The plan was simple: fly to Philadelphia, reach the summits of Delaware, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, visit Shenandoah National Park, then fly home from Columbus. I was also hoping to add the highest point in Washington DC and a visit to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial as bonuses. The trip started out very cold, but as planned.
At 448ft., the top of Delaware is the second lowest of the highpoints:
The New Jersey Highpoint Monument:
On top of New Jersey with temperatures in the 20's and 45mph wind gusts:
While driving through the Poconos in Pennsylvania, we decided to stop at the Pocono Snake & Animal Farm. The sign in front of the building reads: "People Friendly" Animals! Interesting, since the farm includes: cobras, mambas, alligators, bears, mountain lions and rattlesnakes.
The monkeys and Kellisa interacting:
Kellisa looking for a snake: 
The snake is an Egyptian Cobra (the kind that Cleopatra used to commit suicide) showing off it's hood:
A few records from the blizzard:
1. The most snow (2ft.) in any 24hr. period in Washington DC.
2. In Philadelphia, a 100 year old record was broken for the most snow (23.2 inches) from a single storm in December.
3. The storm was 500 miles wide over 14 states.
For hundreds of miles in every direction, we were surrounded by 2-3 feet of snow. Shenandoah National Park was closed. The West Virginia Highpoint required driving on mountainous backroads that didn't get plowed and the Maryland Highpoint is a hike of 2 miles and has an elevation gain of 700ft. We canceled those plans, but still held out hope for Pennsylvania's Highpoint.
The beginning of the blizzard when you could still see:
On our way to the Highpoint of Pennsylvania, we stopped at the Flight 93 National Memorial. This is where the 4th hijacked plane from 9.11.01 crashed into a field. As soon as you approach the area, there is a definite sense of what happened at this spot. We talked to a site ambassador who explained in great detail the events of Flight 93. She also shared pictures and stories about the the passengers and crew that prevented this plane from crashing in Washington D.C. Even though she has probably told the same stories thousands of times, she had tears in her eyes.
Here's a few ways the government spends your tax dollars as part of their omnibus spending bill:
1. Almost $2,000,000 to study swine odor in Iowa.
The beginning of the blizzard when you could still see:
On our way to the Highpoint of Pennsylvania, we stopped at the Flight 93 National Memorial. This is where the 4th hijacked plane from 9.11.01 crashed into a field. As soon as you approach the area, there is a definite sense of what happened at this spot. We talked to a site ambassador who explained in great detail the events of Flight 93. She also shared pictures and stories about the the passengers and crew that prevented this plane from crashing in Washington D.C. Even though she has probably told the same stories thousands of times, she had tears in her eyes.
Here's a few ways the government spends your tax dollars as part of their omnibus spending bill:
1. Almost $2,000,000 to study swine odor in Iowa.
2. $15,000,000 to improve a border crossing in Montana that averages less than two cars per day.
3. $2,192,000 to study the genetics of grapes in New York.
4. $0,000,000 or ZERO on the Flight 93 Memorial. It's up to the families to raise the money for the yet to be built memorial wall with the victims names. They are hoping to have the project completed by the 10th anniversary of September 11th.
Looking at the Memorial with the impact site in the field beyond:
The plane hit the ground at 580 miles per hour. The black box was found 30ft. deep in the earth. Some objects were found as deep as 45ft.The American Flag marks the spot of the impact:
Already heavy-hearted and teary eyed, I look over at Kellisa and she has wheeled through the snow to a memorial rock with an American Flag and she has her hand over her heart:
I was hoping to take Kellisa tubing at a ski resort, but the blizzard made that impossible. Instead, we bought a sled. This was Kellisa's first time sledding and she loved it from the beginning.
Kellisa sledding in Somerset, PA:
Being a Florida kid, Kellisa doesn't quite understand snow:
Kellisa sledding in West Virginia at the New River Gorge National River Visitor Center:
After getting one, Kellisa learned the phrase "face full of snow" to tell mom about sledding when we got home:
We were suppose to fly home on 12.23.09 from Columbus, OH. The forecast had another storm approaching from the west and thousands of flights had already been canceled. I was worried about getting stuck at an airport with only one extra day of Kellisa's medicines. However, I was more worried about not getting Kellisa back home with mom in time for Christmas. I was sure that would use all my current and immediate future good will with Lisa and I would be limited to the Jacksonville city limits for all of 2010. I made the decision to drive home in between the two storms. It was a long, brutal, but uneventful drive home. We returned the evening of 12.22.09 with plenty of time to spare.
Kellisa resting on a backpack filled with winter clothes on the drive back to Jax:
Being a Florida kid, Kellisa doesn't quite understand snow:
We made it to within one mile of the PA Highpoint. It was the middle of nowhere and the snow was still falling. We were the only people out in the storm and I just did not feel comfortable continuing on the unplowed road that was still gaining in elevation. I could have left the car and pulled Kellisa in the sled to the highpoint, but decided against this idea. I was not comfortable leaving the car in the middle of the road for safety reasons. Also, I was afraid I would get stuck or if a snow plow came through, the car would be buried and I didn't have a shovel. In the end, I decided to save PA for when we return to the region to get Maryland and West Virginia.
The road to the PA Highpoint from where we turned around:
Kellisa sledding in West Virginia at the New River Gorge National River Visitor Center:
After getting one, Kellisa learned the phrase "face full of snow" to tell mom about sledding when we got home:
We were suppose to fly home on 12.23.09 from Columbus, OH. The forecast had another storm approaching from the west and thousands of flights had already been canceled. I was worried about getting stuck at an airport with only one extra day of Kellisa's medicines. However, I was more worried about not getting Kellisa back home with mom in time for Christmas. I was sure that would use all my current and immediate future good will with Lisa and I would be limited to the Jacksonville city limits for all of 2010. I made the decision to drive home in between the two storms. It was a long, brutal, but uneventful drive home. We returned the evening of 12.22.09 with plenty of time to spare.
Kellisa resting on a backpack filled with winter clothes on the drive back to Jax:
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