Send Off and Philly

Jenna and I packed up and left right on time on the morning of July 1 from Poquoson. Since we were carrying enough to live, camp, and eat while camping for 3 months, the van was pretty full but had enough room to make for a cozy temporary home.

We stood in the driveway with the van for the "before" picture - who knows how different our "after" picture will look!

 

We drove up the Eastern Shore and into the Philadelphia suburb of Langhorne, hitting the states of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania along the way. Most of Maryland and Delaware reminded me of the rural farmlands I'm familiar with on the Northern Neck of Virginia. New Jersey was exactly as I remembered it from driving through once before - swampy, industrial, and not many sights to see.

On July 2, we went into Philadelphia by train and first walked around the area of Independence Hall and the Constitution Center. We went into the Liberty Bell Center to see the original bell. Unbeknownst to us, July 2 is National Hoagie Day, which meant that Wawa had transformed the grassy plaza area into a fair-like atmosphere complete with a performing stage, tents with free giveaways, and free hoagies for everyone at lunchtime.

Independence Hall

We toured the US Mint building as well; this was the most surprisingly good stop of the day. It was a detailed and interesting self-guided tour which involved walking through a window-lined hallway above the coin factory floor - looking down, the whole process is visible as it happens.

The rest of the afternoon included walking down Ben Franklin Parkway, admiring the incredible architecture of the Barnes Museum, and walking the Rocky-famed steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. After walking through the Reading Terminal Market, we rode the train back out to Langhorne and spent the evening planning the next day in New York City.