My phone dinged in the middle of the week. It was my husband texting me with a possible Fall Folliage Follies Trip #1 itinerary and I exhuberantly said "YES!". The day started with breakfast at our favorite Americana Diner where the wait staff wear t-shirts that say things like "Stand for the flag, Kneel at the Cross", and "I'm working my butt off to support those who won't work." Besides the food and the pie (yes, we had dessert with breakfast), being delicious, the atmosphere and the clientele just add that "God, guns, & guts" kind of feeling. In the land of Egolf heritage are quite a few "country kin." Please also take notice of my handsome breakfast partner.
After breakfast we drove to the Flight 93 National Memorial. I had always wanted to go there but didn't think that my hubs would, but it was his idea (perhaps he remembered me saying that I'd like to go there sometime), so I was thrilled to get the chance to go. Besides it being an absolutely beautiful place, the thought and dignity and honor displayed throughout the entire memorial, from the monuments to the museum and all the way down to the walkway construction was a tremendous tribute to the 40 people on Flight 93 who gave their lives so that many others could live. I'm not a fan of crying on our adventures, but today brought many tears to my eyes as I looked into the faces of those heroes and remembered.
The part of the memorial that touched me the most was the Tower of Voices. The photo with the explanation of it's construction and meaning is well worth the read and represents the extraordinary thought, gratitude and honor the people of Flight 93 deserve. As we exited the car, we briefly heard the chimes as the wind blew through the tower. Not only was it magnificent to look at, it will be an eternal reminder of what happened there.
As many of you know, we are the spontaneous type so if, in our travels, we pass anything that looks like it might be of interest, we stop. As we traveled down Rt. 30, we drove over Mt. Ararat but didn't find Noah's Ark. However, we did see some beautiful scenery.
And in Perhaps the most intersting and thrilling thing for my hubs was the discovery of this old church on Rt. 30. It was built in 1806 and was surrounded by a huge graveyard. As you know, on one of our former trips, we stumbled across a road and a park named after the Egolf family. We had heard that there was a working farm in the area that was owned by some Egolfs, and we knew that they had settled there. While exploring an old library, and quite by accident, we discovered that the Egolf that the park was named after owned and ran the newpaper in Bedford before he died. And on another occaision we ran acrossed the Egolf farmhouse and barn that is now part of Old Bedfore Village.
As we drove through the graveyard approaching the church, we noticed an Egolf headstone marker. In fact, we discovered quite a few. In actuallity, we found, quite by accident (providence?) the graves of the original Egolfs and most of their families. Darrell was thrilled! I don't know what our propensity is for graveyards but they always seem to yield something that is fascinating and interesting to us. And in case anyone is wondering, there was no outhouse involved.
As we drove through the graveyard approaching the church, we noticed an Egolf headstone marker. In fact, we discovered quite a few. In actuallity, we found, quite by accident (providence?) the graves of the original Egolfs and most of their families. Darrell was thrilled! I don't know what our propensity is for graveyards but they always seem to yield something that is fascinating and interesting to us. And in case anyone is wondering, there was no outhouse involved.
There was also a memorial to all those who have died as a result of the Global War on Terror. Although it's in it's very beginnings as a landmark, but flags that represent each life reminded us that there are still Americans who are willing to do what it takes to keep us safe, even to the point of giving their lives in the line of duty and it gave us hope for our country.
Now with any trip, there are always some oddities that are...well...they just are. I'll leave you to form your own opinions. Thanks for traveling with us!
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