Carlsbad, NM

Carlsbad, NM

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Day 10







This is our last night of our journey, and as has been our custom for half the nights, we ended up in a motel where we back up to the door and no women have been seen. The place is Bristol, Tennessee and it works for us. Today we toured the Harper's Ferry National Park and it was a great pick. This was the site 152 years ago where John Brown made his raid in an effort to end slavery. He and most of the others were killed in the raid or were executed later, but it wasn't a failure because it had a lot to do with kick starting the Civil War. The artifacts and history of slavery exhibited in the various historic houses and shops in the area are still painful to see and read about.




The Appalachian Trail runs right through the town, so we took a two mile hike on it. We obtained some up close pictures of a deer until it caught Pee Wee's scent and headed for the hills. As we walked we made comments to ourselves and others on the trail that we were heading to Maine. That was until a tour guide going in the opposite direction informed me that we were heading for Georgia.


Then we made our way to Blacksburg, Virginia and VA Tech. I had been there for a wrestling camp with my Collins Hill wrestlers 3 years ago and I wanted Pee Wee to see the huge and beautiful campus. But the main reason for the stop was to pay our respects at the VA Tech Memorial which remembers the 32 students and teachers who were killed in a senseless rampage by a fellow student 4 years ago. Two years ago we visited the Columbine Memorial and like two years ago, our conversations ceased, lumps entered our throats and eyes welled up to the brink of overflowing.


The one good deed today was also a bit of a tear jerker. After leaving Harper's Ferry, Pee Wee pulled up to the drive-through window at an A & W Root Beer place to get a drink. The car in front of us had a memorial license plate - it read 911LAURA. There was also something else posted on the back of the car about the 911 tragedy. When Pee Wee made his order, he told the cashier that we were paying the bill for the car in front of us and for her to tell the lady we were doing it to honor Laura. When the woman received her meal she heard the explanation, put her head out the window and yelled her thanks. The smile on her face went from ear to ear - it was a good moment for us.


We have big regrets about a missed opportunity for another good deed. When we left the VA Tech Memorial, we both remarked how dry the flowers were. Why didn't we think to water them?


We will leave tomorrow morning for probably one more stop and then head home. The trip and deeds have been a lot of fun, but our final stop at our homes without a doubt will be our favorite one. Good night!














1 comment:

Jeff Harsh said...

Sounds like you fellas have a had a great time and seen some incredible places on your trip. So thankful for your example of doing good for others without expecting any payback whatsoever. Have a safe trip home.