Hard to believe it has been a week already, but I finally got my 200+ pictures posted. For those of you who just want to look at the pictures, and not bother reading the rest of this post, click here.
For the rest of you, here is how the rally went.
First off, thanks to Tina and Nick for hosting this year. Tina squared me away rather quickly on the correct order of how their names hould be listed.
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Tina handed out an itinerary to everyone once the bulk of the population arrived on thursday evening. The rain set in shortly after most of us got there, and it pretty much decided to make this the wettest rally yet. However, that did not stop the fun. The first rally activity was a circle trip of the Windmill farm on Church Road, the Flight 93 Memorial, and the Que Creek rescue site. Here are some selected photos from that run.
First up, the windmills. For those of you who do not have these things near you, they are 1.5-megawatt turbines and produce about 25,000 megawatt-hours of electricity or enough electricity annually to supply about 3,400 homes. Exelon has a 20-year agreement to purchase the output of the Somerset Wind Energy Center. The facility is owned and operated by FPL Energy. It is one of several wind farms in the area, stretegically located on the Allegheny ridge. At about 300 feet tall, they are the visible from just about anywhere the rally went. They make a pleasant whooshing noise as they spin, with no additional sound. You get quite used to seeing them after a while, and they are no more intrusive than the now ever present cell phone tower.
Ron (Diesel Dog Catcher) has struck a pose with some of the small ones in our group, while sporting his stylish Moose Truck 25th anniversary shirt.
While they only turn about 17 or 18 RPM on a good day, the tips of the blades create enough disturbance in the air that they have to be spaced apart enough to prevent one set of blades from distrubing the air for the others.
The next stop on our tour was the Flight 93 Memorial. I doubt anyone on these boards has forgotten 9-11 or the events of that day. Lets just say that a visit to this place is probably more moving than going to New York, or the Pentagon, because it was here that average people like you and me took up arms, and fought back and repelled the enemy, even at the ultimate cost. I couldn't help be be filled with rage as I read the transcript of the flight 93 data recorder.
The memorial is about a mile from the impact site, and was put together by a private individual who felt something needed to be done. He bought an old church that was used as a seed warehouse, and started something that turned into a community effort.
A central monument memorializes the crew, while stone benches form a circle around it, each bench with the names of the passengers.
A steel sculpture, cut from the wreckage of the twin towers, shows the elements of that day.
The U symbolizes the twin towers, and has the letters WTC. The A contains the date, and the state of Pennsylvania. The nine, representing the pentagon (the shape of the hole in the 9 is a pentagon), and the state of Virginia. The 3 has no definitive marking that I could detect, but it describes the number of places attacked on that fatefull day.
Inside, are many artifacts and memories including this, the original sign at the crash site.
Pieces of the Pentagon, and items from WTC are also on display.
A service was held in the church, which is now I believe serving in that capacity again, for visiting this place is a religious experience to be sure. The founder of the memorial site is on the right, and he invited a person from the audience who had come from I think the west coast, to come and light a candle which burns perpetually to honor those lives that were lost. The candle burns out periodically, and is replaced by anyone present to do so.
.
For the rest of you, here is how the rally went.
First off, thanks to Tina and Nick for hosting this year. Tina squared me away rather quickly on the correct order of how their names hould be listed.
.Tina handed out an itinerary to everyone once the bulk of the population arrived on thursday evening. The rain set in shortly after most of us got there, and it pretty much decided to make this the wettest rally yet. However, that did not stop the fun. The first rally activity was a circle trip of the Windmill farm on Church Road, the Flight 93 Memorial, and the Que Creek rescue site. Here are some selected photos from that run.
First up, the windmills. For those of you who do not have these things near you, they are 1.5-megawatt turbines and produce about 25,000 megawatt-hours of electricity or enough electricity annually to supply about 3,400 homes. Exelon has a 20-year agreement to purchase the output of the Somerset Wind Energy Center. The facility is owned and operated by FPL Energy. It is one of several wind farms in the area, stretegically located on the Allegheny ridge. At about 300 feet tall, they are the visible from just about anywhere the rally went. They make a pleasant whooshing noise as they spin, with no additional sound. You get quite used to seeing them after a while, and they are no more intrusive than the now ever present cell phone tower.
You must be registered for see images
Ron (Diesel Dog Catcher) has struck a pose with some of the small ones in our group, while sporting his stylish Moose Truck 25th anniversary shirt.
You must be registered for see images
While they only turn about 17 or 18 RPM on a good day, the tips of the blades create enough disturbance in the air that they have to be spaced apart enough to prevent one set of blades from distrubing the air for the others.
The next stop on our tour was the Flight 93 Memorial. I doubt anyone on these boards has forgotten 9-11 or the events of that day. Lets just say that a visit to this place is probably more moving than going to New York, or the Pentagon, because it was here that average people like you and me took up arms, and fought back and repelled the enemy, even at the ultimate cost. I couldn't help be be filled with rage as I read the transcript of the flight 93 data recorder.
You must be registered for see images
The memorial is about a mile from the impact site, and was put together by a private individual who felt something needed to be done. He bought an old church that was used as a seed warehouse, and started something that turned into a community effort.
You must be registered for see images
A central monument memorializes the crew, while stone benches form a circle around it, each bench with the names of the passengers.
You must be registered for see images
A steel sculpture, cut from the wreckage of the twin towers, shows the elements of that day.
You must be registered for see images
The U symbolizes the twin towers, and has the letters WTC. The A contains the date, and the state of Pennsylvania. The nine, representing the pentagon (the shape of the hole in the 9 is a pentagon), and the state of Virginia. The 3 has no definitive marking that I could detect, but it describes the number of places attacked on that fatefull day.
You must be registered for see images
Inside, are many artifacts and memories including this, the original sign at the crash site.
You must be registered for see images
Pieces of the Pentagon, and items from WTC are also on display.
A service was held in the church, which is now I believe serving in that capacity again, for visiting this place is a religious experience to be sure. The founder of the memorial site is on the right, and he invited a person from the audience who had come from I think the west coast, to come and light a candle which burns perpetually to honor those lives that were lost. The candle burns out periodically, and is replaced by anyone present to do so.
.
Tina has some kind of special sauce that she flat out refused to give the recipie for. 
Some kind of BS about a resturant or family secret. 
