Everyone familiar with my website knows that I am a sucker for a trip down memory lane. So when the opportunity presented itself to swing by for a visit to the site of the 1986 Valley Forge Sons of the Desert convention, I jumped at it. In fact, the fact that I was traveling with my friend Bob Satterfield was the icing on the cake, because it was here that I first met Bob. So we traveled from our last location in Perkasie, Pennsylvania and at about 9:00pm that night of Thursday, June 17, 2009, we pulled up the the hotel to behold the majesty of the memories of what once was.
My view upon arrival
At the time of the convention, the hotel complex which is technically located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was actually the Sheraton – but it had changed hands and was now a Radisson. This made it a bit difficult to find the address for it on the internet, and when I called I had to make sure that it was in fact the ’round’ hotel so prominent in my memory.
After checking in, Bob and I spent about an hour looking around and trying to match up our memories with where we were now standing. The lobby was different and the convention center area looked different – so we were unable to match up the rooms where the banquets took place. However, we could tell that the walls had been rearranged (in fact, they were probably movable even back in 1986), but did recognize the columns that stood in the common area, which could not have been moved.
We visited the pool area which was completely unchanged, but unfortunately was locked up. And we found the location where the Lily Langtry Theatre was located. This room was now known as the Waterford Ballroom, but an employee verified that this was in fact home of the Lily Langtry burlesque show back in the day. Besides, there was no mistaking it: this was where Bob and I had first stood and chatted while waiting in line for the doors to open 23 years earlier.
I carefully disguise the fact that the convention going on during our visit was not a Laurel and Hardy convention
The banquet area – we think
Re-creating our first meeting at the site of the infamous occasion
After our roaming, Bob and I headed up to our room where I made some calls to my family to tell them where I was staying. I was also able to hook up to the internet to also inform the cyber-community.
The next morning, Friday, June 18, Bob and I kicked off our day with another visit to the Waterford Ballroom, which was this time unlocked. Then we had a great breakfast buffet in the Cafe Soleil, visited the gift shop where I bought a book on the founding fathers of all things, and then checked out the pool once again. Still locked, but still full of memories. We packed up and headed out at about 9:15, pausing on the exterior to check out the area where we had the Pee-Wee Contest at the convention, and took some nice exterior photos in the daylight.
Inside the Waterford Ballroom – where once the Lily Langtry gals danced
The pool – where our great luau was held
Breakfast in the Cafe Soleil. This wasn’t here in 1986, but the food was good.
The very familiar elevators
I re-create the photo I took of the hotel in 1986 as seen here
The yard where the Pee-Wee contest was held
The hotel and convention center where I had spent an awesome week in 1986
The Valley Forge National Historical Park was very close to the hotel, and I was surprised by the fact that we had most certainly not visited this location during the 1986 convention – especially considering how close it was. This was the location that the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-78 during the Revolutionary War, under the command of General George Washington.
At the entrance of the Valley Forge National Historical Park
We got there at around 10am and started with a visit to the Welcome Center, where there was a museum, gift shop, and movie screening of the history of Valley Forge. We got a map and then drove around the property, first checking out the National Memorial Arch, which was dedicated in 1917 to honor George Washington and the soldiers who encamped here.
Fun in the Valley Forge visitors center
The National Memorial Arch
We then parked in the area where the Valley Forge Train Station (which had been completed in 1911) was being reconstructed and would contain a museum. We walked down to the highlight of the park, George Washington’s headquarters (where he and Martha also lived) during the encampment. It was nicely restored and populated with period furniture. On site was an active archaeological dig where they were searching for the headquarters’ kitchen. When we left, I walked up to the car, drove through a restricted area, and picked Bob up at around quarter of noon.
George Washington’s headquarters at Valley Forge
The bedroom where the Washingtons most likely slept
Fun in the Washington headquarters kitchen
The next stop was a lot less eventful. The power cable to Bob’s GPS had gotten broken when we pulled it out of the lighter and he was going to pick up a new cable. Fortunately the nice man on duty was able to repair it for us.
Best Buy cable fun
We then headed out for the city of Lancaster. Although Bob and I had passed through here on Sunday of this week, we had only had dinner here since the James Buchanan house wasn’t open. So we had quite a bit to see here: the Wheatland Buchanan home, the statue of Buchanan in Buchanan Park, and the President’s grave at Woodward Hill Cemetery. All of these locations can be seen in the James Buchanan posting located here.
After spending two and a half hours on the Buchanan sites, there was one other grave to see in Lancaster at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Here was located the final resting place of Thomas Mifflin (1744-1800), the 11th President of the Continental Congress. He was also the 7th President of Pennsylvania (following Benjamin Franklin), and the first Governor of Pennsylvania.
At the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – where they were closing up shop
The grave of Thomas Mifflin, 11th President of the Continental Congress
Although it wasn’t supposed to close until 4:30pm (which was roughly when we arrived), there seemed to be no entrance to the churchyard. Although we could see the grave marker from behind the iron fence, and we could actually get into the church, we the doors that led into the churchyard were locked. So we settled for photos from the sidewalk. Had this been an actual President, I would most certainly have jumped this pitiful fence.
Having traveled westward from Valley Forge to Lancaster, we continued our directly line west for a three hour leg of travel as we were working our way toward home. At around 8pm that evening, we made our way to the microscopic town of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Shanksville has become famous in just the last decade as it was here in an empty field that United Flight 93 crashed into the ground after being overtaken by hijackers who were planning on crashing it into the White House, or possibly the Capitol, in Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001.
At the present time, there is only a temporary memorial here, which is mostly comprised of monuments, tributes, and trinkets, that have been placed here by organizations and people. A permanent statue is planned to be completed in 2011 for the tenth anniversary of the crash. A temporary building for the National Parks Service is also on the site.
It was interesting and somber to browse the location, which is so far off the beaten path, that at the late hour we visited, Bob and I were mostly alone, with another family stopping by midway during our visit. Naturally, one can’t help but reflect on the lives of the heroes of this flight that were lost as the overtook the hijackers and diverted the plane from its intended target.
The temporary office of the Flight 93 National Memorial
Overview of the Flight 93 Memorial area
One of the nicer stone memorials
Memorial with the names of the Flight 93 casualties
Benches displaying the names of the victims of the crash
The giant fence wall of ‘trinkets’
Bob and I then headed about an hour northwest, making our way toward Pittsburgh, but stopping a little over midway to stay in the city of Greensburg at a Super 8 Motel. We had a late dinner in town at the Pepperwood Grill, where I enjoyed a very good White Chicken Pie – basically a bacon and chicken alfredo pizza.
The good food of the Pepperwood Grill
Bob and I had one more day of travel as we made our way home – picking up some new sites along the way, and a couple of repeats that Bob needed to see again.
The road trip will continue…
Gee think-It all started there at that convention site. And 23 years later here we are. Some very good times and trips and I hope at least 23 years more of fun, adventure and friendship!
Bob
November 16th, 2009