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Wed. 25May16 - Day 8 - Corydon, IN to Hurricane, WV
250 miles and 3 more states...
Days ago, as we approached the Mississippi River, we were cautioned about two upcoming challenges... The humidity increases, and east coast cagers... As we would get closer to our objective, we would be dealing with increased risk of hyperthermia and inattentive, aggressive drivers. Words to be heeded, no doubt, having lived on the east coast for as long as I had.
This morning, we staged in the parking lot of a White Castle restaurant. Most of the businesses were still closed at 0545hrs when we started staging, however, I met up with my platoon mate, Bryan, and we enjoyed a quiet breakfast at the nearby Waffle House.
Our first stop on this leg was the Robley Rex VA Medical Center, another amazing experience. The Louisville VA Medical Center was renamed, in 2010, to the Robley Rex VA Medical Center, in honor of Robley, who was, at 107 years of age, one of the last two remaining WWI Veterans. One of the contributing factors to renaming the facility in his honor was the fact that, at the age of 105, he was still volunteering at the center 3 days a week. Between 1986, when he started volunteering there, and his passing, he logged over 14,000 hours of volunteer tim at the center. Some of his shared history with the center can be found here.
While at the center, we were able to visit with some of their patients. We also witnessed the dedication of a memorial created by a local Eagle Scout as his final project.
The Frankfort KY Vietnam Veterans Memorial
This mornings legs were fairly short in distance, as we had the opportunity to pay our respects not only at the VA Medical Center, but also the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Frankfort, KY.
The really unique aspect of this memorial, more details of which can be found here, is how the sundial and memorial were laid out. The memorial is dedicated to the over 1,100 Kentuckians who gave their lives during the war. The names of the fallen are arranged around the base of the sundial so that the sundial casts a shadow of the the name of the each fallen member on the anniversary of their ultimate sacrifice.
The fine folks of Hurricane, WV
After enjoying a fine lunch at the Clay Community Center, provided by the Mt. Sterling KY Community, we rode on to Hurricane, WV. FYI, it's pronounced "Hurri-can", not "Hurricane".
There, we were escorted into town by Bell UH-1B that saw service in Vietnam. Now, it spends its retrofitted days helping the local communities fight forest fires and providing other public assistance. There was a ceremony before dinner, opened by bag pipes.
While standing in line for dinner, these sandbags caught my eye, and made me laugh out loud. You'd have to understand the history of a (video) gamers group, to which I've belonged for many years. I'll leave the picture and history to your imagination.
Days ago, as we approached the Mississippi River, we were cautioned about two upcoming challenges... The humidity increases, and east coast cagers... As we would get closer to our objective, we would be dealing with increased risk of hyperthermia and inattentive, aggressive drivers. Words to be heeded, no doubt, having lived on the east coast for as long as I had.
This morning, we staged in the parking lot of a White Castle restaurant. Most of the businesses were still closed at 0545hrs when we started staging, however, I met up with my platoon mate, Bryan, and we enjoyed a quiet breakfast at the nearby Waffle House.
Our first stop on this leg was the Robley Rex VA Medical Center, another amazing experience. The Louisville VA Medical Center was renamed, in 2010, to the Robley Rex VA Medical Center, in honor of Robley, who was, at 107 years of age, one of the last two remaining WWI Veterans. One of the contributing factors to renaming the facility in his honor was the fact that, at the age of 105, he was still volunteering at the center 3 days a week. Between 1986, when he started volunteering there, and his passing, he logged over 14,000 hours of volunteer tim at the center. Some of his shared history with the center can be found here.
While at the center, we were able to visit with some of their patients. We also witnessed the dedication of a memorial created by a local Eagle Scout as his final project.
The Frankfort KY Vietnam Veterans Memorial
This mornings legs were fairly short in distance, as we had the opportunity to pay our respects not only at the VA Medical Center, but also the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Frankfort, KY.
The really unique aspect of this memorial, more details of which can be found here, is how the sundial and memorial were laid out. The memorial is dedicated to the over 1,100 Kentuckians who gave their lives during the war. The names of the fallen are arranged around the base of the sundial so that the sundial casts a shadow of the the name of the each fallen member on the anniversary of their ultimate sacrifice.
The fine folks of Hurricane, WV
After enjoying a fine lunch at the Clay Community Center, provided by the Mt. Sterling KY Community, we rode on to Hurricane, WV. FYI, it's pronounced "Hurri-can", not "Hurricane".
There, we were escorted into town by Bell UH-1B that saw service in Vietnam. Now, it spends its retrofitted days helping the local communities fight forest fires and providing other public assistance. There was a ceremony before dinner, opened by bag pipes.
While standing in line for dinner, these sandbags caught my eye, and made me laugh out loud. You'd have to understand the history of a (video) gamers group, to which I've belonged for many years. I'll leave the picture and history to your imagination.
The Bell UH-1B
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