Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

While traveling north, to visit the newest addition's to the Stumm family, we stopped to see the history sites at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. We had been in the car for a while and needed a break plus, american history will be our focus this year for school, so we took advantage of the opportunity--we stretched our legs and got a visual preveiw of history lessons to be learned.

We learned that this town not only played a part in the beginnings of the Civil War, but Lewis and Clark stopped here for one month to make last minute preparations before heading west on their famous expedition to the west coast. We greatly missed our very own tour guide and history expert...Daddy! He had to work and couldn't get off for the weekend. :( (Because Ryan loves to be by himself and we needed two seats to bring Grandma and Grandpa back home with us, he made the sacrafice (said with great exaggeration) to stay home and not join us on this trip.)

The kids loved getting on and riding the bus for the short trip to the town of Harper's Ferry.

It was an extremely hot and humid day. Too bad for us, we didn't have our swimming suits as many people were enjoying the Shenandoah River....and we wished we could too.

( hey, we found where Daddy would have worked!)

Connor and Cailin found a great little bookstore....especially because it was air conditioned and they both found neat gifts for their Dad. Our trip was near Father's Day and his birthday. They wanted to get him something special.

Connor found a book about Washington DC and it's orgins. Cailin found a cool tie---with civil war battle scenes on it. With gift's in hand we traveled back to the van via the bus and continued on our way to Maryland.

We had a great time traveling to Maryland, listening to stories on CD--The Shakespeare Secret, eating hamburger's from McDonald's, one mini ice cream break while finding a bathroom stop, all to be topped off with this side trip. It was a wonderfully hot and humid day.