More of Pennsylvania

I wanted to see more of the first capital of the United States than Fran and I had time to explore.  It is a fascinating city, so rich in history! I did one more power day in Philly, using the free for seniors public transportation. First I had a soft pretzel at the Reading terminal and then stood in line to see the Liberty Bell.  

Then I went on a tour to the foot of the William Penn statue at the top of the city hall.  At 40 stories up, it has great views of Philadelphia (and the weather was good).  It was the tallest habitable building in the world until 1908 and is still the tallest masonry building in the U.S.

Then to Christ Church for an interesting tour. This is still an active Espiscopalian church. Then it was on to the Betsy Ross house. Then I walked through the grounds of the Friends Meeting house, also still an active congregation.  

Then I used the free bus to the Rodin museum for a quick visit.

I was hungry so I just had to have another Philly cheesesteak before I left!  Then it was a quick tour of the Ben Franklin museum.  Last I caught the bus from Old City back to the shuttle and back to the RV.  I did a lot of walking that day!

The next day it was a great tour of Valley Forge.  I had such a knowledgeable tour guide, Mary Kay, and she made the history of the time come alive.  

Then it was back to Gettysburg.  I enjoyed my prior brief stop so much, I wanted to spend more time and take a tour.  Also I needed to be in one place for a few days so I could receive a letter from home. 

Gettysburg is in a beautiful area of Pennsylvania, surrounded by farms.  As a national cemetery, it honors soldiers from both the North and the South.  So many men died!

I walked part of the battleground in the evening and saw thousands of fireflies dancing in the grasses and trees!  So cool!  I attempted to take a picture of a firefly.

I went to the Eisenhower Farm.  This was the first presidential election I paid attention to as a girl!  I remember the "I like Ike" slogan.

Next I headed to the Allegheny forest in northern Pennsylvania.  It was a beautiful campground but it stormed!  I was on the freeway and could barely see ahead. It was scary!

It rained much of the weekend but I did some hiking along Millstone creek at Loleta campground outside of Marienville. It rained so hard Sunday night that I needed earplugs to drown out the noise so I could sleep!

Then it was on to Frank Lloyd Wright's home he built for the Kaufmann family at Fallingwater near Mill Run, PA.  This home was built over a waterfall!  And with the recent storm, the creek was rushing over the falls!  Wonderful!