Today was battlefield day and our start for home.  We got up, checked out of the hotel, and drove to Manassas to learn more about the second battle there.  From there we went and saw Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and the Wilderness Battlefield areas.  It is so fascinating to learn about all of these places and to think about what happened there.  We wanted to go down to Spotsylvania, but didn’t have the time.

The most interesting place we went was the visitor center and surrounding area of the Fredericksburg battle site.  We got in on a walking tour of the battlefield and our tour guide was amazing!  He was so animated and knowledgeable that you thought the battle just happened.  We got to go into a house that is still standing today which not many people get to go into.  It was riddled with bullet holes and the crazy thing is that a lady was living in the house throughout the entire battle and never got hurt, even though bullets were whizzing through her house all day.  😐  Kirstyn got to be the guide’s helper.  🙂

After seeing all the battlefields, we drove down through central Virginia and over the Shenandoah Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley.  It was a little foggy so we didn’t get to see much, but I can just imagine how beautiful this place is in the fall!  We drove up 81 through the valley and eventually stopped at Woodstock for the night.  Angela and I had recently read a book called “The Cross Gardener” that took place there.  We wanted to see the places talked about in the book.  Turns out that the author loved the area so much, he ended up moving his family from Utah to the Shenandoah valley and now lives there.

Angela got a sweet deal on a suite at the Hampton Inn in Woodstock!  We had plenty of space and the pool was great!  We swam and then ate and are now totally exhausted and are ready for bed!  Tomorrow we’re heading home and will get to sleep in our own beds finally!  🙂