A week from today we will celebrate the Fourth of July. We celebrate an event 250 years ago when 56 men met in Philadelphia and decreed that America should be its own country, separate from Great Britain. A little over a week ago, I was in Philadelphia. I didn’t sign any declaration, but I did enjoy perhaps the best Cheesesteak I’d ever had.

Our trip to Philly was the last stage of a two week, 2,500 mile vacation that took us through 13 states visiting family in South Carolina, Virginia and finally Philadelphia. We were in the City of Brotherly Love to visit, appropriately enough, my wife’s Uncle Sam.

We had made a similar visit to Philly 10 years ago and did the whole tourist thing — standing in line for about an hour to spend 30 seconds in front of the Liberty Bell, touring Independence Hall, going to Betsy Ross’s House, etc. This time though we were on a mission, to go downtown and get a July 4, commemorative T-shirt from the place where it all happened.

We did spend a few minutes walking around downtown Philly. We didn’t stand in line to see the Liberty Bell, but passed the scores of people who were. Regardless of your political leanings, as an American, it is virtually impossible to stand there and not feel something.

Not far from the Bell, I walked on what was identified as the path Ben Franklin used when walking the fifth of a mile from his home, Franklin Court, to Independence Hall. It sounds weird, but walking on that same path, made me feel somewhat connected to the events of 250 years ago. Standing in front of Independence Hall, gave me a sense of the heroism of those 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. How they were willing to sacrifice their fortunes, their careers and even their lives for an opportunity to live in a free nation.

Another thing that struck me as I watched people waiting for a chance to be photographed in front of the Liberty Bell, was that fact to so many weren’t Americans. They were visiting, like me, but came from around the world. Many were in town for the World Cup match the day before. And here they were, waiting to get a glimpse of a relic from the early days of the American Experiment.

It really gave me a sense of how important the founding of this country was. And we were reminded of the sacrifice. Driving back to Yardley, where we were staying, we stopped at Washington Crossing Historic Park on the Delaware River. The sight where, on Christmas night in 1776, the Continental Army Crossed the river to deliver a surprise attack on Hessian soldiers hired by the British at Trenton.

Standing beside those waters I immediately recalled the famous painting by Emanuel Leutze, that we all had in our history books in high school. It sounds corny, but the event became real to me, not just a page from a history book I opened more than 50 years ago.

As I said, it was hard not to feel patriotic when faced with such history. And while I feel lucky and blessed to have had that opportunity in Philadelphia, understand there are several opportunities in the coming days, right here in the Keweenaw, to revel in the freedom gained by those brave men and women a quarter millennium ago. Parades, picnics, fireworks and so much more will remind us we live in the greatest nation on earth. And each day, all of us are walking the path of Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and more. And we’re walking it right here at home. Happy July 4th everyone.