Having been on the road for 45 days, Stu developed a slight case of barn fever! He left Ron and Fred to fend for themselves for the day. Stu departed early that morning heading south for Asheville, North Carolina. He was meeting his wife, Jill, at the Biltmore Estate. Farewell and safe travels, Stu! Then there were two!
Because Ron and Fred missed visiting Arlington National Cemetary yesterday, they made a plan to stay in D.C. a little longer so they could see the historic site.
Fred stands by the directional sign pointing the way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and John F. Kennedy's Grave.
Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetary. Arlington House was the home of Robert E. Lee. Lee lived there for almost 30 years.
Perfectly arranged headstones mark the graves of deceased United States Service Men and Women. There are appoximately 230,000 graves located in Arlington National Cemetary.
Since 1937 every minute of every day the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded by dedicated United States Soldiers. The Soldiers are from every branch of the Armed Forces. Forming the Society of the Honor Guard, these young people describe their service as a very humbling experience and one of high priviledge. They change the guard every 30 minutes during the summer when the cemetary is open to the public. During the hours when the cemetary is closed, the changing of the guard occurs every two hours. They walk 21 steps each way in front of the tomb. Each turn they make takes 21 seconds to complete. This alludes to the 21 gun salute. The average service time of each guard is about 1 year, but, that number does vary with each person.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The laying of the wreath ceremony. Ron and Fred felt they were very lucky to be able to witness the pageantry of this ceremony. TAPS played by a bugler, made the hair on the back of their necks stand up. It was quite a moving experience for both of the men to have witnessed. Ron told Fred this was the last thing he wanted to see on this trip. It was the perfect ending to the entire venture!
On the way back east, Fred and Ron stopped by St. Joseph's Hospital in Leesport, Pennsylvania. Their mission....visit Rick Kolb! Rick had major back surgery and has been fighting the good fight against a nasty infection. The guys have been friends through motorcycling for many years. Despite everything Rick has gone through, the boys found Rick looking tired and weak, but overall pretty good. Rick tried to talk the boys into breaking him out of the hospital. For a change, cooler heads prevailed. They simply wished him well and said, "good bye!"
Rick even got up and walked the boys to the elevator! He was very excited, as well as surprised, that Ron and Fred stopped by to visit him. From all of your friends out there...Get Well Soon Rick!!!!
From Leesport, Pennsylvania, the boys continued on to Wheeling, West Virginia for the night. They had put 450 miles behind them, but ahead of them had thoughts of home and the families that eagerly awaited their arrivals the following day!
Having been on the road for 45 days, Stu developed a slight case of barn fever! He left Ron and Fred to fend for themselves for the day. Stu departed early that morning heading south for Asheville, North Carolina. He was meeting his wife, Jill, at the Biltmore Estate. Farewell and safe travels, Stu! Then there were two!
Because Ron and Fred missed visiting Arlington National Cemetary yesterday, they made a plan to stay in D.C. a little longer so they could see the historic site.
Fred stands by the directional sign pointing the way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and John F. Kennedy's Grave.
Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetary. Arlington House was the home of Robert E. Lee. Lee lived there for almost 30 years.
Perfectly arranged headstones mark the graves of deceased United States Service Men and Women. There are appoximately 230,000 graves located in Arlington National Cemetary.
Since 1937 every minute of every day the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded by dedicated United States Soldiers. The Soldiers are from every branch of the Armed Forces. Forming the Society of the Honor Guard, these young people describe their service as a very humbling experience and one of high priviledge. They change the guard every 30 minutes during the summer when the cemetary is open to the public. During the hours when the cemetary is closed, the changing of the guard occurs every two hours. They walk 21 steps each way in front of the tomb. Each turn they make takes 21 seconds to complete. This alludes to the 21 gun salute. The average service time of each guard is about 1 year, but, that number does vary with each person.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The laying of the wreath ceremony. Ron and Fred felt they were very lucky to be able to witness the pageantry of this ceremony. TAPS played by a bugler, made the hair on the back of their necks stand up. It was quite a moving experience for both of the men to have witnessed. Ron told Fred this was the last thing he wanted to see on this trip. It was the perfect ending to the entire venture!
On the way back east, Fred and Ron stopped by St. Joseph's Hospital in Leesport, Pennsylvania. Their mission....visit Rick Kolb! Rick had major back surgery and has been fighting the good fight against a nasty infection. The guys have been friends through motorcycling for many years. Despite everything Rick has gone through, the boys found Rick looking tired and weak, but overall pretty good. Rick tried to talk the boys into breaking him out of the hospital. For a change, cooler heads prevailed. They simply wished him well and said, "good bye!"
Rick even got up and walked the boys to the elevator! He was very excited, as well as surprised, that Ron and Fred stopped by to visit him. From all of your friends out there...Get Well Soon Rick!!!!
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