I stayed at a motel last night. I was tired from the lack of enough sleep. The Erie UE/IUE contract Rally on Saturday was followed by a short nap and then the drive Saturday night/Sunday morning to Marmet. After my arrival, I then sat for all the different presentations about Non Violence, MTR, and what the plans were for the week. I also connected with the Media team. I knew that sleeping in the warehouse that was to be our home last night with a bunch of strangers all around would be impossible for me, even as tired as I was. Sleep deprived is not a good thing for a driver to be, and so I stayed at a hotel six miles up the road, on the outskirts of Charleston.
Today's March was from Marmet to the John Slack Park. Eleven and a half miles, up and down the mountains. The March started in the ball field in Marmet. I did not get to see the opening ceremony at the ball field, I was to wait in Lens Creek.
I drove to the warehouse in Marmet, attached the ball and hitch to the Jeep, and hooked up to one of the two trailers with the porta potties fastened to them. The primary trailer with the built in jack was to be pulled by the Ford pick up with the 7.3 liter engine. I was going to be pulling the other trailer. This one had no jack. There was an A frame style screw jack to be shared with other trailers and timbers propping up the tongue of the trailer.
When Jim, the transportation head hooked me up, he had to beat the ball receiver on the trailer with a hammer to get it to open up, then beat it closed. The mechanic and machinist in me were appalled. Neither liked seeing that. The old band roadie in me laughed, shook my head, and helped beat it into submission. Ya do what ya gotta do as they say.
I explained to Jim that I had almost no experience with backing trailers up. I tried once, and ended up spending a half hour trying to back a WV trike with the front wheel held off the ground in a yoke with a hitch up my driveway. He told me that the 'other' Jim would do all my backing up for me. He was the Ford pickup driver.
I did not want someone doing all my backing up. I just wanted to make sure that if I got into a jam, I could get some help. I told him that, and he was okay with me learning as we went. The Ford and trailer took off, headed for the ball field. We finished hooking my Jeep up, stowed the timbers in my Jeep and off I went. I was to go ahead alone, to the first major stop. It was at a church, in Lens Creek.
I had a piece of paper with the various pull offs listed and mileage to each. I was driving and trying to read the directions while watching my odometer when a couple of tenths of a mile before I was expecting it, I saw a sign for the church in Lens Creek. The church was off to the left, down a gravel one lane road or drive. And down I went.
I was very surprised that they would pick this as a stop, as far off the road as it was. And when I got to the church, I could not figure out were all the other support vehicles would park. Or where to turn around, because the gravel road petered out about about a hundred yards further on. And then I thought, 'Are their two churches in Lens Creek?"
Then began my baptism by fire on backing a trailer. There was a parking spot next to the church that was about two feet wider than the trailer, bounded by the church on one side and an iron pipe railing on the other. And the road(?) in front was a gravel one laner. By the time I turned the rig around and pulled out of the gravel road on to the main road about twenty minutes later, church, railing and all unscathed, I was ready to try any backing up I needed to do without handing the wheel off to anyone.
And sure enough, a couple of tenths along was the right Lens Creek church, on the right, with a really big parking lot. And there I awaited. This is the first of many stops on this March for me. And the first of many waits. I knew I was in the right place when the State boys started parking up the road, down the road, and in the parking lot too. And these were the first of many police vehicles I was to encounter during the week. There are four in this picture, with one way down the road in front of the white house sort of hard to make out in this shot.
And here is the sign in front of the church that was the one I was looking for when I took my wrong turn earlier.
First day, first stop, fresh marchers. No one stopped. But there are hills coming...
It was a clear and warm day, after the fog burned off. There have been safety concerns about the March by the organizers from traffic and from counter protesters. The State Police were everywhere. They were there for both reasons, we think. For the most part, the counter protesters were not a problem, until we arrived at Slack Park. I believe a CNN videographer got footage of the confrontation, and the video taken by Flux Rostrum, of Mobile Broadcast News, is the video following. It is his generator that gets sprayed here. There is a lot of loud swearing on this clip, so be forewarned.
The counter protesters were there, all along the route, and so were those that supported us. The dust up did not end badly, but some now understand how unhappy these people are because we are here to destroy their jobs, or so they think. Those that supported us see what is happening. Many shook hands with as many of us as they could.
In the meantime, some DFH eye candy. The only flat spot this big on the March this day.
Walking on they left, and a spot of the support vehicles on the right means a coordinated mass crossing.
How did the hippies cross the road?
En masse.
One of many of the hills that were walked.
Lunchtime along the road.
Some of the mountains that are no more.
When we got to John Slack Park, I fought the hitch with hammer and pry bar. I jacked the trailer off the Jeep, laid out the timbers, and stayed at the Park until sundown, then went back to the motel. Where I am typing this out to upload on the motel's internet connection. I will try smaller images this time, to help loading speed. To view any of the images from my diary larger or even full size, click on the photo. Then click "Actions", and select view all sizes. Here is today's collection of photos.
I'm tired, and I need to stop before I attempt osmotic typing (forehead to keyboard). I do want those that read this to do one of two things, at least. If you come and join the march, please look for me and introduce yourself. If you can't make it, then help the organizers by donating some money to them. They earned it, but they don't get any, they pay those bills that are attendant with events like this. The link to do so is on the website here. Good night, and thank you for reading this.