Colonial Campaigns Club (CCC)

Just got in last night from my trip to the East Coast. I saw four battlefields and two forts: three of the former from the War of Independence and one from the ACW. Didnt actually go to any of the Virginia battlefields this time. Probably on a later trip.

Brandywine: overgrown with lovely homes and since we lost that one its probably not high on anyone's list to do anything about it. Has a small gathering of buildings but any hopes to drive around and take pictures will have to rely on a bicycle and alot of time. Driving around the Brandywine area was frustrating at best with no place to pull out near the fords (which you cant get to anyway due to overgrowth) and thus basically this was a quick run thru tour. I rate the park an 8 on scale of 1-10. Its not the park's fault that private homes fill up most of the battlefield.

Saratoga: excellant park. Definitely worth your time. With no private homes on the grounds its a delight for those that enjoy hiking or just driving to the various points. While overgrown from the days of the battle it nevertheless is a must for any of us to see. And ask for the local club guide, Phil Prete, to come and meet you when you come. Nothing like having a native show you around. Just make sure you talk up the NY Yankees! A 10 out of 10. My favorite park so far.

Yorktown: a must see for any of us. Yes, it was a siege but its condition is superb. The National Park is to be commended for doing their best with all of those parks. I rate this one a 9 out of 10 as they were able to get a golf course removed, have a GREAT tour guide that meets you at the visitor center and lots of places to drive to. Only problem is that intersection by the visitor center. They need a light there desparately before some kid becomes road kill.

Fort Ticonderoga: Great park. Lots of fun for kids too. They have a nice room filled with items from the carrier USS Ticonderoga. Nice addition to the fort. Its in one of the upper rooms so dont miss it. I rated this one a 9 out of 10.

Crown Point: Decent park with great view. Well ok, the guy in the museum packed it in 10 minutes to closing time and I didnt get to get in to buy anything or ask questions but that was my fault for being so late and maybe his wife was ill or something ...

Lovely view. I really would like to go back and see this one again. Also - Vermont is right across the bridge. Actually the Vermont side gives a better view of the lower section of Lake Champlain. NY side is very wooded and folks own frontage on the lake so views are limited.

I wont berate the park worker and give this location a 8 out of 10.

Other highlights of the trips (in chronological order):

Pennsylvania: Scranton RR museum. Very nice. Stroudsburg house. Enjoyed seeing the old furniture. Couldnt stay for the tour. Good thing too as I would have missd the Scranton RR museum otherwise! Later in the trip I also saw the RR museum at Strassburg (SP?) near Lancaster. REALLY nice museum. I rate it right up there with the Old Sacremento Train Museum which I rate as one of the best in the US.

Saw Gettysburg on my last weekend on the East Coast. Just wanted to drive up there and enjoy the countryside. So much for that. All along highway 32 its been built up. Not much like the old lovely trip I used to take in the 1980s. Very sad to see that part of the country becoming suburbanville.

New York:
Saratoga battlefield. Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point. I must say that the highlight of the trip was seeing THOUSANDS of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the town of Lake George. Yes, it took me hours to get through the town but it was fun nonetheless. I wont blame the Harley's for me missing getting into the Crown Point Museum but that was to blame for sure. I will let some of you guys tell them about it though!

Vermont countrside: LOVELY. Just dont want to miss this lovely state.

New Hampshire: My friend lives in Hillsboro, the birthplace of Franklin Pierce. His house is right on the road heading to my friends house and church. Another Pierce house was right next door to the main family house.

Maine:
Acadia National Park: VERY nice. I didnt go up to Cadillac Mt. My dumb dumb for this park. A lady actually asked me for directions to the Mt. It was getting late and I wanted to hightail it to New Hampshire for the night as I had to meet up with one of my playtesters the next day for lunch.
Camden: LOVELY coastal town/port. REALLY enjoyed going there. Folks were SUPER nice. They have cozy little hotels to stay in. Provided I can afford it next time I will go there and stay for a night or two. Great place for resting and getting your head sorted out.

Massachusettes: Basketball Hall of Fame and the Higgins Armory. Enjoyed both immensely. Didnt get to Boston on this trip. Will try and do it up on a later vacation. Chatham - Cape Cod, really nice. Enjoyed seeing the lighthouse but the last tour had just completed when I got there at 2pm.

Connecticut: Lovely countryside but much more wooded than I thought. So much for the old movies showing lovely CT farms and fields! Anyone with a knowledge of where to find open rolling countryside in CT plesae let me know. Would love to get a convertible and do it up next time.

Rhode Island: Enjoyed going thru Newport and over the bridges in the south of the state near the ocean. While you dont see the Atlantic you do see alot of water! Wanted to see the First Baptist Church in America but will have to do that next time.

New York City Assault: Yes, loaded with bazooka and M60 roof mount I decided to assault the city and I hit the Bronx off of I-95 running. Was moving down 3rd St. just nice when all of the taxis came out of the woodworks. By the time I made it to Central Park I was a veteran at getting in front of them and after that it was a piece of cake getting to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel! Honestly, if you assert yourself these cabbies are great. Its kind of like a ballet. They dance and juke and just get in when they can. The busses worry me more than the cabs. You think they will stay in their designated lane but due to construction or whatever they will suddenly pop out into your lane! I didnt see the American army encamped in Brooklyn but I did have fun getting back on the highway to go over to New Jersey! Finally got on the Verranzo (sp) Bridge but then the next bridge off of Coney Island (or was it Staten Island) was out so I had to go south to get north to get going back to Allentown, PA where I spent the night (and then saw the RR museum in Strassburg).

Maryland: Didnt do much in MD except see friends but look towards end for notes.

Virginia: TillerCon I. One of the main highlights of the trip of course as it meant seeing alot of folks that I hadnt seen before. Later on Jamestowne and Yorktown. Read below for more on the Norfolk bridge.

Didnt do anything in SC or NC other than use a rest room or two!

Georgia: Brunswick and Jekyl Island. Really liked the Fairfield Inn near I-95. Good rate and nice rooms. That marked my break with Motel 6 by the way. Spent a little more to get much more in quality. Motel 6 is not actually that much cheaper. A good waste of dollars in some cases. Some of their motels are dives. The new ones are fine but often more money. Jekyl Island was great. Would like to come back in Fall and camp after bugs have died. Maybe I have to wait longer?

Florida: St. Augustine Lighthouse. 14 stories - lots of climbing. Sights are worth it but hold onto your hat like I did or lose it! Views are great. History of lighthouse in visitor center is really good. Nice video kiask tells alot more than just the story of the lighthouse. Its actually a Light station. Other building housed a nice museum. Very good attraction and lots less folks to contend with. Not as busy as area around Ponce de Leon hotel and fort.

Daytona Speedway: didnt have time and didnt want to spend money for Daytona USA but I really enjoyed being at the great race track. And of course this Sunday is a NASCAR event at the track.

Headed back up north ...

Virginia: Did up Jamestowne and Yorktown and then crossed over the Ches. Bay via the long 28 mile bridge-tunnel-bridge-tunnel-bridge. Its 12 bucks and worth every dollar! Really liked being out so far in the sea. You can barely see the coast at mid bridge. Its eerie but wonderful at the same time. You can stop on top of tunnel and take pics. I didnt do this but recommend it to anyone else as a good way to get the most bang out of your buck.

Back in Maryland and stayed in Cambridge across the Bay from Annapolis. Really had a good stay there. Then off to Fort Meade area where I was stationed. The trip after this is kind of sour. So much has changed in 16 years it not funny. While being nice in many ways, alot of my old favorite curving roads are gone replaced with new highways to handle the hoards. Trip over to Gettysburg was not much better. Most of the trip is now spent going through towns that were either not there or have gotten larger. As they say you cant go back and this area is a testimony to that saying.

My main reason for going was to go Tiller Con I, to see old friends, a relative and just to see some things I never saw. I did that and have about 1800 pics to sort through. Once done I will post the best ones on the web.