Let's roll

Vanlog, Kent, OH

I have to admit that I didn't sleep well at all last night before beginning my long journey this morning--I only got about 3 hrs of shut eye. Whether it was the excitement, the caffeine from the iced tea I had earlier, or more likely--anxiety, I was up most of the night. I left Lancaster at about 7:30 and drove three hours west on the PA Turnpike to Shanksville, PA to see the Flight 93 Memorial. The National Park Service has done an excellent job of turning the crash site from the fourth hijacked airplane on 9-11 into a memorial for the 40 people who died when a gang of the passengers decided to storm the cockpit of the hijacked plane with the words "let's roll." As you drive in the windy road past meadows of yellow and purple wildflowers and small white daisies, you first approach the Tower of Voices, a 93-foot tall, hollow concrete tower with wind chimes attached to it. Only four of the forty chimes have been installed so far, but the idea is a remembrance of the 40 victims who died instantly when their plane crashed upside-down in the farmland nearby. As the wind blows through the tower, the chimes will represent the voices of those who were lost echoing for eternity. 

Along the walkway to the visitor's center were brick markers in the pavement marking the march of time as each flight on that fateful day reached its final destination:

8:46 AM   American Airlines FL 11 strikes the north tower of the World Trade Center

9:03 AM   United Airlines FL 175 hits the south tower of the World Trade Center

9:37 AM   American Airlines FL 77 crashes into the Pentagon 

and lastly...

10:03 AM United Airlines FL 93 is intentionally grounded by the terrorists as the passengers storm the cockpit

The visitor's center itself consists of imposing concrete slabs with a cutout in between them and an overlook of the crash field, where the current memorial now rests. 

Inside the visitor's center, it is impossible not to get emotional as videos of the towers in flames repeat on a loop of newsreels, a wall of faces reminds you of the human element of those who died in the crash, and selected audio recordings of last phone calls to loved ones are played over headsets. Even though I was fortunate not to know anyone who was directly affected during the attacks, it was like PTSD for me having to watch those news clips all over again and to think of the horrible tragedy that unfolded on that otherwise calm and peaceful September morning. I was a stay at home dad at the time, living in Wilmington DE and taking care of my 2-yr-old toddler. I went to JoAnn Fabrics to run an errand for my wife and when they opened the door at 9 AM, they told me what had happened. At first, everyone thought the initial crash was just an accident. While I was still in the store, an associate rushed out of the back room where she was watching the news and reported that a second plane had hit the other tower. My immediate thoughts were that this was our modern-age Pearl Harbor and that things would never be the same again. I had to leave the visitor's center today because I was beginning to well up with tears. It was jarring. I walked down the 0.7-mile gravel path to the memorial itself, which to a certain extent is reminiscent of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC with its wall of names. A group of local schoolchildren arrived with plastic carnations. It was all too much for me. 

I hopped back in the car and drove another two-plus hours to Pittsburgh, PA, getting lost in downtown Duquesne because GPS is crap compared to an old paper map. After a number of U-turns and bumpy cobblestone streets, I finally captured this amazing panorama overlooking the city. 

I then drove another 10 min to the Phipps Conservatory, where they had an excellent themed presentation of van Gogh paintings brought to life in the gardens. 

Then it was back in the car again for another two hours as I headed toward what I expected to be a free campsite at Hidden Hollow Campground in the Fernwood State Forest near Bloomingdale, OH. Unfortunately, my Garmin picked up another Hidden Hollow Campground in Ravenna, OH that was not a free one. The sarcastic old lady in the campstore wanted to charge a surprised me $30 for the campsite, which was nothing more than a dirt pull-in. Not that $30 is a lot for a campsite these days, but I wasn't having any of that woman's attitude, so I pulled right on out of there. My Garmin now told me I had to backtrack another hour plus to my real, free campsite in the state forest. I was exhausted, so I decided to pull into the nearest Walmart parking lot to do some urban boondocking. Here's hoping I don't roll out of bed and get a good night's sleep for tomorrow's adventures. 388 miles for Day 1. This could get exhausting!