Winter Break Trip - Day 2

We slept until around 0800.  It was overcast and rain was threatening but we wanted to get some more NPS Passport stamps to the north of the city (Valley Forge National Historical Park and Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site).  So, we packed up the car and left Philadelphia (via I-76 and US-422).  We exited at PA-23 and arrived at the (temporary) Valley Forge Visitor Center and Mollie got a stamp for her book.  We also watched a movie there and got some hiking maps.  Mollie told me she was hungry, so we drove a short distance to the north on US-422 (to the Aberdeen, King of Prussia exit) and stopped at Taco Bell for "brunch" (box of 10 tacos).  At 1000, we drove back to Valley Forge so we could take the driving tour.  We stopped a few times because it really hadn't started raining yet.  We visited recreations of the cramped living quarters (there were some reenactors inside) and walked along the defensive earthworks.   Mollie and I also found several memorials to the brave patriots who died here during the harsh winter of 1777-1778.  We were able to take a nice walk on the Joseph Plum Martin trail, all the way to the Masonic memorial arch, before it started to rain.  I'd been to this park several times before (most recently, with the Twins in AUG 2008) but it was new to Mollie.  We both agreed that the park was unforgettable, memorable and humbling.  We planned to see some more of the site and followed road signs on to pretty country roads.  However, as we were driving around the perimeter of the park (taking pictures), we came upon a pretty covered bridge.  I thought it looked interesting and decided to take that road (we were "chased" by impatient local who was flashing her lights for us to hurry up).  After a short distance, we found ourselves outside of the park altogether.  Mollie said that she was ready to go to the next place, so she set up the GPS route for the drive to Hopewell Furnace. On the way (partly on PA-23), we saw lots of horses and drove through a pretty little town called St. Peters (it had purple and pink houses).  It started to rain, unfortunately, but we tried to continue our enjoyment of the route through pretty fields and over rolling hills.  Before long, we reached Hopewell Furnace (just after 1300).  We watched a movie in the Visitor Center and talked to the Ranger.  Mollie got another stamp for her book and then bought souvenirs (an NPS Passport ornament and some Passport stickers so she could send away for missing stamps).  After that, we took a walk around in the property.  As usual, we were some of the only guests and had the grounds mostly to ourselves.  It was cold and rainy but we learned a lot about the early history of iron working in America.  At one time, many people in the US had one of the stoves made at this “factory” in their home.  We got the added bonus of seeing lots of animals (cows, horses, sheep, chickens).  After finishing our visit to the park, we drove north towards Reading until we reached US-422 again. I had wanted to visit the Daniel Boone Homestead but we had heard from the Ranger that it was closed (part of a dispute over ownership and management).  Still, I wanted to see what it looked like and we drove to the entrance that I expected to be closed.  When we arrived, we found a sign that stated the park was open to foot traffic.  It was raining, but I decided to take a walk through the grounds in the rain and mud (with an umbrella) by myself.  Meanwhile, Mollie stayed in the car.  I discovered that the Daniel Boone Homestead (history park) had essentially gone out of business.  It took a lot of walking through old homesteads and historic buildings (not sure they were all native to the area) but I eventually found a building that was purported to be the birthplace of Daniel Boone (it had changed tremendously over the years).  After all that walking, I decided the place was probably not worth a fee for admission.  However, the price was right today and I got to see the homestead where one of my childhood heroes was born and raised.  When I reached the car, it was close to 1430.  Since it was raining and we were tired, we decided to head back to the hotel. Along the way (1445) we picked up food at Wawa (with an gift card I got from Erin) for later in the evening.  We then drove on US-422 for over 20 miles; I guess I hadn't been paying attention to the fuel gauge very well because I suddenly realized that we needed to get gas.  Mollie helped me find a station (it had one of the lower prices we'd seen all day).  In the process of trying to reach it, we drove through the area where Villanova and Bryn Mawr were located. Mollie was intrigued by the fancy area of Montgomery County and we talked about her college plans, along with my mother's dream (as a young girl) to attend school in the area.  We eventually stopped at a Sunoco in Rosemont (1525) and then I decided to continue towards Philadelphia on US-30. For some reason, Google Maps kept trying to make us get on I-76 (it had a massive traffic jam) but I resisted this advice.  Instead, we took surface streets (mainly US-30, AKA Lancaster Avenue) and we entered the city from the north.  There were lots of burned out neighborhoods there and I was a bit worried about the atmosphere.  However, the rain and lack of people visible made me feel better by the end.  We passed a street car (Mollie thought it was cool) and later passed the Zoo (we saw lots of colorful murals everywhere nearby).  We eventually crossed the Schuylkill River and got to see the "Rocky Stairs" (they were all lit up for the Holidays.  A Logan Square, I encountered my first annoyed local driver as I incorrectly navigated the complicated traffic circle.  For the rest of the drive, I continued to resist the GPS urgings (we remained on Vine Street all the way to Fourth Street).  We arrived at the hotel by about 1615 and I found a good spot to park in the garage this time. Because it had stopped raining, we dropped things off at the room and immediately went walking in the area near our hotel.  Mollie bought a gift for her mother at Penzeys at The Bourse.  We got some evening photos at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and then walked to the Visitor Center to pick up a walking map.  It started to rain again, so we walked back to the hotel.  There, we ate our dinner (Wawa sandwiches) and watched TV (Star Wars movies).  Mollie called her mother a few times and we made plans for the next few days.  We both were asleep by 2330.