Parris Island And Patriots Point home of the USS Yorktown

Friday Bev and I took a ride to Parris Island Marine base to check it out. We got to the front gate and turned around because we can not enter until Eric sends us an entry pass. We should have that in time for his graduation. We wanted to check it out in advance, it was a nice ride and the scenery was great.

Yesterday we drove to Charleston, SC to visit Patriots Point, home of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and Maritime Museum. I have been on an aircraft carrier before and as before it was very enjoyable. As I wandered the decks I felt as though I was in a World War II movie. I could remember scenes from war movies as I looked out from locations around the ship.

I was awed as I read and thought about what the crew went through in the many battles they faced.

Twice Modernized (1952 and 1955) the Yorktown served as an attack carrier until re-designated as an anti-submarine aircraft carrier in 1957. She would later earn five more battle stars for service in Vietnam (1965 - 1968).

With more than 250,000 square feet to explore and hundreds of stories to uncover, the Yorktown can keep you intrigued for hours, if not days.

Patriots Point is home to the interactive Congressional Medal of Honor Museum. This captivating museum tells the story of the Country's brave warriors from the Civil War era through those honored today. I was deeply moved.

Along side the USS Yorktown is the submarine USS Clamagore.

We have been on submarines before so we didn't go on board. She is really showing her age.

Also at Patriots Point along the waterfront is a true-to-scale exhibit of a U.S. Navy Vietnam Support Base.

This base takes you back to South Vietnam (1965 - 1970) when the U.S. Navy supported the ground troops and counter insurgency operations throughout a vast network of waterways. The primary mission of the "Brown Water Navy" was to block the movement of insurgents and their supplies into South Vietnam.

It was a very enjoyable day but with almost an hour and half ride each way we were glad to get home and put our feet up. Of course we did stop and eat along the way.

Today was a day of rest recuperating from our travels. We rode our bikes for a while then sat around enjoying the tranquility. Sometimes you just need to relax with a BEER.