Not So Many Miles, But OH! So Many Smiles!

Sometimes for motorcycle journeys, the destination is only a small distraction along the way of some fantastic riding experiences. This journey, my friends, was one of those situations. I shall not bore my friends and family who do not live the love of two wheels beating between their legs with my narrative of the fantastic roads I encountered right here. I will later on, but first, I would like to share my destinations with all...

Well, alas, I fib a bit, because part of my adventure involved an unanticipated situation that left me flustered and quite unprepared!! You see, I had no intentions of traveling any interstate highways, much less any toll roads. Yet my poor cartographic skills caused me to fail to notice that part of my intended path would take me on a short portion of Pennsylvania State toll road. Just a little section of PA route 66 approximately five miles... how much could that cost? And many toll roads now accommodate credit card swipes. Ha! Not this one!! Not only that, the only bills it would accept were singles and fives and all I had was twenties! I stood at the gate, perplexed. I had the ability to pay but the system did not have the ability to accept my payment methods... what do I do? Run the gate and get the ticket? As I stood there talking to myself, a gentleman pulled up and asked about my dilemma. Turns out he was on a 24 plus hour nightmare of his wife's hospitalization (to which he chose not to detail except to share his lack of sleep) and then this man fished through his wallet to change a twenty for me. And he insisted I wait until he had all twenty. I told him, give me ten or fifteen and I am good, but no, he gave me all twenty. Then waited patiently for me to deposit my $1.95 (two $1.00 bills with a nickel change), pass through the toll, then followed me through. Prayers for this angel, his wife and his family.  

If you have never been to the Flight 93 Memorial of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on the United States of America, I would recommend a visit. I have been to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the mountains above Taos, NM and it about ripped my heart out, and this was no different. You walk in and there are videos from news channel feeds playing in a loop on a screen. You think you have hardened your heart to the horror of what happened and then, suddenly, the second plane in the video hits the World Trade Center, and you are back to that day, where ever you were, whatever you were doing, reliving the entire event in your mind.

On the way to the visitor's center, there are pull outs and placards to tell you the story of what happened here. The one I stopped at one tells of the locals, going about their normal day, when an airplane flies over head... click on the photo above to read the accounts. I stood speechless as I turned to follow the ridge mentioned in the placard...  The plane just barely cleared this ridge before going down. A sobering moment when you think about it. That you are there... You look at the valley floor below and wonder what went through the locals' minds as a full size jet grazed over so low that it shook their homes and rattled their windows.

There is a small building prior to the visitor's center where rangers are there to answer questions about how the area is recovering and the natural beauty that the memorial attempted to capture in the memorial. But there are also type written transcripts from that day that you can sit down and read, and just looking at them made me choke up. I had to skip that part of the visit this time. I just wasn't ready...

And then you take the walk towards the viewing platform and the visitor's center. And there, in the walk way, are the exact moments, captured in stone, of when each plane hit it's target...

I am not sure how many people walked over these and noticed them but they stopped me in my tracks.

This was such a defining moment in the history of our country, at least in my life time and seeing the exact second when each of these happened and where, etched in stone, so we shall never forget...

 The visitor's center is a very comprehensive compilation of the day and the investigation and the sheer tragedy of the events and how they shaped so many lives from then on. The photos of the passengers and crew of  Flight 93 are there for you to see at the visitors center and in the valley below, their names are etched in marble.


Another feature of the display that I could not bear to listen to was the recordings of last phone calls from passengers that you can listen to on phones on the wall. I knew that I couldn't do that without breaking down completely. Others did, mostly younger individuals. Possibly a generational
difference, I am not sure.

 There was a lot on display from the evidence collected, which was actually fascinating. And there was information on the size and breadth of the investigation. There was a mining operation near the crash site that became ground zero for the investigative teams, which numbered over 1,000 ... the buildings are no longer there but you can see where the teams assembled to deal with the tragedy.

Sometimes these things are not easy to see or to acknowledge, but it is necessary so we do not forget those who perished and those who worked tirelessly to deal with the events of that day. They were our fellow Americans and they deserve that respect. The rest of my photos from this portion of the trip are at the end of the post...

My next stop on the trip was the spectacular Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Waters home. If you work
construction or love architecture, this is one place I would say you need to make time to visit. This place is incredible. Commissioned by the Kaufmann family (founders of a large chain of department stores which would later become Macy's) in 1935, the house was constructed between 1936 and 1938. Total square footage is 5,330, with about half of that being terraces. The cantilevered design was construction using reinforced poured-in-place concrete, with no steel beams at all ... at least that's what our guide said. I am still skeptical but can't prove otherwise right now!

My set up for the tour introduced me to a stout gentleman named Henry, who was our greeter. Seated on a bench, holding a cane, Henry was full of history and information on the property. Prior to starting his dissertation, Henry noticed my key chain hanging from my side and asked if I could put it away. I gladly did and shared that they were my motorcycle keys. And thus started and lengthy conversation between Henry and I about our history of motorcycling and our many machines we have been blessed with. Unfortunately, Henry's last ride ended sadly, when he swung his leg over a bike to mount and ruptured a disc in his neck, ending his riding! His knowledge of motorcycles left me no doubt that
Henry had shared our love of the two wheel life style and he pondered his lifestyle changes as our tour group gathered... Sometimes such encounters on a motorcyclists' journeys defines the meaning of why we do what we do. The moment may come, when we least expect it, that our time is up on the ride. Thank you Henry, for reminding me of why I do what I do...

The tour lasts about 45 minutes and is worth it, and afterwards you can walk the grounds and take photos. I just wished so much that Buffalo had been able to do this tour with me as he would have had so many more questions than I did. I was in complete awe of this structure! If you are interested in more information on this most incredible structure and how it was built, the web is full of information. One link I found that I really liked is as follows
http://www.fallingwater.org/assets/09_Building_Fallingwater.pdf


I spent the evening in Donagol, PA, a small ski resort kind of place. The next morning I headed out to

Hocking Hills, OH to check out the State Park, which I had heard so much about.  As with the previous day, I spent much of my time touring from PA through West Virginia to my stop in OH on twisting two lane roads, through the small towns that make up so much of this beautiful country of ours. There is nothing like motorcycling on two lane highways through the little map dots that so many call home. Seeing these places remind me that there is so much more to our world than what we know. The little general stores. The houses right along the road with porches decorated with flags and flowers. Places where kids can still go ride their bicycles without parents worrying about them. Places where people wave to each other as they go by. And you

see it so much clearer on a motorcycle. You can smell the fresh cut grass and hay and the wildflowers and, yes, the cows. But you experience it. It isn't like passing by on the Interstate. You are there, in the middle of our country. It is a deep and enriching experience that draws so many to the motorcycle culture.

So I ventured into the Hocking Hills State Park area with trepidation, because the web site pretty much sucks. You can give them your money and reserve and spot and kinda ... sorta... figure out where the heck you are going but, well, it sucks. I have
traveled all over this country and have gotten very good at scouting out locations, mostly from web

sites. Theirs sucks. I reserved a cabin (based on a trusted travel companion's suggestions) and couldn't find the office to check in. Literally, the lodge had

burnt down a year ago and there were no signs, not one, telling me where the office was to check in. And being on a motorcycle, I don't just go down any road because some of them become pretty darn treacherous at some point as far as the possibility of turning around! Finally I find (I kid you not...) cleaning crews working the cabins who tell me, just go the cabin, they will tell management I checked in! Really??? What kind of organization is that? Whatever...

I got to my cabin... really nice! I mean, really, nice. Should be for the price. And I felt secure being there alone. The neighbors were probably scared of me but, hey, so are my
friends. hahaha.

The part of the park I got to hike was INCREDIBLE!!! If you have never been there, you must go. OMG. It was one of the most

amazing geological places I have ever been. Just breathtaking. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people there, which diminished the experience. The site is open sun rise to sunset and I would recommend an early morning visit to this location...

I can't say enough about this trip. I traveled all two lane black top as much as possible, touring the country side and small towns, through stop lights and waving at the local smokies sitting along the side of the roads waiting for their next meal ticket. I have done this long enough to know that those little towns are meal tickets for the the municipalities and you respect their speed laws or you will be pulled over. And that's ok. That part of our country needs to be experienced for what it is. A small part of Americana that we can't afford to lose. It is, after all, what makes this place so special. You all can travel to Europe or the Caribbean or the many places around the world, but there is so much, so very very much, about our country that many people will never see. We are blessed with what we have. Learn to enjoy and appreciate and cherish this great place. I do every time I swing my leg over that piece of American iron and take off to new adventures. Peace my friends. Enjoy the rest of the pictures. Thanks, again, for sharing my adventure.

That stone is placed at the Flight 93 Memorial where the plane crashed. Families pay their respects there.

 

 

Walk way from the memorial wall back up to the museum at the Flight 93 Memorial... a time to reflect ...

Who would have thought to structure the structure around a growing tree? This struck me as odd ...

The stone ledges at the Hocking Hills site were beyond words. I was in total awe.

Several tunnels lead you into the unknown, but don't be afraid, they are short and totally amazing!!!

 Wow, if this is what my tax dollars pay for, I am totally down with this. What an incredible experience!!!

 I have so many more pictures but I will leave you with these. Please, visit these national treasures and support the parks and national efforts that maintain them. They are a gift to us and those who follow. We are so blessed that somebody thought to do this!!!