Day Three, Taking the Long Way Home

 Ward and I recently took a trip to the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. This is a wrap-up of our time away.

The last day of a vacation is a struggle for me sometimes. My mind starts shifting to the trip home and what awaits me there instead of enjoying the time we have left of our getaway. This time I made an effort to live in the moment, so to speak, and enjoy the trip home. 

The first stop on the way out of town was Fort Necessity. Fort Necessity was the location for a battle in the French and Indian War where a young, 22-year-old colonel, George Washington, fought for the British Army against the French. The British lost this battle, but it was an important learning experience for him.

It was the anniversary of the battle, so we saw reenactors during our brief visit the day before. Today, we explored the very nice visitor center, where we learned the details of the War and battle as well as the development of the National Road. Begun in 1811, the National Road was the first federally funded highway and was developed to help connect the east coast with the West. We recently listened to The Pioneers by David McCullough, who described the expansion into the Northwest Territory (Ohio). There were many references to this in the display, so it was nice to reinforce and expand what we learned in the book. Ward, who reads everything in exhibits, felt a bit rushed, so we hope to return sometime.

A French soldier, circa 1754

The British soldiers of the same time were more formal with their uniforms. In addition to a talk, we saw a weapons demo where they fired a musket and canon that would have been used at the battle.

At this park, we also saw Mount Washington Tavern. The Tavern was built in 1828 and was on the National Road. The furnishings inside were much nicer than we were used to seeing, so we asked a ranger about it. She explained the Tavern had serviced the Good Intent Line, a stagecoach company, and their customers stayed there. The people who rode that line had money and expected better accommodations.

We were on the road again, driving east towards home. Ward wanted to see a few places along the Chesapeake & Ohio (C & O) Canal he hadn't visited before. The C & O Canal was another attempt, like the National Road, to link the East with the NW Territory. Everyone was trying to find an easier way to get across the Allegheny Mountains. Construction started in 1838. It was never completed, and by the end of 1850, it was obsolete with the advent of the railroad. The towpath along the canal is now a popular hiking and biking trail.

The first stop was supposed to be an abandoned cement factory. Ward had read that while digging the canal, they figured out that the area's limestone made perfect cement, so they stopped and built a cement factory. He loves to look at any kind of construction, so he was interested. We couldn't get to the factory without going through private property, so we didn't get to see it. However, along the way, we found a National Road toll house. It was interesting reading the sign listing the various tolls.

However, we did find a couple of engineering things for Ward to examine a little further down the road at the C & O Canal Historical Park in Williamsport, MD.

The first was this aqueduct carrying the canal over the Tonoloway Creek.

Also, we saw this railroad lift bridge that raised and lowered railroad tracks over the canal.

The next stop was home, sweet, home. It was a short trip, but a good one. Just what we needed.

Until next time...