Captains Blog
Thursday
We slept fairly well last night but Jewel had issues so around 1:00 AM she joined us in bed. She very rarely wants to sleep with us so we obliged.
The sky is overcast and the fog is in so visibility is limited. I took Jewel for a walk and luckily I was holding on tight because she spotted a rabbit and took chase. I watched where I was stepping – no more falls for me.
We were on the road by 7:45 AM heading to the flight 93 Memorial 300 miles away. We traversed a lot of narrow mountainous roads along the way. There sure is interesting signage in PA. One road had big white dots painted on it with the sign instructing “Keep Two Dots Between Cars at All Times.” So we did as instructed.
We arrived at the Temporary Flight 93 Memorial around 3:30 PM with a light rain falling.
The roads to the Memorial were very steep and winding. Put the Motorhome through the mill towing uphill.
The Flight 93 Memorial site sits in valley farmland among private residents. There are volunteers who man the small cabin at the site who answer questions and guide tourists. Only family members are allowed on the crash site. The area is fenced in with the American flag placed in the center. The temporary memorial is about 500 feet from the impact area overlooking it from a very windy hilltop.
There is a wall where people have hung gifts, plaques, helmets, badges etc. There are also carved marble, granite and other types of stones designating specific
events that have raised monies for the families and construction of a permanent memorial. Those gifts that cannot withstand the weather have been boxed by the volunteers to be placed in the permanent memorial.
There were angels with the names of each passenger and crew set in the ground with benches around them simulating an outdoor chapel. It was very touching and brought back the memories of the events on 9/11 like they had just happened. The area reminded us of when we visited ground zero and the temporary memorial set up at ground zero shortly after the towers were destroyed. The emotions were the same despite the time that has passed.
A permanent memorial has not been built because the federal government is running into issues with the private residents. The government wants 115 thousands acres to build the memorial and to develop the infrastructure to handle the traffic. According to the news media representatives from both sides are meeting tomorrow to discuss options. They didn’t say it but we read that the money offered for the land and privacy issues for the current residents in the area is an issue.
The location is pristine and peacefully quiet. Even though the intent for a memorial is to honor those that died I do feel sorry for the residents because all that serenity they now enjoy will be forever lost.
We secured a site at Hickory Hollow Campground in Rockwood, PA. Ron purchased a Passport America card for fifty percent off certain campgrounds across the country. We secured a full hook-up site for $15.00 for the night with the card. The campground is beautiful and empty. Lucky us!!!!!
Interestingly the name of the road our campsite is Vera Lane. I have only met one Vera in my lifetime and she is the new NP that has joined the practice.
Ron, Jewel and I took a great walk around the campground enjoying the quiet and solitude. Jewel was able to run free so she was especially happy.
Thursday
We slept fairly well last night but Jewel had issues so around 1:00 AM she joined us in bed. She very rarely wants to sleep with us so we obliged.
The sky is overcast and the fog is in so visibility is limited. I took Jewel for a walk and luckily I was holding on tight because she spotted a rabbit and took chase. I watched where I was stepping – no more falls for me.
We were on the road by 7:45 AM heading to the flight 93 Memorial 300 miles away. We traversed a lot of narrow mountainous roads along the way. There sure is interesting signage in PA. One road had big white dots painted on it with the sign instructing “Keep Two Dots Between Cars at All Times.” So we did as instructed.
We arrived at the Temporary Flight 93 Memorial around 3:30 PM with a light rain falling.
The roads to the Memorial were very steep and winding. Put the Motorhome through the mill towing uphill.The Flight 93 Memorial site sits in valley farmland among private residents. There are volunteers who man the small cabin at the site who answer questions and guide tourists. Only family members are allowed on the crash site. The area is fenced in with the American flag placed in the center. The temporary memorial is about 500 feet from the impact area overlooking it from a very windy hilltop.
There is a wall where people have hung gifts, plaques, helmets, badges etc. There are also carved marble, granite and other types of stones designating specific
events that have raised monies for the families and construction of a permanent memorial. Those gifts that cannot withstand the weather have been boxed by the volunteers to be placed in the permanent memorial.There were angels with the names of each passenger and crew set in the ground with benches around them simulating an outdoor chapel. It was very touching and brought back the memories of the events on 9/11 like they had just happened. The area reminded us of when we visited ground zero and the temporary memorial set up at ground zero shortly after the towers were destroyed. The emotions were the same despite the time that has passed.
A permanent memorial has not been built because the federal government is running into issues with the private residents. The government wants 115 thousands acres to build the memorial and to develop the infrastructure to handle the traffic. According to the news media representatives from both sides are meeting tomorrow to discuss options. They didn’t say it but we read that the money offered for the land and privacy issues for the current residents in the area is an issue.
The location is pristine and peacefully quiet. Even though the intent for a memorial is to honor those that died I do feel sorry for the residents because all that serenity they now enjoy will be forever lost.
We secured a site at Hickory Hollow Campground in Rockwood, PA. Ron purchased a Passport America card for fifty percent off certain campgrounds across the country. We secured a full hook-up site for $15.00 for the night with the card. The campground is beautiful and empty. Lucky us!!!!!
Interestingly the name of the road our campsite is Vera Lane. I have only met one Vera in my lifetime and she is the new NP that has joined the practice.
Ron, Jewel and I took a great walk around the campground enjoying the quiet and solitude. Jewel was able to run free so she was especially happy.
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