Thank you to several friends who told me that they, too, had been similarly affected by their visits to Gettysburg.  At least I know the aura I experienced wasn’t in my imagination.

To counter some of the serious thought that went into my Gettysburg experience, I decided on some lighter fare. So, to that end, I visited Uncle Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium.

This little niche store has what it claims is the largest collection of elephants in the world, and I don’t doubt it: 12,000 elephants on display! (I didn’t count them.) There was a funky little garden with all kinds of chotckes outside, which I walked through quickly, as it was raining.

The candy was fun, too, and the fudge—oh, my! I bought a quarter-pound of my favorite, chocolate peanut butter, and a quarter pound of dark chocolated salted caramel.  Now I’m afraid to open the box, for fear I will hoover the half-pound at one sitting!

I also visited the Utz potato chip factory for a self-guided tour of how their potato chips are made. From raw, unpeeled potatoes to bagging and distribution, it is quite an operation. I have never seen so many potato chips in my life! A greeter is available to chat and answer questions, so I enjoyed listening to her. Although my favorite chip is the unsalted variety (since I need to avoid salt, and I think they taste amazing), I was happy to learn that Utz chips have 1/3 less salt than other brands. The chips are so thin, they don’t need as much salt. When the room was empty, the greeter—who had worked on the production floor for 37 years, retired, then came back to “get paid to talk to people”—confessed that she is a Red Sox fan.  She didn’t want anyone to overhear her.

Of course, then I had to visit the outlet store, where I discovered way more products than I had ever seen.  My new favorite is chips flavored with Heluva Good French onion dip.  Wow—impossible to eat just one! (Sorry, Lays.)

Yesterday was fun, but unfortunately the walking, hills, uneven ground and stairs of the past couple of days took a toll. I was up all night long with leg cramps. At 4:30 am, I finally gave up trying to get any sleep. I packed the car, ate breakfast, and got as far as Fort McHenry, which, when under attack by the British, was the inspiration for Francis Scott Keyes’ “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The weather was cold, the wind dropped the temperature into the 20’s, and the parking lot was far enough from the fort that my achy legs protested.  I decided to take the day off from sight-seeing and head to Alexandria VA.  We are settled in a Days Inn/Super 8 for the night.  Tomorrow I look forward to seeing my elementary school friend, Patti.  I am so looking forward to it!