Category Archives: Travel Blogs

Troy's Blog, Washington D.C.

Touring Washington D.C.–The Monuments

The US Capital

Our first stop was to get the rental car and head towards the National Mall. We wanted to go up in the Washington Monument so the first thing to do was get tickets which prior research suggested that they are gone by mid-morning. I dropped off my wife close to the ticket window and drove off to go around the mall and pick her back up. After getting some of the last tickets available we headed towards the capital with reservations for morning tour. The United States Capital Visitor’s Center is quite impressive once you find it under the Capital Plaza. Your tour begins with a short film about the Capital and then a tour of the Rotunda area. I was a little disappointed that was all the tour covered as the last time I toured the Capital Building we were able to find our Congressman’s office. That was pre 9-11 and much has changed regarding security so it is understandable.

The US Capital Visitor's Center

Under the Rotunda

The Rotunda Under Maintenance

After the Capital, the kids wanted to see the Library of Congress as it was difficult to imagine a building that can house all of these books. Most of the collection is kept behind locked doors so there isn’t as many books to see as they had hoped. A brief walk around the lobby which is quite ornate and then a quick view into the research area which resembles most libraries with shelf upon shelf of books. This area is protected with glass surrounding you as you walk through the observation balcony. There are a number of exhibits to see highlighting music and movies as well.

Visiting the Library of Congress

The Research Center of the Library of Congress

Being satisfied with exploring this library we decided to continue on to our next destination which was the National Archives. Getting something to eat from one of the nearby food trucks we stopped briefly before entering the line waiting to go in this building. At first there really didn’t appear to be much of a wait until we reached the entrance area. After finding the back of the line we weren’t sure if we should wait as it looked like it could take an hour or more to get in. Fortunately we stuck it out because the line moved fairly quick and we got to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence as intended for our Constitution Tour. Time to head back to the hotel for an hour of relaxing before heading back towards the mall for more exploring. The National Archives

Upon returning the the National Mall, we grabbed a quick bite from one of the numerous food trucks lining the streets and hurried to the Washington Monument for our chance to ride the elevators to the top and look out over Washington D.C. Just a reminder of you go to tour Washington D.C., there is a security check at most of the sights so don’t plan on bringing a lot with you. Through security and it was up to the top to view this area from the highest point in Washington D.C..  We enjoyed seeing so many historic buildings and monuments from this centrally located observation area giving a different perspective on the layout of this city. After spending time looking out in each direction and taking in the views from this point we descended and moved on to the night walking tour of the monuments ranger program.

Visiting the Washington Monument

North East South West

Our night tour began at the World War II Memorial which is relatively new. This was the first time I’ve seen it as it did not exist on my last visit to Washington D.C.. It is definitely a beautiful and peaceful memorial enhancing a solemn atmosphere surrounding it. As darkness continued to fall we approached the Vietnam Memorial which has added to the original memorial to honor those that served in Vietnam even though they may not have died during combat since I was last here. One of my uncles is named on this wall adding to its’ significance to me personally and has a profound impact on me each time I’m here. Our next stop on this walking tour  was the Lincoln Memorial. This is an impressive memorial just because of the shear size of it. Adding in the reflection pool and the Washington Monument in the background almost insists that you sit for awhile to contemplate our history that each of these monuments stands for. The last memorial on our night tour of the monuments was the Korean War Memorial. Another relatively new memorial that was being constructed on my last visit making this the first time I’ve seen it. During the day it captures imagines these soldiers endured but at night it looks quite different. I think the impact is higher when viewed at night because of the lighting and reflections that lighting creates.

World War II Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Reflection Pool at the Base of the Lincoln Memorial

Korean War Memorial

That concluded our one long day of touring Washington D.C.. There are so many other sites to take in that one day is not nearly enough time to take in all that is offered here. Again, our purpose was not to see everything possible but merely to get a taste of what’s to see. Also, there were plans to return for anther day or two later in our East Coast adventure.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Going to See the Fall Colors

Fall Colors Along the Mississippi River

Hopefully you’ve been able to take in some of the amazing fall colors in recent weeks. They seem to be more vibrant this year compared to the last couple of years in many areas. Taking in the fall colors can take many forms from a weekend getaway to a camping trip or for many, a simple walk around a lake or area park. There seems to be one catch with these incredible fall colors this year:  you have to take them in quickly because they’re peaking and than just as quickly being blown off the trees or changing to a brown color. It seems as though the colors peak and then two days later have begun to fade.

If you are unable to get out to see the colors or just want to have a reminder of their vibrancy, here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

A Red Oak at Peak Color

Enjoying a Beautiful Fall Afternooon Under a Red Oak

Amazing Maple Fall Colors Along the Water

Brilliant Red Colors of a Maple

The Gold of Ginkgo Leaves

The Ground Under a Maple Tree

Shining Through

Gold and Orange Leaves

And Then They Were Gone

Troy's Blog, Washington D.C.

Touring Washington D.C.–Arriving in Arlington

Arlington Virgina

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Washington D.C.? For many it is the US Capital. So of course that is where our journey started. Well, kind of. Let me go back to the previous night when we arrived. Our East Coast Adventure began after a full day of work on a Friday. After working most of a day we hurried home, gathered our luggage, and rushed to the airport for what seemed like a short flight of only a couple of hours to Reagan National Airport. We arrived as the sun was setting allowing us to look out over Washington at night. It was exciting to see the monuments all lit up from the sky signifying our arrival to this historic city and the beginning of another Monopoly Travel.

This was the most difficult portion of our board travels for me to get excited for. There are several reasons all of which include lots and lots of people. I tend to like quieter destinations with less traffic and parking issues. With such a popular area it meant that costs where going to be higher and traveling around the city and East Coast where going to be more challenging. Still, now here we where and the excitement to experience our nations capital and share that with our children for the first time had found us again.

The Washington Monument at Night

One unrelated reason this Monopoly adventure was a little more difficult to get excited for was that we are over half way done with our board and each trip brings us closer to the end of adventures that I love and don’t want to end. It’s almost like I created this great way to share experiences with my family that is beginning to cause some sadness and resentment. Why? Because I know that after our last trip our oldest daughter will be graduating from high school and our family will be changing after that. These adventures together will be harder to continue as the children go off in their own directions and that causes some sadness. All the more reason to take in as much as I can while I still have the chance and that reminder had to surface a few times on this East Coast Adventure.

Back to arriving in Arlington. Why Arlington? That’s where our hotel was located. Just a few blocks from the Iwo Jima Memorial. While waiting for our baggage we discussed our best options to get to the hotel. We could take a taxi which would be the easiest and also the most expensive or we could take the train which had a stop a few blocks from our hotel. Let’s go for the train since using public transportation in this part of the country is highly recommended. What a better time to figure out how to use it. In case it isn’t obvious at this point, I don’t use a lot of public transit. While we waited for the luggage I went to the station to get tickets and see which train we needed. That took about 10 minutes and I was back with the rest of the family waiting for our luggage. So, we found all of our luggage and continued towards the train, getting on the right line after calling the hotel to confirm which train we needed. Easy enough.

Arlington Map

Arriving at our stop we got off of the train and headed towards the exit taking a minute to look over a map to make sure we headed in the right direction. At the suggestion of our daughter, I took a picture of the map with my phone in case we needed to revisit it while walking to the hotel. Confident in where we needed to go we headed outside where it was completely dark and no way of knowing north, south, east, or west to get a baring of where we were. Use the phone GPS you say. Of course that would make sense. Hmm.. all of our phones are pretty much dead. Brilliant! I decided to save what little battery I had to look at the map from time to time and began to navigate the dimly lit streets of Arlington. After walking a few blocks I re-examined the map only to determine this wasn’t the correct direction. Not a good situation with a family of exhausted people hauling around all of our luggage up and down the hills of this city. Ok, back up the hill we just came down to the other side of this hill. After passing the train station again we found our way relatively quickly and got to the hotel in a few minutes more. What a relief! Bed is going to feel good tonight.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Blue Mounds Top Pics

Recently I traveled to Southwestern Minnesota to Blue Mounds State Park with two goals for the weekend. First was to get out and enjoy an unseasonably warm weekend with daytime highs of 80 degrees. Second was to practice photography and enjoy taking pictures of whatever I thought would make a good picture with the Milky Way and sunsets/sunrises the top priorities. Since I was mostly interested in nature and wildlife I wanted someplace relatively quiet and this seemed to fit what I was looking for. Both of these goals were accomplished by camping in the park and spending most of my time there with a camera hiking around different areas of the park.

Throughout the weekend there I managed to take over 700 photographs. I wanted to narrow those down and see what I thought the top 1% of those pictures would be so here they are. My decisions would probably change depending on the day and how I’m viewing these pictures but as of this day these are my top 7 photographs from Blue Mounds State Park. All of these pictures are basically unedited other than what the camera does when it converts them to the jpeg format. Taking time to process many of these photographs may alter my top choices but I just wanted to judge my picture taking ability without the post processing.

Sunset over the Blue Mounds

This is the sunset shortly after arriving at Blue Mounds State Park. I chose this picture of the sunset because of the arrangement of the rocks in the foreground combined with the clouds in the sky and colors throughout. The rocks and clouds direct you to the setting sun (which you can’t actually see) which is the focal point of the overall photograph.

The Early Morning Calm

This was the scene near my campsite a few minutes after I woke up. The colors on the horizon transitioning to the darker night sky being reflected in the calm water below are why this photograph is included. There are a few cattails in the foreground barely visible adding to the overall depth of this photograph. It provides a sense of calm reflection to begin the day.

Opening Day

About a half an hour later this photograph was taken. Shortly before this I heard gun shots reminding me that the Minnesota duck opener had begun. I like the position of the rising sun and the colors in the sky being reflected in the water along with the ducks moving across the sky.

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Thirty minutes later I took this photograph. It was chosen because of its simplicity and contrast. Blue water surrounding this little patch of grass with dew drops on each tip. This photograph taught me that timing is really important for some subjects. Had I taken this picture later in the morning or during the afternoon the lighting would not have been good to give me this nice reflection in the water.

Mornings First Light

Minutes later I took this photograph because of the soft, warm glow from the early morning sun on this bright pink flower which was growing on the shore near the water. I debated on whether or not this should be included in the final seven photos but ultimately chose it because of the contrast between this flower and the background in addition to its arrangement within the picture with only the top portion of the flower in focus.

Prairie Breezes

This was a mid-morning photograph that I liked because of the soft wave of the field beginning to change color ahead of harvesting with the tree softened in the picture from the wind accented by the wind turbines on the horizon. Can’t you just feel the prairie breeze?

The Milky Way

I just realized that six out of the seven top pics where taken on the same day. It was really a productive day that I must have been focused on what I was doing. Ending the day which began before dawn with photographing my main objective – the Milky Way. Even out in rural areas there is still plenty of light pollution making the night sky more challenging to photograph. Regardless I still enjoyed taking these pictures and like the results. There are pictures that show less light pollution but they are also less interesting to me. One of the things that amazed me when looking out at the Milky Way was how close to the horizon you can see it. I’ve always seen it high in the sky and never really noticed how much of the night sky it can cover. This picture is a good reminder to me of the Milky Way reaching for the horizon.

I’d like to read which of these are your favorite. Please leave me a comment and let me know.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Finding More Stars

A Prairie Sunset

After exploring several miles of Blue Mounds State Park during the morning I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go out in search of the milky way again this night. A nice campfire seemed like a better idea on this gorgeous day and besides, how much different would it be from the same area. As the afternoon progressed there was a nearby national wildlife area close by that I wanted to check out while visiting this area. After checking out the cascading creek I stopped near the top of this Touch the Sky Prairie and gazed out at the horizon. This might actually produce better results as it was several miles west of the nearest town so the light pollution should be less.

A Stone Monument to Touch The Sky Prairie

I decided to quickly return to my campsite to get some much needed nourishment before returning to the prairie and foregoing any campfire for the rest of the evening. A quick meal and then hurrying to catch another sunset before setting the cameras to stun. I mean setting them up to capture the night sky. This sunset wasn’t as spectacular but still provided a spiritual event that I was fortunate to witness. While waiting on the stars to shine once again I was working on a second camera that has provided some troubles recently to see if there was a good solution. It’s amazing how busy you can keep by running between two cameras photographing a nearby landscape. Especially when those two cameras are from different camera makers so trying to remember where each setting is kept for each one provided a nice brain teaser.

The Beautiful Twilight on a Praire

After a short time the stars began to poke through the evening sky challenging the cameras to capture them. This time there was definitely less light on the horizon so maybe this would be the spot to get the milky way added to my increasing collection of photographs. I began testing the camera to make sure the settings and focus where correct to get the best photographs I could and I was ready to begin another evening of astrophotography.

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Soon I could see the milky way over head beginning to shine. It definitely looked more brilliant than the night before providing much anticipation of what was yet to appear. As darkness grew so did my excitement at the photographs I appeared to be getting. I know that the screen on the camera does not always show the true look of each photo but taking some time to zoom in on the camera display I had a feeling that things were going well.

The Milky Way Once Again Overhead

Eventually I could see the milky way stretching from one end of the sky to the other. I know I have seen the milky way many times in my life but I had never really looked at it and studied it to see it grace so much of the star filled sky. It was definitely worth skipping a fire to try another night of picture taking. I’m not sure what I enjoyed more – the setting sun or looking up at all these little lights scattered all around me. Finally I accomplished what I had set out to do on this weekend.

The Milky Way Almost Touching the Horizon

How did I find this spot you’re wondering? It took a little bit of research. First I used my Stargazer program to locate the milky way and find out if it was high enough in the northern US skies to get good photographs. After determining this is a great time to photograph it if you can find clear southern skies I started to look for good places to go with less light pollution using DarkSiteFinder.com. Northern Minnesota has some of least amount of light pollution providing for some dark skies so that is where I wanted to go however I was limited by time so distance was an issue. After looking for state parks to camp at I discovered all of the reservable camp sites were booked due to fall color seekers I re-thought where I wanted to go. Being around a lot of people was not my interest for the weekend. Solitude was my desire. Searching state parks I discovered Blue Mounds State Park had very few campsites reserved indicating fewer visitors giving me the quiet I was seeking along with relatively high ground for the possibility of unobstructed photos. Several hours were spent looking for the right place and a couple of stressful days trying to decide if this was what I wanted to do or not. In the end sometimes you just have to pack up and go for a surprise adventure. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.

The Milky Way in the Southern Sky

Photos, Troy's Blog

Looking for Stars

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What an Amazing Sunset

The rest of my family went out of town for the weekend. So many things to do and a beautiful weekend to work on my list around the house. But that would be responsible and I know I would spend more time inside than I should and miss too much of this last weekend of summer-like weather (highs in the 80’s and sunny). Camping for the weekend seemed like the perfect way to spend a weekend by myself. I’ve really been itching to get some nice photos of the milky way and light pollution is a problem in many areas near me. After a little searching, I found a state park without the fall color seeking crowds and what appeared to be a perfect place to photograph the night sky as the land was higher than the surrounding area giving me miles of horizon towards the south, where the milky way touches the horizon, without much light pollution.

The Sun Has Set. Time to Wait for the Stars to Show.

Friday afternoon arrived and so did this last summery weather so I took off from work early and hurried home to pack. Soon after I was on the road for the almost 4 hour drive to Blue Mounds State Park anxious to see the setting sun from this location and look for the milky way to take over the night sky. I arrived at the park just in time to register for my campsite and get to higher ground to prepare for the sun and the stars. It didn’t’ take long for the sun to display it’s breathtaking colors as it neared the horizon prompting me to begin clicking away with the camera. In a very short time I had shot 70 pictures in an attempt to record this beautiful fading display. A few more photos of the twilight and it was time to eat a few snacks I carried with and prepare for my main subject.

The Stars are Starting to be Visible

Finally the first stars of the night were visible as the sky continued to darken. I took a few pictures to check the settings on the camera and make sure they were correct for astrophotography. Thankfully I did because a couple of the settings needed adjustment with the most important one being focus. The camera was still on autofocus so I switched it to manual focus and adjusted it for infinity in order to photograph the stars as clearly as possible. After changing the settings I snapped a few more pictures and decided it was set up the way I wanted for the night.

More Stars are Beginning to Show Up

Now that I was ready and just waiting for the darkness to grow I began to realize I was all alone out in this park with all kinds of wildlife. Yes, this is where your mind begins to play with you and make you wonder if this is a good idea and jump at unfamiliar sounds looking for some wild animal to come lunging at you. Searching through the list of animals in this area that would be active at night I realized the most likely animals in this area were coyotes and they were very unlikely to cause any problems. Forcing myself to relax I continued to look upward as the sky light up with its nighttime show. Soon I was once again swinging my camera back and forth on the tripod capturing different scenes as they appeared all around me. Eventually the milky way made an appearance above me and I knew it would be a matter of time until it glowed closer to the horizon.

All This Way Only to Blocked by Light Pollution Again.

As the night grew darker I soon realized that the milky way would show up right were the nearby town was preventing me from getting the shots I was desperately trying to get. On top of that it was homecoming so the football stadium lights shone bright. All of that time and effort and this was the best picture I could get of near the horizon. Not very impressive however you can still see it. I knew this would be a possibility but hoped for the best. I took the pictures I could and began to vacate my star gazing rock as this part of the park was closing soon. A few photos of the milky way overhead and I was off. Besides it was getting to be a long day and I still needed to set up my tent.

The Milky Way From Overhead

After setting up my tent and sleeping quarters I decided to catch a few photos from this location to cap off my evening of looking for stars. The trees overhead brought a different and interesting composition to all of these bright stars shining down.

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After a number of pictures I decided to play with my flashlight and began to highlight the trees and see how that looked against all of these stars. It was kind of interesting and something I would have played with more except I had finished my evening beverage and decided it was time to catch a few hours of sleep as I wanted to get up at dawn and photograph the prairie waking up.

Playing With Light Against the Night Sky

I did decide to try again the next night with a little better luck. To continue on click here…

New York, Troy's Blog

The 9-11 Memorial

Lower Manhattan

While spending some time in New York there were some key places we wanted to see. One of them was the World Trade Center where the 9-11 Memorial is along with the 9-11 Museum and the new One World Trade Center. We arrived in Manhattan on a Friday afternoon near Wall Street and of course had to go and see the Raging Bull while in the area. After a quick bite to eat we headed towards Battery Park to see Lady Liberty for the first time. With some time left before dark it was decided to visit the 9-11 Memorial. Of course the new One World Trade Center had been in our sites since arriving in New York.

The Iconic Raging Bull

Nearing the 9-11 Memorial site things suddenly became more familiar. This area which was broadcast endlessly on TV on September 11th, 2001 and for days after. We could now see these buildings and how they all relate to one another with our own eyes. Some of those memories, thoughts, and feelings returned as we began to re-live the attacks as we could imagine the twin towers standing tall where there are now reflecting pools. As discussions progressed about 9-11 it struck me that my children view this as a piece of history instead of being able to re-call living through this event. I realized that to them this is like the attacks at Pearl Harbor are for me.

The South Reflecting Pool

While exploring this memorial site we generally took it in silently as it is an emotional place. To think of those family members and the memories they must have of the days and years that followed September 11th and what it must be like for them to visit this place now is difficult. I can’t begin to imagine. Seeing all of the names of those that died here over a decade ago and roses placed on those names who would have celebrated a birthday that day was disheartening. The pools symbolizing both towers are a beautiful place to reflect on the recent past and hope for the future as new buildings are being constructed.

The Past and The Future

After leaving the memorial plaza we began to explain to our children the events of that day forever engrained in our minds and hearts. Our oldest was too young to remember any of the attacks and our youngest was not yet born. It was almost an epiphany to realize their view on 9-11 as an item in their history books. I was a little frustrated with their lack of emotion at such a major violent event in the history of the United States at first as I tried to convey these horrific happenings in the exact places they were standing. After taking a few moments to come to terms with their different view I began to be thankful that this is just an event in history for them and not the beginning of an age of terrorism making them afraid of what may happen on any given day.

Remembering and Reflecting

That was a far change from the fears I had after these attacks occurred. I remember wondering what kind of place my children would grow up in and feeling sorrow for their possible world. Continuing across the street from the memorial we walked by the firehouse so many became familiar with as the first firefighters to enter the World Trade Center after the first airplane smashed through the North Tower. Now we gained more perspective on the events of that day and could understand more clearly how and why people were doing the things they did and how unimaginable it had to be.

New York Fire Department Closest to the World Trade Towers

Much of those horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 are just memories now and a lot of healing has taken place as that location is being transformed, anchored by a new World Trade Tower. Currently the tallest building in the Americas, it is a beacon of hope and perseverance of a willingness to continue and recover.

The Beacon of Hope

Travel Photos, Troy's Blog

Travel Photos–The Camera …. part III

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Cameras with Inter-Changeable Lenses

Evening with a Blue Heron taken with an Interchangeable Lens Camera

These types of cameras are usually considered advanced cameras but that is not always the case. Many improvements to automatic settings make them easy to use with great results. The biggest barrier of these cameras is their price and their size. Even if you want to own a camera that can use multiple lenses, their large size makes them more challenging to bring with and have a available all of the time when you want to take a picture. Even if you decide you’re willing to travel with this extra camera gear because you want to get the best photos you can, inevitably you’ll decide you don’t need to carry this camera as you’re just stepping out to get something and that’s when the photo op presents itself. And where’s your camera?

The Setting Sun taken with an Interchangeable Lens Camera

Undoubtedly these cameras capture the best photos and can give you the best final pictures when compared to phone cameras and point and shoot cameras. They are able to expose for the situation better than the others giving you fewer darker or too light pictures giving a more complete photo. In addition, the lenses are better quality and can offer more versatility for a given situation due to the interchangeable lenses. you can get a wider view or more zooming ability depending on the lens you choose and still get great pictures. In addition these cameras can shoot in a mode called RAW which gives you four times the amount of information in each picture. That becomes more important when processing these photos in an editing program.

A Lone Tree on the Prairie taken with An Interchangeable Lens Camera

Pictures from interchangeable lens cameras are great for just about what ever you want to use them for including enlargements and other photo gifts you may want to get. Again, wireless technology is making photo sharing easier with these cameras. For most travelers these cameras are probably overkill and too costly once you start considering all of the additional gear you may want to get for them such as lenses, tripods, carrying cases, extra batteries, etc.

A Night with the Fireflies and Stars taken with an Interchangeable Lens Camera

I use all of these types of cameras depending on where I am and the situation and have appreciated each one in different instances. I’ve used only phone camera photos for books and smaller prints with great success all the way up to the interchangeable lens cameras for larger gifts. Just remember – the type of camera does not automatically give you better pictures. Your composition is more important in great travel photos than the camera. The type of camera just determines how you can use that photo and keep the desired results.

An Afternoon by the River taken with an Interchangeable Lens Camera

To see a comparison of the three different cameras click here ….

National Parks, Troy's Blog

Re-living American History–Valley Forge

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Living Accomodations at Valley Forge

Valley Forge was an encampment used during the American Revolutionary War for the winter of 1777-1778 just outside of Philadelphia. There was no battle here so it may seem a little unclear as to why this was turned into a national park. What’s so significant about Valley Forge? Valley Forge marked the turning point in the war because the army was able to train and learned how to fight as a unified army under General George Washington. Without the use of our National Parks Monopoly board we may have never taken the opportunity to explore Valley Forge National Historical Park and missed learning about this important place in United States history.

Ovens to Prepare Food

We were fortunate to be joined by some friends while exploring Valley Forge which provided a different way to look at the Revolutionary War as we learned about this Continental Army encampment. One of those friends is British bringing a very different point of view and a new perspective on this war. I had never thought about the war from the British view which added to the interest while learning about Valley Forge. Seeing how the soldiers lived and everything they had to endure was quite interesting.

Living Space Inside the Soldiers Huts

These soldiers were only in Valley Forge for six months. In that time they had to build shelter, fortify the area from attack, and train all without adequate supplies, food, and clothing. How many Americans today would accept these conditions? If it meant freedom? I think there are a great many that would sacrifice everything they had to if it meant gaining freedom. There are many that do that in today’s military for the protection of our country and for other’s freedom. I’m humbled to think of these people and the strength of the United States even when it seems there are a great many differences separating this country.

Fortifying Valley Forge

Knowing how these soldiers were living brought the question of how were the British soldiers living? Did they have equally bad supply of food and clothing? Before Valley Forge the Continental troops were relatively untrained so the British were looking for a way to win the war quickly and likely thought it should be relatively easy. I’m sure their troops were not desiring to be in America having to continue this fighting even though there was likely a great pride being a part of the greatest military in the world at that time. I assume their living quarters consisted of buildings they had taken over and turned into housing giving them an advantage since they didn’t have to take time to construct new structures.

General George Washington's Headquarters

It was educational to see General Washington’s living quarters which were rented for the winter. They were modest but still substantially nicer than the huts built to house the troops. Most of the huts would house twelve soldiers in each one. Talk about cramped quarters. These all had to be built during the winter. Imagine all of the trees and stones needed to do this in such a short period of time. I’m sure there was very little time spent in these huts as there was food to get, security to provide, and training to complete while maintaining equipment. Each day wondering when the next battle would take place and where that would be. By the end of their stay at Valley Forge I’m sure the troops were eager to move on and engage in the next battle. You certainly cannot win a war by staying in a camp living without enough supplies.

A Place to Sleep