Farther West Than Detroit, Michigan
Early Tuesday morning we packed up the car in Richmond. The CD case was full of bluegrass, ready for the six and a half hour drive out west to the Cumberland Gap. And, of course, Senator Kaine had his harmonica in hand.
On our way, we stopped in Charlottesville where Senator Kaine presented Mildred Hopkins Pretzer with five awards and commendations for her service during World War II. Mrs. Pretzer (who celebrated her 100th birthday this year!) served as a member of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps for more than three years, reaching the rank of Second Lieutenant. As a result of our office’s help in determining her eligibility for these awards, the U.S. Army’s Awards and Decorations Branch made arrangements for a proper ceremony in her honor. There were few dry eyes in the room as she told her story to us, her friends and neighbors.
After leaving Charlottesville, we got back on I-64 and headed to Scott County where we visited the Scott County Telephone Cooperative (SCTC). The SCTC aims to increase economic development in the region through greater access to its high-capacity fiber optic network. In 2010, the SCTC received almost $25 million in stimulus funds to help this effort. After speaking to employees and touring the facility, they showed Senator Kaine how to splice fiber optic cables and even let him splice a few!
As we drove the last hour and a half that evening to the Cumberland Gap, we were lucky to make it in time to catch the sun setting beautifully behind the Appalachians.
On Wednesday morning, we woke up early for a drive up Skyland Road to the Pinnacle Overlook at Cumberland Gap Historic National Park. On a clear day, you can see for miles into Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Sadly for us, we were there too early and the fog hadn’t lifted. Perfect excuse to go back again soon!
Next stop was Ewing, Virginia to visit Lincoln Memorial University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, the newest in the world and one of only 30 veterinary schools in the United States. The inaugural class started only a few days before we visited. Next, we headed to Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap to discuss workforce development, career and technical education and college affordability with administrators and staff.
Later we visited the construction site for the new Ridgeview High School in Dickinson County. After decades of flooding problems, Dickenson County officials decided to consolidate the county school system and move its buildings to higher ground with the support from the Army Corps of Engineers, a federal agency charged with flood control efforts across the country. The new school grounds, built on a hill, will house around 1,300 students from elementary through high school. I wish I could’ve gone to a school with such beautiful views! We finished the day with a visit to Range Resources to learn more about drilling for natural gas in southwest Virginia. With the work day finished, we drove out to Breaks Interstate Park, one of the most beautiful parks I have ever hiked. The 4600 acre park has great trails, a large lake, a beautiful river and a 1650 foot gorge, known as the “Grand Canyon of the South.”
The next morning we woke up and drove out to Grundy for the third of Senator Kaine’s Citizen Days. We spent the morning weatherizing a mobile home with a team from People Incorporated. Senator Kaine helped install new windows that had been cracked or damaged. My colleagues and I helped pump insulation into the home and seal off cracks where outside air streamed into the house. In just a few hours we made a big difference!
After getting cleaned up we headed to Lebanon to take part in a Project REVIVE! training. Project REVIVE! is a pilot program aimed to train people to temporarily resuscitate someone who has overdosed on opioids. Heroin and prescription opioid drug abuse is a significant economic and public health challenge for communities across the Commonwealth, especially in the Richmond metropolitan area and southwest Virginia. Laura Blevins, Senator Kaine’s Regional Outreach Director for southwest Virginia wrote a great piece on her participation in a training.
With some time to spare after an interview with WCYB in Bristol (home of the Bristol Motor Speedway), we took a walk down State Street to check out all the pre-race festivities at Food City Race Night. State Street was packed with people listening to live music, taking pictures with the NASCAR drivers and enjoying a beautiful evening before race day. We ended the evening with a stop at Wolf Hills Brewery in Abingdon before dropping by the Thursday Jams Concert Series.
After one last stop at Bristol Compressors to make the case for reauthorization of the Export-Import bank, we packed up the car and drove back to Richmond just in time to see the Richmond Squirrels beat the Bowie Baysox 3-0.
In just a few days, we traveled more than 1,300 miles of some of the most scenic roads the country has to offer. I’m already looking forward to going back.
