Drive. Pray. Scream?: Day 100: Triple Digits

We're in shock to realize it's our 100th day on the road. There have been a few days that were slow with loneliness, but on the whole, the trip is flying by. This was our last day with John and Gail, and we made the most of it, exploring Valley Forge National Historical Park and then taking in a special Rembrandt exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Valley Forge, the winter encampment for General Washington and his Continental troops, was chosen because of its vantage point over Philadelphia, occupied by the British throughout the winter of 1777-78. The park is much larger than we'd imagined, and it's a sacred place...where more than 1,800 soldiers died during that winter, not of starvation or cold (as romanticized over the years), but of disease: typhoid, tyhpus, dysentery and pneumonia. In contrast to that terrible statistic, Valley Forge also is where the American Army was born. Under the direction of Captain Von Steuben, a Prussian recruited by Ben Franklin, training manuals were developed, drills were mastered, and troops from 13 seperate colonies were groomed into a cohesive and effective fighting force.

The 12,000 troops that wintered in the 2,000 huts built in Valley Forge were joined by upwards of 400 women and children, both stragglers who had nothing left at home, or supporters who worked for the troops by cooking and laundering. The land itself was a key player, as well. It provided the 80,000+ trees used to built the troops' huts. By spring, the area was completely devastated, stripped bare and eroded, with no wildlife of any sort. It's difficult to imagine the condition, because the area today is covered in lush grasses with thick stands of forest scattered throughout the 3,600 acres. It's a recreational haven for hikers, cyclists and bird watchers, and is home to wild animals large and small. This peaceful place is a memorial to those thousands who endured so much and persevered toward the goal of freedom.

From the park's natural setting, we headed back into the heart of Philadelphia, to its incredible art museum. Some recognize it more for its front steps (Rocky Balboa bounded up them in the movies), but we were there for the special exhibition, "Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus." The Dutch artist, who worked in the 1600s from his home in Amsterdam, developed a style of depicting Jesus that gave more empathy and emotion to the face, and a sense of life and movement that captures the charisma and magnetism that peers of Jesus must have encountered. An audio tour guided us through the multi-gallery display, and we were amazed at how Kelsey and Kendall engaged with the mature experience. When driving back to the hotel, Kendall pointed out a billboard advertising the exhibit, saying "Look, there's Jesus that Rembrandt painted." That was a great exclamation point to mark our milestone day.

Valley Forge residents

One of the huts representative of the thousands that once stood in the area. Following the war, most of them were disassembled by locals, who reused the wood.

George Washington's Valley Forge headquarters. His wife, Martha, lived there with him for many of the months. They shared the small space with up to 10 others.