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National Park Travels Next planned trips: Group 11
Group 23
Group 14

Trip: 11

(Great scenery, varied history, and a location that remembers heroes of 9/11.)

Visited from Sep 28, 2023 to Oct 11, 2023

(Group 6)

After experiencing the stunning beauty of Colorado and Utah a few months earlier, I was doubting my long-held belief that the Blue Ridge Mountains of the eastern U.S. were the world's most beautiful chain. After this trip, my doubt was erased as my trip theough Shenandoah National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway confirmed these mountains' place at the top of the list.

That multi-day journey along the mountain tops had to wait, though, as this trip started at a President's home in Tennessee. Like so many such places on my many trips, I learned much I did not know about President Andrew Johnson.

Heading through West Virginia, I found myself on backroads tracking down a remote section of the Bluestone River, which I did indeed find. After some photos and moments enjoying the quiet of the woods, I headed toward Pennsylvania.

There were five sites in Pennsylvania and each was unique.

Friendship Hill preserved the home and legacy of one of the nation's first Treasury Secretaries. Fort Necessity marked the initial battles of what became a world war known as the Seven Years War. Johnstown Flood NHS remembered the day the dam broke and a city was wiped out. Altoona Portage recognizes an amazing feat of engineering that got early trains over steep hills.

But the remaining site was one of solemn remembrance. The site where, on September 11, 2001, Flight 93 plunged into the ground rather than its intended destination in Washington. I couldn't help but wonder what any of us would do when faced with the choice of certain death or highly probable death. These passengers chose highly probable and in doing so, likely saved countless others.

Turning south, I visited Harpers Ferry, best known for John Brown's 1859 raid on the armory there. The Appalachian Trail administrative office is located here. In my youth, I hiked many miles of this famous trail.

The remainder of the trip followed Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, with side trips to Appomattox Court House, site of Lee's surrender in 1865, and Booker T. Washington's boyhood home.

The trip ended in my favorite National Park - Great Smoky. Sadly, in the near decade since my last visit, traffic has gotten far worse though the park. It is sad that we are loving some parks to death. After that visit, it was time to head home.

Park units visited during this trip

Click on any of the parks listed below to see the page specific to that park.

The park page will have my comments about the site, photos and links to both the NPS official page and my blog entry for the park.

The interactive map in the top right of this page shows the location of each unit. You can zoom in and move around on the map. The rectangle icon in the top right will expand the map to full screen. Clicking on any unit in the map will open a small information window. The map and icons on it are based on the same information found in the Google Earth KML files, which you can create and download from the Home page.

Group Photo
(Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site)

©2023 SKM All text and photos not otherwise credited