What quote am I vibing? "We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation." Theodore Roosevelt
What am I reading? The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough
Road Day: 9
Miles traveled today: 190
National Parks Visited: 1
This morning, David, Ted, Parker, and Huck took me to Theodore Roosevelt Island on the Potomac. To say I was in awe is an understatement. Look at how big his statue is! As big as he is in my heart. David read his quotes, and tears came to my eyes. (That's why I look so weird in front of the "Youth" quote board.)
As satisfying as the monument section of the island was, it was just as inspiring to romp with the boys and the pups through the mud and watch them burst fearlessly into the water. During his Presidency, TR spent a lot of time bustling and doing his hearty and active Teddy stuff through Rock Creek Park - challenging American statesmen and foreign representatives alike to join him and keep up. Being in this preserved space gave me a small feeling of what it would be like to join him on one of his mini-journeys.
Driving from Alexandria to Pennsylvania, I continued listening to Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods - my time at TR Island appreciating the forest sanctuary that exists among all the insanity and traffic of DC, listening to Bryson's stories about The Appalachian Trail and how the species it supports have changed so dramatically throughout the years, driving into my home area and seeing the staggeringly gorgeous Appalachian Mountains in all their summer glory - all these activities in one day have further inspired me to do all I can to help conserve all the flora and fauna that we have left in this country.
More about Pennsylvania tomorrow.
What a wonderful day.
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