Charleston - Part 2

Monday morning, the rains came. It rained all day long. Fortunately, we had an inside activity planned. We drove across the Cooper River bridge, which is a beautiful bridge by the way, to the U.S.S. Yorktown. The picture really doesn't do the bridge justice, but it was just a crummy day for outside pictures.



The only other time I had been to Charleston was when my girl scout troup stayed on the Yorktown overnight. I think I was 9 or 10. I much preferred our accomodations this trip, but it was a neat experience back then. I know three little boys who will love getting to do stuff like that.

The Yorktown has several self-guided tours that you can take. There is also a theatre where you can see a 20 minute intro to the ship. The Medal of Honor museum is located on board the ship too. It was incredible to see and hear the stories of some of the recipients of the medal. I think it should be required viewing for every citizen. It would surely give many people a whole new appreciation for our military and our freedom.

The Yorktown is the carrier that picked up the Apollo 8 astronauts. This exhibit was a replica of their splash-down capsule.

To take the tours, you had better bring your walking shoes. Also, be prepared to climb many narrow, steep ladders. I was pretty proud of myself for doing every tour at 30 weeks. However, I did take a nap when we got back to the Mills House that afternoon.

Here are some of the bunks the sailors slept in. I'm sure it was more crowded when the ship was actually in use.

the galley that fed 3500 men five times a day

Can you guess what this is a picture of? If you said, "The ingredients needed to make chocolate chip cookies for the entire ship", you're right. I can't remember the actual number of cookies that the recipe yields, but I do remember that you needed 165 pounds of flour and 500 eggs!

one of the doctors' examining rooms

Brent in one of the planes. I was afraid if I got in, I might not get out!

upstairs on the very wet flight deck

looking at the bridge from the flight deck

Brent in the captain's chair

After we dried out, we had dinner that night with Brian, Joy, Abby Grace, and Caleb Brunson. However, we forgot to get a picture! It was so good to spend time with special friends from Birmingham.

More to come. . .