Remembering 9/11 and Flight 93

   


   It was so cold in the night neither of us was willing to get out of bed long enough to locate more blankets.  So we awakened this morning to a chilling 34 degrees at our boon-docking location in the Walmart parking lot in Somerset, Pennsylvania.  We quickly dressed and walked into the store for some warm coffee and breakfast at McDonalds.




      One of Valerie's favorite iPhone applications is Roadside America, where she found information about the elephant statue, a tribute to the county's breeding ranch, we had passed on the way into town, and where she learned that we were only a short distance from the National Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.




      The drive out US Highways 219 and 30 was slow and go with steep hills, many curves and two 10% grades.  The park entrance has apparently been moved, since our Rand McNally GPS wanted us to drive 9 miles on highway 30, and the signs indicated we should enter at around 8.5.





      The park, when completed, will be huge in area, with 40 groves of trees that have been recently planted to represent the 40 souls on board the doomed flight.  You can't help but remember where you were and what you were doing on September 11, 2001 as you begin the long walk toward the wall of names of citizens turned heroes that rises along the flight path toward the stone which marks their graves.

      Valerie was struck by the irony of the many contrails in the sky overhead.

     

      Visitors have left notes and memorials along the walk and the wall which are sure to bring a tear to your eyes.  We had the pleasure of talking with Greg Zaborowski, a National Parks employee, who has made it his passion to talk to as many witnesses, family members and dignitaries and learn as many stories as possible.  He is an excellent story-teller and helped to add character to those names upon the wall, who fought the good fight, and in so doing, saved our country's Capitol and countless lives.





      Valerie's camera captured a few good barns today and, despite lots of construction on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and a long traffic jam (again in the opposite lanes), we arrived safely at Spring Valley Campground in Cambridge, Ohio around 2:30 today. We experienced some light rain and we set up hurriedly as it appeared to be threatening more.  Tomorrow we move closer to Goshen, Indiana, and Escapade!