"Hurry Up and Wait", Day 35,Saturday, July 3,1976, to VALLEY FORGE....12mi

 

                  ********************************

                      Journal Entry: Saturday July 3, 1976,
                                                  to VALLEY FORGE......12mi

4:40 Tom came and woke me up and I had the honor of waking Lee up – he kept mumbling and saying that everything was in the trailer and was just fine.  Finally he woke up and then started yelling about having to hurry.  5 am all the trucks rolled out to Valley Forge and a lot of people were left standing in the field holding a horse and saddle for 5 hours. At least we have the wagon to tie our horses to.  About 6:30 the sun came up and we had breakfast around 7. 

     This morning was a long wait.  Everyone is really tired and wants to take naps but there is nowhere to do so and even though we are tired the excitement alone is keeping everyone awake.  Ann & Al Stone from RI are here with us.  They were with us yesterday  and last night Darleen  & Pat Reynolds came back. We are going to have a full wagon going in to Valley Forge.  9:30am and the sun is getting hot.  Everyone is starting to harness up .  We are leaving at 9:50 and will follow the Great Lakes Train into Valley Forge.  Many women are dressed in their Sunday Best,including me, long dresses and bonnets.  

Some of the RI Contingent who were with us going into Valley Forge

  Some of the RI Contingent who went in to Valley Forge with us pictured : Ranny Tuchon, Al and Ann Stone,Pat Reynolds, Dawn Tuchon holding Curt,Lee Reynolds,Sandy Smith, Darleen Reynolds.

   10:05 we start to pull out in the same order that we joined the train.  All the outriders are with their wagons.  RI has 8 outriders with the wagon.  Pat LeClerc, RI State Wagonmaster, Ranny Tichon- RI Official Outrider, Barbara Caldwell, Gary French, Carol Tacey, and some others who have just joined us.  Angelo Marcello, Karen Poquette and Angelo Palazzo all from RI.  As we start out Dawn Tuchon & Ann Stone are in the wagon with us along with Leah & Curt.  Walking with the wagon now are Al Stone, Tom Koczkadan, Cathy, Al Bourget, Darleen & Pat Reynolds, Tom Caldwell & Sandy Smith.  The Johnsonville Wagon from Conn. just got tipped over and they are now trying to get places for the people  but I don’t think they will find space because all of the wagons are full of people.  Pat & Frank Howard are supposed to be with us but we can’t find them.  I just heard that a small girl from the Johnsonville Gang got kicked in the forehead and sent flying.  I think they took her to the hospital.  Also one of their horses got cut under the jaw and they had to get a vet in to sew it up.  We are waiting for a parade and the other train.  Also I heard that one of their horses was very sick last night.

My sister Cathy Grady did a lot of walking along side the wagon                              photo:Carol Tacy

    11 o’clock & we are still waiting to go.  Bob Godin, his daughter, wife  Sheila & his brother, Richie just showed up.  They will meet us at Valley Forge because they are going to be on the reviewing stand.

Sherry Smith from the show troupe just got in the wagon—she will be with us for the day.

   11:07am We finally start out down the road:  Butler Pike.  Thousands of people line the road side.  The sun is out and it is a beautiful day.  11:45 before we got thru the town of Conshohocken and over the bridge.  And then there are more crowds as we go thru West Conshohocken.  We are given a Bicentennial Book and someone is passing out free beer,  only to the men.

Ranny , Sheila, Lee, Tom, Thunder and Breezy taking us to Valley Forge

   12:15 Just outside the town we stop for water just for the teams, from the S.P.C.A. truck.  The truck does not have enough water for all the horses.

12:40 We started again down
 Rte 320 North.  People are switching in and out of the wagon and we have been going up & down many hills.  12:55 We are stopped for a break.  Candy just came back and said that the Penn wagon team lost a shoe & so we will have to wait a while.  (Candy & Heidi are outriding for the Penn Wagon.)

1:05 We start up again and go through the Town of Gulph Mills. 
     1:45 We pass Brook Rd—there is a Police car there and the squawk box saying “Does this THING HAVE AN ESCORT” 

     2:05 We had to stop because one of the horses on the Vt. wagon slipped & fell and so did a saddle horse—they seem to be OK,  (95 degrees at 12 noon)  It is now 2:15 and we still have not had lunch yet ! Some lady just said that it is 4 miles; then someone else said it is two.  

Lunch break on the way to Valley Forge

                       2:20 We are finally stopping for lunch. 
   3:15 we start again, down Warner Rd to Rte 202 North.  3:45 we are going North on Rte 363 into Valley Forge.  (3:50-4:00 we wait to go in)  at 4:05 we move into Valley Forge.  

Arriving at Valley Forge

4:15 We had to stop-- The gate fell off the Mass wagon along  with all the people.
 4:18 We had to stop again—the gate fell off again.

Waiting for the gate to be re-attached to Massachusetts Wagon

 4:18-4:30, we wait to get into the Main Park.

Pat LeClerc,RI Wagon Master at Valley Forge

 After going by the reviewing stand we were guided in to the area where the wagons were to be parked for the summer.

Carol Tacy front center,  Vermont Wagon with Ry Robison rear

 Then we un-hitched for the last time.

Lee un-hitching at Valley Forge

    



   Tom is upset because it is spitting rain.  Also we are at camp and Tom can’t see the truck.   
 Some lady just told me that one of the independent wagons tipped over going in—no one was hurt.  Then we had to walk the horses to camp. The camp was way over a couple of hillsides. We were to camp on one of these hillsides  about 1/2 mile away from the wagons. We were later told the independent wagons are camped about 2 miles away !

      5:30 we are all in camp—on a side hill! It has gotten cloudy and thunder is heard.  We will most likely get rained out of another party!

After taking care of the horses, we went down to the food tent (6:30) to be greeted by wet soggy food.  The tent was plenty big but the food was served in the rain.  We ate and then when back to camp in a down pour. Later it dried up and Cathy, Sandy, Audry & I went to see the show & the fireworks ($10,000 worth).  We took the flags off our wagons before we got in,  because a lot of flags were missing  and we were afraid our would get stolen.  Then we asked some people to get out of "our"  R.I. wagon so we could get in to watch the show and fireworks.  

Half way back to camp we got a ride hanging on the back of Chris Fetterson’s Datzun luggage rack.  The we all settled down to a night of “rolling sleep on the hill.”