Photo Journal Pt. 2: Gettysburg

Hey, y’all!

So I meant to post this earlier this week, but life happened and the post didn’t. XD Anyway, I finally have part 2 of my photo journal ready to share with you today. This part is about my trip to Gettysburg. 😀

Oh, and I haven’t looked at everything on this site, but from what I have seen of it, it looks very informative and helpful. (And I somehow feel like it’s got better photos. 😐 ) For me, it’s been a great way to take a virtual tour of Gettysburg.

(Also, sorry if the photos seem a bit too bright… It was a very sunny day, so lighting wasn’t the best. And my poor eyes had quite a time of it editing the photos! Lol!)

The first stop was Little Round Top. It was my first time up there, so I was really excited. I hiked to the Twentieth Maine monument first, though. (Almost missed it, tbh.)

I read a whole book about Gettysburg the day before I visited and was looking at a map most of the time, but this battlefield has always challenged my sense of direction. Don’t know if anyone else ever gets that feeling, but battlefields generally do that to me. XD

I took a lot of photos from Little Round Top, as can be imagined…

So that little sign there says you’re not allowed climbing onto the rock… which is a bummer, because it’s probably the best viewing rock up there. I wish I was allowed to climb on it.

I went around in front to read the plaque about Gen. Warren… and took a few photos while I was there.

A view from Little Round Top. The Pennsylvania monument is barely visible way off in the distance.

It was a very hot and very sunny day. I ended up getting a bit of a sunburn, but thankfully, it wasn’t too bad.

I believe that out there is the little hill I stopped at during my first visit to Gettysburg. (Not 100% sure about that, though.)

If anyone has been to Gettysburg, I would really appreciate a clarification here. That big rocky hillside on the left side of the photo… is that Devil’s Den? I’ve seen it labeled with various different names, but not having been down there, I’m rather confused on what it’s real name is. (Okay, I just tried looking it up, and from all appearances, it is Devil’s Den. But if anyone has other info on this, please share!)

The tower/castle outlook monument for the 12th New York Regiment. I remember seeing it up on the hill during my first visit to Gettysburg, but this was the first time I got to go up in it.

Just another photo of the same thing.

The very imposing Pennsylvania monument. Standing 110 feet high, it is the tallest monument on the battlefield. I was trying to snap pictures as the vehicle was moving (No, I wasn’t driving!), so the photos aren’t the best.

Sometime in the future, I’ll have to stop by again and get a closer look of the monument. In the meantime, I enjoyed learning a bit more about the monument here.

Split rail fence! *heart eyes* I love ’em, cause that normally means I’m near some historic site. 😀

One of the more interesting monuments along the driving tour. (I actually went past it twice, due to a wrong turn.)

One of the main things I had remembered of my previous trip to Gettysburg was all of the monuments. This bit of the driving tour probably has the most monuments. I’ve never done the whole tour, though, so I’m not sure about that.

Because I had to get some cannons featured in at least one photo…

Okay, so I thought it would be neat to show y’all what was on both sides of this monument. One of the major lessons I’ve been learning in photography is being able to block out unwanted objects by finding the right angle. In the photo on the left, the cherry picker (or bucket truck or whatever you want to call it XD) is completely unseen. Whereas, in the photo on the right, it is quite a noticeable object.

I went into Gettysburg National Cemetery next. And, as at other national cemeteries, there were signs throughout the cemetery with various verses from the poem “The Bivouac of the Dead” by Theodore O’Hara. If you haven’t read the poem, it’s got some pretty powerful lines. It’s rather long, but I’ve read it at least twice. (One of those semi-historic pieces, you know.)

The Soldiers National Monument is the centerpiece of Gettysburg National Cemetery. It stands 60 feet tall from base to summit – not nearly so tall as other Gettysburg monuments, but still imposing.

Just to give you an idea of how big this New York monument is… the top of the third step is about six feet from the ground.

Okay, I actually just looked it up… It is over 94 feet tall. Now that’s a tall monument, if you ask me! Here are some more photos and info on this monument, in case you are interested.

I loved the trees in the cemetery. (For one thing, they offered a bit of shade from the blazing of the sun.)

Another view of the Soldiers National Monument.

Okay… a little confession here. For the longest time, I thought holly grew on a vine instead of a tree… but you can blame the plastic Christmas décor for that misconception.

I think it looks prettier with the red berries, though.

And here was a new discovery for me. I didn’t know cucumbers grew on trees. XD

(Okay, so they don’t, but I still thought the name was a bit funny.)

And one last little adventure, which I didn’t get around to photographing… as I was leaving the cemetery, my shoe fell in half. Thankfully, the vehicle was right there and I had brought another pair shoes. Otherwise, I would have been in a fix! XD

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the photo journal of my trip to Gettysburg. It was a lot of fun sorting through my photos and sharing them with y’all!

Before I go, though, I should let y’all know I need to take a bit of a blogging break. Life has been getting really busy, and there is no way I’ll be able to post regularly plus keep up with everything else. I still hope to be posting every now and then, but it won’t be nearly as regularly as it’s been in the past.

Which is your favorite photo(s)? How did you like this photo journal? Have you ever heard of a cucumber tree before?

Wishing you a wonderful September!!!

Natalie “Tommy” Claire