Rubber meets the road journey: Winslow

Today's adventure of rubber meets the road took me to Winslow. I can't believe that I've lived here all my life and never once stepped foot in this small little sleepy town. No, I didn't go there to stand on the corner in Winslow, Arizona as the Eagles put it LOL... although I did and took pictures of people for them. Besides taking a road trip to a place I've never been, the real reason for going was to visit the 9/11 memorial site. New York was gracious in sending two steel beam columns to the town of Winslow to erect a memorial site in honor of those who lost their lives that day in 2001. As I approached the memorial, I noticed my breathing was a little difficult just as the day I had approached the site in New York. My breathing returned to normal as I walked up to the beams and tears flooded my eyes. I stood there for a while holding on to the beams and feeling the energy. So many people have been lost and continue to lose their lives because of that day. I am grateful for all the experiences I've had revolving around that day, my trips to New York in both 2018 and 2019 and the people that I have met. I must say I was a little taken aback by several people who showed up to this Memorial, stood in front of it, smiled and took pictures and then took off. This happened at Ground Zero in front of me as well. It saddens me that people have forgotten what was lost that day and treat it like it's just a tourist attraction. I then took a walk in downtown Winslow. It was there that I saw some cool artwork, the small little sleepy town and the statues standing on the corner. Several people mentioned that I looked like the girl in the Ford that was painted on the wall. Nope, not me LOL. One of the most beautiful things on this drive was being able to put the top down on the Incinerator and drive through the forest, even coming back in a little bit of a drizzle. Probably the coolest thing to happen on this drive today was pulling over midway between Payson and Winslow to take a picture of the car with the trees and the clouds in the background. As I went to get back in my car, I was startled by a visitor that was right on the other side of my car. We locked eyes for about 5 minutes as I grabbed the camera and took a few pictures and then he went on his merry way. A beautiful journey today sprinkled with reflection and a few raindrops with cloudy skies and nature all around.