I was at the Food City in Pulaski when I saw him. It was back in the summer of 2015, I believe. It was a warm day, for sure, because I thought it was unseasonable for when he’s normally been seen in the area. Anyways, I was out doing our weekly shopping, turning the corner from the canned vegetable aisle at the front end. I was walking toward the cereal aisle when I looked up and there he was. He was coming out of the soda and snack aisle with an associate. He was carrying a pack of sodas, probably Dr. Enuf, based on what little is known about him. He and his associate moved briskly to the check out. I realized I hadn’t moved or breathed since I saw him. As he bought the sodas, I made my way across the front end of the store to catch one more glimpse. But he was gone, as mysteriously as he had appeared.
I don’t know if his presence at Food City surprised anyone else that day. In Pulaski, we are used to seeing him once every few years, in early November, around the downtown County Administration Building. I’d seen him there twice before, which is how I recognized him that summer. But I never expected to see him while going about my daily business. We all know how elusive Morgan Griffith is.
The map above shows the territory Griffith sightings are likely to occur in. Despite migratory habits to the Northeast, there are times when you too could expect to see Morgan in this wild breadth of Virginia. The blue pins represent stations set up specifically by experts for Morgan to be sought with some regularity. Please note the eerie, thin triangle formed by the stations. Pulaski barely falls within that narrow band in the greater 8,800 square mile territory. The red marker indicates what is commonly held to be Griffith’s natural habitat. Sources who have more experience in sightings of Morgan Griffith claim there ought to be 70 or so more days this year that he could be spotted in the mapped territory. It may be 2018 until he feels drawn back to our rolling hills and mountains, but it is worth our while to keep our eyes peeled in the meantime.
If you have had your own sighting of Griffith in Pulaski and would like to share it, please do so in the comments section below.
Hahaha. Pulaski residents see bears WAY more often than our Congressman.
Oddly enough, I met Mr. Griffith at a swim meet at the Christiansburg Aquatics Center, doing what many swim dads do on a regular basis - sit in the stands and wait their child to compete. Very unremarkable.
Thanks for the sighting report, Janet! I'll add it to an updated map as more sightings come in. Also, that is an important tip, readers: Morgan is unremarkable. This is an extraordinarily developed stealth tactic, so be sure you have reviewed available photographic evidence as you keep a look out.
I met him once at the Merc, when a friend and I were having lunch there. He was there meeting with elected officials and county administration. I actually had a picture taken with him, but it has mysteriously disappeared....
He's a career politician. Ironically, that was his criticism of his predecessor, The Honorable Rick Boucher.