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UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA
Valley Forge Park
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The commemorative arch forms the centre of the park. |
The Valley Forge National Park, in Pennsylvania, marks the place where George
Washington's army camped through the winter of 1776, during the American War of
Independence. Apart from the difficult business of surviving, and defending their position
against the British, they used the time for training. They were assisted in this by Baron
von Steuben, senior general in the army of Frederick the Great of Prussia. The district
next to Valley Forge is still known as `King of Prussia'. |
The park contains a huge variety of native American trees. It is widely used for
recreation such as jogging and cycling, for which it is a wonderfully relaxing setting. |
Gettysburg is the site of the major battle in te American Civil War in the mid
nineteenth century. It marks the furthest North the confederate forces were able to get
before being turned back by the Yankees.
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The Gettysburg Hotel still looks much as it would have at the time
of the battle. |
This magnificent monument marks the site of the actual battlefield. |
After the battle, the US President, Abraham Lincoln, visited Gettysburg. He stayed in
this building. In it, he wrote a speech for the following day. This speech has become
known as the `Gettysburg Address', and is one of the most famous speeches in world
history. |
Longwood Garden
Longwood Gardens, near the border between Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware, were
originally the formal gardens belonging to the estate of the Du Pont family, founder of
the chemical firm of that name. The first Du Pont put the garden into a trust for the
public. It is maintained in pristine condition.
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Observation tower and waterfall |
 Model railway in the garden. |
Hawk Mountain
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Hawk Mountain, some 60 miles to the West of Philadelphia, is a staging post on the
migration route for many birds of prey in the spring and autumn. It is possible to see
hundreds of birds of prey in a day during the peak of the migration, often wheeling high
overhead. Birds we saw included a Golden Eagle and several vultures. |
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Pennsylvania
was named after William Penn, who founded it. The state is
heavily wooded, giving it the `sylvan' part of the name.
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Amish farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Amish are a very strict religious
sect, who eschew most modern inventions such as television. |
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 The water running down through the mountains to the West of Philadelphia carves out
many spectacular caves. It is possible to see some quite bizarre rock formations. |
New Jersey
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New Jersey is a very flat state on the Atlantic
coast. The Jersey Shore is a haven for all sorts of
wildlife. The variety of birds, insects and other
wildlife you can see, especially during the Spring and
Summer, is quite breathtaking |
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Sunset over the Jersey shore at Cape May. |
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Washington
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he Rocky Mountains were rich hunting grounds for several
tribes of American Indians. Today there are several parks in
which visitors can learn about their way of life, now sadly
vanishing. Shown here are some Indian totem poles. |
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