Flight 93 (in Pennsylvania), Harpers Ferry, Washington DC, and Shenandoah National Park
May 24, 2024
After leaving Blackwater Falls State Park, we moved north to Robert W Craig Army Corp of Engineer campground, about 39 miles, but with West Virginia roads, a winding trip that took almost 2 hours. We caught laundry and some shopping, and Larry changed the RAM’s engine oil on the way. As it was raining all day, this campsite was mainly just a stopover, but we had a great chat with the fellow who operates the little gift shop & store about families and camping at the park, which stays busy all summer. We wished our oldest daughter a happy birthday the following day!! The weather was better as we drove into Pennsylvania to the Flight 93 National Memorial Site. The first stop was the Tower of Voices, and though there wasn’t enough wind to make the chimes sing, we could watch a park video with the beautiful sounds.
We toured the thoughtfully and concisely presented Visitor Center. Two busloads of high schoolers were there, and a ranger was doing presentations for them at various locations in the park. We were genuinely impressed that the students were so respectful and well-behaved and pleased that they were here learning this history lesson. We walked the perimeter of Allie Trail with the 40 memorial groves, the trail of remembrance to the site of the first memorial, and the Memorial Plaza, where you could see the debris field, impact site, and wall of names before completing the loop with the Western Overlook Trail back to the visitor center complex.
It was very sobering to reflect on the courage of the passengers that day.
The Harpers Ferry KOA was our camping destination that night, and the staff at check-in were kind enough to let us change sites to one that was “almost” level for the two nights we were there.
On Friday, we left with plenty of time to get to the Czech Embassy in Washington, DC, and Larry picked up his Czech passport. After two long years of getting documents in multiple states and across the Atlantic, he officially has dual citizenship. This nod to his heritage will make international travel more accessible, but he mostly felt it honored his parents.
We got a great photo and picked up a bouquet before driving into Arlington National Cemetery. Yes, we drove in because Larry took the time to get a pass for relatives of those buried there. We found his parents’ gravesite and, like several other families we saw around the cemetery, spent several hours there on a blanket in the grass.
We lost track of time, so we ended up leaving Washington, DC, in midafternoon Friday traffic, which was less than ideal. The parking lot for the shuttle to Harpers Ferry National Park was right next to our campground, so we picked up the shuttle and rode into the downtown visitor center. We walked across the pedestrian bridge next to the train trestle, looked at the remains of a lock system, peeked into some of the older buildings, and hiked up the hill to Jefferson Rock.
Thomas Jefferson stood here and felt the magnificent view was worth crossing the Atlantic to see—if only he could have traveled with the Lewis and Clark Expedition he commissioned to see the Headwaters of the Missouri River at Three Forks!! (no graffiti, better view, and guaranteed goosebumps to be where they stood)
On Saturday, we went to the beginning of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park in a solid drizzle.
We watched the movie at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center and chatted with the rangers about hikes to do as we went south.
That night, we camped outside the park at the tranquil and basic USFS Elizabeth Furnace campground.
It was pretty foggy as we started the Skyline Drive the following day, but we hiked along part of the Appalachian Trail to Hogback Overlook, where the fog created its unique scenery.
At Elkwallow Wayside, we met Ranger Stephen for a talk about bears, and it turns out not only has he been at some of the same parks as we have, but last summer he was at Biggs Bosuch in Alaska, so we were probably in the same building halfway across the continent. Small world! We camped for two nights at Big Meadows, where the next day dawned with sunny blue skies, so we hiked up to the Hawksbill Summit for a stunning view to the west early enough to have it to ourselves.
We had lunch at the trailhead to Rapidan Camp before hiking downhill with three stream crossings to President Herbert Hoover’s version of Camp David.
Although we had signed up for a tour before we realized we’d signed up for the following Monday when the tours started, to our surprise, the volunteers were there, and Ada kindly gave us a tour.
It was fascinating to learn more about President Hoover and his wife, who were very philanthropic but, as Quakers, kept their charity quiet. The hike back was uphill and made for 28,000 steps, an 11.5-mile day. We started a clutch of turkey poults who were right on the trail, and mother hen did a great job of calling them to round them back up after they scattered. Back at camp, even the wildlife notice how good Larry keeps our rig looking!
The Big Meadows Museum was honest about how the park came about politically, with all the unfulfilled promises made to the inhabitants, land seizure, and the disturbing portrayal of the hard-working people as simple idiots to relocate them and take their land. In front of the building is a tribute to the CCC workers who did much of the work creating the park.
We hiked Dark Hollow Falls and camped at Lewis Mountain, where I did laundry while Larry changed the front shocks on the RAM. One of them had been leaking, so he put on Bilstein shocks and was astonished at how little recoil the original shocks had. Our ride should be a bit softer over potholes and train trestle transitions from here on!
On our hike around the Mountain, we found some wild yellow lady slippers, and although this is only the second time I’ve seen wild ones, they seemed even more delicate than their cultivated counterparts.
Before camping at Loft Mountain the next night, we hiked to some overlooks, including the Frazier Discovery Trail.
We must have reserved the bunny site as we had many little fluffy white-tailed visitors!
Pumpernickel rarely wants to go outside any longer, but he sat here after the bunnies left.
We finished Skyline Drive and, returning to civilization in Waynesboro, rotated the tires at Discount Tire. I got a haircut, we refueled the LP in the Ute, rinsed the rig, and picked up packages we’d sent ahead to Shenandoah Valley Campground. Campers love the many domesticated bunnies that roam freely here, but we most enjoyed a dip in their hot tubs after all the hiking! Now, we’ll head towards the coast.
The last stream crossing to Rapidan Camp was along a split log bridge that narrowed considerably at one end. After we had crossed the log on our return, a solo hiker chatted with us before starting to cross. She commented that she hoped the dizziness from her brain tumor wouldn’t make her fall off! We stayed to cheer her on to the other side and then completed our hike, inspired again by fellow adventurers’ resilience and courage.