will be unlike a normal trip report.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I went as a kid also.

 

I don't remember there even being a museum or visitors center.

 

I did remember parts of the battlefield tour.

 

If you are ever trekking up north, you should go back.

 

The new visitor center and museum are well worth the time.

 

Of course the battlefield is also worth seeing again.

 

What I remember was that there were several "museums" that we visited that were in old houses.  They must have been privately owned. I'm not sure if anything like that is still around.

 

My next trip report is locked and loaded.

 

It will be unlike a normal trip report.

 

I still have no idea what this next TR is all about.

 

But, I can't wait to read it.

 

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

What I remember was that there were several "museums" that we visited that were in old houses.  They must have been privately owned. I'm not sure if anything like that is still around.

 

 

I still have no idea what this next TR is all about.

 

But, I can't wait to read it.

 

TCD

 

I don't recall seeing anything like that on this trip.  Maybe they used this new visitor center and museum to centralize all the exhibits, displays, etc?

 

Next TR coming soon!

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I also must acknowledge Bill and Whip for likely saving my awning during the storm on Sunday and putting me through a crash course on towing a travel trailer as well.  They checked out my truck to see if the trans cooler was installed as part of my factory installed tow package, checked to see that the break wiring harness was under the hood, etc. They talked to me about weight distributing hitches, sway bars, etc.

 

I appreciate all the help!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I don't recall seeing anything like that on this trip.  Maybe they used this new visitor center and museum to centralize all the exhibits, displays, etc?

 

That is what it looks like to me.  It all looks a lot slicker and more professional than I remember.

 

As kids, all we cared about were the canon balls and saws that they used to amputate limbs in the field.

 

TCD

[4mickey2 41]

Thanks for sharing your trip. Looks like it was a wonderful time.  Thanks to you guys all going on this first trip of the year--we started re-loading the camper to get it ready for the season.  We still have a few piles of snow here and just can't think about heading out yet.  Unless we would go south--really far south.  lol

 

great pics-sorry to hear your son got sick. But, at least at was at the end and not beginning of the gg.  Hope it didn't last long..  

[4mickey2 41]

darn it... got me...lol

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

darn, i  made it back only to catch the end of your terrific TR. Have to tell you how impressive you make my lil Sunday drives look. We've gotten so used to driving the battlefield roads with the intention of getting to our destinations that I sometimes forget how truly memorable and important the area is. Thanks for reminding me.  

 

Your DD in her duck boots brought a smile to my face every time she passed. And your DS was such a trooper despite feeling bad. I wasn't quick enough to fight the kids for a cookie, but you can bet I will be next time! They looked awesome. 

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

That is what it looks like to me.  It all looks a lot slicker and more professional than I remember.

 

As kids, all we cared about were the canon balls and saws that they used to amputate limbs in the field.

 

TCD

 

There is definitely a better appreciation for everything the older and wiser you get!

 

 

Thanks for sharing your trip. Looks like it was a wonderful time.  Thanks to you guys all going on this first trip of the year--we started re-loading the camper to get it ready for the season.  We still have a few piles of snow here and just can't think about heading out yet.  Unless we would go south--really far south.  lol

 

great pics-sorry to hear your son got sick. But, at least at was at the end and not beginning of the gg.  Hope it didn't last long..  

 

I am glad you enjoyed it.

 

DS is not sick anymore and went to school today; our first day back after spring break.

 

DD and I are sick now.

 

DW is the only one who has been able to fend it off.  She has a much better immune system than me.  She never gets sick.

 

darn it... got me...lol

 

KFKG strikes again!

 

darn, i  made it back only to catch the end of your terrific TR. Have to tell you how impressive you make my lil Sunday drives look. We've gotten so used to driving the battlefield roads with the intention of getting to our destinations that I sometimes forget how truly memorable and important the area is. Thanks for reminding me.  

 

Your DD in her duck boots brought a smile to my face every time she passed. And your DS was such a trooper despite feeling bad. I wasn't quick enough to fight the kids for a cookie, but you can bet I will be next time! They looked awesome. 

 

It was nice meeting you all.

 

Next time, maybe I will prepackage some Snarkys for each family like we did when we handed them out at the Fort.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Sorry to see it end.  It sure did look like a great time was had by all until the sick kicked in for you guys.  Hoping you and your DD are better soon.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Good move getting out while the gettin was good.  Sometimes you just gotta pack it up a bit early and be flexible.  Especially when the weather is bad or you have a sick kid...and you had both.  At least it didn't happen until all the other Fiends were gone.

 

Thanks for the report.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Sorry to see it end.  It sure did look like a great time was had by all until the sick kicked in for you guys.  Hoping you and your DD are better soon.

 

Thanks.

 

If  we have to be miserable, at least we get to do it while wrapped up sung and watching Doc McStuffins (DD) and typing my next TR!

Good move getting out while the gettin was good.  Sometimes you just gotta pack it up a bit early and be flexible.  Especially when the weather is bad or you have a sick kid...and you had both.  At least it didn't happen until all the other Fiends were gone.

 

Thanks for the report.

 

I am definitely glad we left earlier than planned.

 

You are most welcome.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Great report! Hate that it ended in sickness, but it looks like you guys had a lot of fun before that.