Camping and the Civil War

Words of wisdom from an apathetic wine salesman: "Two things happen when you go camping: it gets hotter or it rains." He was right. On the subject of camping, I, Morgantina, know little: My memories of camping are peppered with drudgery: packing up kitchen items to take to a camp site to be washed in cold water only to be unceremoniously returned back to the home kitchen 48 hours later; frustration: odoriferous out-houses and the nearly-there, almost nearby running water; toil: tent - enough said. However, two days into the trip there are three certainties: we love the Scion, the hibachi, and the tent. Camping is most fun with the right tools. Walking around the camp, I gawk and question the other campers' sites. Pellew will explain repeatedly the different types of camping styles:

Bivouac
Tent cot
Tent for 2 or more people
Tent in a truck bed
Tent for SUV
Pop-up camper
Camper-Trailer or 5th Wheel
RV (sized as small as a minivan or as big as a Grey Hound Bus)

I understand everything but the last two. How is it considered camping if one has AC, satellite, etc in a camper-trailer or an RV? After seeing multiple trailer/RV sites adorned with flags of all sizes and all promotions, country kitsch decor and signs reading: "home is where we're parked," "stop in and say howdy," and "on the road with the Schillers," I don't get it and don't want to. Pellew is much more accepting if not a bit disappointed about the number of military guys he's noticed and has a suspicion that although he's on a trip to get away from them, they're everywhere. However, both Pellew and I have soft spots for the those campers flying the POW-MIA and Vet flags and assumes those campers must wave them at their homes too. We think that's alright.

Today's Lessons Learned:

Pellew must eat at regular intervals. When Morgantina says she's tired, she means it and she's done. We're not moving to Harrisburg, PA. Although it'd be great to have a neighborhood barber shop like Just Kut'n It Up.


The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg is promoted as the only museum in America that portrays the war without bias and we thought that description to be fair. Highlights: uniforms (particularly those of the Zouaves), weaponry, slavery articles, and the Lincoln exhibit.