Valley Forge and Philadelphia

[Tom&Shelly]

From Pine Grove Furnace, we visited friends in Audubon PA, up the road from Philadelphia and near Valley Forge. Not really a tear drop trip, since we stayed in their house, but we'll count it anyway. We drove across to Camden NJ to visit the battleship New Jersey. Along with the Iowa and Missouri, these were the last of the world's battleships, laid down during World War II, and last used against terrorists in Lebanon in the early 1980's. (Actually, I think they also used them as cruise missile launchers during the first Gulf War.) Their main armament were their nine 16 inch guns. I remember my Dad commenting that they couldn't recommission them, since the Navy didn't have the schools to train the battleship's special ratings anymore. Somehow, they managed anyway, and used them for a few years, until they used up all the 40 year old ammunition for the big guns. Amongst the tools of diplomacy in the intercourse between nations, sometimes the best method of suasion is a few hundred tons of high explosive down the other guy's throat. At least that's the theory...



I feel a little guilty about coloring in New Jersey on our map, since we only spent two hours there, and didn't take the tear at all. We will make up for it someday by visiting the coast and the Pine Barrens.

Across the harbor, in Philly, we missed a museum that incudes a tall ship and the pre-WW I cruiser Olympia



To tell the truth, I didn't know it was there until I looked at the pictures I took later. Anyway, we have to go back!

We did see a certain bell, and the Museum of the American Revolution, but waited too long to buy tickets to Independence Hall. Should have been done early in the week, or perhaps the week before, for a weekend visit!



We did see Carpenter's Hall, site of the 1st Continental Congress. Why it gets second shrift, I'm not sure



We also saw James Audubon's house (it was--he doesn't live there anymore)



and Valley Forge, site of one of Washington's winter encampments



This was Shelly's first time driving downtown in an East coast city, and it was a little unnerving for her. Frankly, I grew up out here and learned to be scared to drive in cities, until I moved to LA and found the driver's on the left coast more laid back, and the experience not as bad. Still hate traffic jams on freeways though! We learned to turn the voice up on our Taco navigation system, so the pretty sounding mechanical lady can tell us which lane to be in.

Tom